Step 1 - Digitizing your artwork
There are 2 methods : using a scanner for small artworks or using a camera for bigger ones.
Method 1: using a scanner
đ Scanning is ideal for:
Little to no texture artworks (drawings, sketches, photographs etc.)
A3 format or smaller
If you (or a friend) have a scanner at home
Scanners are now an affordable and easy way of digitizing your artworks. It requires less equipment and less hassle than photography and itâs how you will get the best resolution. This means that you can enlarge your original creation. If you paint on an A5 format for example, with a good scanner you can enlarge up to an A2 format and even larger, easily.
Unfortunately, scanning is reserved for smaller âflatâ artworks (artworks with little to no texture).
To get the best quality scans, hereâs what you need to keep an eye on:
Scanning into the correct file type
TIFF is compatible across almost all different editing software
Can be saved uncompressed (retaining as much image detail as possible)
Choosing the right pixel density/pixel count
At minimum you should be scanning at 300 DPI
Pro tip : If your artwork is smudgeable (charcoal, pastel, etc), spray some fixative on it before you place it on the scanner. Scanning without fixative might cause your artwork to be disfigured.
Method 2 : using a camera
đ Photography is ideal for:
Texture artworks (oils, heavy acrylic etc.) or stretched canvas
Large artworks
If you (or a friend) have a good camera
This solution is a bit more complex than using a scan, but donât worry you can do it yourself.
đ What you will needâŚ
A decent camera (a solid DSLR camera, a Point & shoot or a good smartphone)
Some lights
A tripod to hold your camera still
To get the best results, hereâs what you need to keep an eye on:
Make sure you lay your artwork flat - on a table or an easel for example
You need to make sure light is on point. Use two or three light sources (i.e. desk lamps) and position them at various and steep angles
Set up your tripod at the right distance and position the camera to be parallel to the artwork to avoid any perspective distortion
Pro tip :
We recommend using a dark room to avoid reflections on your art.
Step 2 - Editing your File
âď¸ From the scanner or camera you get a digital file of your creation. Now you have to edit the image to adjust the exposure, contrast, and color balance, to bring out the artwork's full details.
To do this, you need an image processing software, we recommend to use Adobe Photoshop.
Hereâs the steps to follow:
Edit the file to enhance the contrast and clean up any imperfections
Use the appropriate ICC profile (color profile) for the paper youâve selected.
Head to the article bellow to read our complete guide right
Pro tip : if youâre not familiar with Photoshop, think about this nice friend keen to give hand?