Ideas, Tips & Insights
Answers to the things that actually stop a picture becoming a print — and what to do about each one.
When the photo isn't good enough
The picture you have is the picture you have. These are the ways round that.
- Why your photo won't print bigPhotos that look sharp on a phone often can't be printed large. Why it happens, how to check before you order, and what you can do about it.
- How to print a photo someone sent you on WhatsAppPhotos sent over WhatsApp arrive smaller than they were taken. How to get the original, what to do when you can't, and how to check before you order.
- How to remove someone or something from a photoBrush over what you want gone and say what belongs there instead. How much to brush, how to word it, and what makes the difference between invisible and obvious.
- How to make a photo fit a frame it wasn't taken forCropping takes the picture away; expanding adds to it. How to fill a frame you already own without cutting anyone out, and which shape to choose.
- How to scan or photograph an old printScan at 600 DPI, or photograph it flat in daylight. What resolution you need, how to avoid reflections and shadows, and what to do about creases and marks.
When you want more than a photo
Turning something you took into something you would hang.
- How to get everyone into one photoCombine up to six photos into one picture, including the person who was holding the camera. How to order your photos, why to work in rounds, and how to keep faces recognisable.
- How to turn a photo of your pet into a portraitPets are the most forgiving subject for AI art. Which photo to use, why to try several styles at once, and how to get a print-sized result.
- Art for a wall when you don't have a photoChoose the shape the wall needs, describe what you want, and have it made. How to word it, which styles suit which rooms, and how to get a set that hangs together.
- Turning a photo into artwork: which style should you choose?Twenty-three styles, five at a time. How to narrow it down by what's in the photo, who it's for, and which surface you'll print it on.
When you're looking for a gift
Made from someone’s own life, rather than bought off a shelf.
- A gift for the person who already has everythingThey don't need another object. Five gift ideas made from their own life — the photo that was never taken, the house they grew up in, the picture too small to print.
- Photo gifts for grandparentsWhat grandparents actually want is the family, printed and on the wall. Four ideas, how big to go, and what to do about photos that came through WhatsApp.
When you're choosing what to print on
Size, surface, and the decisions nobody explains before you make them.
- What size canvas goes above a sofaThe two-thirds rule, in real sizes: what fits above a two- or three-seater, how high to hang it, and when to use a set instead of one canvas.
- Canvas, metal or poster: which suits which pictureCanvas forgives a softer photo, metal shows you everything, and a poster is the cheap way to be sure. How to choose, and how light in the room changes the answer.