# Using real photos for card stock model?



## Big_Steve (Feb 21, 2016)

Howdy.

I am a total novice when it comes to building models. Add to that, I've never had much artistic skills. I recently discovered cardstock modeling using templates on the printer. I stuck a couple together, and it seems like something my Gorilla fingers can manage. So far, I don't care much for the building colors and overall look.

My question is, has anyone done something like shrink a photo of their house, print it, and use it on card stock? If so, how did it look? I will most certainly try this and decide for myself. Just looking to see if anyone has "been there, done that."

Thanks!


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

Hello Steve and welcome to the Forum. Haven't done what you suggest but I regularly use backscenes printed from the internet but haven't bought any cardstock models bought and printed off on my printer. I have bought a few kits from Metcalfe Models https://www.metcalfemodels.com/ who produce some excellent card model, although for British OO they look ok in a HO setting. There is one site you might find useful for the backscenes: http://www.allcgtextures.com/main.php they have lots of buildings in high def and I find the industrial ones very useful. Use the smallest size they offer for HO. Mount them on card before fixing. Btw use a the stick type solid office glue, it doesn't cause the paper to pucker like white glue. There is a download limit but its quite generous. 

Good luck.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Hi, Steve, and welcome!

I have a number of old cardstock models that my father brought back from the UK in the late '60's. They are as good as anything out there.

The real problem with using photos that you take yourself is that you need pretty good photo editing software to correct all the distortions that your camera lens and shooting angle will cause. Consider -- a printed (or styrene) building front will look as if the observer is standing at a fixed distance from EVERY point on that model. When you take a picture, the distance between your lens and the subject is different for most points on the structure, giving parts farther away a distinct cant to them. You need to be able to correct the image to account for this. For landscapes taken a distance, this isn't as much of a problem.

About 5-6 years ago, Model Railroad Hobbyist had a great article on this, written by someone who can actually do it (not me). All back issues (and an index) are available at www.model-railroad-hobbyist.com


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## Big_Steve (Feb 21, 2016)

Thanks for the links.



Cycleops said:


> Hello Steve and welcome to the Forum. Haven't done what you suggest but I regularly use backscenes printed from the internet but haven't bought any cardstock models bought and printed off on my printer. I have bought a few kits from Metcalfe Models https://www.metcalfemodels.com/ who produce some excellent card model, although for British OO they look ok in a HO setting. There is one site you might find useful for the backscenes: http://www.allcgtextures.com/main.php they have lots of buildings in high def and I find the industrial ones very useful. Use the smallest size they offer for HO. Mount them on card before fixing. Btw use a the stick type solid office glue, it doesn't cause the paper to pucker like white glue. There is a download limit but its quite generous.
> 
> Good luck.


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## Big_Steve (Feb 21, 2016)

I was wondering about that. In my house, the garage is set forward of the main house a little. I also have a lot of shrubs/hedges. I was thinking of making the house (sort of) 3d, in that I would set the garage forward, and use Lichen or something to make hedges in front of where the hedges would be in the photo. Thinking that might erase some of the 2d effect. 



CTValleyRR said:


> Hi, Steve, and welcome!
> 
> I have a number of old cardstock models that my father brought back from the UK in the late '60's. They are as good as anything out there.
> 
> ...


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## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

look here for bricks you can down load. i use rubber cement (craft) to past it to card stock.

https://www.google.com/search?q=pic...ved=0CDUQ9QEwBA#facrc=_&imgrc=5bKW1gDknHbu9M:


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Big_Steve said:


> I was wondering about that. In my house, the garage is set forward of the main house a little. I also have a lot of shrubs/hedges. I was thinking of making the house (sort of) 3d, in that I would set the garage forward, and use Lichen or something to make hedges in front of where the hedges would be in the photo. Thinking that might erase some of the 2d effect.


It might, but probably not. I tried it with some old buildings on the Valley RR and they were obviously skewed, as if you were seeing it with a fish-eye or wide angle lens. There is something about the effect of a photo, which the brain intuitively accepts as having distortion, and a printed wall, which the brain expects to follow the normal laws of perspective. If you were to take several photos and stitch them together, you might get a decent horizontal image, but there is also vertical distortion because the lens is at ~6' height capturing a structure that goes from the ground to 30 feet or more. Windows and doors are especially obvious.

It isn't a "dimensionality" or relief issue, although there is some of that due to shadows. It's mostly a matter of how a rectangular object, like a wall or window, because the camera is closer to some parts than others, actually appears as a trapezoid or parallelogram.


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## Big_Steve (Feb 21, 2016)

Well, I need practice making the cutouts and stuff anyway, so I'll give it a shot. Worst that can happen is that it will look bad. Thanks for the input.



CTValleyRR said:


> It might, but probably not. I tried it with some old buildings on the Valley RR and they were obviously skewed, as if you were seeing it with a fish-eye or wide angle lens. There is something about the effect of a photo, which the brain intuitively accepts as having distortion, and a printed wall, which the brain expects to follow the normal laws of perspective. If you were to take several photos and stitch them together, you might get a decent horizontal image, but there is also vertical distortion because the lens is at ~6' height capturing a structure that goes from the ground to 30 feet or more. Windows and doors are especially obvious.
> 
> It isn't a "dimensionality" or relief issue, although there is some of that due to shadows. It's mostly a matter of how a rectangular object, like a wall or window, because the camera is closer to some parts than others, actually appears as a trapezoid or parallelogram.


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## nearboston (Dec 19, 2013)

Try editing a picture using Sketchup(free) You can remove skewing and other effects.


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## Ron045 (Feb 11, 2016)

*Printed Buildings*

I used this web site to download some images.
http://www.textures.com/

Then I printed on Matte photo paper. It has a little more thickness than regular paper and does not have the sheen of regular photo paper.

I mounted the paper to foam board from the dollar store.

Then glued together. In some areas I cut out the foam from the windows so lights would appear through the paper.

I also cut out the doors and recessed to try to give it more of a 3D look.

This was my first attempt and I am already chomping at the bit to do another from the lessons learned and the ideas of how to improve.

A few pics...
Have Fun!
Ron


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

MMy beloved used a basic graphix editor to reproduce signs from this building I did in memory of a modeler who owned the real one. She was even able to add script to it that came fairly close to the original...


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Wow, Shaygetz, that's wonderful! I'm constantly amazed at what can be done with technology.


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