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21/11/2018   POSTED BY

How to Make Your Own Wallpaper with Photos

Printing your own wallpaper is one of the most unique ways of decorating your home: literally no one else in the world will have the same wall as you! If you’re a keen photographer or enjoy reflecting on life’s special moments, creating your own personalised wallpaper is definitely for you!

Our custom printed wallpaper service can transform any pro or amateur photograph into a paste-the-wall wallpaper or a ‘peel and stick’ wallpaper for easy installation. It can be cut to the perfect size and dimension to fit your wall too, eliminating that fiddly part of working out how much paper is needed from a roll. It really couldn’t be easier! All you need to get started is a little bit of creativity and a camera so you can turn anything you desire into a stylish piece of wall art for your home or office.

Here’s our handy guide on making custom wallpaper using your own photos, whether it be from last year's holiday, that special family occasion or even your wedding day.

Upload your image and turn it into wallpaper here

 

How to take high-quality photos for wallpaper

camera taking photo

When it comes to capturing beautiful images for your wall, it’s important to use a good camera. DSLR cameras are the best, but there are also some smaller, less technical models that can get similar results. Anything with more than 12 megapixels should be fine in terms of picture quality, but 18 megapixels and over is ideal for large applications.

Some mobile images won’t be clear enough for custom wallpaper, but there are a number of smartphones out there with high MP cameras. Right now, these include the iPhone 11, iPhone XS, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, Huawei P20 Pro, Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 3. Other devices may be alright too – you just need to check the camera specs.

If you’re unsure whether the photos you already have are high quality enough for making your own wallpaper, use our simple uploader. It features an image quality checker to let you know whether your photo is ‘good’, ‘excellent’ or ‘poor’. Any photos that are ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ tend to be suitable for wallpaper, but any that are ‘poor’ will not be sent to print and you will be contacted in due course.

As a general rule, opt for the largest image files you have to get the best effect. The bigger your file, the more clarity you will get with your finished wall.

See if your photo can be turned into a mural here

 

How to get the right composition and style for photos

create-your-own-wallpaper-in-living-room

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to composing your photographs for printing into wallpaper. Our advice is to practise and take photos from different angles to see what works for you. Some of our customers like centre composition and symmetry, whilst others stick to the rule of thirds. But these aren’t the only ways to take a good photo.

You can also use leading lines to highlight angles in architecture, use diagonals and triangles to create a sense of intrigue, focus in on patterns and textures, or use the rule of odds with your subjects (this is when you avoid even numbers as odd numbers are considered to be more interesting).

For flowers and nature, you can try shooting in macro mode for better visual clarity and focus. You can also change the depth of focus on photos to create more foreground interest and make the background blurred. The options really are endless with photo wallpaper and you should play around with different styles to find the best one.

Another thing to bear in mind when you make your own wallpaper with photos is your room layout and design. For instance, choosing off-centre positioning works well if you have certain furniture in the way. You wouldn’t want the main subjects of your photograph to be hidden by a headboard or cupboard. Or, if your image is large enough, you can crop into it to give your subjects more presence in a busy room.

 

Create a photo gallery wallpaper

photo wallpaper with family photos

Our customer, Neil, did a great job at uploading his own artwork to Wallsauce to turn it into wallpaper! By applying illustrations of photo frames onto a grey background and imposing his favourite family photos within it, he created the most personal feature wall. 

If unlike Neil, you don't have the skills to create your own wallpaper with several photos, our in-house design team can help. Simply email us your selection of family photos and we'll create the artwork for you.

How to choose the right wallpaper photo for your room

If you already have images that are ready for turning into wallpaper (such as holidays snaps or family photos) you’ll want to make sure you select the right ones. Most of our customers choose the images they like best or the ones that trigger their happiest memories. But you should also take into account the design of your room and the style of your property.

custom photo turned into wallpaper

Things like bespoke wedding photo wallpaper can be a wonderful way to remember your special day but to really do your photos justice, there needs to be harmony between your imagery and your interiors. For custom office wallpaper, you may want something a little more generic to suit your work environment.

Here are some of the things to bear in mind: 

  • Colour schemes – this can be especially important for wedding photos as your wallpaper will need light, elegant and neutral colours to match. If you’re custom printing a feature wallpaper, make sure you shop around for the right wall paint to complement it.
  • Room lighting – certain ambient lighting may not be suitable for all types of photos. Make sure you consider warm and cool lighting, as well as different brightness levels. If you’re designing a feature wall, think also about where the natural light hits your room in the daytime.
  • Furniture style – is your room shabby chic or mid-century mod? Minimalist or industrial? Sometimes your favourite photo may not be the best match for your interiors. If you’re furnishing from scratch, the world is your oyster. If you’re keeping the rest of the room the same, try to create a photo wallpaper that coordinates well.

 

Found a photo elsewhere? Avoid copyright issues when you make your own wallpaper

make-your-own-wallpaper-in-lounge

One of the things to remember when printing your own wallpaper is to stay within the rules of copyright. You should always use your own images for printing (or seek permission if they are someone else’s). But if shooting your own photo wallpaper isn’t for you, why not look for a paid image online?

We recommend that you get in touch with our studio first if you’ve found a copyrighted image you want to use. We regularly source images from stock libraries such as Adobe Stock so there’s a chance we may already have access to it and you won’t have to buy it separately. For any images you can't find in our categories, you can also search our extended range.

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Romina

16/04/2020

Hello, i want to create a wallpaper with the painted drawings of my kid, for his bedroom. Do you Do this if I send you the pictures? Thank you Romina

Amy @ Wallsauce

16/04/2020

Thanks for your message, Romina. :) If you visit our Your Own Image page, you can upload your child's drawing to see if the quality is good enough for a wall mural. The image will need to be taken in good light with a very good camera set to 300dpi or a scanner at 300dpi. Once ordered, our studio team will also double-check the quality to see if it will transfer well to the wall.

Anita

18/05/2020

Wow! So happy to have found you! Took a great pic with my cell and would love to make a small mural at the end of a long narrow hallway. Is it possible to do a mural with a cell pic?

Amy @ Wallsauce

18/05/2020

Hi Anita! Thank you for your comment. Please visit our Your Own Image page where you can upload your cell phone photo to check if the quality is good enough for a wall mural. Once you order the image, our studio team will double-check the quality to see if it will transfer well to the wall before we send it off for printing.

Elizabeth Walsh

08/06/2020

I would like to purchase an image from the directly from the artist on Etsy. The file is a clip art of her own work delivered as a zip file. Can this be made into a wall paper? The artist gives permission for the the bought images to be used commercially up to a value of $1000. My use isn't commercial, just to paper my son's room.

Amy @ Wallsauce

08/06/2020

Thank you for your comment, Elizabeth! You would need to make sure that the image is 300dpi and that 1000px = 1 metre of your wall. So if you have a wall that is 2 metres wide, the file would need to be at least 2000px wide. As for the cost of the artwork, we can\'t comment on this. You will have to ask the artist if there is a different cost to you as it is not for commercial use. I hope this helps!

Jill Lambert

09/06/2020

Wanting to send pictures. So u can design my wallpaper. Like Neil's. In picture frames How do I go about this?

Amy @ Wallsauce

09/06/2020

Hi Jill :). Our studio team can design a photo gallery wallpaper for you for a fee. All you would need to do is send us your photos through WeTransfer and we can arrange that for you. Please email info@wallsauce.com to arrange this.

Olerile Setlhare Setlhare

22/06/2020

Hello how can I do my own wallpaper?

Amy @ Wallsauce

22/06/2020

Hi Olerile :) You can upload your own image which can be used as a wallpaper. Please visit this page for more information https://www.wallsauce.com/upload-your-own/ Or our studio team can design a photo gallery wallpaper for you for a fee. All you would need to do is send us your photos through WeTransfer and we can arrange that for you. Please email info@wallsauce.com to arrange this.

Martin Currer

15/07/2020

Hi I'm wanting the photo frame wall. How much is it?

Amy @ Wallsauce

15/07/2020

Hi Martin. Thank you for your query. Our studio team can design a photo gallery wallpaper for you for a fee. The price will depend on the work taken to make the design, the size of your wall and the wallpaper material you choose. All you would need to do is send us your photos through WeTransfer and we can arrange that for you. Please email info@wallsauce.com to arrange this.

Pamela Chase

03/08/2020

Would like to create my own print

Amy @ Wallsauce

03/08/2020

Hello Pamela :) There are a number of ways you can create your own print wallpaper. Firstly, you can upload your own image and make it into a wallpaper. Follow this link to do this - https://www.wallsauce.com/upload-your-own/ Or if you would like a photo gallery wallpaper, please contact a member of our studio team who will be able to create this for you for an added charge. All you need to do is send us your photos through WeTransfer and we can sort this for you. Please email info@wallsauce.com to arrange this.

Leon Parsons

11/08/2020

Hi how much per square meter

Nicole @ Wallsauce

24/08/2020

Hi Leon, the murals are all made to your dimensions so the price depends on your measurements. To find out the starting price, please head here https://www.wallsauce.com/upload-your-own/

Kerrie Hector

24/08/2020

My teenage son would really like an image of Rick and Morty doing on his wall. Do you have any available to you to be able to do this and if so how much would it cost? Thanks.

Amy @ Wallsauce

24/08/2020

Hi Kerrie :) For something branded like this, we would need a license to print it which we don't have. You can upload your own image of Rick and Morty but you must own the copyrights to the image. Information on how to upload your own image is here - https://www.wallsauce.com/upload-your-own/ Because our murals are custom-made, the price will depend on your wall's measurements and choice of wallpaper material.

Mrs Indrani Roy Dutta

25/08/2020

Hi I wish to make a wallpaper for a wall dimension 300cmWx 180cmH from a collection of photos. I will make the collage. How much it can cost approx? Is it possible to get a preview?

Amy @ Wallsauce

25/08/2020

Thank you for your comment Mrs Indrani Roy Dutta. If you wish to make your own photo collage and upload it as one entire image, please see our upload your own page which will tell you if the overall image is of good enough quality. This page will also give you an indication of price. https://www.wallsauce.com/upload-your-own/ If you would like us to design a collage with your photos, we are more than happy to do this for you at an added cost. If you require more information please email us at info@wallsauce.com

Urbi Sills

23/09/2020

I am interested in uploading a pic to create my own wall mural.

Amy @ Wallsauce

23/09/2020

Hi Urbi :). If you'd like to make a wall mural with your own photo, head to this page https://www.wallsauce.com/upload-your-own/ where you can upload your own photo.

Apsara

06/10/2020

Hello, I want to provide you my picture and want wall paper 50*89. What would be my cost and how can you deliver? Thank you!

Amy @ Wallsauce

06/10/2020

Hi Apsara. To upload your own image, go to this page - https://www.wallsauce.com/upload-your-own/ It will tell you whether your image is of good enough quality. Here you will also be able to enter your wall's dimensions and choice of wallpaper. After this, it will tell you how much your mural will cost. :) For all information about delivery, please visit this page - https://www.wallsauce.com/customer-service/delivery-options

Megan Avgoustinos

06/10/2020

Hi, I'm interested in locating an image on shutterstock for a wall mural in my dining room. Would you be able to assist me printing and installing it. Thanks

Tracie Thompson

06/10/2020

Awesome

Amy @ Wallsauce

06/10/2020

Hi Megan :). As long as you own the rights to an image and the quality is good enough, we can create a custom-made wall mural for you. Simply visit this page when you are ready to upload the image to make a mural https://www.wallsauce.com/upload-your-own/ Because you will be looking on Shuttershock, we might be able to locate a design you like in our extended range which has a vast selection of Adobe and Getty images for you to select from. Please email info@wallsauce.com if you'd like help finding an image or take a look at our extended range here https://www.wallsauce.com/wall-murals-wallpaper/extended-range.

Patricia Meier

30/11/2020

Was kostest so eine Foto tappete? Lg Meier

Amy @ Wallsauce

30/11/2020

Hallo Patricia. Die Kosten für ein Fototapeten hängen von der gewünschten Größe und dem von Ihnen gewählten Tapetenmaterial ab. Für ein Angebot gehen Sie einfach auf unsere Seite zum Hochladen Ihrer eigenen Seite. https://www.wallsauce.com/de/upload-your-own/ Wenn Sie auf dieser Seite sind, laden Sie Ihr Foto hoch, geben Sie die Abmessungen Ihrer Wand ein, wählen Sie das gewünschte Tapetenmaterial aus und Sie erhalten ein Angebot . Für weitere Informationen senden Sie bitte eine E-Mail an info@wallsauce.com.

André

23/08/2021

Hallo Ich habe sehr viele Bilder , welche ich auf ein Tapete gedruckt haben möchte. Geht das bei Ihnen und wie funktioniert das dann? VG André

Amy @ Wallsauce

23/08/2021

Hallo André! Wenn Sie Ihr eigenes Hintergrundbild mit Ihren persönlichen Fotos erstellen möchten, dann gehen Sie hier auf unsere Seite Ihr eigenes Bild - https://www.wallsauce.com/de/upload-your-own/ Hier wird alles erklärt, was Sie wissen müssen um Ihre eigene Fototapete zu erstellen. In Bezug auf das Design kann unser Studio Ihnen möglicherweise helfen, den gewünschten Look zu kreieren. Für weitere Hilfe senden Sie bitte eine E-Mail an info@wallsauce.com

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