Stitching Layouts

For those of us with something smaller than a 12” scanner, sharing 12”x12” layouts can be challenging. If you’re like me, the thought of scanning a page and “stitching” it seems a bit tedious—even a bit scary.

I recently discovered that it’s not as hard or as intimidating as it sounds. By using the photo editing software on your computer, you can create one whole image from two scanned parts. Here’s how:

1. Prepare your scanner by wiping the surface clean and turning it on. Line up the left half of your layout (it’s the left side when it’s facing you, right when it’s upside down) in the top corner of your scanner surface. You’ll want to use the top edge so that you can be sure the image will scan straight. Scan the first half at 300 DPI and crop the image file so it only includes the page, no extra white space. Save this file as a JPEG with a file name that indicates it is the left side of the layout.

2. Scan the right side of the page in the same way, making sure to line it up in the top corner of the scanner and making sure you have at least one to two inches of overlap so you can easily match up the two sections. Save this image so you know it’s the right side of the page.

3. Open a new file in your image editing software. Adjust the size so it is 12” x 12”—big enough to fit the entire size of the page. Leave the DPI at 300 and name the file as you’d like, noting that it is the whole or final image (Christmas_final.jpg).

4. Make a new layer in your document (make two if your program starts you with zero layers) by using the Layer menu—Layer: New: Layer.

5. Open the image of the left side of your page. Select all of the image (use the Select menu), then copy the image (Edit: Copy). Return to your newly created document and be sure you’ve selected Layer 1, then paste (Edit: paste). You can use the arrow tool to line up this side of the layout. Place it in the top left corner of the canvas.

6. Open the right side of your image, select all, then copy. Again return to your new file and be sure you’ve selected Layer 2. Paste the image into the file, then change the opacity to 50% or so—this makes this half of the image partially transparent, allowing you to easily see where the two halves line up. Use the arrow tool and mouse to line up the two sides of the layout until they match seamlessly.

7. Once these two layers are matched to your satisfaction, change the opacity of Layer 2 back to 100%. To merge the two layers into one, flatten the image (Layer: Flatten Image). Or, if you have a stitch option, use this to combine the two layers.

If a vague line does appear in your stitched layout, you may need to adjust the brightness/contrast to reduce it’s appearance.