Help! How Do I Make My Image Full Bleed?

"I have an image I really want to use for a card, but the edges are going to get cut off when it's printed. What am I going to do?" Ever have this problem? I know I have. What can you do to extend the edges without losing any of your original design?

The solution lies in a handy little thing called the Clone Brush. Some programs call it the Stamp Tool. Whatever your photo editing program calls it, the concept is basically the same. To get an idea of how it works, there are many tutorials on the Internet. Here's a link to one I found on YouTube by: DigitalVisions.Org.

Practice with this tool to become comfortable using it. Fiddle with the hardness and size of your brush. Increase or decrease the opacity. This will come in handy to keep a seamless image.

"That's great for editing a photo," you say, "but how is that going help me extend the borders of my image?" Let's take a look at an example image we want to extend:

If we just stretch this image, the handle of the teacup and one of the flower petals will get cut off. So let's use our handy new tool: Choose a portion of your image to copy, then paste it on the edge of your canvas.

 

Take your time. Yes, it's a long process, but the results will be worth it. Decrease the size of your brush when working in tight spaces (i.e.: near the cup handle and the diagonal edge of the book.)

Exhausted yet? Don't stop now! Once you've got all of your edges covered, step back and look at your image to make sure all your lines are straight and flawless.

Now let's take a look at the final result:

Whew! Finally done . . . 

All that hard work--Just to have it lopped off at the printers!!