Right On Canvas! the blog

Hello All. We have been neglecting our blog because we are in the process of creating a whole new website, including a new design, functionality, customizeIt options, and a new blog, not to mention a whole lot more information about Right On Canvas, photos, and more. So keep your eyes peeled for some Big changes!

Thanks! Luke

Hello again, It has been awhile since my last post, but I am back and ready to get on the Blog band wagon again.

One of the most frequently asked questions at our photo printing studio (http://www.rightoncanvas.com/about.html) is how do you keep track of all of your digital photos? Well the answer is simple photo cataloging/archiving software.

We think that archiving your photos is as important as taking them in the first place. If your photos are hard to find, they are probably going to collect digital dust deep inside your computer never to be seen again. Then what is the point of taking them. Right?

We use Extensis Portfolio for our archiving. It is a very powerful tool, allowing us to add keywords to our photos (one by one or in batches) for easy searching, recognizes camera exif data so you can sort or search by any of the data your camera holds onto when you take a photo (i.e. date taken, camera settings, etc.), it also keeps track of the photos we have backed up on other drives or on DVDs so when searching for a photo that isn't on my hard drive anymore it will tell me what disc it is backed up on. This is just barely scratching the surface of what it can do but you can check out their website for more info.

Now for those of you who are looking for a way to archive that is less involved there are numerous "consumer" software packages available. There are a lot of free options like Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition 3.2, or Picasa from Google, so I would start there.

Once you have found the software that works for you the most important tip I can give you is to stay on top of archiving. If you let it go for a long time and you end up with 1000 photos it is going to be much more time consuming and difficult to manage, than if you do it frequently. I know some people that archive once a week, I personally archive every time I download my photos off of my cameras memory card. That way it only takes 10 - 15 minutes!

Happy Archiving!
Luke

this was posted by:
Luke Geiger
President
Right On Canvas
www.rightoncanvas.com

Alright so your photos work just fine the way they are but you're looking for a way to add a little interest to the snapshots you are putting in your photo album or of course the photos you are enlarging on canvas! Ya, know what I'm talking about rightoncanvas.com. Anyway, back to the topic at hand...your photos.
The first thing I always tell people when they ask "how do I make my photos more interesting?", is stop taking photos at eye level. Everyone sees life at eye level, so show them something from a different angle! So, crouch down or lay down and get a bugs eye view of your photo's subject. I bet it's a whole new perspective on what ever it is you are photographing. The other option is to get up high...stand on a chair or a table to take a photo at a wedding dance. (I take no responsibility for what happens to you when climbing various objects to get your interesting photo, be it injury, embarrassment, or arrest ). So, now you've laid in the mud, and hung from the chandelier... so is there anything else to do that take a little less physical strain? Of course...
Try tilting your camera a little to give your photo a little out of balance look. Also, take some photos extremely close up, remember you don't always need to capture the entire subject to make a good photo. Sometimes photos the just sections of the subject can be the most interesting.
One way to practice is to pick a subject and then take 30 photos of it, but make sure that none of them are the same. You may fine that the first 15 photos are easy to take but then you will really have to stretch your mind to come up with unique shots for the rest.
The best advice is to shoot a lot and don't be afraid to try what ever pops into your mind.
Good Luck, and Have Fun!
Luke

this was posted by:
Luke Geiger
President
Right On Canvas
www.rightoncanvas.com

For some people scanning photos for enlargements is a bit of a mystery, so here are some guidelines to make it a little easier.

The first thing to do before scanning anything is to make sure that you have cleaned the scanner glass. If you have dust and other debris on the glass it will be scanned and enlarged along with your photo. So use your favorite glass cleaning solution,and a micofiber cloth to get the glass as clean as possible.

For these guidelines we are assuming you will be scanning a 4x6 photo that you will want to enlarge to a 16x20 photo on canvas. You can adjust the settings accordingly based on the size of your original and the size you want your finished canvas. Also, some scanning software will use different terminology, but this should give you the basics.

The first setting you need to check is the Document Type. This refers to what you are scanning, so in this case you would select photograph.
Next, select the Image Type. The image type is basically asking if you are scanning a Color or Black & White image. If you are scanning a Black & White image make sure not to select "Greyscale", this is not the same as Black & White. If in doubt, just scan it as a color image, at Right On Canvas we will still print it as a true Black & White!
Ok, now we have told the scanner we are scanning a photo and what type of color it is. Now we need to get into the resolution of the scan. This is arguably the most important setting, as it determines how much we can enlarge the photo. So, I like to use 450 dpi (dots per inch) as a starting point. This will give us the minimum we will need to do something like a 16x20. You can scan it at higher resolution, but I would suggest nothing higher than 600 dpi. Anything, much higher than that will just add to the file size and won't help any with the final print. The other critical setting at this point is the Target Size. Leave this at 100%, I know it is tempting to up the percentage here since it will be enlarged but your scanner will not scale your photo with the same precision we can.




Alright, we are almost ready to hit the scan button, just one more suggestion. To make things easier I suggest setting the exposure to auto. This way the scanner will optimize the brightness, and contrast, and if it doesn't look right you can always scan again with the auto setting off. At Right On Canvas we will always optimize your photo to make it look it's best on the finished piece, but it doesn't hurt to getting it looking as good as possible while scanning.

Well, that is it. Now you just need to hit the scan button, save it as a jpeg and go on to www.rightoncanvas.com and place your order!

Have Fun!
Luke

this was posted by:
Luke Geiger
President
Right On Canvas
www.rightoncanvas.com

Gift Idea: Mother's Day

Find an old photo of your Mother/Parents (i.e. wedding photo, family photo, or vacation photo) and have it enlarged and printed on canvas in black and white. This is a gift that will leave a lasting impression, and will make your Mom smile every time she sees it!

We accept printed photos, slides, negatives or digital images. If you don't have a digital image, just select "I do not have a digital photo, please send a photo mailing kit" on the order page and we will send you a mailing kit. Then all you have to do is mail your photo back to us in the kit, and we will do the rest! Oh yeah, you will get your original back.

Right On Canvas is currently offering $10 off any order from now until Mother's Day. Just use coupon code mother when checking out to receive this discount.

Thanks! Luke

this blog was posted by:
Luke Geiger
President
Right On Canvas
www.rightoncanvas.com

Hello, and welcome to our new blog! It has been a long time coming but it is here and ready for action.

In future posts the experienced staff at Right On Canvas (www.rightoncanvas.com) will be discussing what to do with your digital photos. From the technical to fun ideas for what to do with your favorite photos. We hope you find this information useful, and that you have as much fun with photos as we do.

More to come soon!

Thanks.
Luke Geiger
President
Right On Canvas!
Your Photos Right On Canvas!
www.rightoncanvas.com