Special Project: 2009 Calendar

I’VE BEEN getting these weekly e-mailers from Digital World for several months already. †I am not sure how I got included into their mailing list. †It’s possible that they just got my e-mail address from some forms I absentmindedly filled up, or I may have subscribed to their weekly digest of news and tips. †It’s most probably the latter.

Anyway, I was ready to unsubscribe when I got this e-mailer from Digital World entitled, “Turn Your Photos Into a Calendar” by Dave Johnson. †I decided to postpone my “to unsubscribe or not to unsubscribe” decision ’til January.

For those of you who — like me — are interested to work on a 2009 Calendar Project, I summarized Dave’s article below. †If you want to read the original article I am sure you can find it somewhere in the WWW by simply googling the article’s title and/or the name “Dave Johnson.”

Turn Your Photos Into a Calendar

(Summarized)

• Search for†photo sharing sites that let you create a custom photo calendar.
  • most photo printing and sharing sites have some sort of calendar creation feature.
  • Try†Costco Photo Center, Kodak Gallery, Lulu, Shutterfly and, Snapfish

• Choose Your Pictures
  • Some calendar templates force you to use one picture per month, so you should have 12 or 13 unique images for a basic calendar.
  • With a more flexible template, you may create a collage of photos on some pages, so you might want to have several dozen photos ready to go.
  • In general, it’s a good idea to edit your photos first — straighten crooked photos; crop for maximum impact; adjust colors and sharpness.

• Make Sure Your Photos Are Big Enough
  • If you try to use tiny, 1-megapixel camera phone photos on a wall calendar, you won’t like the results.
  • Any digital camera capable of capturing 3 megapixels or more should give you great results.
  • Since most calendars feature pictures that are around 8 by 10 inches, your photos should be at least 1600 by 2000 pixels.

• After your photos are organized, upload them to your favorite photo printing site and use the Web site’s tools to lay out the calendar. If you have the option, customize the calendar with important dates (birthdays, anniversaries, and so on). Then print enough copies for everyone on your holiday shopping list.

There you go. †I am actually not sure if I will have the time to work on this 2009 calendar project. †And that is why I am posting this on my blog. †Maybe, just maybe, one of you may find the time to work on this project. †Please print an extra copy of your 2009 calendar and send it to me. †Happy New Year, everyone!

Tags: digital art, digital photography, digital projects, special projects