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Steps for Preparing an Oval Picture Frame

Once you get your new oval frame home, now you need to get the picture ready to be cut for the frame. It’s not hard cutting your picture to fit the frame however there are some steps you can follow to ensure your picture looks great in your new oval frame.

  1. Before you do anything to the picture, first remove the glass and backing from the oval frame so that all you have is the actual oval frame. You’ll want to set the frame over your picture so you can see your picture in the oval opening. This will give you a rough idea of what your picture will look like in the frame. Always make sure you like how your picture looks before you take any steps to cut your picture.
  2. Remove the frame and try to place the glass in the same place the wood frame was. Keep moving it until you’re happy with the placement of the glass. Be very careful in moving the glass over the picture as you don’t want it to scratch the image.
  3. Double check to make sure that the person in the image is centered and straight in the oval frame. For portraits make sure that the individual in the picture is upright and not tilted otherwise your picture will look crooked. You also want to have the overall spacing of the individual(s) centered horizontally so the person or couple is not off to one side of the frame. In terms of vertical spacing, a good rule of thumb is that you want the person’s head to be about 2/3 up from the bottom of the frame. You want to avoid having their head look like a bulls-eye in the frame otherwise you’ll have too much empty space at the top of the frame.
  4. If you’re happy with the placement, then take a ball point pen and gently trace around the glass on the front of the picture. All you need is a small thin line as a pattern for cutting so avoid using marker pens as these pens will bleed on your picture. Also avoid using sharp pens or pencils as these may scratch.
  5. Once you have a line to use as a pattern for cutting, use a sharp pair of scissors to cut out the oval. Watch out for dull scissors as they leave a rough cut edge and may bend the picture slightly.
  6. Once you have your cut oval picture, clean the glass and make sure it’s dry before placing in your picture. Depending upon the quality of frame you bought, it may or may not come with backing. If it didn’t come with any backing, get some cardboard (for non-archival framing) or archival mat board and use the frame to trace out a back.  For tracing the back, place the frame face up on top of the cardboard/mat board and slide your pen underneath the frame and trace around the edge of the frame. Once you cut out your back, you’ll need to use finish nails to keep the cardboard or mat board secure. All you do is place small finish nails on the cardboard/mat board and gently push them horizontally into the wood siding of the frame.
  7. Once you have the backing on you’ll need to make sure the frame has hanging hardware. Most high quality frames include wall frame hardware but always ask the frame retailer to be sure. If your oval frame doesn’t include hardware you can learn about the different types of Picture Frame Hardware (article link) or learn How to Hang Your Pictures On the Wall (article link).