Wedding group shots

[Roger]

I have tried to create a wedding group shot across two pages by cropping the original image to the width and height of two pages. I then cropped that image to single page width but allowed an overlap to allow for the part of the image lost in the spine. Despite my best efforts I still cannot discover what is the ideal overlap to allow to ensure some of the group are not lost in the spine. Or worse still allow too much overlap and end up with one and a half brides! Anyone got some top tips on how to ensure the perfect two page image?

[irusan]

I wish I could give you a simple "do this..." answer, but there are a couple of factors that will affect it.

How many pages are in the book? The more pages you add, the more of the center you lose ("binding creep"). What's the final print size? Etc.

If you can afford it, I'd build a book that is nothing but the same two-page spread, using different adjustments for the center. Include notes on each spread about what you did and, when the album arrives, see which one worked.

I know it sounds expensive and there's a lot of 'hit or miss' to it, but it's better to do that in a test album than in a customer's final album.

Wish I could be of more help,

Rob

[Roger]

Rob,

Thank you for your reply. Perhaps My Publisher Customer Services would like to produce the book you mention and then publish the crop/overlap measurements in the help pages.

The end result on the ones I have tried are fantastic but someone always notices Uncle Fred has disappeared

[irusan]

You could try bribing the people in the shot - the more money they give you, the further out to the side they are placed. Then the cheap people who don't "tip" you are placed in the center and are in danger of being swallowed up!

HAHAHA :-)

[themoisefamily]

In high school, they did a big group picture of the graduating class. Printed, it was like 8x25 or so. But, it was also put into the yearbook. For that version, they split the group down the middle---and put a few feet between us. That way, they could split the photo and no one (esp. the bride/groom in your case) would be "lost in the crack".