How to Format a Picture to Be Placed in a Locket

Lockets are worn on necklace chains.

A locket is a piece of jewelry similar to a small, very shallow box with a hinge on one side and a clasp on the other. Traditionally round or heart-shaped, lockets of centuries past carried powder, locks of hair or other bits of treasured items. Since the advent of photography, small photos are placed inside lockets. For crisp, clear locket photos, scan a photograph and format it for your locket.

Instructions

1. Photo Scanning

   • 1
     Launch your flatbed scanner software. Follow software instructions for scanning images.
   • 2
     Place your photo face down on the flatbed scanner. Select the output desired -- either color or black-and-white. Select a resolution of 300 dpi or higher for fine resolution and excellent printing quality.
   • 3
     Scan the image by selecting "Scan" or "Scan New Image," according to your particular software.
   • 4
     Crop the photo by moving your cursor over the top edge of the image until double arrows appear. Left-click and slide the cursor until the top of the photo is cropped to the desired location. Crop the bottom edge of the photograph in the same manner. Crop the sides, as well, but do not crop closely so room for further cropping is available during resizing, advises Stacie Hubers of Vinepro Photography. This instruction is for images where the height dimension is more important than the width dimension, such as portrait-style photos. For landscape-type images, such as family groups, crop the sides and leave extra space at the top and bottom of the image.
   • 5
     Select "Accept Image" and choose the location where the file will be saved. Name the file.

   Formatting

   • 6
     Measure the inside of your locket, both width and height.
   • 7
     Launch your photo-editing software and open your photo. Save your photo under a new name. Resize the copy, preserving the original digital photo. Make certain "Constrain Proportions" is selected before resizing. Change the height dimension, for portrait-style photos, to the measurement of the inside height of your locket.
   • 8
     Crop the sides of the photo until the width dimension matches the width of the inside width of your locket. Click "Save."

   Installing Photo

   • 9
     Put photo paper in your printer. Print your resized digital image.
   • 10
     Cut out the locket photo. Take a straight pin to loosen the edge of the plastic insert in your locket and remove the plastic photo cover.
   • 11
     Place the photo cover on top of your photo. Arrange the cover so the photo underneath is framed according to your satisfaction. Hold the plastic cover firmly in place with one finger and mark around the edges of the cover.
   • 12
     Trim the photograph to precisely fit the locket by cutting on the marked line. Insert the photo into the locket. Place the plastic cover over the top of the photo. Press until it snaps into place.