There is a new, cutting edge medium out there now for displaying and promoting your photography skills. Amateur photographers used to be fairly limited, restricted to ordering prints online from websites such as Webshots, or Flickr. While high quality and consumer friendly, these prints still lack that personal unique touch that a person seeks out in any meaningful gift, be it for an anniversary, birthday, wedding, or other special occasion. In very recent years, though, a new product has quietly hit the market, revolutionizing the online printing industry. Utilizing emerging technologies, printers and galleries have begun to print digital photos and digital art onto canvas - a service that the photography community has welcomed with open arms.

There are numerous advantages to choosing to print onto canvas. First of all, even a small simple print leaves a lasting impression as a gift. Canvas prints haven't been available for all that long, so the loved one that you gift a canvas print to will enjoy the sheer uniqueness of the gift. Who doesn't love opening up a wrapped gift and finding something individually special inside.

Beyond that, canvas prints have an unrivaled elegance to them. The classic appearance of canvas art conveys a familiar feeling of memory, and time - a throwback to the master artists of the past. The texture of the canvas is worlds different than paper, adding softness, richness, and depth that paper cannot compete with.

The diversity of the photos that can be printed onto canvas is endless. Any digital image can easily be converted to black and white, sepia, or anything in-between. Computer created graphics, high resolution scans, and other digital images can all be transferred to a canvas medium. The only real restriction has to do with how large a photograph can be scaled to, which is dependent on the resolution the picture was taken at. For most canvas prints a camera resolution of 2 megapixels or higher is basically a requirement. The larger you want to blow up the photograph for printing, the higher resolution you'll need. For very large images, a professional digital SLR camera is usually needed. If you can afford using the storage space, its a god idea to always shoot your photos on as high a resolution as you can. This helps to ensure that you will always have the option of printing to a large canvas later on.

Another huge advantage of printing your digital photos onto canvas is the impressive durability of the canvas medium. Canvas prints are typically created using UV enhanced pigments to help deflect damaging rays. The printed canvas is also usually treated with water resistant sealer to help preserve it in humid environments. While common printed photos are only rated to last for roughly 15 years under normal conditions, digital images transferred to canvas can last upwards of 100 years.

Because the original image starts as digital, studios and galleries that can produce canvas prints have the ability to apply various effects to your photograph, in addition to being able to repair problems, like damage and blemishes. Artistic effects can be used to give a digital photo a more artistic appearance, such as an oil painting, pen and ink, pastel, and so much more. Opting for effects like this will no doubt make the piece less "real" looking, but can enhance its artistic value.

Taking your basic photos and transferring them over to a canvas medium is a fantastic way to add a fresh and innovative touch to your work. For gifts, photos on canvas grant the giver the opportunity to create something unique and personalized for their loved one.