How do I take photos of my artwork?
What format should my photos be in so that I can upload them to the website?
How do I watermark my artwork?
- How do I take photos of my artwork?
To submit your artwork to Outside In, your photos of your work don't need to be perfect, just good enough that we can clearly see what you've done. Then we can make a well-informed judgement during the selection process.
However, here are some tips for taking photos of artwork will help you get a good image:
- Try to use an even natural light is possible - taking pictures outside on a cloudy day can be the best. Avoid taking photos in direct sun or in rooms with strip lights or low-energy bulbs on.
- If your work is framed under glass, take the picture out of the frame. This will reduce the reflections on it.
- Avoid using a flash if your work is at all shiny - for example, acrylic or oil paint will reflect the flash back into your photo
- If you have access to a tripod for your camera, then use that. Otherwise putting the camera on a fixed surface such as a table can help make the picture sharper.
- Another good tip is to take lots of photos of each piece you wish to submit. Then you can pick the best shot.
For more advice please call Outside In on 07735 568 531 or visit this site for more helpful tips www.foundmyself.com/photographing-your-art.php
If you do not have access to a camera we are running a number of Surgery Days across the Country that you can bring your artwork along to (or get someone to bring it on your behalf) and we can help you to photograph your work. Please follow this link to see more information about where these will be held:
http://www.outsidein.org.uk/news_and_events
- How do I edit my photos?
Once you've taken your photos of your artwork, download them onto your computer. From there you can edit the photos to make them look more like the original artwork.
For example you might want to:
- Crop the picture to get rid of unnecessary background
- Adjust the colours to match the original
- Stretch the photo to make the proportions match the original
- To do this, you can use photo-editing software, much of which is free and some are even online.
You can find options for this just by searching for "photo editors" on the internet
- What format should my photos be in so that I can upload them to the website?
Our website will let you upload the following formats:
- JPEGs
- PNGs
- GIFs
If you cannot put your work into any of these formats please get in touch with us by phone on: 07735 568 531 or through email: outsidein@pallant.org.uk
- How do I watermark my artwork?
It is not necessary to watermark your artwork, but if you feel that you would like to, then here are some ideas.
There's some free dedicated software available to watermark images:
http://www.star-watermark.com/ for Macs
http://www.watermark-image.com/ for PC
It can also be done online: http://watermark-images.com/
Also almost any image editing program will let you add a semi-transparent image over a layer and then resave it.
NB: Watermarks can act as a deterrent for potential infringers, but we feel that they spoil the experience of viewing the work for the majority.