People take pictures to preserve the memories of important occasions, precious moments, events, places, family, friends, and a host of other reasons.  Some images are lost in obscurity over time, some are classic, and others become lasting impressions of times gone by.  No matter how good or bad a picture turns out to be, it is kept for reasons often forgotten.  When your photo is important enough to become a keepsake, it is also important enough to commemorate.  Depending on the subject of the pictures, the emotion, memory, and details about the shots can range from elaborate and deep, to simple identifiers to preserve reminders of when and where they were taken.  For my own part, if there is not enough meaning to remember a photo, there is not enough reason to keep it.  For the photos that mean the most, I have a number of ways to help you commemorate and showcase the personal thoughts associated with them, in a fashion that gives them the valued treatments they deserve.

The first example shows one technique for providing a photo commemorative.  With a rich combination of matting techniques and prose, the photo is elevated to a level that tells the viewer that this is an important image.  Do you want to take all your photos to this level?  I think not, but everyone has a few special memories that deserve to be preserved at this level of attention.

Photo, prose, matting tell the complete story of your images.

The next commemorative example is a step down from the first.  Certainly, the matting treatment gives the picture a boost over plain display, but the added description which identifies the date, location, and subject of the shot help to enhance and identify the purpose behind it.

Showcase even simple compositions with meaningful commemorations

The third commemoration provides a matted photo with a simple label to remind the owner when and where the photo was taken, notated directly on the digital matting.  This is a nice alternative to scratching out a hand written note on the back of a nice print.

Labels on matted photos provide succinct history

In the final example, the photo itself is altered to reflect a thought or mood for the scene, coupled with another matte label.  All these treatments work well for a digital picture frame display, or as a computer screen wallpaper. 

Special effects, matting and labels convey mood, impression and intent for special photos

Share your memories with friends and family by commemorating the occasions you want to remember.  What can I do to help you give your pictures the kind of appreciation they deserve?

If you want me to create a unique design from your photos or specifications, just send an email to jdir@bhotechnologists.com and tell me what you have in mind.  Please do not attach photos to your email.  I will tell you everything you need to know about how to start getting the most from your digital picture frame content.  If you want to use any of the work posted on this site, just pay $3 per image at how to buy matting services and then send me an email to let me know what you use or want to download.

Thanks for visiting, and come back often.  If you like what you see, tell your friends.  If you don’t, then keep coming back until you find something you do like.  Your comments are welcome, especially if they are good ones.

My first design for this week provides a bright mixture of colors and textured accents to get you in the mood for the fall season.  I decided to use this design as my own screen wallpaper for the month.  With enough space to add events and company logos, this would be a good basic promotional calendar design for just about any business to capture the attention of customers who are ready to see something memorable from your business.

Calendars make great desktop accents.

The second offering of the week is a brightly colored calendar cube design that has enough punch to satisfy any calendar buying enthusiast.  I like to use this kind of design in my digital picture frame to add dimension and flair to any room in the house.  This calendar page is tempting to keep on hand after the month has passed.  It is also good for posting event information in a simulated metallic etching, all at no extra cost per image.

Who says calendars have to be boring? Not me...

If you like green marble texture, the third calendar for this week will appeal to your senses along with the embedded matted photo accent which further enriches the image.  This composition might go well with marble counter tops or other marble design accents around the house.  Using virtual materials makes it easy and affordable to look rich on a working person’s salary.

Virtual elegance can be yours now.

The last calendar for the month uses metallic accents to enrich the fall photo theme, through a blend of textured copper and brass coloring in a simple, yet elegant design.  This type of calendar design also lends well to promotional calendar purposes, adding snap and value to events, advertising, and company logo impressions.  All these digital designs carry the added value of being produced once, then replicated as many times as needed for no extra cost or effort.  Just get a page and send it to all your customers or friends via email or by loading them directly into a digital picture frame.  By spreading the electronic images, there are no mailing or printing costs to make a big hit.  Where else can you get designs like these for so little?

Beef up your promotional reach for less than a song...

If you want me to create a unique design from your photos or specifications, just send an email to jdir@bhotechnologists.com and tell me what you have in mind.  Please do not attach photos to your email.  I will tell you everything you need to know about how to start getting the most from your digital picture frame content.  If you want to use any of the work posted on this site, just pay $3 per image at how to buy matting services and then send me an email to let me know what you use or want to download.

Thanks for visiting, and come back often.  If you like what you see, tell your friends.  If you don’t, then keep coming back until you find something you do like.  Your comments are welcome, especially if they are good ones.

In this first July posting, I am not so much talking about the Independence Day celebrations, as I am the freedom to find new ways to express yourself with digital creations from Matte Watch.  My first selection for the week is a notable digital plaque creation that reminds people to celebrate their ability to be different.  The photo used in the composition was taken at a Johnson County Kansas softball complex entrance, where this interesting bit of landscaping stood out in its summer glory, posing like a peacock for the picture.  It was the only one of its kind in the area.  The inscription on the plaque was inspired by the shot, proving that it does not matter whether you hunt for a picture to match an inspiration, or an idea to match an image.

Is this bush smiling?

My matted photo for the week was a beautiful little bloom from the Master Gardener display at the Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park, KS.  It is no small wonder why so many people fall in love with flowers as the subject for their photographs.  Flowers are a universal favorite, which have the power to mesmerize viewers.  With digital photo treatments, their beauty need not fade so quickly.

This flower does not need water to stay fresh.

During his recent visit to Kansas, the Vice President was covered by the press for his speech regarding an economic stimulus allotment.  What the press did not cover was Joe Biden’s award winning performance in accomplishing a more obscure “hidden” agenda as evidenced by the following digital award presentation.  Way to go Joe.

A secret energy policy negotiation?

My final offering of the week comes as a result of an inquiry about creating a specific type of digital calendar design.  This graphic is based primarily on functional utility and information, while also offering a pleasant esthetic theme without incorporating digital photos.  The 3-up calendar page also reduces the amount of page turning and costs associated with building a year’s worth of information on fewer pages.  Using this design in a digital picture frame is a nice way to display a calendar that will capture attention, and provide a lot of information at a glance.  Users only have to turn the page once every 3 months.

Better picture frame calendars are available from Matte Watch

If you want me to create a unique design from your photos or specifications, just send an email to jdir@bhotechnologists.com and tell me what you have in mind.  Please do not attach photos to your email.  I will tell you everything you need to know about how to start getting the most from your digital picture frame content.

Starting off the line up for this week is the final June 2009 digital calendar page offering before we begin presenting July pages.  This design was spawned from one of my favorite spots in Overland Park, Kansas.  This shot of the happy little girl statue makes a nice summer calendar composition.  These calendars look great in a digital picture frame or as a screen wallpaper. 

Get in on June before it is gone.

A friend of mine remarked that he does not like to keep track of too many calendars, so he did not want his pictures made into this kind of beautiful calendar page.  All right Mr. Utility, save your picture money for something else, and I will enjoy some of my own pictures this way.

The second item on this week’s boat ride is a nice screen wallpaper or digitally matted photo treatment of a picture I took at Brush Creek on the Plaza in Kansas City, MO.  My wife said this composition looked like the Earth springing a leak.  Maybe it has sprung a leak from all the rain we have been having this year.  This is just one of many digital matting techniques available from us for your photographic enjoyment.

Sometimes pictures are more fun with the right matting and effects.

My third piece is something from the digital plaque revelation realms that make me reflect on how much time I spent looking up at lofty corporate heights and wondering why I was not seeming to reach them.  This plaque represents how often we are told about that upward mobility which never quite seems to arrive.  Oh well, at least the clouds are pretty up there.

Limitation or inspiration; you decide.

The last offering for the week is a rarely talked about award which understandably few people ever have a chance to receive.  For those who qualify for this digital award honor, you now have an excuse you can use for why people seem uninterested in staying at your house for long.  If you can make a rooster duck his head, you may need to think about using some Fabreeze.

Some awards might be rare for a reason.

As one of our readers, perhaps you have not yet discovered that if you would like to use any of the offerings you find on this site, just donate $3 to the buy page for each item you use.  This will keep the designs coming, and help us pay the bills for doing all the work. Send us an email if you want us to work with your photos, or create something special for you.  When you ask us questions, there is no obligation or charge for information.   Obviously, due to our low prices, we prefer not to talk over long distance unless you want to pick up the tab for that.  If you use our stuff without paying, you could find yourself becoming more radioactive with each day that passes.  Please do not cheat, it just is not worth it.

This week’s matting display is a screen wallpaper built from a serene Spring walk along the outer edge of an Overland Park, Kansas golf course.  The selection uses very subtle inner matting texture with a graduated outer matte look that allows the color of the sky in the photo to spread beyond the confines of the picture.  We have another version of this photo in the Fall as well from a different color and lighting perspective.

Early Spring walk with a nice view.

The award we had the most fun with this week is this humorous take on an unusual photo featuring the late Fred Rogers and KoKo the gorilla in a happy embrace.  We chose this composition for its unexpected impact and light hearted humor.  Creating awards that include celebrity help to broaden the appeal of the messages, and create familiarity.

Celebrity based humor grabs attention.

Our calendar sample for the week builds on a dual set of photographs from the same area, and adds a marble textured background that compliments the colors of the photographs.  Though we generally create our calendars according to the photos that will be displayed on the pages, we can also provide a twelve month theme from a singular background, if someone likes a particular composition more than others.  The pictured composition is a side by side design that works well in digital photo frames and as wallpapers, but we can also provide the traditional calendar page orientation as well.  If a customer wants us to create a series with their own logo and events for resale, we can do this as well for the same $3 per page set up. 

One of many beautiful virtual textures available with digital designs.

If we can do something for you, send us an email describing what you have in mind.  Whether we are matting your photos, making calendar pages, or creating awards, our composition prices are the best you will find anywhere.  These items make great gifts for friends and family, and in these hard times, everyone can use a good laugh.  If you want to use something you find on our site, we ask you to donate $3 per image.  Send us a note about what kind of items you like the most, and we can keep more ideas coming.

In the following design, we have brought a number of unusual elements together in creating an advertisement that appeals on a number of different levels.

Get your advertisement noticed using digital designs.

Using this thematic concept, it is possible to combine the attraction of a high quality digital plaque format with a clever punch line that will get attention.  The display uses a hard hitting approach that captures casual viewers on a variety of different personal levels.  The dollar bill draws the eye of money minded people, the rich plaque provides the centering and draw of a nicely crafted award, and the gold matted photo of the restaurant suggests a fine dining experience.  When all these elements are combined with the simply worded slogan, viewers get the point with minimum exposure to the intent.

When this form of advertisement is used in a digital picture frame, a variety of interesting shots are possible, each delivering their own miniature “billboard” effect.  Variations on this type of layout could be used to create eye catching coupons for discounted goods and services, creating another subliminal level of customer rewards for utilizing merchant services.  It might even be possible to use digitized media to create a means for selling merchant partner advertisements in a small space.

Presenting advertising in the plaque format helps to take advantage of what people have already been conditioned to accepting as part of their personal enrichment experience.  Whenever anyone creates a new form of media presentation, it is not long before others begin exploring how that media can pay off in advertising dollars.  If you want to explore more ideas, send us an email.  If you want to use any of our images, please donate $3 per image to keep these offerings coming. 

Keep us in mind for your digital matting needs, and tell your friends about us.  We appreciate your business, feedback and ideas.  Visit often, because you never know what kind of new things we will have to offer next.

This month, a new presentation idea was created that we thought was worth sharing with our audience.  Spinning off from our digital awards ideas, a new category of digital design led to the creation of decorative plaques.  The humorous design that follows was the most interesting we have seen so far, but there is plenty of room for growth along the lines of this method for using digital photography, matting and other digital design techniques.

This decorative design draws attention in more ways than one.

A lot of humorous ideas have been showcased on the site, because we have a penchant for comedy.  In addition to the lighthearted material, this digital method can also be used to produce encouraging results like inspirational themes, sentimental compositions, and other depth pieces with a broad range of personal appeal. 

Because of the rich, subtle colors in these designs, our work is best viewed in a digital picture frame or screen wallpaper format, but can also be printed and framed conventionally as well.  When people ask about producing hard copies of the work, it is important to remember that printing most digital photos can result in stepping down in resolution values and variations in color due to the capabilities of the printing equipment.  Often, the differences are not enough to discourage printing the end results.

If you want to use our images, please donate $3 for each image downloaded.  If you would like us to design some material for you to own or resell, send us an email and open a dialog with us for bringing your ideas and digital creations to life. At this price and quality, our offer to matte your photos, create calendar pages, or other digital creations cannot last forever.  Can we design an original for you today?

As this month begins a new showcase of favorite items, the first offering swings back to yet another kind of comic award, which toasts Katie Couric and anyone else who might be the recipient of such an acknowledgement.  The item works best as a personalized presentation, but could get some laughs in its generic form as well.  There is plenty of celebrity fodder to create this kind of humorous twist.

Use faux celebrity awards to impress friends and add a twist of humor.

 The second favorite is a screen wallpaper matted photo of Spring colors in a budding tree.  While the picture shows accents of light and shadows, the matting compliments the shot using photo textures, color gradients, and more textured matte accents to make the end result a more interesting and unique look.  See if you are not drawn in by the mix.

Matting techniques enhance interest in this shot.

Our last item is another calendar page design to demonstrate a unique way to display the month’s personalized events, matted photo highlights with color accents and subtle gradient shading around the photo and events listing, and a complimentary contrasting gradient shading as the calendar background.  With the combinations of color, composition, style, and texture, it is easy to see what a wide variety of personalized designs we can offer.  We can do an entire year’s worth of calendar pages varying only the photos, or creating a unique page with every shot that is showcased.  For $3 per page, you will get a lot more to look at than the “built in” calendars available with some digital frames, and a lot less

B-O-R-I-N-G.

Calendars provide both utility and beauty when enhanced by personal photos.

We work hard to bring you interesting material on this site.  You are welcome to use the images you want by donating $3 per image for each item downloaded.  We are relying on the “honor system,” and copyrights so if you use our stuff and don’t contribute, it will not be around to take forever.  Thanks for viewing, and if you like what you see, tell a friend, or lots of friends would be even better.

To consider the quality of digital awards, look at the two examples included in the pictures below.

Sample Award #1.

Sample Award #2

One of the awards shown above was produced from a scanned copy of an actual award issued to John Dir in 1991.  The other sample award is a moderately simple award which reflects what can be created using digital techniques. Take a moment to decide which image appeals to you most, or which one you would most like to receive yourself in recognition for 5 years of service. 

If you picked the image with the white background as your favorite, then you will most likely be happy with a poor quality “rubber stamp” certificate.  If you chose the image with the most color, you may be starting to get the idea of what digitally matted awards can offer, and you will be thinking like all the rest of the people we polled. 

Looking closer at the two images, the scanned award also has a few other negatives that are not present in the digital offering.  Since John is the recipient of the award, it would probably be a good idea not to insult him with a microscopic inclusion of his name that is far smaller than the surrounding print.  After five years of hard work, it would be far more appropriate to present an award that provides the courtesy of using a uniform print font, and name accents that make the recipient feel like someone is actually offering appreciation for the services rendered.  Since both awards could be produced at the same cost, the attention to detail makes the improvements that much more important.  In fact, the digital rendering could be put together in a way that actually costs less than printing a large quantity of the “fill in the blank” paper based award format. 

As in this example, we can take scanned copies of lack luster awards and turn them into digital gems, or create awards from scratch.  Either way, you will get a product that is more than “good enough for government work.”

The report for this week takes us to a number of different locations, using a variety of techniques.  The first offering is another comical award spoof which provides a potential solution that may cause a lot of computer screens to be smudged with fingerprints, even if the award itself does not solve any problems.  I know I have tried the reset button several times myself.

This award might be what we need.

My screen wallpaper, and matted photograph for the week is a familiar scene to people who live in Kansas City, Missouri.  Though this area is generally not a good place to visit, we got this shot without experiencing any of the problems reputed to be prevalent in the area. We liked the rusty sunset colors on this Fall day.

Sunset on the scout.

The calendar design for the week takes a page from April’s fare, with a photograph of a downtown church in Oklahoma City.  The page includes some events for the upcoming month. The colors in the design were drawn from the photograph in both the matting and calendar background.

April calendar page with graded accents

As always, if you would like to contribute to our work for the images you use by donating $3 per image, or would like us to produce images from your favorite photos for $3 per item, send us an email telling us about your needs, and we will be glad to help.  Don’t just print your photos, make them shine with beautiful digital matting designs from Matte Watch.