Saying goodbye is never easy. What’s important to remember when the ones we love are lost, are the good times we shared while they were here. Focus on the happy memories. Regale all the funny stories. Recall the special moments that meant so much. What better way to commemorate the life of those we loved than in pictures? But not just any pictures. A snapshot is too still. A matted frame is too motionless. Only a photo set on canvas can make your memories come to life. When looking at your canvas photo, you’ll feel as though you and Grandpa are on the lake again, hardly catching any fish, but having the time of your lives! Canvas photos are an artistic and endearing way to relive those magical moments caught on film.

Canvas photos are an easy and affordable memoriam. Begin by remembering those moments most special to you, and choosing photographs that capture these times. Perhaps a family vacation, holiday gathering, or anniversary party. Photo artists will then transfer your picture onto smooth canvas and wrap it seamlessly around a sturdy frame. Frames are typically available in a range of sizes, from an 8 x 10 tabletop photo to a 20 x 30 portrait perfect for the mantelpiece. And they are truly an economical option. With prices ranging from $25 to $100, these unique photos are affordable memorabilia. Made to outlast any ordinary matted frame, canvas photos are guaranteed to stand the test of time. They make the perfect heirloom to pass down from generation to generation.

Canvas photos can be incorporated in so many touching ways. Display them during a memorial service, so that family and friends can recapture special moments. Invite everyone to pen their favorite memory on the back of the frame. Memories can include your loved one’s witty anecdotes and advice, or clever quotations. Those present can also share stories about the first time they met, or the last treasured time they were together. Canvas photos also make cherished keepsakes for friends and family during the holidays, a birthday, an anniversary, or any other time you’d like to celebrate the life of those passed. Perfect for children, grandchildren, siblings, and lifelong friends, the people most admired in your loved one’s life will be able to remember them forever.

Restore memories from long ago by trading the antique for the unique. Transfer treasured photos onto canvas and breathe new life into the moment. Make an old Army photo come alive again. Feel renewed love and romance in a past wedding portrait. Gaze upon the rekindled image of a golden anniversary. All the fond memories of the history once shared will come flooding back, and the hopes and dreams of the future will be restored.

Remember your loved one in a special way by transferring your treasured moments to canvas. Share extraordinary memories with those nearest and dearest. As we remember our dear loved ones we realize that the memory of their character touches our hearts and at times stirs us to embody their attributes and learn from their mistakes being fully aware that life is fragile.

Article Source: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=281357&ca=Arts+and+Crafts

Welcome to the cadillac of photo-enhancers: Photoshop CS!

Retouching in Photoshop can be a breeze... but not until you learn how. The Photoshop CS program is such a powerful application you could spend years just mastering the basics.

Most of us, however, don’t really need a Masters in Photoshop. What most of us want is the flexibility, integrity and vast array of choices that Photoshop provides.

Let’s look briefly at some of the most basic photo corrections in Photoshop CD, the ones you’ll really need. Here are the first steps recommended by the experts, and they represent the process they apply to every photograph:

1- First and foremost, duplicate your original and work only on the copy.

That way, if something goes wrong, you’ll always have the original. This is a great habit to get into.

2- Next, assure the correct resolution. There are two basic categories of “resolution” in computer graphics: the monitor resolution and the image resolution.

Image resolution varies from low (about 72 pixels per inch, or “ppi”) to high (anything 300 ppi or larger). Of course, the higher the resolution, the bigger the file.

To change the resolution of your photo, click “Image,” then “Image Size.” On the bottom left of the box that comes up, type in the ppi you want, for example, 300 ppi. (You will probably want to change the size at this point. That’s fine, you will still retain the ppi you chose.)

3- Use your Crop tool ( ) from the toolbox to shape your picture the way you want it.

Many people don’t notice the width and height options underneath the top menu, but it’s a very handy feature.

At times you have an exact measurement you need to fill; rather than fiddling with the numbers after you crop, the proper way is to insert the width and height immediately after clicking the Crop tool, and then making the crop, dragging down diagonally with your mouse. You will notice the exact measurements appear without a struggle.

4- Experiment with your automatically adjusting features. Click on “Image” in your top menu, then “Adjustments.” You will see options for automatic levels, contrast and color. After you’ve tried them, you can go ahead and hone in to polish, if you like.

You can also try Image> Adjustments> Shadow/Highlight (or “Variations”). You’ll be astonished at the variety of preset options there.

As you gan imagine, there are endless variations on the themes represented by these basic steps and the choices made therein.

But Photoshop expands past them and out into the great beyond, offering an unlimited palette and a universe of options.

Your only problem will be how to tear yourself away.

Acticle Source: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=124274&ca=Internet

At some point most photographers consider how long their printed pictures will last. As we think about this point we can see how this thought originates at the heart of photography, after all when we take a picture we are trying to preserve a moment in time. We are creating a remembrance of something that will never be exactly the same. In view of this expressed thought when we print our images we want them to keep their visual integrity. Yes, we want them to look as good as they did the day they where printed 100 years from now and longer.

Realistically is this possible and how can we determine how long photo’s and specifically in this article photo’s on canvas will last? As a consumer this question becomes important especially when we are parting with money in exchange for prints.

To answer these questions there are a few variables we must consider.

We must appreciate that not every one is going to display their images under the same conditions. Some will display their image framed with glass, others will without glass. Some will hang them in rooms with bright lights, some in areas of there home or office that get sunlight for part of the day. Still, others will hang them in areas with high humidity such as bathrooms. All of these scenarios have a bearing on the longevity of a photo on canvas. In light of this we realize that applying “Display Permanence Ratings” to an image that we are going to hang in a given area, will give us not an exact, but general idea of how long that image will last. The determining factors are not just the ink, canvas, sealer, ext. although these are important, equally important is the environment the image will be displayed in.

The company that has really pioneered the most excepted tests for measuring displayed print longevity is Wilhelm Imaging Research Inc. The expression “Display Permanence Ratings” refers to a standard of tests that show the longevity of prints. This company is not a manufacturer of imaging products but is a third party research company which allows them to be more objective and non partial when rating print permanence. Their tests take into consideration such factors as light-fastness humidity-fastness ozone-fastness as well as other factors. Their research has shown that quality inks, combined with quality canvas, printed on a quality printer and finally sealed with a quality sealer can produce photo canvas prints that will last anywhere from 60 to 142 years without “noticeable fading”. Some of the constant features of these test environments are that the light is 12 hours a day at an exposure brightness of 450 Lux The temperature being 75 degrees Fahrenheit and 60% humidity. It is of great value to know that many household display areas are similar to this description of these test environments.

Information like this is invaluable to both Print Professionals and consumers.

No doubt many would agree that it is the responsibility of the print professional to be educated about such things.
The canvas chosen by a print shop should be archival. The company that manufactures the canvas should stand by there product with a guarantee that their canvas will out last the inks used to print on them.

The inks too should be archival, industry tested like Epson Ultra Chrome K3™ inks.

Finally the sealer should encapsulate the ink protecting it from ozone as well as having UV protecting qualities. It should also be water resistant if not water proof. The reason for such a high standard for the sealer is because at present I am using a sealer that is so amazing I have literally taken a canvas print sealed with it and put it under a running faucet for ten seconds. The water just beaded and rolled off with no visible effect to the print.

So then a company that has done their homework, and strives to produce the best product they possibly can. should be able to say to their clients with confidence “under reasonable conditions your photo on canvas will last 100 years.”

Article Source: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=256912&ca=Arts+and+Crafts