How to Put Pictures on Canvas

If you're interested in putting pictures on canvas, you should read this quick how-to guide. The concept of putting pictures on canvas is as simple as it sounds, but to get the most bang for your buck, you should follow a few simple tips so that when you do put your picture on canvas, it will look awesome! 

1. Pick a Great Pic!

Putting your picture on canvas all starts with choosing the best picture you can. High end digital cameras can take extremely high quality pictures, but be sure to check the settings on the camera to make sure that it is capturing at a high resolution. 

After years and years of testing, we've determined that files that are 150 DPI and higher produce the best pictures on canvas. To calculate DPI, simply divide your images pixel dimensions by the size of the photo on canvas you'd like. (For example, if your image is 1200 pixels wide by 1600 pixels tall, and you'd like to order a 12" by 16" picture on canvas, your DPI would be 100. Still good, but it would be better at 150!)

All the general rules for taking a good picture apply especially for pictures on canvas. After all, they will be large, up to 30" by 40", so the details count! Make sure your subject is well lit and in focus.  

2. Cropping is Key

Most picture on canvas websites require you to crop your image (you'd hope they do!). This is important, so be sure you crop wisely. However, try not to be too precise. Leave a little bit of wiggle room, because most cropping software isn't 100% exact, and even the best canvas printers cannot accurately stretch with microscopic precision! 

Of course, most printers can be very, very precise, but the best bet is to keep just a bit of extra room along the edges to ensure your crop is perfect. 

3. Treat your picture on canvas with care

After you put your pictures on canvas, you have to care for them! Most people forget that pictures on canvas are fine art, printed with the same technology and thus subject to the same care standards. 

The good news is that caring for your pictures on canvas is easy! Be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight. Even the best photos on canvas, coated with the best materials, will eventually fade in the harsh sun's rays. Also, try not to subject the picture on canvas to extreme temperature fluctuations, from 30 degrees at night to 102 in the dessert heat, for example. Finally, clean your pictures on canvas with a damp cloth when they get dirty, and avoid contact with sticky substances like tape. Good prints are all treated with special coating, which give them some degree of protection, but its important to remember that each picture on canvas is like a piece of fine art. 

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These tips should help you put your picture on canvas. Taking a good photo is absolutely key, cropping is very important, and caring for the print after you get it will keep it looking amazing for years and years. 

Did I miss something? Let me know! 

Keep your kids safe online - How kids cheat the adult filters

Keeping your kids safe online is a tough job in today's high-technology environment. Free and paid safe browsing filters are a great tool, but not all child protection filters work! You certainly know just how smart your kids are, and while it's true that adult content can get to them accidentally, if they seek it out, it can be difficult to stop it. 

Now, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, or how far you need to go to keep your kids safe online. But I do believe in being informed, so rather than list the best tools for protecting your kids online, I'm going to list ways that kids commonly cheat the system, and how you can be one step ahead.

1. Surfing on the Wii & Phone...

You might lock down their computer, but what about their game consoles or smart-phones? Anything with Internet could potentially be abused, so be careful! Gaming platforms like the Wii have parental controls that allow you to disable the Internet browser completely, which is recommended since the browser isn't very good anyway! 

As for phones, this can be hard to control since there are so many available phones. On the iPhone, go to the "Settings" application (it looks like gears), then to the "Restrictions" section to control various settings. You can then set a restrictions password to lock the settings. 

2. Beating the Internet filters

Your child might be an Internet whiz-kid, but even if he or she isn't, kids know how to use Google, and will find the information they need. If you own a child protection filter, be sure to test it! 

One common way to beat filters is through a "proxy" website that basically hides any traffic, making it seem like it is legitimate when it isn't. Be sure your filter can handle such complex tricks. One way to beat this approach is to block the more popular free proxy websites. Also, if the history indicates visiting these proxy websites often, there's a good chance it's for no-good purposes! 

3. Beating the filters, part 2

The easiest way for kids to beat your Internet child protections is to simply turn them off. Are you using a simple password, like your pet's first name? You should never, ever use simple passwords, for anything, but especially for something that's important like banking or child safety blocks. Make sure the password you choose for your Internet protection software is secure and that your kid won't guess it. 

4. The best strategy...

Is to talk with your kids. Lock-downs can only go so far, but communication is always effective. Perhaps there's a time when your child needs to know they are trusted enough with the entire Internet, or perhaps not. As a parent, the choice is yours, but be sure you talk things over with your child! 

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I'm not trying to tell you what to do, nor am I even advocating that extremely strict child-locks are necessary, but I do believe you should be armed with knowledge, as a parent, to make your own choices!

Photo on Canvas Affiliate Program Launches!

We're happy to announce the launch of our photo to canvas affiliate program. This affiliate program offers 15% commissions and plenty of other bonuses. An affiliate program is, basically, a form of advertising. Instead of paying for each click, this advertising form pays a commission each time something is ordered. This is great if you have a blog or other website and want to make more money than traditional ads generate. 

Our Share a Sale affiliate program is a great photography, art, or family affiliate program, perfect for any website that specializes in these categories. The great thing is that everything is tracked by a neutral third party, Share A Sale. 

If you're interested in our photo to canvas affiliate program, please visit our affiliate page for more details. Want to make even more? E-mail me after you sign-up and we can discuss even better commissions. 

Unique Gift Ideas - Clever Holiday Gifts

I confess: sometimes, I give gift cards. There's nothing wrong with gift cards, they are extremely useful, and I enjoy shopping around to find what I actually want! But gift cards get boring, and I'm always on the lookout for clever gift ideas. It's not just about Holiday gifts either, there's always birthday gifts, valentines day gifts, father's day, mother's day, etc.

So enjoy this list of my favorite unique gifts!

1. The Amazon Kindle

The Kindle is a bit pricey, at $260.00, but without a doubt, it is worth it! Special electronic ink means the display is as easy to read as a book, and the device has global wireless, which means you can get books without driving to the store or hours of searching.

Personally, I love reading my Kindle, and I definitely read a lot more now than I did before! If you know someone that owns a kindle, you can also buy kindle gift cards so they can get more books on their reader. Check out amazon.com for more info. 

2. Give an Adventure!

An adventure is a truly unique gift that no one will expect. This clever gift will literally make your loved one gasp with excitement. I know, because I gave my Mom and Dad a romantic cruise for their birthdays!  

Check out GreatAmericanDays.com for a full list of exciting gift possibilities. Some of the adventures get expensive, but this is a clever gift your loved ones won't forget! 

3. Photos On Canvas

 Yes, this might sound like shameless self-promotion! But in all honesty, photos on canvas make great gifts. Our customers have told us time and time again how great their photo on canvas gift was. 

Canvas photos are unique gifts because they are a transformation of a personal, highly meaningful photo into high quality art. Not only do canvas photos bring personality and memories to walls, they are also great decorations! 

4. Give a little piece of America

I've always wanted to own land, but will never be able to afford it. Well, with this unique gift idea you don't have to! With OwnAPieceOfAmerica, you can purchase a small (very, very small) piece of land for a loved one. Then, you can present a very official looking deed, showing that they own land in whatever state you choose. 

My brother is now a land owner in Hawaii, and he proudly displays his deed to impress his friends. This is a very special gift idea, and it is very affordable, too! 

5. Roku 

The Roku is a small little box that hooks into your television set. This fun gift idea is perfect for those loved ones that have Netflix accounts. A magical little box, this technological marvel streams media from Netflix right to your T.V., instantly. 

Not only is this clever gift extremely useful, it's also very affordable, with the cheapest model starting at just $80. I'm getting one for my parents this Christmas, and I can't way to see it in action! 

Art fights depression

A brand new study has just come out showing that art can make people happier. This study shows that people that frequently are involved in the arts (going to concerts or art galleries, or playing music) tend to feel healthier and less depressed than the norm. 

And this isn't just a few people we're talking about, the study was performed on over 50,000 people! 

The study indicates that people involved in actually making art tend to receive the most positive effects, such as painters and musicians. 

I'm not a painter and I quit piano lessons years ago (I think I still remember how to play Jingle Bells?), but the great thing about art is that it is an emotional pursuit. Not all of us can be great artists, but that doesn't matter so long as you are creating! 

Photography is a great artistic pursuit if you can't play music or paint. You might not be a pro anytime soon, but just let your creativity flow, and do your best! And if you have a photo you are really proud of, get it on canvas and enjoy it every day. Your art just might help make other people happier, too!  

A Tip with Canvas Photos

We certainly see some amazing pictures on canvas. But we know you're probably not an expert on all the ins and outs of canvas printing! Here's some great tips for making your canvas photo even better:

1. Right to the Source

When taking pictures for canvas, be sure to set your camera at the highest settings. At the very least, you should be sure that your camera is generating files that are about 1800x2400 pixels (a little over 4 mega pixels).  Of course, high end digital SLR cameras take the best photos for canvas, but most digital cameras can take pictures this size if the settings are correct. 

2. Take a close look

Open up your digital picture in Photoshop. Does everything look okay? Sometimes, you'll notice small problems or blemishes caused by a bad setup, poor lighting, movement, or random background objects. Remember that your photo on canvas will be large, at least 12" by 16"! Minor scratches or imperfections will be very obvious on the final canvas picture. 

Don't worry! Our skilled image editors catch a lot of the most obvious problems, but they can't catch everything! If you are a pro photographer, taking this extra time to make sure the image is high quality will definitely pay off huge. 

3. Color is Subjective

Color is a tough subject, especially for professional photographers. Did you know that every computer monitor displays colors slightly differently? Therefore, be careful if you are trying to do minor color enhancements or changes for your canvas photo! Although it might look just right on your computer, there's no way for us to know what you're seeing, so we won't be able to match exactly. 

Our experts are highly skilled at making subjective decisions to enhance color and make sure that the picture on canvas will look amazing. If you're getting your photo on canvas from someone else, be sure you understand what process, if any, your image will go through before it gets sent to the printer. Some printers simply send each image as they are received, which can have some unintended, undesirable effects! 

4. Care for your Canvas Photo

Photographs on canvas are like fine art. They are made with the same materials and held to the same standards. Remember to keep your canvas photo out of direct sunlight. Clean with a damp cloth, and avoid contact with tape. 

Also, try to keep the canvas photo in a temperature controlled environment. Of course, I don't expect you to keep your A/C on 24 hours a day, but extreme fluctuations from hot to cold can cause damage. 

Cared for properly, pictures on canvas can last for years and years! 

Celebrating 20,000 memories

I'm so lucky to see so many great pictures come through every day! You guys have some amazing shots! Putting memories on canvas is a lot of hard work, but it's worth it, and everyone at Your Photo On Canvas enjoys seeing all the jaw-dropping pictures come through. 

A while ago, we shipped out our 20,000th image for the year. Yikes!

This prom picture just so perfectly captures what it is we do and it makes me smile every time I see it.

But for those of you with a more professional eye, we don't just do prom pictures. We've seen it all: big corporate logos on canvas, wedding shots, birthday picture, incredibly artistic landscape pictures, even artistic nudes. Thanks for getting creative!

If you don't already know, Your Photo On Canvas creates each print with the same quality standard as fine art, so it's great for pros and amateurs alike.  Also, each photo is reviewed and optimized by an image editor to make sure the quality will be good. We aren't just saying that either, we've been in business 20 years making fine art reproductions! 

Photos on Canvas: what amazing gifts!

Hi there, and welcome to the Your Photo on Canvas blog! We're just getting our blog started, but we hope to have some fun, interesting articles for you. Got ideas? Drop us a line and let us know!

Well, it's Christmas time, and that means buying gifts. If you're like me, you'll struggle to think of a unique gift idea for friends and family. What gift is affordable, unique, and long-lasting? 

Photographs on canvas! Canvas photos aren't just good for your own walls, they make truly stunning gifts. Why do canvas photos make sure great gifts? 

Clearly, the best gifts come from the heart. And photos on canvas are extremely heartfelt, loving gifts because they are completely custom and personal. Maybe it's an old family photo, or a picture of you and your brother fishing as kids. There's a wealth of great memories in your photo books, and gifting a canvas photo is like gifting a memory. 

I hope you have a great Holiday season, and remember to get that Holiday shopping done before it's too late!