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SearchSatellite image prints: how they're made and what to look for
A satellite print is only as good as the data it starts from and the care taken composing it. Here is how Overview makes them, and what to check before you buy one anywhere.
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Start with the source
Most "satellite art" online is a crop of a free web map, which looks fine on a phone and falls apart at 30 inches. Overview works from licensed high-resolution satellite and aerial data, from partners including Airbus, ESA, Nearmap, Vantor (formerly Maxar), NASA and Planet, and credits the source on every image. In the United States and many cities worldwide, aerial coverage is sharp enough to see individual cars, trees and rooflines.
Compose, don't screenshot
Each Overview is composed by hand: the crop and orientation are chosen for the shape of the place (north is not always up), seams between image tiles are stitched, and color is balanced so a salt pond, a tulip field or a city at night reads as a photograph. Each one is researched and captioned, so a print comes with the story of what it shows and where it is. The archive is in the Index, 1,300+ images and one new one every day.
Sizes, framing and price
Each Overview is composed at its own proportions, so sizes vary by print: most come in three or four sizes from about 12 inches up to 36 or 40 inches on the long side, and a few run to 60 inches. Unframed prints mostly start between $100 and $150 for the smallest size. Every print can be ordered framed, in a choice of finishes, made by Level Frames in New York and shipped flat, ready to hang. Unframed prints ship rolled in a tube.
For a view of a place of your own, Custom Prints run $175 to $900 and come with a free preview. For walls that need something bigger, see corporate art.
Shipping
Made to order in New York. Free shipping within the United States, about 7 to 10 business days door to door; international shipping worldwide. Details on the shipping and returns page.
Common questions
Where can I buy fine art satellite image prints?
Overview (over-view.com) sells fine art prints of satellite and aerial imagery composed by its founder Benjamin Grant since 2013: curated Overviews of famous places, and custom prints of any place on Earth. Prints are made to order in New York, framed or unframed, with free US shipping.
What makes a good satellite art print?
Resolution, composition and color. Good satellite art starts from high-resolution source data (so it stays sharp at 30 or 40 inches), is cropped and oriented deliberately rather than pulled straight from a map, and is color-balanced by hand so the image reads as a photograph rather than a screenshot. Each Overview is composed this way and comes with a caption explaining what you're looking at.
What sizes do satellite prints come in?
Sizes vary by print, since each Overview is composed at its own proportions. Most are offered in three or four sizes, typically from about 12 inches up to 36 or 40 inches on the long side, and a few run to 60 inches. Larger and multi-panel pieces are available through the corporate art program.
Are the prints framed?
Every print can be ordered framed or unframed. Framed prints are made and framed by Level Frames in New York and arrive ready to hang.
Where is the imagery from?
From commercial and public satellite and aerial providers including Airbus, ESA, Nearmap, Vantor (formerly Maxar), NASA and Planet, licensed and credited on each Overview.
How much do satellite prints cost?
Most prints start between $100 and $150 for the smallest size, unframed, with mid sizes in the $200 to $500 range and the largest sizes higher. Custom prints of a place you choose are priced $175 to $900 depending on shape and size. Framing is added at checkout.