"How To" Guides > Sharing Images
Ready Made Frames - Tips and Suggestions for
Quick, Easy, and Inexpensive Quality Framing
Aspect Ratios (continued)
When ordering a print from an online printer or gallery, you will normally have a broad choice of dimensions and will often be given some control over what areas of an image will be cropped to produce the selected dimensions.
This is typically not much of a problem as most images can easily afford, and perhaps even benefit from, some cropping. Subjects are not normally framed near the edges of an image. However, at times, it can be useful to select a print size that is closest to the aspect ratio of your image, particularly if you like the image as it appears or you have already done some cropping and prefer not to do more.
Some good news is that most online printers and image galleries such as SmugMug will allow you to preview how an image will be cropped during the checkout process. Some will allow you complete control over how the crop will be performed within the specified aspect ratio.
Another piece of good news is that canvas images are available for larger and odd sized images, and can eliminate the need for an exterior frame in certain display situations. This provides additional flexibility relative to print and frame size in demanding situations.
Image Orientation
Portrait and Landscape orientations can have some importance for the home framer when ordering ready-made frames and mats. In certain types of frames, the image will fill the frame entirely and, and the frame can be hung in a landscape or portrait orientation to match the image.
However, with certain styles of framing, the frame can have a different orientation than the mat opening for the image. For example, the mat and image may have a landscape orientation and may be displayed in a large frame with a portrait orientation. Simply be cautious about selecting the correct orientation of both mat and frame when ordering ready-made frames with a pre-cut mat.
Cropping and Overlaps
The subjects of most images are away from the edges. Therefore, cropping images of one aspect ratio to fit a print size of another aspect ratio does not normally cause much of a problem. However, some images may warrant a conscious decision to include or exclude a particular portion of an original image. The most common reasons are to highlight a subject or to eliminate some element that detracts from the purpose. When making a cropping decision, be sensitive to an approximately 1/4" loss of the image on all sides when using a pre-cut mat or ready-made frame. This is the typical amount of overlap built into mat and/or frame overlap dimensions.
