Scanning & Stitching Layouts
Stitching 12 x 12 Layouts in Paint
By Teri-Lynn Masters, Design Team Member
Jul 31, 2004, 06:05

Paint is fairly useful for stitching large items. Most people using Microsoft have Paint, so it's a convenient choice for stitching. First your layout must be scanned in two pieces. I call these XXX L and XXX R. Overlap these two pieces a little bit when you scan, but not too much as you lose quality. Also, if you can, try to scan your layout pieces so that the stitching line is not on an intricate part of the layout, such as faces and journaling.

There can sometimes be problems with matching up the two sides if one side was scanned crooked, or if one side is lumpier, the light allowed in during the scanning can sometimes change colors so that matching up can be hard; so try to keep your sides as straight as possible, and keep all things even across the layout, getting it as flat as possible on the scanner. This will improve your results and also make it easier to stitch.

Once you have your two pieces scanned, open the left one in Paint. If you have to resize, do this beforehand, and resize them both exactly the same size.

With your left side opened, look along the right edge. In the middle is a small blue square used to change your canvas size. Click on the blue square and drag out enough white canvas to fit your right side.

Now, go to the toolbar above and choose edit---paste from. This should open a window from where you can find the right side of your layout. Choose this, and it will be pasted into your image with a dashed line around it.

You can click your left mouse button on this piece and hold it down to drag the piece around. Pull it over to the right side, and move it around until it has the best fit. This may take some practice. Use straight edges and small items to help you line things up. You can zoom in to match up better.

Once you have the best fit, click anywhere outside the dashed line to make the piece stop moving.

If at any time you have done something you don't like, there is a handy undo button under the Edit button on the toolbar.

Now just use the same little blue square on the righthand side to close the remaining white canvas to the size of your layout by clicking and holding it, and dragging it to the edge of your layout. This cleans it up nicely and makes your file only as large as it needs to be with no distracting white space around it.

Now save your final product under a different name and it is stitched!