Two great ideas that never occurred to me; getting the realistic backdrop printed at Staples; and taking pics of my layout as it progresses with an eye to finding areas to improve that would otherwise not be noticed by the naked eye.
They get it done pretty fast. I didn't want to try to manage anything longer than 4' at a time - but if you planned it well, you could get a 4' by 8' banner printed, then cut it into strips. I needed 12" high, but you could go to 16" or 24" high that way - each piece being 8' long. And they do same day/next day printing depending on when you order online. Photos really make bare plaster and stuff like that noticeable.
@ I’ve had posters printed there and yes the service is fast. I just never thought about your idea which is next level. I need to build a scenic divider and this seems like a much better solution than the preprinted stuff I’ve seen so far.
The background images look awesome. Great idea on mirror imaging the photos so that the edges match. If you didn’t mention it, I doubt anyone would notice. Keep up the great videos.
I am stunned by what you have done! I (obviously) have not seen your layout in person, but in your video, you have matched the color of the sky in the photos to the border and above perfectly! It looks just super. That border or molding makes a perfect break and frame to the ceiling. Excellent job! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Yep, its Boomer's Pinch and Stab, alright. Excellent selection of backdrop photos and nice blending with foreground scenery. The tree line seems to push the wall back an amazing distance. The farm scene looks superb. I'll also remember Staples when I get to that point. Thanks for posting.
Fun to watch how quickly that backdrop changed the entire area and it looks really nice. I also enjoyed watching you do the pinch and stab technique with the static grass. This definitely was helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks - I was thinking I didn't need them, and was happy with most of the upper deck except for the area along the middle where the tracks are fairly close to the wall. I needed it to look forested, but there wasn't much room for trees... Once I tried the backdrop there, I realized I needed it all the way along the wall. So much better!
I planned on painting in some of my backdrop with mountains and trees. But I think a combination of painting along with this idea could get pretty good results. Thanks for the great video!
My original plan was paint and backdrop flats - but I needed to try something different behind my town (I didn't trust my painting) - and then ended up trying this on the upper deck. Not a chance I could make it look this good with paint!
One of my other hobbies is landscape photography… so my model railroading is a chance for me to create a landscape to shoot… and now I’m using my photos to create the landscape. Full circle…
Great info there Rainer.... if or when I get to doing this kind of stuff it will be very helpful info.. your layout is looking fantastic... and I love the 2 pics that you took and the mirror idea I have seen on another channel that I watch also so it is a good idea for extending the scenery view.
@@BNGreen1970 It was a fairly “busy” image, so I just overlapped by 1/4” or so, and the seam pretty much disappeared. Since it’s the same image reversed, the colours match.
Thanks! I scaled the images for a 12 inch by 48 inch print, then uploaded two images at a time and put them on a 24" by 48" banner on the Staples website. Sliced the banner lengthwise once I got it printed. I have just over 12" of wall height between my decks, so it worked out well.
Just wonder if trains passing shake your house and put your layout ghostly alive with freightcars moving by themselves ? Me it´s shaking good. Convincing results. When you are gluing that tree i could notice the mirror image with top of one tree top leaning one side and not far, leaning top opposite, but couldn´t see the demarcation line. The photos choosen are excellent, crisp with strong light. That´s fine for close distance. For deep far away it´s better to have more fuzzy with light blue/grey tint to mimic distance and haze. The hardest thing is having same lightning, clouds, wind direction with smoke when multiples photos are used. It´s also always possible to stick photos one on top of others to cteate different illusions. Like here add a farm or barn in front of your row of trees. A good way to make superposition of different photos of an industrial or urban zone. Ya, Boomer. Sort of our master. A real gentleman. Thanks for your work with really sharp result. And same trick can be used inside houses or industrys specially if lighted inside.😊😊😊
@@achb-railway I don´t really see seasonal trainquake differences with double main line. Only VIA is lighter, and when Mr Freight wants to play with couplers slack it´s even worst. Wonder if we could sue them for disrupting our trains operations. Imagine a run away with thank cars, evacuating all our HO peopples...😊😊😊😊😊
@ We can measure the vibration difference by how much things rattle on our walls… and it’s quite noticeable between when the ground is frozen and when it’s not. The tracks are maybe 60’ from our house.
Those backdrops are nice! Liked & subbed. A friend of mine does the same thing but with Walgreens instead of Staples. I have heard of some guys using 3M 77 or wallpaper paste to mount them. Seems like there are often problems with the seams coming loose. Maybe the double-sided tape is the key. Brilliant to flip the images horizontally. I can tell you've put a lot of thought into this layout. My layout is not against the wall, so backdrops may not work for me. If you get a chance, could you take a quick look at a couple of my videos and let me know if you think backdrops would work for me? Thanks!
I'll have another look at your videos. I'll see how the double sided tape holds out - I'm hoping it stays "stuck" to the walls better than 3M spray. Certainly a lot less messy to work with!
@@ScottGeissinger Just my iPhone 13, but I sharpened the images somewhat on my computer after cropping. They don’t need to be perfectly sharp - as they are background anyway.
If you have the time maybe run a tutorial on finding the large size printing on line best I found is 8 x 36 I assume inches. No option for paper type that I can see etc. Old age and not computer friendly after I sped up my old computer by taking the power cord and tying it to the bumper of my truck.It ran real fast for 30 seconds.
Digging through my list of video channels and I thought I would share this with you if you want to start putting in track signals on your layout. There are 4 in the series and it may help figuring out the light sequencing. ua-cam.com/video/CdNkhzrk1gc/v-deo.html
@@paulflak2823 I’ll have a look when I get a chance! Today’s plan is to get the room cleaned up and find the lower deck of the layout again… it’s become a “workbench” and dumping zone as I’ve been working on the upper deck.
Didn't even realize those were mirror tiles till you pointed them out,looks great
Thanks!
The idea for the backdrop photos is excellent. Thanks for such great content.
@@jimmccorison Thanks for watching!
Two great ideas that never occurred to me; getting the realistic backdrop printed at Staples; and taking pics of my layout as it progresses with an eye to finding areas to improve that would otherwise not be noticed by the naked eye.
They get it done pretty fast. I didn't want to try to manage anything longer than 4' at a time - but if you planned it well, you could get a 4' by 8' banner printed, then cut it into strips. I needed 12" high, but you could go to 16" or 24" high that way - each piece being 8' long. And they do same day/next day printing depending on when you order online. Photos really make bare plaster and stuff like that noticeable.
@ I’ve had posters printed there and yes the service is fast. I just never thought about your idea which is next level. I need to build a scenic divider and this seems like a much better solution than the preprinted stuff I’ve seen so far.
Great work! The colors blend perfekt!👌😀
@@joakiminnala2264 Thank you!
The background images look awesome. Great idea on mirror imaging the photos so that the edges match. If you didn’t mention it, I doubt anyone would notice. Keep up the great videos.
Thanks! Working on a couple more videos right now... Thanks for watching!
I am stunned by what you have done! I (obviously) have not seen your layout in person, but in your video, you have matched the color of the sky in the photos to the border and above perfectly! It looks just super. That border or molding makes a perfect break and frame to the ceiling. Excellent job! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Thanks! I’m really enjoying this part of it. It’s a fun challenge to see what I can do with it.
Using Staples.... never would have thought about it. Thanks Rainer.
@@paulflak2823 I figured it was worth a shot! Quick turnaround time, not far from my house…
Yep, its Boomer's Pinch and Stab, alright. Excellent selection of backdrop photos and nice blending with foreground scenery. The tree line seems to push the wall back an amazing distance. The farm scene looks superb. I'll also remember Staples when I get to that point. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching!
Backdrops look great, I will have to give it a try.. Thanks..
@@andydickson5400 They made a big difference in the scene. Thanks for watching!
really creative guy! great way to design your backdrops. I will try it.
@@michaelbimonte9112 Thanks! And thank you for watching!
Fun to watch how quickly that backdrop changed the entire area and it looks really nice. I also enjoyed watching you do the pinch and stab technique with the static grass. This definitely was helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! It has worked out well so far. Boomer has great ideas on his channel, and I’m happy to try them out - and share my success with them.
Love the use of actual photos. Looks outstanding!
Thanks - I was thinking I didn't need them, and was happy with most of the upper deck except for the area along the middle where the tracks are fairly close to the wall. I needed it to look forested, but there wasn't much room for trees... Once I tried the backdrop there, I realized I needed it all the way along the wall. So much better!
Thanks for the info. Definitely worth looking into!
Thanks for watching!
Great choice of background photo with sunlight hitting the forest line - looks fantastic!
@@Hawaii_HO Thanks! Love it when an experiment works!
I planned on painting in some of my backdrop with mountains and trees. But I think a combination of painting along with this idea could get pretty good results. Thanks for the great video!
My original plan was paint and backdrop flats - but I needed to try something different behind my town (I didn't trust my painting) - and then ended up trying this on the upper deck. Not a chance I could make it look this good with paint!
@@achb-railway Not sure if I can either, but can always cover my errors with a photo backdrop!
Sir that looks Amazing
Thank you!
Well you have me thinking of where I can get some photos. Nice work. Mike
One of my other hobbies is landscape photography… so my model railroading is a chance for me to create a landscape to shoot… and now I’m using my photos to create the landscape. Full circle…
@achb-railway that is really cool. Mike
Great info there Rainer.... if or when I get to doing this kind of stuff it will be very helpful info.. your layout is looking fantastic... and I love the 2 pics that you took and the mirror idea I have seen on another channel that I watch also so it is a good idea for extending the scenery view.
@@TimsBitsnPieces Mirrors can work well, but you really have to think about sight lines and viewing angles.
Looks amazing!
Thank you!
Wow, the photo backdrop really completed the scene. I couldn't find the edge of your scene and the wall. Great job Rainer, thanks for sharing.
@@robertschell1782 Thanks for watching!
Brilliant !
Thanks!
The Photo Backdrops look wonderful. Beautiful upload. Your content is really amazing. Thank you for sharing. New subscriber here.
Welcome aboard, and thanks for watching! Always good to hear my efforts are appreciated!
Looks fantastic Rainer , never thought to glue static grass that way , like the idea using two sided tape,
The static grass works great like that - but I won’t take credit for it - check out Boomer’s channel for more.
Your layout looks amazing. Thank you for the good advice
Thanks for watching!
Backdrop looks great!
@@keithdenner9441 Thanks!
Thanks Great job Rainer
Thanks for watching!
Your backdrop is fantastic. One question how do handle the seems between the 4 foot pieces?
@@BNGreen1970 It was a fairly “busy” image, so I just overlapped by 1/4” or so, and the seam pretty much disappeared. Since it’s the same image reversed, the colours match.
Awesome video.
The backdrop blends very well your scenery.
Did you select matte or gloss for the banner?
Matte. Gloss would create too many reflections for taking video and photos.
Looks great, do you have the canvas/image size dimensions available?
Thanks! I scaled the images for a 12 inch by 48 inch print, then uploaded two images at a time and put them on a 24" by 48" banner on the Staples website. Sliced the banner lengthwise once I got it printed. I have just over 12" of wall height between my decks, so it worked out well.
Just wonder if trains passing shake your house and put your layout ghostly alive with freightcars moving by themselves ?
Me it´s shaking good.
Convincing results. When you are gluing that tree i could notice the mirror image with top of one tree top leaning one side and not far, leaning top opposite, but couldn´t see the demarcation line.
The photos choosen are excellent, crisp with strong light.
That´s fine for close distance. For deep far away it´s better to have more fuzzy with light blue/grey tint to mimic distance and haze.
The hardest thing is having same lightning, clouds, wind direction with smoke when multiples photos are used. It´s also always possible to stick photos one on top of others to cteate different illusions. Like here add a farm or barn in front of your row of trees. A good way to make superposition of different photos of an industrial or urban zone.
Ya, Boomer. Sort of our master. A real gentleman.
Thanks for your work with really sharp result. And same trick can be used inside houses or industrys specially if lighted inside.😊😊😊
@@danielfantino1714 The train shakes the house more in the summer. Now, the ground is frozen solid so there is less vibration transmitted.
@@achb-railway
I don´t really see seasonal trainquake differences with double main line. Only VIA is lighter, and when Mr Freight wants to play with couplers slack it´s even worst.
Wonder if we could sue them for disrupting our trains operations. Imagine a run away with thank cars, evacuating all our HO peopples...😊😊😊😊😊
@ We can measure the vibration difference by how much things rattle on our walls… and it’s quite noticeable between when the ground is frozen and when it’s not. The tracks are maybe 60’ from our house.
Those backdrops are nice! Liked & subbed. A friend of mine does the same thing but with Walgreens instead of Staples. I have heard of some guys using 3M 77 or wallpaper paste to mount them. Seems like there are often problems with the seams coming loose. Maybe the double-sided tape is the key. Brilliant to flip the images horizontally. I can tell you've put a lot of thought into this layout. My layout is not against the wall, so backdrops may not work for me. If you get a chance, could you take a quick look at a couple of my videos and let me know if you think backdrops would work for me? Thanks!
I'll have another look at your videos. I'll see how the double sided tape holds out - I'm hoping it stays "stuck" to the walls better than 3M spray. Certainly a lot less messy to work with!
@@achb-railway Thanks! You definitely don't wanna be breathing that 77 stuff!
How good of a camera did you use? Cellphone?
@@ScottGeissinger Just my iPhone 13, but I sharpened the images somewhat on my computer after cropping. They don’t need to be perfectly sharp - as they are background anyway.
If you have the time maybe run a tutorial on finding the large size printing on line best I found is 8 x 36 I assume inches. No option for paper type that I can see etc. Old age and not computer friendly after I sped up my old computer by taking the power cord and tying it to the bumper of my truck.It ran real fast for 30 seconds.
Look under banners - not the regular printing. That’s where I found it on the Staples.ca website… Posters and Banners > Banners
@@achb-railway thanks
🤠👋🚂🗯
Thanks Larry!
Digging through my list of video channels and I thought I would share this with you if you want to start putting in track signals on your layout. There are 4 in the series and it may help figuring out the light sequencing.
ua-cam.com/video/CdNkhzrk1gc/v-deo.html
@@paulflak2823 I’ll have a look when I get a chance! Today’s plan is to get the room cleaned up and find the lower deck of the layout again… it’s become a “workbench” and dumping zone as I’ve been working on the upper deck.