If you
have ever put a photograph in a frame, then you understand the value of
an attractive border around a picture. Matting a photo provides the
same benefits - it separates the picture from its surroundings, provides
focus, and compliments the picture content. Whether used on an
scrapbook album page, within a frame, or as a stand-alone craft project,
photo matting will give your picture a "professional" look.
Matting is creating a "frame" around a picture using complimenting
papers and colors. To mat a picture, simply place it on a piece of
paper larger than the picture, then cut the paper 1/8" to 1/2" larger
than the picture. The matted picture can then be glued onto a scrapbook
page or placed within a standard picture frame. Here are some other
tips to make beautiful mats:
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Don't glue
original photos to a mat, use photo mounting corners instead. If
you do want to glue a photo, use a copy.
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Follow the
"Golden Rule" of matting, use a solid color mat against patterned
paper. Likewise, if layering one or more mats with a picture, use a
solid color paper against a patterned paper.
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In choosing a
mat color, go for an accent color either in the picture or the
background paper. For example, if the main color of your album page
is green, with small amounts of yellow, chose a yellow paper for
your mat. If you're not sure which color to use, go with an
off-white. It goes well with most colors. For more help with
choosing colors, read our article on
Color Schemes.
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For heritage
albums, an interesting technique is to use a single mat color for
each side of a family. This can simplify the heritage story for the
album viewer and provide unity for each family.
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Lighten up a
dark photo with light colored mats. Alternatively, a bright photo
can be toned down with dark colored mats.
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Nested mats -
that is, using two or more mats layered upon each other - are useful
if you want the picture to be the main focus on a page. It also can
give a 3-D effect of making the picture stand out against the
background page. Remember to follow the "Golden Rule" when choosing
paper for layered mats.
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A paper saving
technique, especially when matting large pictures, is to use strips
of paper around the photo edge to create a border, rather than using
one large piece of paper.
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Matting is also
a great technique for items other than photos - use it to highlight
your documents. For example, mat your wedding license or a
newspaper article.
Matting your photos and documents gives them a polished look. Use it to
draw attention to those special family memories you want to share with
others. Be creative and have fun! |