Developer Needed for Custom Pet Paint Template Automation

I run a custom Paint Your Pet kit business. Customers upload pet photos, and we turn those photos into simplified painting templates for live classes and take-home kits.

I’m looking for a developer, Illustrator scripting expert, or image-processing specialist who can help automate part of this workflow.

Project Goal:

Create a tool or script that takes a customer’s pet photo and turns it into a clean, simplified, editable template that can be used as the starting point for a custom painting guide.

The goal is not to create a realistic illustration or a detailed image trace. The goal is to create clean, beginner-friendly artwork with smooth sections that are easy to paint.

What the Tool Should Do
The system should be able to:

* Accept JPG or PNG pet photos
* Remove or ignore the background
* Isolate the pet only
* Simplify the pet into large, clean paintable sections
* Preserve the pet’s general likeness and important features
* Smooth messy edges and reduce unnecessary detail
* Avoid tiny, overly complicated regions
* Create editable vector-style output
* Export files that can be opened and adjusted in Adobe Illustrator or a similar program

Style Requirements:
The finished template should look more like a clean coloring book or paint-by-number base than an automatic photo trace.

The output should avoid:

* Excessive fur texture
* Too many tiny sections
* Jagged auto-trace lines
* Open or broken paths
* Random artifacts
* Overly complex shading
* Gradients or realistic effects

The template needs to be simple enough for beginners to paint while still looking like the customer’s pet.

Possible Tools:
I’m open to your recommended approach. This may involve:

* Adobe Illustrator scripting
* Adobe Illustrator automation/API workflows
* Adobe Firefly Services
* Python or OpenCV
* SVG cleanup tools
* Raster-to-vector processing
* A simple local or cloud-based batch workflow

I care more about clean, usable results than the specific technology used.

Deliverables:
For the first milestone, I’d like a working prototype that can process a small batch of pet photos and produce:

* A pet-only template with the background removed
* Smooth simplified sections
* Editable vector output
* Printable preview files
* Basic documentation for how to use or adjust the workflow

I will provide several test pet photos with different coat colors and complexity levels.

Ideal Candidate
You may be a good fit if you have experience with:

* Adobe Illustrator automation or scripting
* SVG/vector cleanup
* Image processing
* Custom production workflows
* Paint-by-number, coloring book, print, laser, embroidery, or similar art-prep systems

Please include examples of similar automation, image-processing, or vector workflow projects you’ve completed. Also include a brief explanation of how you would approach this and what limitations you’d expect.