When it comes to choosing a photo for a funeral and turning this into a charming memorial picture, you may feel a little daunted. After all, you want to capture the essence of what your loved one was all about. Don't worry — simply take a look at our guide and make a memorial picture that adds a beautiful finishing touch to the celebration of a beautiful life.

Choose a Photo for the Funeral

Choose a photo of your loved one that really captures who they were in life and who they still are in your heart. Think about the things they loved to do, the places they loved to go — and think about images that they would want the world to see. Preferably, just choose one image. It might be tempting to add lots of images to your design, but it is better to capture the attention and draw the eye to a single evocative, charming image of your loved one.

Build Your Design

The image of your loved one should be the centerpiece for your memorial picture, but you can build a design around this. Think about the background — what would you like to put here? Perhaps you have a specific pattern or theme in mind, or maybe you just want to include a classic memorial background, such as a cloudscape or an idyllic natural scene. Keep it simple — you don't want to detract from that all-important central image of the dear departed.

Craft Your Text

You'll need some text to accompany your memorial image. For starters, you'll need to include the name and perhaps the years of your loved one's life, along with some text like "In memory of..." or "In memoriam." You may also want to add a special quote, Bible verse, line of poetry, or a passage that had meaning to your friend or family member. Again, keep it simple — don't let the text overwhelm the overall look and feel of the picture.

Select Your Photo Editing Platform

There are plenty of photo editing platforms available that you can use to put your design together. Solutions such as Photoshop and Canva provide professional-quality tools that can assist you as you create a fitting memorial image for the service.

Create Your Design

Scan your image and then use your chosen editing software to add your background design and text. You can move the different elements around, experimenting until you find the perfect arrangement. Ask other friends and family members to provide their input, helping you to choose text size, image size, text fonts, color themes and other aesthetic details. Remember, you need to keep the overall design simple so that the image of your loved ones remains the focal point of the picture.

Work with Professional Print Solutions

Once your image is created, you'll need to print it ready for the service. Save your design as a JPEG, PNG or PDF file, as these are some of the most commonly used image file types. Next, send your file to a professional printer to get the best results from the project. This professional printing service will be able to ensure the photos for the funeral look great, just as you intended. They will also be able to print onto different media — such as cards, banners, or signs for the service.

Keep It Simple and Follow Your Heart

Don't stress too much about the process of creating a memorial picture. Instead, follow your heart as you capture the essence of what the deceased really meant to you — and to so many people. Incorporate this into a simple design that puts their image front and center.