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Tutorial: Create a Large-scale Image with Free Software

This tutorial will walk you through how to create large images using the program Gimp. Gimp is an image editing tool which may be downloaded for free at www.gimp.org . This tutorial is particularly helpful if you’d like to combine multiple images onto one piece of fabric.  

To create a design that will fill one yard of our 42” fabrics as shown in this tutorial (Petal Signature Cotton® or Cotton Poplin) - your design will need to measure 6300 pixels x 5400 pixels or 42” x 36” at 150 DPI. If you would like to create a different sized file you may find the pixel dimensions for each fabric here: How big should my image be?  Just be sure to have the fabric type decided before you start preparing your file, as Spoonflower fabrics differ in width so that will affect the file size you prepare.   

To get started in Gimp click File > New. Then, enter the dimensions in pixels for your total design size.  Be sure to keep the orientation setting in landscape by clicking the tiny picture with mountains.  Then, click Advanced Options and enter 150 pixels/in for both the X and Y resolution. Leave your file in the RGB color space as shown here:

Screenshot of Gimp Size Settings

You may be prompted to confirm image size as you are creating a large file, click OK to confirm. Now you will have a properly sized canvas on which to create anything you would like!

You can use the paint and stamp tools to create an image from scratch or you can add some images you already have. Find out more about what type of images you can print with Spoonflower, here.

After you have the images or designs you want saved in a file on your computer click File > Open and select the files you would like to add to your full yard design. To open multiple files at once, hold down the shift key (or command on a Mac) while you select. Then, click Open.

Screenshot showing list of files to open

Click on the window for the first image you would like to add. Click Select > All then click Edit > Copy.

Screenshot of Gimp showing All chosen from the Select Menu

To add your image to your canvas, navigate back to your original blank canvas. Here, click Edit > Paste to add your image to your full yard file. The image will automatically be selected, so you may drag the image to the area of the canvas you would like. Each time you paste a new item it will be automatically selected and easy to drag to a new location.

Screenshot of a large blank gimp file with a small photo of fabric in the center

You can resize or rotate this first image as necessary. While the new image is still selected click Tools > Transform Tools.  

Screenshot from gimp of the transform tools option under the tools menu

Use the Rotate option to rotate the image or the Scale option to resize the image.

  • Scale: You can put in the exact dimension as needed for your project or drag the corners until your design appears as you would like and then click Scale. Note: when resizing an image, take care not to make it much larger as this can result in a blurry image.
  • Rotate: The rotating option is similar to resizing, as you have the choice of either dragging the corners to rotate or typing in a specific angle that you’d like to have it rotate, then click Rotate.
Screenshot of Gimp showing the scale menu

After rotating or resizing your first image take care to select the Move tool (as shown with a red arrow in the screenshot below) before moving your image to a new location.

Screenshot of Gimp with red arrow pointing to the move tool

Continue adding, rotating, and resizing all of your images as necessary.

Screenshot from Gimp of four images placed into a larger file

Once you have all images added and arranged on your one-yard file, save your file by clicking File > Save. This original file will be saved in Gimp’s XCF format, so you would want a copy in case you need to make further edits.  

Then, once you have saved this original file, click File > Export. In the pop-up window, click Select File Type by Extension. Scroll down and pick JPEG image then click Export. Change the quality to 80 and click Export to save your image file to your computer.

Screenshot of File Type Menu in Gimp

The last step is setting up your design on Spoonflower. After logging into your Spoonflower account, click on the user profile icon (the one that looks like a person) and click the Upload A Design button.  You can go directly to the upload page by clicking here.  

Then, click Choose File and browse for the jpeg file you just created in Gimp. You will need to complete the 2. Confirm Copyright section before you can click the teal Upload button at the bottom of the page. 

Screenshot of Spoonflower's Upload Design Page

Once you have uploaded your file, you will see the design edit page. Click the Edit button under the fabric header to adjust and preview the layout of your design on fabric. 

Screenshot of Design Edit Page

On the design layout page, you can make any necessary adjustments to the layout of your design. However, assuming you followed these directions and created your file at 150 DPI at the full size of a yard of fabric, you likely won’t need to make any edits here.  Make sure the two drop down menus at the bottom (Preview Fabric and Preview Cut Size) are showing the fabric type and amount that you would ultimately like to order and check the preview window to make sure it is appearing as you hoped.  For this example, we have it set to 42” wide fabric and Yard 42” x 36” because we want to buy one yard of Petal Signature Cotton®. If you do need to make any changes, be sure to click Save. If you do not need to make any edits, you can click Cancel to return to the design edit page.

Screenshot of Design Layout Page

Once you’ve returned to the design edit page, you can click the Buy button beneath the Fabric header to purchase your design on fabric.

Screenshot of Design Edit Page

Once you’ve returned to the design edit page, you can click the Buy button beneath the Fabric header to purchase your design on fabric.

Screenshot of Product page for purchasing

From there, you can proceed through the checkout process and purchase your fabric!
 

 

Shop the designs featured in this article and throughout the help center in this collection!

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