How To Check Your Artwork Design In Adobe Photoshop So Your Stage Backdrop Looks Great

A screen shot of photoshop JPG saving options with the "Image options Quality 12" circled.

The artwork on your stage backdrops and scrims must be high quality. Pixelation in your art can blur your images and reduce your impact at your event. Remember that your show is just as much about presentation as it is music. Your audience wants to ‘see’ a good show in addition to ‘hearing’ great music, and if your artwork doesn’t look stunning your show will suffer.

From the merchandise like T-Shirts, hoodies and bracelets to your album artwork, your artwork design can do a lot for your band. With good artwork, you can:

  • Distinguish your band from the thousands of music groups out there
  • Give your fans an identity for your band that they can pick out anywhere
  • Brand your bands with a specific logo or image that will carry your name further than your shows

Your stage backdrop design isn’t just a blow-up album art cover – you need to make sure the quality of the image is clear when it’s in full size to print. 70/30 vinyl mesh – our most popular material for bands – prints beautifully and can be forgiving with minor pixelation. Here are instructions for how you check your design in Adobe Photoshop to make sure dpi is high enough and the art quality looks great.

1. Open your art in Photoshop and select Image –> Image Size.

Image Size Stage Backdrop.31 PM copy

2. Make sure your art is in full size. In this instance, the stage backdrop is a 10’x12′ – 10 feet WIDE x 8 feet HIGH. In inches, that translates into 96″x120″ – 120 inches WIDE x 96 inches HIGH. If your art is not in full size, re-size it appropriately. Then, check that the “Resolution” (or dpi) is at least 150.

A screen shot of Photoshop's pixel dimension screen with the document size circled in red.

3. Select View –> Print Size. Now, you are viewing the art as it will look in real life size on your stage backdrop.

A screen shot of Photoshop's View Menu with "Print Size" Circled in red.

4. Scroll around the artwork of your stage backdrop to check for pixelation. Pixelation will show up especially around sharp edges where two colors contrast sharply, like the black on white in this image.

A screen shot of photoshop zoomed in to print size on art work. The art work is red and black and the red is pixelated at the edges.

5. If there is no pixelation and your artwork is looks crisp without any blurry spots, you’re ready to finalize your art and send it over to Northcoast Banners for printing. Select File –> Save As.

A screen shot of Photoshop's File Menu with "Save As..." Circled in red.

6. Save the file as a JPEG

A screen shot of photoshop with the save as screen. JPEC is circled in red.

7. Select Maximum quality and press OK. You’re done! To order a beautiful stage backdrop or for help with your artwork, give us a call or email us today.

A screen shot of photoshop JPG saving options with the "Image options Quality 12" circled.

Mendy Rimler

Mendy Rimler

For over two decades, NorthCoast Banners has been the go-to source for high-quality custom printing for large format banners, plastic roll banners, stage backdrops and mobile stage festival banners.