This is the place where we will update answers to frequently asked questions regarding the mural making and designing process.
If your question is not answered here, just e-mail, we'll have an answer right away.

Q. Do you have to scan all the pictures?
A. The pictures do need to be in a digital format, so they can be scanned and re-sampled down to say a 640-480 pixel resolution. Or they they can be taken with a digital camera which of course delivers a digital format from the get-go. If you have photographic prints, or other images on paper, it might be easier and quicker to take close up digital photos with a copy stand than it would be to scan them all. The images do not need to be very high resolution, 1 mega pixel images are fine, larger images will be resampled down to an appropriate size.

Q. How many tile images do I need?
A. The more the better, also the more variety in the tile images, the better. Of you have a small number of tile images it simply means that they will be repeated more often. A minimum number would be around 100 but 1000 would be a lot better. Some of this depends on the mural image itself and the range of colors and values that need to be reproduced from the tile images.

Q. How do I get enough pictures from my school to make a good image for the mural?
A. Many schools have a studio that comes in in the fall and shoots portraits of all of your students. They should be able to provide you or the administration with a CD of those pictures in a digital format. Another source of photos might be your yearbook staff, the photos can be taken with a digital camera or scanned. You might even have a day or week, say Homecoming week where students are encouraged to take tons of digital pictures for inclusion in the mural. In any case, the more pictures you have, the better the mural will look.

Q. How do I know that all of the student's tile photos will be used?
A. The way the software works, is that for every tile in the mural, the program "looks" into your collection of images and finds the best match for color, value etc. I can force it to include every single image, insuring that all of the students and other images are included in the final mural or have it pick the best match regardless. Usually the best result is between these two extremes. I would be happy to render and show you various combinations before the actual mural is generated.

Q. What materials, supplies and technology do we need to get a mural going?
A. You will need some way to digitize the tile images and copy them to a CD, DVD, Flash drive, SD card, or other media. No other supplies, materials or technology are necessary. You will need to find someone skilled in hanging wallpaper and a smooth wall somewhere to apply it. The 22'x7' mural at AHS went up in less than an hour from start to finish.

Q. Can you print on other materials?
A. Yes, these can go on just about anything, For window applications, backlit displays, fabric, you name it, and the mural can probably be imaged onto that material.

Q. How long will it last?
A. The vinyl material is the same used in the outdoor advertising industry for billboards. It will last for many years exposed to the elements.