The backdrop I showed was delightfully non-technical... The photos were clipped from magazines, (a process that can now be accomplished with a scanner) then arranged in layers to get the depth I was looking for. Since the scenes were from model railroads, the artificial lighting in the images closely matched the artificial lighting of the layout, i.e. no hard shadows, and that unique cast that artificial light gives to a modeled scene... Also the vehicles look like the models on the layout, the window muntins look like the windows on the 3-D buildings, just an overall better transition from front to background.
Then, to avoid having to pay for an extended print out, you could simply do what I did, and layer up the photos on large sheet of blue paper. You can get sheets of 67# vellum up to 40" long, or if you're careful, you can use that colored craft paper that comes in rolls. A little airbrush work to blend the blue paper to a lighter shade toward the horizon, and you can do a lot with very little invested.
Lee
