Make Life Lovely

Your DIY Guide to a Lovelier Life

Transfer Photo On To Wood

By 73 Comments

Make a beautiful photo transfer to wood with this fun and simple tutorial! These wood photographs make the perfect sentimental gift for anyone.

Looking for an easy, inexpensive gift idea or decoration for your home? 

photo on wood

Photo on Wood

A photo on wood is super easy to make, very cheap, and is so beautiful to display in your home.

photo transfer to wood of a little blonde baby

It also make a lovely, thoughtful gift for family members, grandparents, teachers, and more!
 
photo of blonde girl with pink bow
I also love our rustic wood planter box we made from old wood we had sitting around!
 

DIY Photo Transfer to Wood

I recently made one of these wood mounted photographs for my mom’s birthday with our family photo on it.  

She couldn’t believe that I made it!

This photo on wood is truly one of my favorite projects.

The finished surface of the photograph ends up looking almost like a canvas.

The results look very high end!

Supplies Needed

  • 12″ x 12″ photo (or any other size you’d like to make)
  • 12″ x 12″ wood square
  • Sandpaper
  • Matte Mod Podge
  • Paint
  • Paintbrush

Print Your Photos

First, choose the photos you would like to mount onto wood.

Next, decide what size you would like your final product to be.

two photographs of a blonde boy and girl

I had these 12″x12″ photos printed at Costco for only $2.99 each.

Costco has since closed their photo printing service in their stores, but you can always get photos printed in Target, Walmart, Walgreens, online, and many more places!

wood squares, paintbrushes, paint, and Mod Podge

Cut Your Wood

I bought a wood board that was 12″x 60″at Lowe’s that only cost $7.77.  

A worker at the store cut the board for me into five equal pieces, so I didn’t have to worry about any cutting!

That gave me five boards for five different photos on wood.

It ended up costing me less than $5 per photo board, which is a great price!

Pick Your Paint

Choose any color of paint that you like.
 
 The color you choose will be painted onto the side edges of the wood, so make sure to pick a color that complements your photo.

Prep the Wood Sides

Sand the edges of the wood board so they are nice and smooth.

wood pieces with sides painted brown

Next, paint the sides of your board in your desired color.  

I painted two coats of paint, to make sure that I had a nice, even coverage of color.

If you are giving this photo transfer to wood as a gift, I highly recommend painting the back too, so it has a more finished look.

If you are keeping the wood photo for yourself, then you can paint the back or leave it unpainted, where it won’t be seen.

Transfer Photo on to Wood

Paint a layer of Mod Podge over the top of your wood board.  
picture of little blonde boy with blue eyes
Next, set your photo down on the board.
 
Carefully smooth it down with a pieced of paper or the back of your hand.
 
Make sure the photo is nice and smooth, and that there are no air bubbles.
how to transfer photo to wood

Add Texture to the Photo

Next comes the scary part!  

Brush a layer of Mod Podge over the top of your photo. 

It will look like you ruined your wood photograph, and you’ll be wondering if you messed it up.

Don’t panic, it will all be okay!

The Mod Podge dries totally clear, and it will look just fine after a few minutes once it’s dry.

I used horizontal brush strokes for the first layer.

Once the first layer dried, I brushed on a second layer using vertical brush strokes.  

This gave the photo a beautiful canvas-y look that I just love!

Helpful tip: Make sure to use full brush strokes straight across, to make it smooth.  

Once the top dries, brush the sides with Mod Podge too.

photo on wood with Mod Podge brushed over the top
 
Here is the photo transfer to wood of my cute son, all white with Mod Podge…
 
photo transfer to wood of small boy with blonde hair and blue eyes
 
Look how pretty that textures surface looks, now that the Mod Podge is all dry.
 
Isn’t is gorgeous!
 
It looks like canvas with the cool cross-hatching from the paintbrush.
 
 
photo transfer on to wood of little blonde girl with bright pink bow
 

Here are my finished photos on wood.

Aren’t they just beautiful?! 

It really isn’t hard to make a photo transfer on to wood, and I’m so happy I made these.

They cost practically nothing too, like our wood lemonade stand we made from wood pallets!

If you make one, be sure to leave a comment below and let me know how it goes!

 
signature
 
 
This article was updated in May 2025 and was originally posted in November 2012.

About Laura

Hi! I'm Laura, owner and creator of Make Life Lovely, a creative blog filled with creative craft tutorials, DIY projects, party tips, holiday ideas, home decor, and so much more! Make Life Lovely is dedicated to making everyday life more lovely, and I hope to inspire you and show you how.

Comments

  7. Michelle says

    I love this! I have made something similar with the San Diego temple on a block of wood. I am definitely going to try this! And I am so excited about the giveaway.

    Reply

  13. devanddar says

    Tyler took the pictures for my sis-in-law’s wedding – they turned out beautifully! I love the wood mounted photo – I think I found my Christmas presents! Thanks!
    Devin Schallock

    Reply

  21. The Wilcken 7 says

    Dang lady you are seriously so crafty! Love the blog. I was planning on leaving a comment today and was super excited when I saw this post. Tyler is a very talented photographer.

    Reply

  25. MamaLadyBug says

    Your cousin linked me to your page and it’s great! I did the same thing with the photos and framed canvas. I painted the edges afterward and hit the edges of the photos too. Love the end result! Your babies are precious.

    Reply

  33. Amish says

    Hi, your work is awesome and I am about to try it. My question is what kind of wood did u get at lowes? Was it ply wood or exactly which kind and was the wood really heavy? 2nd question is will any kind of photo paper work since I will be putting mod podge on it and I don’t want to ruin the photo. Thank you

    Reply

  35. Anonymous says

    I have the same question as Amish – what type of wood did you use? Plywood is the least expensive, but I’m thinking that the edges would look bad, even when painted. And what thickness did you use? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Laura @ Make Life Lovely says

      Oh gosh, I wish I could remember the thickness. I know that it was 12 x 60″, so I would ask someone who works there to show you where the wood is that are those dimensions, and I think you could find it pretty easily. No, it wasn’t plywood- you are right, the edges of plywood would look horrible. The wood I used sanded very nicely, and worked great! Good luck finding it!

      Reply

    • Laura @ Make Life Lovely says

      It’s held up really well! It looks exactly like it did when I first made it. We gave a set of them to my husband’s grandma, and they look perfect! I think the key is making sure that all of the air bubbles are out from underneath the print. Make sure to smooth it down really well and push out any air bubbles that might be underneath, because over time they can expand. The final product looks really great for the small amount of money that this project costs. Good luck!

      Reply

  37. Khyati Desai-Seltzer says

    I made this following your instructions yesterday and it turned out great! The hardest part was figuring out how to a fix it to the wall.

    Reply

  38. Pat Wilson says

    Before u put the Mod Podge on top of the photo do u let the photo dry on the wood first. Please text me at 303-324-2390 with ur reply as I broke my leg and unable to get downstairs where our computer is.

    Reply

  39. Pat Wilson says

    Do u let the photo on the wood dry first before u put the Mod Podge on top of the photo? Could u text me with ur reply at 303-324-2390 as I broke my leg and unable to get downstairs where our computer is?

    Reply

  40. Amanda says

    I just came across your blog. I am planning a project for the holidays for my parents. Which picture finish is better to use for this project? Glossy or Matte? Thank you for your help

    Reply

  41. denzil bell says

    I was looking for ideas to put a crest on wooden coasters, these were for a friend to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Womens Royal Naval Service. I googled “sticking photos on wood” and up came your excellent tutorial. I have today ordered the Mod Podge and can’t wait to start the project. Many thanks. Denzil Bell

    Reply

  42. Corianne Mouton says

    What type of paint did you use? Me and my boyfriend want to do this project but as a collage instead of a single photo. And would you recommend the matte mod podge or gloss? I am wanting to do this project this weekend so if you could please get back with me as soon as possible that would be great. Thank you!

    Reply

  43. Michelle says

    Hi there, I would like to make one of these and was wondering if your photo were copied on photo paper or copy paper? Thanks

    Reply

  44. Dawn Marie Driver says

    Laura, thank you so much for sharing this. My Chancey (he’s a furbaby) passed away 1 1/2 yrs ago and I’ve been trying to come up with an idea to display his pictures on one of my living rm wall. This is perfect! I’m almost finished with it and I’m loving it! Instead of painting the edges I used stain. And if I do say myself they’re looking good! Thanks again! Dawn Marie

    Reply

    • Laura says

      That’s great Dawn, so glad you found my post helpful! I’m sorry to hear about your furbaby. You’ve found a great way to remember him though! I love your idea of staining the edges too- brilliant!

      Reply

  45. Guddi says

    Hi Laura, fantastic post, though quite a few years old. I wanted to ask if modge podge gives a shiny finish ? If I wanted to have shiny finish, should I bother with some kind of varnish or just modge podge is enough ? Thanks !

    Reply

    • Laura says

      Hi Guide! Mod Podge comes in all different formulas, so if you want a glossy finish, you can use the Mod Podge Gloss and that should be enough shine! They also have matte and other kinds of Mod Podge too, depending on the look you want. The key with this project is to make sure you get all the air bubbles out once you put the photo down. Good luck!!

      Reply

  46. Rebecca Bolton says

    This is awesome! My question is will the Mod Podge ruin the photo overtime? I know you have to use special tape and glue when scrap-booking photos so just curious how the Mod Podge affects the photo overtime.

    Reply

    • Laura says

      Well, after 13 years these photos still look gorgeous! I gave them to my mom, and they still looks just like they did the day I made them!

      Reply

  47. Amanda O says

    Hi Laura!

    I’m just wondering what the purpose of painting mod podge on top of the photograph is? Is it just for the texture? Thanks!

    Reply

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