Choosing a Photo for a Memorial Headstone

Modern headstones not only pay tribute with beautiful verse or words, they can create a lasting memory of loved ones and cherished pets with photographic engravings. Picture images help to personalize a memorial design.

The original photo is roughly 14″ x 9.5″ at 300 dpi, straight from the camera and unaltered. There is some light/dark contrast, but no one extreme area. The line art example on black granite has a lot of visible fur texture. Line art is used on photos less than 4 inches. The halftone example on black granite looks more like a photo than the line art, with more contrast and feature definition. Halftone filters can only be used on photos at least 4 inches.

The best images for engraving on a headstone are high resolution pictures that come directly from a camera. Use pictures that are in focus and even-toned, with no areas of extreme contrast. Digital shot should show no pixilation. To use a non-digital photograph, computer scan it at 300 dpi, or mail the photograph to us and we will scan it at our shop at high resolution.

Avoid images that have already been processed, such as printed images on a memorial card or taking a picture of a framed photograph and using that. They are blurry, too small or have little detail, which makes it difficult to get the engraving to look like the person or pet.

Choose an image of the person or pet that portrays them as you’d like to remember them forever. We are unable to alter images or “draw in eyes,” if the person has their eyes closed in the shot. Use the picture because you love how the person already appears.

How PlaqueMaker Designers Can Help

1. When working with photos for headstones, we use a variety of filters that help with achieving the best result for engraving. On larger items where the image will be at least four inches, we’ll use a halftone filter to convert the image into little boxes, allowing for more detail. On smaller pictures, we’ll use a line-art filter resulting in the most detail in the image without the risk of over-engraving.

2. It is always better to send us the complete photograph, rather than you try to crop it down. Let us crop your photo, if needed. We will focus on featuring the head, neck and shoulders of the individual, or full body pictures or the entire picture, if you prefer. We do take your suggestions into consideration when we crop the picture.

3. If you trying to decide among several photos and are unsure which one will give the best result, we encourage you to email or mail all your top choices to us. We can run them through our filters and help determine which will look the best when engraved.