Big picture

[BerryGirl]

I was wondering if anybody has ever attempted a huge lo? I want to make a huge montage/collage to put on the wall over my couch, I'm talking 20 inches by 30 inches. I can't decide how to go about it whether to draw a sketch on butcher paper and then create it digitally or just try piecing it together. Any ideas? I am think of kind of doing all black and white pictures with maybe some color blocks here and there or maybe colorizing a few pictures here and there different colors. Any other ideas or helps would be appreciated :)

[Amanda]

oooh...never tried that - but sounds awesome!

[Janet]

I know if you can do it at a large enough resolution, you can get ofoto (think they're Kodak easy share now) or other online printing places to print it out as a 20" x 30" photo for you.

[GizmoBird]

You might want to take a look at Rasterbator (http://homokaasu.org/). Can use on the site or download a stand alone. It's free!!!!!! so far, they are looking for a publisher. You could even make wallpaper, LOL.

[Emma]

digitally! You can get that size printed. Shop around first for prices and see what size you want to pay for.

Definitely very high res, at least 300ppi or more if your computer can handle it. PSP hates making huge images, so working in small scale for the overall image, then working in pieces might help. If you create in 600ppi you can then reduce resolution and up the size, experiment to see what PSP likes better.

I love the bw idea with solid colors scattered around. Good idea, keep us posted!

[dkapp12]

My BIL printed two 20X30's using photoshop and a printer from where he works. They are great. Here is one of them. (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50002&cat=500&page=1)

[BerryGirl]

I finished the lo but would love some feedback before I print. I am trying to decide between printing it up at costco for ten dollars and then buying a black frame that I found at Michaels or printing it up at Mpix.com on mounted canvas for 55 dollars. I am leaning towards the Costco idea because then I could make a new one every year and use the same frame. Thanks for you ideas. I tried making it straight out in psp but it was SLOOOOOW and then shut down so I ended up making it in three 10x20 parts and then just putting the final project together. I did it at 300 and I hope that will print up well. But let me know what you think!
picture (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=50689&cat=500&page=1)

[wfclair]

Ok...took a look at it...great job!!! I suggest you do the $10 print. I use canvas a lot. It is best used with old damaged photos or very art like photos. This will turn out well.

[Amanda]

looks great :)

[firehouse]

Most online digital printers will print your LO for pennies compared to doing it locally. Try mpix.com or others.

Now, that said, try not to tear up your computer while doing it. If you must do it all in one file, then I recommend doing it in 180dpi . If you are not sending it to a commerical printing press (magazine, etc.) there is not reason to do it in 300dpi, you will not notice the difference on a print that comes from a photo printing lab. You will reduce your file size by more than half and therefore maybe not blowing up your computer working on such a large file.

As a photographer and web and graphic designer I have done it many times and the resolution is perfect, and I am a perfectionist when it comes to my prints.

I do NOT recommend SnapFish, their prints are horrible.

Good luck and have fun with it!

[dkapp12]

[QUOTE=firehouse]Most online digital printers will print your LO for pennies compared to doing it locally. Try mpix.com or others.

I alway work at 300 dpi. I wrote to one of the commercial printers - I think it ws mpix; anyway, they requested saving finished photo at jpg 10 instead of 12. Saves a lot of time if your planning on uploading for printing.

[lvg4him]

WOW to BOTH huge layouts!! PLEASE DON'T DELETE THEM I have added them to my favorites to gather ideas when I do this myself.

I am SO LOVING this idea!! I like the idea of doing something a bit cheaper than canvas and then doing a new one every year. You can give the previous year to grandparents and other familie members when you switch out (and they can buy their own frame). :) I like the family one you did, but I think I am going to do this with pictures from our honeymoon! OR FAMILY VACATIONS!! We have been to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone and next year (if baby allows) we plan on camping at the Redwood Forrest and going to Yosemity (sp?).

PLEASE SHARE ANY TIPS YOU HAVE for doing this! :) They would be very much appreciated.

[susan]

I'm sorry I'm so behind here in the forums, but when I saw your question, I just had to respond...

I do almost all of my work for my clients in 16x20 and larger and typically print it on canvas. They all love the idea of having something so nice for their walls. Looks like you figured it out OK - just set your canvas up for the size you want in the end and I always design and send to the printer at 300 dpi.

Love what you did!

[BerryGirl]

Well, I am about to hang up my finished product! I ended up printing it up through Costco for 9.99 so I can do a new one whenever I feel like it. I bought a frame at Michaels for 15 (with a 40% off coupon). I am really happy with how it turned out. I did it in three sections at 300 dpi and it printed beautifully. A few tips if anybody else wants to try this. I made the lo to be exactly 20x28 inches, the size of the frame but when I put the picture in about a 1/4 inch is covered by the edge of the frame so on the next one I will have the pictures start lower so a little bit isn't cut off. I am really happy with it and so if anyone decides to try I would be a willing helper :) I will post the picture of it on my wall soon...

[BerryGirl]

Here is a picture of the finished product hanging on the wall since some of you said you would like to see it :)
big picture (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=52714&cat=500&page=1)

[janetanddon]

Both of the pictures are great! I love the collage look very nice. :)
On one of the LO I did I planned a 8x10 I'm glad that I waited to find a good printing service.
Thanks also for the mpix.com looks like I will be changing my place of printing.
I have tried Snappy Photos and they were awful.

Thanks!

[nitewalkr]

I don't know if this will help. I cloned colored a coloring page of the the Disney villians for a poster on the computer. I Emailed the project to my husbands workplace and with his bosses consent he printed it up on a a Hewlett Packard ink jet plotter to a 24x36 size. ( I had to let his bosses 7 year old daughter have a smaller copy of it thats how we paid for it).

[elizabethlmccoy]

there you go! what a fantastic resource!!

[PonytailGinger]

I did that with a very large computer graphic, framed, matted, glassed, and entered it into an art show. All it took was a printer that could handle that size, and since most of us do not own one of those, we must take it to a printing shop for it. Photoshop is the only format our print shops will take here. When I did mine, I was attending college here, and the college had a larger printer in the lab which printed mine out. It was a class assignment.