How do I make a design for a T-Shirt from a photograph?
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Get help with creating your t-shirt graphics. Discuss t-shirt design software, special effect techniques, or other topics related to creating a t-shirt design on your computer.
How do I make a design for a T-Shirt from a photograph?
How do I make a design for a T-Shirt from a photograph?
I have a photograph of graffiti art that I want to make into a design on a t-shirt. I obviously don't want the border or background of the photograph to appear on the shirt...just a portion of the graffiti. I have never made a t-shirt before, as I am just a beginner and wondered how I should go about this? Is it better to hire someone who know's what they are doing to create a template, then have the shirts made? Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated!
Re: How do I make a design for a T-Shirt from a photograph?
This is a process you can do on an image editing program like Photoshop if you have it. You may want to get someone to do it for you if you dont have any experience with the program so you can get a good solid image that will be good for print.
Re: How do I make a design for a T-Shirt from a photograph?
I have 'Gimp' software which is similar to Photoshop, but still have never created a template for a shirt, nor do I know how to. I'm sure I could figure it out but you are right it's probably better to get a professional.
How much do people usually charge to create a template for you? Once you have a template, can it last to create large quantities of t-shirts?
Re: How do I make a design for a T-Shirt from a photograph?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonesy13
I have 'Gimp' software which is similar to Photoshop, but still have never created a template for a shirt, nor do I know how to. I'm sure I could figure it out but you are right it's probably better to get a professional.
How much do people usually charge to create a template for you? Once you have a template, can it last to create large quantities of t-shirts?
Shops have different prices, it depends on the art. The shop I go to for my supplies charges 15 to burn screens and 30 to do art work and print the vellum.
Once you print out your image to a medium it will last as long as you keep it. You can just keep using it over to make new screens.
Try messing with your program or find a tutorial for it. Why pay someone for something you can do yourself? That money can go towards shirts or whatever...
Re: How do I make a design for a T-Shirt from a photograph?
Very true...thanks for the input! What should I search on to find a tutorial? In the end what am I trying to create, just the image I want to print on my shirt, with a transparent background?
Re: How do I make a design for a T-Shirt from a photograph?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonesy13
I have a photograph of graffiti art that I want to make into a design on a t-shirt. I obviously don't want the border or background of the photograph to appear on the shirt...just a portion of the graffiti. I have never made a t-shirt before, as I am just a beginner and wondered how I should go about this? Is it better to hire someone who know's what they are doing to create a template, then have the shirts made? Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated!
thanks so much
Hi Katelyn,
You can mask out the background with your gimp software, or you could just erase what you wouldn't want to print. I suggest making the artwork on a transparent background and saving as a .png file. Probably best make the file the size you'll want to print it at, and change the resolution to somewhere between 180-300 dpi.
Once you finish that, your least expensive option for making a t-shirt out of this art, would be to have a heat transfer made. It can then, be pressed on to a shirt. If your image is a full color photograph that you're working with, it can be expensive to setup the art, not to mention, expensive to create screens, and print the shirts.
There are several options, but I'd imagine, for beginners in t-shirt making, such as yourself, you should start here.
Hope this helps.
Re: How do I make a design for a T-Shirt from a photograph?
Silkscreen printing likes flat spot color. Your photo of colorful grafitti may be real hard to simplify into 5 flat colors or less. Look into digital printing, it can be permanent and can usually print in vibrant full process color - it may not be as cheap for large quantities, but a faithful representation of the graffiti it will deliver.
This is a discussion about How do I make a design for a T-Shirt from a photograph? that was posted in the Graphics and Design Help section of the forums.
How do I make a design for a T-Shirt from a photograph? 
