Choose the right format for your canvas photos

The format of your photo has to match the format of the canvas.

That means that if you like to buy a 30” x 40” size canvas photo, your photo has to be in the format 3:4 as well (or in other words the width must be 1.25 times the height).

The format varies among cameras. Most compact cameras shoot photos in the 3:4 format while SRL digital cameras shoot in a 2:3 format.

You can check the format of your photo by right-clicking the icon and then choose “properties”. Click at the “Document Info”-tab and you will see the width and height as the two first parameters.

Or you can just use the systems many photo dealers provide to check it automatically. More about that later in this article.

How to calculate the format of your photo

Your photo could be 3342 pixels wide and 2228 high. If you divide those two numbers, you will (in this case) get the number 1.5 – meaning that the width is 1.5 times the height (or in other words the format is 2:3 and not 3:4).

In this case the 30” x 40” size will not work very well, because the format is wrong. You now have two choices:

• Choose another photo canvas size
• Crop the photo so the size will be right for the canvas

Chose the right canvas size

The easiest solution, if the format is wrong, is to choose another photo canvas size. In this case, you could choose 30” x 45” instead of 30” x 40” (if this size is available).

Crop the photo

Another solution is to crop your photo, so it can fit into the 3:4. If there is room in the photo for that, it could work fine – but if you have to cut a head or a foot, it is not a good idea.

In this case it works just fine to crop the photo

You also have to remember that there will be a border area, which could disappear (depending of the kind of wrap), when your photo is transferred to the canvas (read more in the article Canvas Photo Wraps). So make sure that you not crop your image to tight.

There is a lot photo editing software that can help you width the cropping. The best one is Adobe Photoshop, but the high price will probably scare most people.

Instead I will recommend ACDSee Pro that has the necessary photo editing functions. If you like to make canvas art, the cheaper version of Photoshop called Photoshop Elements is also a very good solution.

When you crop the photo, remember to set the right size in inches/centimeters, so you will have the right format after cropping.

Size matters

Even if the format is right, you also have to check, that the photo is big for the decided canvas size. If the photo does not have enough pixels (meaning that the resolution is too low), the photo on the canvas will look blurry.

You can read more about the necessary photo size in the article Size does matter (for photos on canvas).

The lazy way

All that checking is a lot of work. Luckily there are shops that do all the hard work.

Maybe your local photo shop can help you, but it is easier (and probably also cheaper) to do the checking online.

An online shop like Foto.com takes care of all the work. They have a big chart showing all the formats, sizes and minimum resolutions (and prices).

And if you upload a canvas photo, the system will automatically detect the format and resolution and offers the relevant sizes. You will also be shown an estimate of the border area. Try it their “photos on canvas” calculation system.

See the resolution and the possible sizes at Foto.com

If you use BiggyPix, you just upload your photo, and then you are told which sizes, you can have (based on the size and format of your photo).

When you upload a photo to Photogonia, the possible maximum size is shown. And when you change either the width or the height, the other dimension is changed automatically (based on the format of your photo).

Note: you can use the systems without buying anything.

If you would like to know more about the three photo dealers, you can read the Dealer Reviews.