The 22 best custom photo gifts anyone will love

The best photo gifts for 2022.
The best photo gifts for 2022.

— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission.

Photos honor memories that you make with your loved ones. They capture those special moments celebrating a birthday or wedding and remind us of happy times. It's holiday season, and that means finding the best gift for a friend or family member. Spread joy and give them a visual gift of everything to do with photos!

Get on the nice list. Sign up for our newsletter to get all the best gift guides, deals and holiday planning advice.

Here at Reviewed, we spend all year researching and testing the latest products, making sure we can confidently recommend our favorites just in time for the holiday season. Here are 22 photo gifts we are excited about—from the best vlogging camera we've ever tested to the photo album from our favorite photo printing service.

1. For the friend who’s celebrating a milestone moment: Make My Book Photo Service

Best photo gifts: Make My Book Photo Book Service
Best photo gifts: Make My Book Photo Book Service

After putting several photo printing services to the test, we ranked Shutterfly as the best overall printing service of 2022. With the highest quality photo prints among competitors like Snapfish and Amazon Print, Shutterfly’s impressive collection of photo gifts is worth checking out. The Make My Book service stands out among photo books, carefully created by a Shutterfly designer, and ready to ship in just three days.

$18 at Shutterfly

2. For the new homeowners: Pallet Photo Art Gift

Best photo gifts: Pallet Photo Art Gift
Best photo gifts: Pallet Photo Art Gift

When deciding on an appropriate gift for a couple in their first home, this item is both stylish and sentimental. A unique wood medium offers a rustic flair to this décor art that fits in any living room or entryway. We also love that its maker, Raw Kraft, will replace the item for free if it gets damaged in the mail.

From $15 at Etsy

3. For the nostalgic family member: Layflat Photo Album

Best photo gifts: Layflat Photo Album
Best photo gifts: Layflat Photo Album

Artifact Uprising may not have the same level of name recognition as Shutterfly or Snapfish, but as a photo service, its quality is top-notch. If you’ve got someone who loves to reminisce with all manner of house guests, a Layflat photo album makes a sentimental yet chic addition—complete with customized foil colors and paper finishes—to a coffee or an end table. Plus, the gift-receiver can leave the book open to specific pages when they please, inspiring conversation when you come for a visit.

$140 at Artifact Uprising

4. For your partner in crime: Custom Best Friends Portrait

Best gifts for best friends 2020: Custom Best Friends Portrait
Best gifts for best friends 2020: Custom Best Friends Portrait

Not sure what to get for the close friend in your life? Go the personal route with this best friend print. This Etsy shop creates the ultimate personal gift, allowing you to customize the hair and skin tone for a portrait version of you and your best friend. You can also add a personalized message at the top, making it all the more

From $20 at Etsy

5. For retired family members or grandparents: Custom Photo Puzzle

Best photo gifts: Custom Photo Puzzle
Best photo gifts: Custom Photo Puzzle

Nothing fills a grandparent’s heart with joy like little ones in the family. This holiday season, you can make them happy by filling their downtime, too, with a custom photo puzzle designed with one or more personal photos. This puzzle from Shutterfly can be created in four different sizes, from 60 pieces to just over 1,000, so even the most amateur or professional puzzle hobbyist will be satisfied.

$18 at Shutterfly

6. For the one you share oh so many memories with: Heart Snapshot Mix Photo Art

Best photo gifts: Heart Snapshot Mix Photo Art
Best photo gifts: Heart Snapshot Mix Photo Art

If you have a friend or family member who never fails to snap a photo on every occasion, this collage of Polaroid-style photos is the perfect gift. This art is available on Minted, an online marketplace where you can get specialty prints and goods from independent artists and designers. For this print, you can choose from a wide selection of frames and sizes, or get the art unframed. Here's a tip: The heart-shaped design makes for a great gift for your significant other, too.

From $31 at Minted

7. For the coffee or tea aficionado: Custom Photo Mug

Best photo gifts: Custom Photo Mug
Best photo gifts: Custom Photo Mug

Can a coffee or tea drinker ever have too many mugs? Remind your favorite java fan of the fun times you’ve had together by gifting them this Tervis mug that can be customized with a personal photo. This quality, highly rated insulated mug is designed to keep your drink cooler or hotter than it would be in a regular cup (as do all Tervis products). With every soul-warming sip, they’ll be reminded of good memories.

$18 at Tervis

8. For the Gen Z-er with an old soul: Mini Photo Album

Best photo gifts: Mini Photo Album
Best photo gifts: Mini Photo Album

Organize quick, of-the-moment snaps all in one place with this vintage-looking album that can safely store up to 120 photos from an instant camera. The album comes in seven different colors and textures, and there is also a notes section to write down a date and location.

$11 at Amazon

9. For the one who values the art of family portraiture: Custom Photo Painting

Best photo gifts: Custom Photo Painting
Best photo gifts: Custom Photo Painting

Know anyone with an art collection? A painted version of a cherished photo may be their perfect gift. PaintYourLife features a team of professional portrait artists who recreate the photo using varied mediums, including oils, acrylic, charcoal, pencil or watercolor. These artists are committed to creating the best painting possible, allowing unlimited revisions and free online proofing.

From $39 at PaintYourLife

10. For the friend who works from a home office: Brass Easel & Calendar

Best photo gifts: Brass Easel & Calendar
Best photo gifts: Brass Easel & Calendar

This elegant solid brass calendar from Artifact Uprising is a sleek touch to a desk setup, offering 12 flashbacks—one monthly—to past adventures. It'll look beautiful in your giftees' home or office space.

$50 at Artifact Uprising

11. For the busy parent: Google Nest Hub Max

Best photo gifts: Google Nest Hub Max
Best photo gifts: Google Nest Hub Max

If you know someone who’s busy juggling work, school pick-ups, and dinner plans, you’ll be doing them a huge favor by gifting them a Google Nest Hub Max. This smart tablet features built-in Google Assistant for hands-free task management, compatibility with smart TVs and speakers, and more, but it’s on this list because it can also function as a digital photo frame, showcasing your collection of photos stored in Google Photos. We tested this exact model earlier this year, and we loved just how user-friendly and helpful it is.

$175 at Best Buy

12. For the design-forward friend with a large family: Gallery Picture Frame Set

Best photo gifts: Gallery Picture Frame Set
Best photo gifts: Gallery Picture Frame Set

The friend who has been looking to build their own gallery wall will appreciate this coordinating, 9-piece set of wood frames in nine different color collections. It is a stylish home accent and a fun decorating project made easy.

$79 at Wayfair

13. For the sentimental collector: Linen Photo Box

Best photo gifts: Linen Photo Box
Best photo gifts: Linen Photo Box

This bestselling photo box pairs a standard-size photo with a soft linen fabric and satin ribbon to keep your momentos safe and sound. We love how the box includes a special storage space for a USB stick, making it easy to share meaningful photos and videos along with the box. This gift is perfect for anyone who likes to show and tell their favorite memories and keepsakes.

$42 at Etsy

14. For the pet-obsessed person who loves to cuddle: Custom Pet Pillow

Best photo gifts: Custom Pet Pillow
Best photo gifts: Custom Pet Pillow

We all know someone who treats their fur baby like their child—and this is the gift for them. These custom pet pillows are handmade with the submitted photo printed on silky soft velvet. They’re cute and cozy pieces for the couch or bed, especially for former pet parents who want to keep snuggling with their cherished Rex.

From $21 at Etsy

15. For the one who likes to add personality to business casual: Custom Photo Socks

Best photo gifts: Custom Photo Socks
Best photo gifts: Custom Photo Socks

We’re here to say yes, socks are a great gift during the holidays—especially these custom-printed pairs. You can select up to 10 different faces to display—including pets. These make for a fantastic gag gift, whether at the office Yankee swap or the family Secret Santa.

From $26 at Etsy

16. For the one who loves a quirky way to decorate: Custom Photo Gallery Magnets

Best photo gifts: Custom Photo Gallery Magnets
Best photo gifts: Custom Photo Gallery Magnets

Bring some fun to any fridge that’s papered in grocery lists, school notices, and business cards. Family members, kids, and pets become hilarious on high quality glass photo magnets. This gift is sure to add a sentimental touch to their kitchen space.

From $3 at Shutterfly

17. For the proud parent of an adorable kid: Photo and Engraved Keychain

Best photo gifts: Photo and Engraved Keychain
Best photo gifts: Photo and Engraved Keychain

A custom keychain is a creative way for a parent to show off their child’s most recent school photo. And because in their eyes, their kid is obviously the best, any old keychain won’t do. We love this top-quality key fob made from cowhide leather and stainless steel—and it’s no surprise it is a bestseller on Etsy. Reviewers rave over its soft leather material and its beautifully embossed initials that take the quality of the keyring to the next level.

From $25 at Etsy

18. For the road-tripping family: 50 States Map Photo Collage

Best photo gifts: 50 States Map Photo Collage
Best photo gifts: 50 States Map Photo Collage

Many families opted to venture out on road trips this year when widespread travel all but stopped. This 5-star-reviewed, beautifully handcrafted 50 states travel map helps those with wanderlust track their trips across the country. Simply use the online resource the seller provides to print your photos into state shapes, then use the glue dots included in the gift to secure them once you’ve visited. This gift also inspires incentive to continue exploring.

$52 at Etsy

19. For the amateur vlogger: Panasonic Lumix GH5 4K Digital Camera

Best photo gifts: Panasonic Lumix GH5 4K Digital Camera
Best photo gifts: Panasonic Lumix GH5 4K Digital Camera

While capturing amazing experiences while traveling abroad may not be in the cards any time soon, there’s still plenty of buzz around capturing what’s happened during this unprecedented year—and what lies ahead in 2021. Out of all the vlog cameras we’ve tested here at Reviewed, the Panasonic Lumix is our pick for best overall. It’s easy to use, extremely durable, and shoots stunning 4K video, making it a fitting camera for most vlogging needs.

$2899 at Amazon

20. For the one looking for photos to double as décor: LED Photo String Lights

Best photo gifts: LED Photo String Lights
Best photo gifts: LED Photo String Lights

Twinkling lights with a personal twist can complete a cozy space like a man cave or a she shed, and these highly rated LED battery-powered ones are Amazon’s Choice for string lights. The recipient can get interactive, clipping favorite photos or ephemera (postcards, notes, etc.). Bonus points for gifting this with a few of their favorite photos already included.

$15 at Amazon

21. For the teen with the trendiest style and gadgets: Fujifilm Instax Mini 40 Instant Camera

Best photo gifts: Fujifilm Instax Mini 40 Instant Camera
Best photo gifts: Fujifilm Instax Mini 40 Instant Camera

Instant cameras are becoming must-haves for photo-obsessed teens who love vintage filters. Of all the instant cameras we’ve put to the test, our favorite choice is the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic Instant Film Camera. We found this camera to have a ton of handy (and fun) features and is a great gift for any age.

$260 at Amazon

22. For the one who appreciates a sustainable gift: Fracture Glass Print

Best photo gifts: Fracture Glass Print
Best photo gifts: Fracture Glass Print

For a modern take on the classic photo print, look no further. Fracture creates ultra-sleek glass prints while maintaining carbon-neutral sustainability throughout the manufacturing process. The durable yet lightweight piece makes a perfect addition to any home. Pair it with Fracture's Storyboard shelf, crafted from beautiful solid hardwood with ridges to securely hold your glossy photos.

From $20 at Fracture

Make holiday shopping easy with help from our experts. Sign up for text message alerts to get deals, gift guides and shopping advice delivered straight to your phone.

The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews and more.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

This article originally appeared on Reviewed: The 22 best custom photo gifts anyone will love