Measure the frame, not the picture
A frame sold for an 8 × 10 inch photograph is not necessarily 8 × 10 inches on the outside. The moulding adds width around the picture opening. Measure the actual outer width and height of one finished frame. Our gallery planner uses those outer measurements so that the visible gaps are the distances between frame edges.
Calculate the whole arrangement
For equal-sized frames in a grid, total width = columns × frame width + (columns − 1) × gap. Total height follows the same formula using rows and frame height. Six frames, arranged three across and two down, with outside dimensions of 30 × 40 cm and an 8 cm gap, occupy 106 × 88 cm. The composition should be assessed as one group, rather than centring each row independently.
Choose the centre for your room
The centre-height input is measured from the floor to the middle of the complete group. The sample starts at 145 cm to make the tool easy to try; that is an editable example, not a universal correct height. Furniture, ceiling height, seated viewing and the people using the room can all change the intended position. A group centred too low may intersect a sofa even when it fits within the wall boundary.
Locate the outside edges
On a 300 cm wide wall, a 106 cm wide group has a left margin of (300 − 106) ÷ 2 = 97 cm. With its centre 145 cm above the floor and total height 88 cm, its bottom is 101 cm above the floor and its top is 189 cm above the floor. On a 240 cm high wall, the top is therefore 51 cm down from the ceiling. Keep the reference direction attached to each measurement.
Check before making holes
The planner checks whether the rectangular group fits inside the wall. It does not know about furniture, cables, pipes, studs, wall strength or the capacity of a fixing. Use the layout to review visual positions. Then measure the actual hanger geometry and use installation instructions appropriate to the frame and wall. The SVG is a scaled illustration; printing it does not produce a full-size drilling template.