Product Review: From Photo to Cushion

A customised photo cushion produced via the Snapfish website
From garden photo, through posterization in Pic Monkey, to the finished product - a cushion 

I've wanted a new cushion for my study for a while, so I was delighted when Snapfish contacted me recently with the offer of an allowance to purchase something from their website. They have all kinds of options for customising products with your own digital photos, such as books, calendars, greetings cards, pictures, and more.

You may remember the middle photo from a previous Wordless Wednesday. I don't often play around with my images, but for once I did and I'm pleased with the result. It's a technique called posterization, where the subtle colours and tones of a photograph are reduced in number to produce a pop art style image.

I'd earmarked making a large picture from this photo a while ago, but I needed a cushion more, so it was the perfect option for my allowance. I found the website easy to use, if a little clunky* and I soon completed my order.

I'd recommend using photos with a high resolution for this type of product if you can - I took a risk with mine as the website displayed a warning about my image's quality**. I gambled the posterization process would outweigh any problems with enlarging to a 17x17 inch size.

The application guessed the crop position, then I easily made some slight adjustments to obtain the image I wanted. I would have liked the option to zoom out a touch, so the original and cushion images shown above are in the same proportion. That's a minor quibble and I'm really happy with the result.

Close up of cushion front, back and zip
As you can see from this close-up (click to enlarge if needed), the picture front is canvas-like and the back faux suede. The cover can be removed for cleaning, though I haven't tried it yet. Note the cushion comes complete with an inner, so you don't need to buy one***.

I ordered on Monday evening, it was dispatched on Tuesday, and arrived on Thursday morning, which is pretty fast. I'd say prices are around mid range (£24.99 + p&p in this instance) for this kind of product.

I'm now much more comfortable when I'm blogging - hurrah! This would make a thoughtful and individual gift for a friend or family member, or a good option if you're having difficulty in finding something to match your chosen decor.

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Further notes


* = I've had an email this week to say their website is improved and about to be relaunched. NB Snapfish requires registration up front, which may or may not be an issue for you. I prefer sites which allow one-off customers as well as account holders, so I don't need to remember loads of different passwords to complete my shopping.

** = Most of my pictures uploaded to the web are of medium quality. This may cause problems e.g. image pixellation if they are enlarged to large sizes for e.g. cushions or pictures.

*** = the website doesn't make this clear. Thank goodness I didn't order one from elsewhere - I nearly did!

NB Other websites are available to do this, most of which have different options re price, sizing, material used, dual photos etc etc. I'm very happy with the results, but remember I didn't shop around.

Comments

  1. Sue Garrett21 February 2016 at 10:32

    I had one of my photos made into an acrylic print and researched plenty before settling on one company. I probably chose the most expensive but think I got what I paid for - often choose cheap and get cheap

    I love posterize images and used it a lot when running computer art courses for teachers. Children loved the results especially when they created Warhol like self portraits.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP21 February 2016 at 13:07

      Quite right to shop around Sue, which company did you go for?

      Posterize is one of my favourites too - I didn't have the courage to try it as a darkroom technique though!

      Delete
    2. Sue Garrett21 February 2016 at 14:02

      Digital Room

      Delete
  2. CJ21 February 2016 at 11:41

    It's brilliant, what a lovely idea.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lea21 February 2016 at 13:09

    Very interesting!
    Hope you are having a wonderful day!
    Lea

    ReplyDelete
  4. Janet/Plantaliscious25 February 2016 at 20:38

    Oooh, that worked really well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP26 February 2016 at 10:05

      Thanks Janet - it's one of my favourite pictures ever from the garden so it's lovely to make it into something more permanent to cheer up a north facing study!

      Delete
  5. Anonymous25 February 2016 at 21:12

    I think it was your choice of image that really made this. It's lovely.

    ReplyDelete

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