Making a memorial photo with care

When someone in the family dies, a photo is needed quickly: for the prayer meeting, for the message that informs relatives, later for the wall. It usually falls to one person, often a younger one who is good with a phone, at a time when nobody wants to think about picture sizes. This page is for that person. It is short on purpose.

Choosing the photo

Choose a clear portrait in which the person looks the way the family remembers them. It need not be the most recent photo.
A calm or gently smiling face, looking towards the camera, is best. Avoid photos with sunglasses or with other people's shoulders in the picture.
If the best photo is a group photo, it can be cropped. In the frame maker, zoom in and drag until only the person is in the frame.
If the only good photo is an old print, copy it with a phone near a window with the flash off. Our photo tips give the steps.

Ask one elder to confirm the choice before anything is printed or sent. It takes a minute and avoids hurt.

Making the picture

Open the frame maker and choose the photo.
Tap the In loving memory frame. It is plain and dark, with space for a line of words.
Replace the words with the name and the years, or keep "In loving memory" and add the name.
Pick the size (see below) and tap Download.

The Gallery black and White border frames are equally suitable if the family prefers no words at all.

Words

Fewer words are better. Any of these patterns is enough:

The name and the years: "Shri Ramesh Kumar, 1948 to 2026".
"In loving memory of" followed by the name.
"श्रद्धांजलि" or "भावपूर्ण श्रद्धांजलि" with the name.
"ਨਿੱਘੀ ਸ਼ਰਧਾਂਜਲੀ" with the name.

Details of the prayer meeting, such as the date, time and place, belong in the message that goes with the picture, not on the picture. People will forward the message, and text is easier to read and to copy than words inside an image. The sister site Invitations has wording for prayer meeting messages.

Sizes

For WhatsApp messages and groups: Portrait.
For status: Story.
For the prayer meeting: choose the 4 × 6 inch print size and ask the photo shop to enlarge it. A portrait of 8 × 10 or 8 × 12 inches is easily seen across a room. Tell the shop the size of the frame you have, or buy the frame there.
For the wall at home: the same file can be printed again later. Keep it safe in two places.

If the original photo is small, a large print will be soft. A photo shop can usually tell you how far it can be enlarged. Our megapixels and print size chart explains the limits.

A collage of a life

For a prayer meeting or a first anniversary of the death, some families make a small collage: four to six photos from different ages. Keep the layout plain, with a white or black background and thin spacing, and place the main portrait in the largest box. The collage maker has layouts with one large box.

Sharing with thought

Let the closest family share the news first. Wait for their message before you post anything.
Send the picture to family groups, not to public pages, unless the family asks.
Do not add music, stickers or decorations. The photo and the name are enough.

Your photos are never uploaded by this site. The picture is made on your own phone.

Questions people ask

What should be written on a memorial photo?

The name and the years of birth and death, or a short line such as In loving memory with the name. Keep meeting details in the message, not on the picture.

What size should a memorial photo be printed?

For a prayer meeting, 8 × 10 or 8 × 12 inches is easily seen across a room. For a table at home, 5 × 7 inches is common.

Can I crop one person out of a group photo?

Yes. Choose the group photo in the frame maker, zoom in and drag until only that person is inside the frame. The result is sharper if the original photo is large.

Frame a photo Make a collage