There are lots of photo to wood transfer projects out there, but most are challenging to do and take a long time. We’ve found the secret! Here is the Easiest Way To Transfer Photos To Wood In Minutes! The perfect gift idea for moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, other family members and anyone who loves photography!
I can’t believe that it has been almost 5 years since I wrote my original Photo To Wood Transfer post. I think it was the first craft project article I wrote! That project is by far our most popular post EVER on Hello Creative Family. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a day where it wasn’t on our “top 10 list”. Most days it’s at spot #1 and each year it comes in by a landslide as the #1 post for the year.
It’s also our most commented on article, and while many people comment to say how much they love it, other people comment and say how hard it is to do. It’s true. The original method I used for transferring photos to wood gave you beautiful results BUT it definitely wasn’t quick or easy. If you didn’t have your technique down just right, it could be hit or miss. I often ended up referring people to my How To Mount A Photo To Canvas post, because it was a quicker and easier option. But hey… a girl works with the materials that are available… right?
That’s why I’m SO EXCITED to share today’s post with you. There is now a product on the market that makes transferring photos to wood fool proof, gives you even more beautiful results than my original project AND it takes only minutes to make instead of hours like my last project did.
I’m sitting here at my desk right now staring at these pieces of wood and they are STUNNING! I just can’t get over how pretty they turned out. Want to know the secret? It’s Temporary Tattoo Paper made by Silhouette! You guys… this stuff isn’t just for the skin! It’s a game changer when it comes to crafting. I always make sure I have a few packages in my craft room.
Silhouette also has Image Transfer Sheets that are specifically made for transferring photos. The process is pretty similar to the process I’m going to share with your for using the Temporary Tattoo Paper but you need to print your images using a laser printer. I’m an inkjet girl, so today we are going to be using the tattoo paper. If you have a laser printer you can still follow along with these instructions and use the Image Transfer Sheets, just make sure you also read the instructions that come with the paper.
Ready to learn the easiest way to transfer photos to wood in minutes for perfect results every time? Read on!
The Easiest Way To Transfer Photos To Wood In Minutes For Perfect Results Every Time
Materials:
-Silhouette Brand Temporary Tattoo Paper or Image Transfer Sheets (Buy from Silhouette here. Buy from Amazon here and here.)
-Scissors
-Scraper tool or credit card
-Wood Plaque or piece of scrap wood (I buy mine at the dollar store but you can also find them here )
-A wet cloth
-Mod Podge (I usually go for the matte finish Mod Podge which you can find here, but any formula will do.)
-Foam brush (find them here.)
-A digital file of your favorite photo
Directions:
Note: Temporary Tattoo Paper (and Image Transfer paper) comes in packs with materials to make 2 sheets of “temporary tattoos”. You will have two white sheets in your package and two green sheets. You want to print on the glossy side of the white sheet. The green part of the green sheet is actually a backer. You will peel away the green backing and lay the clear adhesive sheet that is left behind on top of your photo. Read more about this in the instructions below.
Step 1: Measure your wood, size your photos accordingly and print on the glossy side of the white tattoo paper using the photo paper setting on your printer. You will want to mirror your image so that the photo is the right direction in your finished project.
Step 2: When ink is fully dry, apply the adhesive sheet to the top of printed image by peeling away the green backing on one end (there is a thin green strip that can be pulled away at one end). Align it with the end of the printed tattoo paper and then peeling away the rest of the backing while smoothing the adhesive sheet down onto the paper.
Make sure you go slowly during this process, lining everything up nicely. This is the hardest part of this project (don’t worry it’s not very hard), because you aren’t able to lift and reposition the adhesive layer once it is laid down.
Step 3: Using a scraper tool or credit card rub the adhesive sheet onto the photo paper, removing any bubbles and making sure it’s firmly adhered.
Step 4: Cut your image to fit the piece of wood it is laying on. I printed two photos on each sheet, so first I cut out each photo.
Then I customized it to fit the wood by laying the tattoo paper image side down on my table, laying the wood down on top of it and tracing around the wood with a pencil. Then I cut where my pencil lines were.
Step 5: Peel away the clear plastic layer covering your photo, exposing the adhesive. Lay the tattoo paper, photo side down on top of your wood.
Lay a wet cloth on top of the paper backing for 10 seconds or until you can see the image through the backing (see below for example).
If you see white spots (see example below) where you can’t see the image through the paper, cover again with the wet cloth until you can see the image.
Step 6: Peel away the paper backing and reveal your gorgeous photo left behind. Take your wet cloth and gently smooth down any edges that may have curled.
Step 7: Finish your project by applying a thin layer of Mod Podge over the image. Allow to dry and then you can hang your image or give it as a gift!
Optional step: As you can see in the image above, I also experimented by painting my wood before applying the tattoo paper. I think that this is a fun twist on the project, just be warned that since the tattoo paper has a transparent quality to it, your photo will be tinted that color. For example… I think Turtle looks a little bit like the Hulk in the photo on the right. 😉
Enjoy!
Tell me… Who would you make this project for? What photo would you transfer to wood first?
Disclosure: Thank you to Silhouette for working with us on this project. As with every article on Hello Creative Family, all thoughts and opinions are 100% our own.
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We think you’ll also love our How To Transfer Photos To Coasters Tutorial!
John H. says
We would use this. We would use pictures of vacation.
amanda whitley says
i would make this for my in laws. i would use a picture of my kids.
Rachel Schnepf says
Is there any way to do this process with an actual photo, so not printed on copier paper? I am needing to do a larger photo transfer (16X20) and the cheapest route is to develop the pic of that size. does the Sillhouette transfer-paper work with something like that?
Crystal says
Hi Rachel,
The photo is printed on the silhouette tattoo paper or silhouette image transfer paper but it only comes in a 8.5X11 inch format. You might want to think about trying our How To Mount A Photo To Canvas tutorial. You could have the photo printed at the photo lab that size and then mount it to a canvas from Michaels or your local craft store. Here is a link to that tutorial:
https://hellocreativefamily.com/how-to-mount-a-photo-to-canvas-tutorial-5-00-gift/
Best Wishes,
Crystal
leila says
Can you get this paper at Michaels or Hobby Lobby or can you only buy directly or from Amazon?
Crystal says
Hi Leila,
I haven’t been able to find it at the Michaels in Canada (where I live) but I’m pretty sure they sell it at Michaels in the US. I always just buy it from Amazon because the price on it there is good and I don’t have to worry about hunting it down. 🙂
Thank you so much for visiting!
Best Wishes,
Crystal
Cheryl says
This was SO easy and came out SO beautiful! My 9 year old really did the work. It only took us about ten minutes and it looks professional. Thank you SO MUCH!
Crystal says
Hi Cheryl,
You completely made my day with your comment! I’m so happy that you and your 9 year old tried this project. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit the site and comment. Happy Holidays!
Best Wishes,
Crystal
Ushmana Palmo Rai says
These look so amazing! The process looks simple yet so fun. Just a perfect thing to show your effort on how much you care!
Thank you for sharing this amazing innovation, all the love from Nepal , Crystal!
Courtney Mellor says
I would do it for my mom. I haven’t heard about this paper before. The final result looks great!
Delilah says
I’m going to attempt this in a couple days! it’s going to be an anniversary gift to my hubby. I’m nervous lol.. I want to get it right. So, I pretty much understand everything, I think! As far as the sheet of green paper, I place that directly on the printed photo, printed on the white sheet, yes? So, will the photo then be on the green sheet? Then I’ll use the green sheet to place on the wood for photo transfer? .. see, I think I’m a bit confused on that part. Please, let me know if I’m wrong and try to explain what I’m not understanding. Thank you so much for your help! I love your creativity! -Delilah
Crystal says
Hi Delilah,
Thank you so much for visiting the site. I think once you have the printable tattoo paper in front of you it will become much clearer. The green sheet has a stick film on the back of it. You put it on top of the photo, push it down and then peel it back off. It leaves the sticky, tattoo film on top of your photo. Then you put your photo which now has the sticky film on it, face down on the wood and wet the back of that. When it’s all wet down and you can see the image through the back of the paper you peel the white paper away, leaving behind the image.
I hope that makes sense!
Best Wishes,
Crystal
lisa sutherlin says
I ran to Hobby Lobby to purchase the paper. I used my inkjet printer. When I removed the backing, some of the film stayed & now my image has large holes. I have no clue what I did wrong. Any ideas???
Crystal says
Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much for visiting Hello Creative Family and for trying our project. When you say that some of the film stayed do you mean the clear sticky film ? If so, that is supposed to stay behind on top of your photo, that’s what makes your image stick to your wood. You want to make sure that your entire image is covered in that clear sticky film. That’s why it’s a good idea to use a scraper or a credit card to rub the adhesive sheet onto the photo paper and remove any bubbles.
Let me know if that helps.
You should be able to wash/scrape your first attempt off of the wood and try again.
Best Wishes,
Crystal
lisa sutherlin says
Hi. Yes, I used a scraper & there were no bubbles. I mean the film stayed on the green backing, pulling some of my image with it. So now the image I want to transfer has large holes.
Crystal says
Hi Lisa,
Hmmmm. I’ve never had that happen to me. I’m going to email my contact at Silhouette and see if they have any tips on what the issue could be. Hold tight. 🙂
Best Wishes,
Crystal
Crystal says
Hi Lisa,
I heard back from Silhouette. They have a fabulous customer service team there. This was there response:
“There are 2 possibilities that I can see. First, is that the printed image was not fully dry, preventing the tattoo material from sticking to the printed page. Second, would be a failure of the material. If the customer is so inclined, we are happy to replace the material.”
I will send you an email as well to make sure that you see this and give you an email address you can contact if you would like.
Best Wishes,
Crystal
Daniel Smudz says
One thing I’ve learned is you have to reverse your photo especially if there are words or letters. Just learned how to do that in “Paint” on my computer. Thanks. Will try this.
Dawn says
Thanks for the great tutorial. I am going to try this for the first time. Before I do, have you use a poly acrylic instead of the Mod Podge to seal the picture?
Crystal says
Hi Dawn,
Thank you so much for visiting. I haven’t used a poly acrylic instead of the Mod Podge but it seems like it could work! If you try it can you please let me know how it turns out?
Best Wishes,
Crystal
Sally says
Does the photo have to go to the edge of the wood or can I place a a picture in the middle of the wood?
Thank you.
Crystal says
Hi Sally,
Thank you so much for visiting. Your photo can go anywhere on the wood that you would like it to go, it definitely doesn’t need to go all the way to the edge.
Best Wishes,
Crystal
Sally says
Thank you! Will it work on a varnished piece of wood or does the wood have to be unfinished?
Renea Wright says
I am getting ready to try this project, but I have a question. I want my photo to look like it has torn edges once it is applied to the wood. Is this possible? If I tear the photo edges before I apply the film will that work?
Crystal says
Hi Renea,
Thank you so much for visiting. Yes you can absolutely distress the images before applying it to the wood! I’d love to see a picture if you end up trying it!
Best Wishes,
Crystal
Katelyn says
I love photo transfers and this method certainly makes the process easier! The biggest drawback is that you can’t do images larger than standard printer paper! I’ve done so many small transfer projects, but would love to do something huge!