I’ve been using CD’s from larcproducts.com to create background “buildings” for my layout. Their CD’s contain backdrop scenes, building photos, interior photos and signs of all sorts. I print the photos on Canon matte photo paper and then use glue sticks to adhere them to black 1/4" foam board. Then, I cut out the photos, using a new X-acto blade. The glue sticks work well, without bleeding through and the black foam board creates a nice “silouhette” to the edge of the photos.
I’d like some input, but please don’t be tooooo critical. I know I’ve gone well beyond the typical use of background photos in that I’ve turned some into freestanding “buildings”, by adding a triangular piece of foam board to the back of some at the base, so that they can stand on their own (I glue them into place once I’m happy with the final placement). When looking at the first photo, please realize that the area behind my yard and turntable is only about 4" deep, so it would have been difficult to scenic the area with the usual 3-dimensional buildings and building flats. As you can see, in that relatively shallow area, I’ve created a busy city scene and was able to leave enough room in the foreground for 3-dimensional vehicles. I’ve re-sized some of the photos so that the buildings in the very back appear smaller and look like they are a city-block away. The 4 buildings in the front are the freestanding ones, with the others placed against my “sky” backdrop. What’s really great about the voluminous number of photos on the 4 CD’s from Larc is that some buildings are photographed from the left or right side, others from the front, and some are shot at an angle, so I was able to create the illusion of side streets.
In the 2nd photo, you can see that I’ve simply inserted a number of photo backdrops against the “sky”, behind some trees, adding depth to the scene, which includes a river and deck bridge.
Anyway, I h