Wedding dress, invitations wedding, wedding cake

For many photographers and photography lovers, black and white photos are considered very classy and timeless. When put on a memory gift such as a photo blanket, this can be the perfect gift for formal occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, the death of a loved one or when you want to give a beautiful gift that will complement any color scheme or room d?cor.

To create a black and white photo blanket, just follow a few simple steps. First select the photos you would like to use for the blanket. If they are digital photos, save them to your computer as .JPEG files. If they are film photos, scan them to your computer at 300 DPI in grayscale, RGB, or CYMK colors. DPI refers to the resolution or clarity of the photo…This is extremely important because your photos will be blown up to fit on the blanket, and you’ll always want the photos to be very clear at actual size. When the photos are enlarged in the case of a photo blanket, and the original picture quality is not very good, the final product will be blurry, pixilated or unrecognizable.

Next you’ll want to pick a photo editing or design program, such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Photo, or if you don’t have any of these programs, try Gimp, a free, safe, and downloadable program that will work great with a little familiarization. After picking a design program, select a New file that is the size of the photo blanket that you would like (30″x40″, 50×60″ or 60″x72″) at 100 DPI if your computer can handle 1 GB Ram and 1 MHz If your computer may not be able to handle a file this large, try creating it at 9″x12″ at 300 DPI for a 30″x40″ blanket or 10″x12″ at 300 DPI for the 50″x60″ or 60″x72″ blanket.

(If additional information is needed on how to use photo design programs please visit Photoshop, Corel Draw, Gimp or read our additional articles on getting familiar with design tools)

Continue cropping, designing and importing file graphics and your own pictures until you have a beautiful blanket that will stun family and friends. After you have finished, save your final design at the highest quality jpeg or jpg (however, it is always a good idea to save your work as you go). Most all photo blanket companies will want the image saved as a jpg (a.k.a. photo file).

Some keys to creating a classy black and white photo blanket are:

1. Stick with a neutral background or border such as black, white, or a grey color between 20-90%. 20%-90% grey shade refers to the amount of black in that shade of grey, 20% being very light and 90% being very dark. This will help frame the pictures and will complement and accentuate the grey mid-tones in the pictures. Also keep in mind balance. If the pictures are mostly white, try a darker background that will keep the white and black balanced. If you use a dark border or background on the front, you can always use a grey or white backing fabric, this again will help keep the shades balanced.

2. Experiment with borders between the pictures. If you can keep an even border between each picture and offset the pictures, or create a unique collage layout, it will bring visual interest and help keep the blanket one-of-a-kind. If you are working with pictures and would like to cut out a lot of the background, try using creative cut-out shapes such as ovals, circles or even hearts.

3. Clarity is key. Keep in mind that a picture on your screen is much smaller than it will be at actual size. Use high quality images and always preview the design at actual (100%) size so that you can see what the final product will look like. When you want a photo blanket that is crystal clear, I recommend VisionBedding as a good place since they use a dye process that will not fade, change the texture of the fabric, and can produce real-life clarity.

4. Get creative with text. Because the text is part of the image, you can personalize it, making it even more special. Add dates, names, places, or a memorable story. Using formal (such as Monotype Corsiva or Palace Script) of creative fonts (such as Pristina or Century Gothic) and techniques such as embossing, it will add a pristine look and give it that completed classy feel. (Try to avoid using all capital letters in formal fonts that have loops and curves as they will not flow as nicely and can be hard to read.)