What You Need to Do to Display an Oval Picture Frame

Now that you've selected your oval picture frame it is time to prepare your photo to be placed in the frame. Although this isn't difficult to do, here are some tips help make the process easier and help you avoid making any mistakes.

1. Before you cut your picture to fit an oval frame, always make sure the photo looks good in an oval shaped frame first. The best way to check is to take the frame apart and put it over your photo to see how it looks. To do this, first remove the frame back and then take out the glass and set it carefully to the side. Place the oval frame over your picture and center the frame around the subjects in your photo. This step will help you decide if you like how your picture looks inside an oval picture frame.

2. Next, take the glass from your oval photo frame and place it over your picture where the frame had been. Carefully adjust the glass until the positioning looks good. Use care when moving the glass so your picture doesn't get scratched.

3. Take your time in aligning the glass as the subject or individuals in the frame need to be straight in the picture. Aligning a subject in an oval frame isn't as simple as aligning a rectangular or square picture frame so make sure it looks right. Ideally, the individuals in the photo should be centered in the frame and have equal amount of space around them. For vertical spacing, the subject's head should be about 2/3's of the way up from the bottom of the picture. Never position the subject's head directly in the center of the frame as it leaves too much space above and throws off the picture's eye appeal.

4. When you've found the perfect position for your picture, carefully trace along the outside of the glass with a thin pen. Thick pens or markers may bleed onto the picture so avoid using them.

5. Now you are ready to cut. Use a sharp pair of scissors and cut along the line you traced. You can also use a mat knife but just make sure you're able to make a smooth and even cut otherwise, you should use scissors to avoid damaging your photo. Be sure the scissors are sharp because dull scissors can tear or crease the picture. Once your picture is cut, clean the oval frame glass and allow it to dry thoroughly otherwise the moisture can damage your photo.

6. Double check to see if your oval frame came with frame backing. If it did, all you have to do is put the glass, photo and frame back on and you're all done. If it didn't come with frame backing, you can make your own frame back with either a piece of cardboard or a nice archival mat board. The purpose of the frame backing is to help hold your picture and glass securely in place with the help of some small brad nails. If you need to make your own backing and are framing an important picture, you should use archival mat board because the acid in plain cardboard can degrade your photo over time.

The first step to making your own frame back is to place the oval frame face up on the cardboard or mat board. Then, trace along the outside edge of the oval picture frame so it will fit in your frame. Cut it out and then use brad nails (about ' inch) to secure the backing to the frame. You do this by placing the brad nails on the board and pushing them into the molding on the back of the wood picture frame. Once the brad nails are securely holding the frame backing you're all ready to hang your oval picture frame.

As you can see, preparing and assembling an oval picture frame does take a little time but can be a simple process if you follow these basic steps. And once your oval picture frame is hanging beautifully on the wall, you'll be glad that you took the time to do it.

Autumn Lockwood loves taking pictures and is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Your Picture Frames offers a large selection of decorative picture frames in a wide variety of styles, finishes and sizes. If you're looking for oval picture frames or round frames visit our website now.

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