Framing and Matting Odd-Size Photos

[SunriseAvenue]

Thanks. You're happy with the result?

I received another suggestion: printing photos with large white borders around them and putting them in standard frames.

Oh, just saw you already got the borders option! The collage idea still stands though

 

[v1photos]

Photo software programs contain a little joke. When you crop, they default to whatever standard proportions your camera puts out. To fix photos properly, you have to switch over to "unconstrained" to get a proper crop, unless your shots just happen to match common sizes perfectly.

A new printer is arriving today, and my wife and I plan to frame a lot of shots for our walls. Some will be in standard proportions, but some won't. I don't want to pay to have custom mats made for dozens of photos unless I have to, so what do most people here do in this situation? Are any of the DIY mat tools worth having?

For very large shots that were printed somewhere else, I have used custom-sized frames from Amazon, but I don't see myself doing that for a large number of smaller photos.

Most people either crop to a standard size they can live with or float-mount the print so odd proportions don’t look like a mistake.
For DIY, a simple mat cutter pays for itself fast if you’re framing more than a handful.

 

[tinytmp]

Photo software programs contain a little joke. When you crop, they default to whatever standard proportions your camera puts out. To fix photos properly, you have to switch over to "unconstrained" to get a proper crop, unless your shots just happen to match common sizes perfectly.

A new printer is arriving today, and my wife and I plan to frame a lot of shots for our walls. Some will be in standard proportions, but some won't. I don't want to pay to have custom mats made for dozens of photos unless I have to, so what do most people here do in this situation? Are any of the DIY mat tools worth having?

For very large shots that were printed somewhere else, I have used custom-sized frames from Amazon, and for planning painting projects, I sometimes refer to a commercial paint estimator tool, but I don't see myself doing that for a large number of smaller photos.

Most people stick to standard frame sizes and crop their photos using the unconstrained option so they can control the composition. For smaller photos, DIY mat tools can work, but they’re usually only worth it for a few pieces because doing dozens gets tedious. A practical approach is to crop or resize your shots to fit common frame dimensions like 8×10 or 11×14 to avoid paying for custom mats, and only use custom frames for special large prints. This saves money and keeps framing manageable without sacrificing how the photos look on your walls.