Transform your photos into wall art - the ultimate guide for Canvas art

If we are concerned, then you are also passionate about your most beautiful photos and family photos from the cell phone or camera in printed way. In digital sources, wonderful memories disappear all too quickly in virtual nirvana. You will definitely know that from your own experience.

Fortunately, my life partner is always very behind it to print the most beautiful photos directly on canvas, acrylic, wood or canvas. In the meantime, she has a very clever hand to print the photos not only on the perfect medium, but also in the optimal size for the respective wall.

In addition, she has developed a fine feeling for how the colors in the photos fit the home design and how several photos can be composed into a Gallery Wall .

Favorite photos literally become wall art and give the home a personal touch (and now also my office :-)).

Our experiences in this area have now prompted us to write guide top tips of photographers, interior designers, and decorators that we have included in ourselves.

Discover the most important steps in this article to transform your memories into unique works of art for the walls. From the selection of meaningful photos to their post -processing and ordering of the prints to hanging up and overall composition of your own four walls - here you will find everything you need for your own implementation.

Regardless of whether it is a professional photographer looking for professional gallery quality or hobby photographer with the desire for breathtaking decoration-we would like to inspire you with our tips to design your own wall works of art that bring your photos to life.

Wall Art - Wall Art - Wall Decor - What is behind these trend terms?

Let me briefly introduce the concept behind Wall Art Decoration : wall decoration with Canvas art n of photographs. Yes, but forget everything you knew about printed pictures on the wall from the past.

This modern form of creative design goes far beyond the mere printing of photos. It is about transforming your personal memories and snapshots into unique Canvas art that not only decorate your own four walls, but also amazed visitors.

In our ultimate guide from photography for wall decorations , both professionals and beginners find valuable tips and inspirations to make their photographs into masterful murals or even whole gallery wall. Because with the right preparation, technology and materials such as canvas, metal, acrylic or foam panels, there are hardly any limits to the creative diversity.

Getting in the mood: 5 tips for perfect wall decoration

To get you in the mood, look at the following video from Designchickee to learn more about the furnishing of a perfect wall decoration.

The experienced interior designer Olga Gomes is the creative head behind the renowned company for interior design OG Design Studio , which specializes in living and commercial rooms. From the planning of house layouts to the design of furniture and interior decorations - it creates unique rooms. All completed projects can be assessed on your website.

Unfortunately, the video is only available in English. With a translation service you can also translate it into German. Is that too complicated for you, don't worry: We will discuss the key points in detail anyway.

Let's start 🙂

Step 1: Make great pictures and select suitable photos

The first logical step to transform your photos into impressive works of art for the wall lies in the absorption of high -quality pictures.

Without first -class recordings, all further steps are largely meaningless. Invest in professional equipment and learn their correct application.

Many inexpensive cameras and smartphones are available with which you can create outstanding pictures. Capture the basic principles of photography, such as composition, exposure and the exposure triangle. You can further develop your skills through regular practice.

The more time you spend with your camera, the faster you will make progress.

You can find valuable tips and tricks to record great photos in our article " Mastering photography: 27 indispensable professional tips for prospective photographers" .

Tip 1: Choose pictures that match the overall aesthetics of your living rooms

If you select photos for printing, you probably want to make sure that it is not just something you like. Then you should make sure that the pressure fits the mood and aesthetics of the room in which it will hang.

For example, they would not place a beach photo in a room that mainly consists of green and brown tones. In this room they would rather attach a forest picture because it fits better.

It is crucial to carefully select the right pictures for a room. Because wall art will be much better liked to harmonize with the mood and aesthetics of the room.

Tip 2: Which colors fit your home?

Of course, you can simply bring your favorite pictures to the wall without this consideration of color and effect! If the selection is not so easy for you or would you like to select pictures that harmonize with the atmosphere of your premises and also develop a positive color effect, then this tip is for you!

Colors have a strong effect on our emotions and color psychology plays a crucial role in interior design, especially in terms of wall art. Our perception is significantly influenced by colors; You can change our feelings and cause certain feelings, even if we are not always aware of it.

It is therefore important to achieve basic knowledge of colors in order to select the right wall design for your home.

Warm colors such as orange, red and yellow can cause intensive feelings such as love, anger and happiness, while cooler colors such as green, blue and purple are often associated with calm and melancholy. The effects of colors even extend so far that you can influence our perception of temperature by giving us a feeling of heat or cold.

Our emotions have an immediate impact on our decision -making behavior and colors play a crucial role. For example, blue and green tones can have a calming effect and support us in making smart decisions.

Furthermore, colors can influence our performance by either activate our survival instinct or have a calming effect on us. On a physiological level, warm colors such as red and orange can increase our vigilance, while cooler colors such as green and blue have a relaxing effect and bring about positive physiological changes.

In the following video, an interior designer from D.Signer how to select a coherent color palette for your home. You get some ideas on how to use suitable colors and how you can combine you.

Step 2a: Find out how to edit your pictures

Photo editing software has improved dramatically in recent years, and if you do not edit your photos these days, skip an important part of the photography process.

A few basic (and simple) image arrangements can help transform a good photo into a masterpiece in a matter of seconds. So you don't have to be an expert to benefit from the advantages of post -production.

At least you should be a little bit familiar with the following points when adapting your pictures:

• exposure
• contrast
• Highlights and shadows
• White balance
• Colors
• Clarity, resolution and sharpness
• Liveliness / composition
• saturation

Our recommended post -production software is Adobe Lightroom (easier to use than Photoshop). It is easy to use (thanks to the drag-and-drop controller for all above-mentioned settings), precise and the preferred program for beginners and professional photographers alike.

In the following video, the professional landscape and architectural photographer Maik Lipp look over his shoulders and shows his personal approach with Adobe Lightroom:

In addition, it acts as a photo catalog in which you can organize your photos according to keywords, star reviews, colors and more.

Alternatively, there are now numerous apps for the smartphone and online tools to get similar results. A small search in the app store will quickly lead you to your destination.

an overview of Lightroom alternatives in the video tour of festival photographer Milou PD :

Step 2b: Calibrate your monitor before editing your pictures

This step goes hand in hand with the previous one. If you want to edit your pictures at home, it is essential to properly calibrate your computer screen to ensure that your murals look exactly as you have imagined after processing.

For this purpose, high-quality tools such as the Datacolor Spyder 3 Pro and the X-Rite I1display Pro recommended that help you standardize colors and contrasts and to prepare optimally for later printing.

In addition to these measures for professional color management, you should set the brightness of your monitor between 90 and 120 cd/m², calibrate the color temperature to 5,000 Kelvin (D50) and adjust gamma value

You can also ICC profiles that are specially tailored to your printer and the paper used. These profiles can be imported into programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom in order to get a precise preview of your photos before printing.

With these steps, make sure that your monitor is correctly calibrated and is optimally prepared for the printing process.

Would you like to help monitor calibration? Here she comes from experts from the photo magazine and photo professional Andreas ABB:

If you are unsure about your skills for color correction, we recommend leaving the task to the experts. Maybe you lack precise knowledge of the processing process or don't you have enough time to optimize each image individually?

No worries! Fortunately, many photo service providers and online printers offer automatic image improvement in your online shops, your mobile app and your website software if you have not edited your images beforehand.

The employees of such printers specialize in printing wall decoration photos and have extensive knowledge of the required equipment and materials. This allows you to be sure that your printed works will always appear in the best quality.

Step 3: Choose the way you want to present your wall pictures

The photos are in the box, reworked and selected? Wonderful! It continues with the wall design with your pictures.

In the term “wall art” (in English: Wall Art, Wall Decor ) , most people immediately think of framed photo prints, but this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the diverse world of modern wall art.

Two particularly trendy opportunities to present photos artistically (and my personal favorites) are metal prints and acrylic prints.

Metal prints / aluminum dibond / aluminum plate

Metal prints or prints on noble aluminum dibond aluminum panels are characterized by their impressive contrast and are extremely durable. Thanks to their weather-resistant properties, they are suitable for both indoor and outdoor and outdoor use and brim the water, moisture, dust and other environmental influences.

The wall attachment of aluminum dibond images is extremely easy, even with larger formats.

In principle, two variants are available from most providers: matt or shiny . I personally prefer the matt variant. In the end, it is simply a matter of taste.

Acrylic glass

Acrylic prints, on the other hand, convince with strong, lively colors and an incomparable depth of field . This makes them perfect eye -catchers in modernly designed living rooms. A successful combination of landscapes on metal and portraits on acrylic gives every modern room a unique note.

Especially minimalistically for the furnishing styles, Scandinavian chic and industrial fit these two material options in an almost symbiotic way.

Acrylic glass prints are a contemporary form of the interior that perfectly complements modern design styles. Thanks to their durability, acrylic images are suitable for both the interior and exterior decoration. Whether you choose a single photo or a collage - the design can be easily adjusted by changing background colors, fonts and layouts as you wish.

In order to achieve the best results for your photo print, the selection of a reliable photo service and photo printing provider is of great importance at MeinFoto.de , according to Trustedshop, you will find one of the best providers to Canvas art in the highest possible quality.

Incidentally, if you still need advice and inspiration for the right choice of murals for your individual furnishing style, we recommend our contribution " What kind of art fits different living space designs?"

canvas

Canvas prints are another popular way to present your photos stylish and modern. Available with metal or wooden frames for hanging or placing, give your pictures a special touch. Decide for gallery packed canvas prints to optimally bring your photos into its own and create an impressive presentation.

With different sizes and layouts, canvas prints as flexible as conventional photo prints and are perfect for individual or multiple photos.

Photo in the frame

The classic framed photo prints are still very popular with the interior. A wide selection of layouts and frames is available - regardless of whether you want to frame a single photo or a photo collage.

Framed photos are available in various deluxe matt options and picture frame colors such as black, brown, metallic, rustic gray and white.

A photo framed with a passportout looks particularly noble, elegant and professional. The passportout not only serves as a protective frame, but also emphasizes the photo and gives it an additional depth. It is a popular way to present photos stylishly and to strengthen them in their effect.

Art print on Hahnemühle paper

Hahnemühle papers are among the top products in the field of art printing and come from a worldwide renowned manufacturer of art printing papers and screens. For 500 years they have been for the highest demands on artist materials that companies have to guarantee in a strict certification process.

The common papers include the Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta, Photo Rag, Bamboo Natural Line, Hemp Natural Line and Museum Etching. Each of these papers is characterized by unique properties that are particularly suitable for certain types or styles of photography.

Photographs on these papers transform their wall into a real work of art in museum quality.

Glass

They give your photos an extraordinary shine by having them printed on glass. High -quality glass prints are perfect for decorative beautification of tables, shelves, sideboards and also walls and also give the interior a certain shine.

It is best to place glass prints near a window or another natural light source to make the light shine through your photos.

Foam plates

Printing photos on foam panels is another good choice for everyone who appreciates a modern design in their living and work rooms. These versatile panels are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Thanks to an innovative UV direct pressure process, a product is created that is not only extremely light, but also has long-lasting and water-resistant colors. This makes images ideal for damp rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens on foam panels.

When printing, make sure that your provider only uses environmentally friendly UV ink without fleeting organic compounds.

Canvas collage

Are you unsure which photos you should print? Simply decide on the pressure of collages to make a professional and artistic poster from a diverse photo collection.

There are various layouts for photo collagen posters to choose from, including symmetrical collages and shapes and hearts. It is best to design your DIY poster design with modern and clear lines for a creative and modern look.

Many print providers already deliver extensive layout collections and prefabricated templates.

Tip 1: Select a medium that stages your photos

As you can see, there are different types, materials and media for wall decoration with photographs. The hottest media include canvas, metal, brushed metal, acrylic and foam panels.

The choice of the right medium, which harmonizes with the appearance of your photos, is crucial for the fact that your pictures stand out.

Portraits come into its own particularly well on canvas, metal is ideal for travel photography and acrylic is ideal for landscape or nature pictures. It is also important to take into account the space in which you want to place the wall decoration and to select a medium that best suits the overall atmosphere of the room.

Tip 2: How to select the right size

The size and dimensions play a crucial role. When adding framed prints or canvas prints for the perfect decoration of your room, it is important to carefully select the right size.

Because your art should not just hang on the wall, but should harmonize the entire room harmoniously. A picture that is too small or too large for the wall can give the impression that something is not coherent in your home.

Especially with nature photos, you will not enjoy your murals if you do not have the right size.

A thumb rule states to use about 60 to 70 % of the area of ​​your wall. Find out on the proportions when hanging a pressure over a piece of furniture and choose a work that is somewhat smaller than the piece of furniture below. For example, a work that is supposed to hang above a headboard of 125 cm wide should be approximately 80 to 100 cm wide.

If you are missing concrete room dimensions, we recommend the choice of larger format in case of doubt: If you have a print without existing space dimensions, choose the larger variant and note the size restrictions in your room. After all, your goal when attaching a work of art is to beautify your room and emphasize it at the same time - too small pressure would not do justice.

Tip 3: Remember the format and aspect ratio

Another essential tip for the wall decorations with photos is to always pay attention to the aspect ratio of your pictures.

First of all, you should make it clear whether your images should be in portrait format, landscape format or square. After that, it is important to tailor and zoom in to your pictures to match the selected orientation and the desired aspect ratio.

There are various pressure laboratories that offer different size options for printing their wall decorative photographs. It is therefore advisable to check whether the images you submit have the same aspect ratio as the printer of the laboratories.

Otherwise, the online prints are forced to cut their photos in a way that may not correspond to their taste.

When choosing the format, it is also crucial to take the shape of the wall surface into account. For the vertical space between two windows, it is advisable to place framed images in portrait format. This will look more spacious and open.

In the case of free wall surfaces above your head part of the bed or in the dining room, on the other hand, transverse or square images should be chosen, which cover 60 to 75 % of the wall area in order to optimally stage your work of art.

Step 5: Select the right photo service for printing

It is crucial that you always order your wall art from a reliable and renowned print service provider to ensure the quality of the end product and to protect your investment.

The market in this area has developed enormously in the past two decades and there are a number of first-class online printing providers to choose from the excellent quality at a cheap price level.

Here are a few important features of recommended providers that you should pay attention to when choosing:

• Diverse selection of high-quality print products
• Outstanding quality (you can recognize, for example, by Trusted-Shops ratings of over 4.5 on average)
• Expert employees (there is free telephone advice, email customer service, etc.)
• Fair prices (use price comparison portals)
• Secure payment providers (PayPal, Klarna, Amazon Pay)
• Online design software with high user-friendliness and intuitive operation
• Comfort and flexibility in delivery
• Popularity in social media (check Instagram, Tiktok and Co. after user experiences)
• Commitment to sustainability (e.g. sustainability seals and memberships in initiatives)
• Awards from industry experts (in industry newspapers, professional magazines, etc.)
• Product guarantees and return options

Step 5: Skillfully arrange photos on a wall

The pictures on her walls of mirrors n opposite your personality and give your home a personal character. Empty walls can feel strange and impersonal, like in a hotel. With carefully selected art, photos and decoration, they create a home that underlines their uniqueness and personality atmospherically.

inspire us in this section by some proven ideas for wall design These are repeatedly emphasized by interior designers and specialists in the area of ​​the interior.

At the start, we look at a short informative video of Ballard Designs as a short reference or starting point. Afterwards we deal with further decoration ideas, tools and detailed tips that help you to hang your own wall art at home at an atmospheric manner.

Arrange wall art: the basic rules

We know about the transformative power of paintings on a wall that can immediately give a room elegance. But the art of wall design requires more than just attaching pictures - it is an art form itself.

Sensitivity and aesthetic sense are required to create a harmonious composition. ”

We have therefore put together exclusive insider tips (including Salvatori -an award-winning Italian design company) to help you create your very own art rank. Regardless of whether it is an expressive gallery wall or a single work of art - with these simple rules, every arrangement is perfect.

A successful art ranking is characterized by consistency in the dimensions, formal coherence and a clear lines. ”

Let us take a closer look at these basic principles. First of all: always pay attention to the size of the works of art, photos or framed objects that you use (see tips under step 3). Visual treasures should be in relation to the wall on which they hang: too big and they dominate the room, too small and they go under in the area.

Here are a few examples of successful Wall Art Arrangements:

Visualization of the room as a overall picture

When choosing an image for a specific room, it is crucial to take a close look at the room itself. Visualization plays a central role here . Take your time to think about how every work of art would interact with its surroundings. These connections not only affect proportions .

A careful analysis of the wall should always take place together with a precise view of the room. Since walls are not isolated elements, it is important to always an eye on the overall picture . How do all components come together? How can you coexist harmoniously?

Each painting should react as precisely as possible against mirrors or to it. Decorative details such as works of art and paintings are often the most subordinate elements when designing space. Therefore, it is advisable to use this for your advantage and to take into account the unique character of the room that you have already created through your previous design decisions; Be it through colors, floor coverings or furniture.

Remember that inspiration can come from many sources:

• Maybe a certain shape, curve, line or frame are reminiscent of something else?
• Would you like to choose something that emphasizes the color of the floor covering?
• Or a work that is tailored to the colors of a special piece of furniture?

All of these starting points can help you make a successful decision and create a harmonious atmosphere in your home.

The height plays a role

When hanging, in addition to the dimensions and the style of the room, it is crucial to choose the right height for the placement Formal coherence plays an important role here because a work of art that struggles for space can be inappropriate.

The height has a crucial importance, since paintings can either hang too deep or too high and thus disturb the natural flow of the room or even be overlooked.

A rule of thumb says that the middle of a painting should be placed at eye level of an average person, about 160 centimeters above the ground.

A helpful strategy is to imagine an invisible line to optimally determine how the paintings should be positioned if people enter the room. However, there are exceptions to this rule. The ideal height of the works of art can vary depending on the space and especially when designing a gallery wall .

Gallery Walls / Galler Revenes - important guidelines

This point is only important if you want to hang more than one picture on a wall. After the compilation of suitable works of art for your room, the question then arises: How can the works of art be effectively arranged?

Simple rules together with a sophisticated geometry be helpful. These interior design rules are also suitable for inexperienced decorators. Regardless of whether your plans are simple or complex and regardless of whether your project is small or large, you will surely find inspiration. Finally, the design rules for hanging paintings can be summarized in four basic methods :

1. Linear
2. Radical
3. Framed
4. Geometric

Linear

An extremely popular method is to pull a horizontal or vertical line on the wall and to arrange the works of art along this line. With this technology, the spatial depth can be expanded vertically or horizontally depending on the alignment.

In particular, it is ideal for following the lines of furniture. If paintings are placed over a sofa or another horizontal piece of furniture, they can serve as a visual expansion of the color scheme or layout. Imagine how a series of works of art could upgrade a modular drawer in a carefully curated linear arrangement.

This not only directs the view to the wall, but also creates a natural connection to the existing elements in the room: the images appear harmoniously integrated.

Radical

Do you prefer a somewhat more informal atmosphere? The radical arrangement could correspond exactly to your ideas. First select a central work of art that serves as the heart of your composition and from which the other works assume.

Make sure that all works of art in their arrangement have an even distance to the center, regardless of their size. This apparently small detail ensures harmony and structure in its design.

The frame method

Are you looking for a style that combines the best of both worlds? The frame organization method offers the perfect solution to combine the geometric order of the linearly with the creative freedom of the radical.

The clever arranging of paintings of different shapes and sizes creates a harmonious overall effect on the wall, for example in the form of a large square.

Let the different canvas sizes and frames work together harmoniously to enrich your rooms with a unique and aesthetic design.

Geometric

The final method is to arrange works of art in specific groups. This technique allows you to use a mixture of different styles to adapt it to the atmosphere of the room. A combination of linear and framed arrangements, for example, is ideal for designing the wall of a staircase.

The up and down of the artistic arrangements mirrors t resisted the design of the steps and interrupts the line of sight to give the room an additional dimension. Once you have understood these basic patterns, you can analyze which type of arrangement best suits the different rooms in your home.

Video instructions for Gallery Walls

In cooperation with Samsung, the founder of NTS , Colin Chee, shows us how he created his own gallery wall in a few simple steps:

In the second video, Youtuber Nick Lewis the do's and don'ts so that they design a coherent picture wall:

The error devil lurks everywhere. Vivien Albrecht, let's take a look at 5 very common mistakes when hanging up pictures that pretty much everyone has made ... and some design tips that help you avoid them:

And finally, 10 wonderful ideas from Home & Ideas , who are particularly well in the limelight family photos:

Take special features of the different living spaces into account

As the last point, we consider the most common rooms in our home and their special features in relation to the attachment of wall art.

Bedroom

In the bedroom above the head of the bed, there is traditionally space for pictures and works of art on the wall. This area enables an appealing decoration and is particularly suitable for large paintings or a gallery of several works of art.

It is recommended to keep a neutral line when choosing motifs and colors. Even if light colors can be refreshing, the color scheme should aim to create a calm atmosphere and promote relaxation, especially if the focus is on relaxing sleep.

A successful example would be a bedroom that is decorated with a tasteful frame arrangement and emphasizes the natural architecture of the room. The color palette of the natural stone pictures above the headboard sets a subtle contrast to the neutral tones in the room and thus harmonizes with the existing furnishings.

Living room

The living room acts as a pulsating center of life in the home. The arrangement of works of art on the walls of the living room is usually less strict than in other rooms. This design freedom allows a relaxed placement of the works of art.

Together with the entrance area, which is often intertwined, the living room serves as a representative flagship of the entire house . As a central lounge and heart of the home, it is of particular importance to pay attention to design and decoration.

Works of art and photos in the living room can show visitors their personal style and emphasize empty walls with decorative elements such as a closet or a sofa. Wand art can make a room an inviting place, not only through their motifs, but also through their interaction with the surroundings.

The ideal height of a painting can vary depending on the situation. For example, the height can be reduced to 140 centimeters to adapt it to the back of a sofa and to underline the natural lines of the room. Everything does not necessarily have to be perfectly aligned or arranged to achieve an effect.

Entrance / corridors / corridors

The elegant hallway: Although this architectural area is often only regarded as a passage room and is often neglected, it offers a rich and diverse design potential as a dynamic space. There is nothing bristle than a hallway with bare walls, especially if it is an important connection between rooms such as the living room and the bedroom.

The integration of a painting collection in your hallway can be extremely advantageous and revitalize the room. For long and narrow corridors, a simple linear arrangement that is reminiscent of a modern gallery is the best choice: this arrangement gives the room more depth and dimension.

In the case of irregular dimensions or a strange shape of the hall, the hanging of wall art offers even more potential for dramatic compositions.

bathroom

We have lifted the most exciting until the end, the bathroom: place of refreshment, relaxation and personal enjoyment. The fascinating history of bathroom decoration and art experiences a creative renaissance through modern trends that makes this indispensable refuge shine in new splendor.

As an oasis of calm and beauty, the bathroom should not only be functional, but also meet aesthetic requirements. Because relaxation in an aesthetically appealing bathroom is not only easier, but also much more pleasant.

Today's bathroom designs react to this desire for beauty and practicality and combine functionality with style. Be it the tempting curves of free -standing bathtubs or the light lines of modern sinks.

By integrating wall art into bathroom design, the bathroom becomes a tasteful oasis of wellbeing, in which you can create your own little world.

Choosing the right pictures for your bathroom may be a challenge, but the rule of thumb is: Smaller paintings and frames come into its own in smaller bathrooms. Because size is not everything - chosen with carefully, small image objects also give the room an unmistakable personality.