Your artwork deserves prints that do it justice. To get those prints, how you digitize your art matters.

Poor photos lead to disappointing prints. Colors look off. Details disappear. Customers complain.

Good photos? They turn your art into income. Sharp details. True colors. Professional results every time.

Here's how to digitize artwork for printing without the guesswork. Whether you're photographing artwork or using a scanner, these techniques ensure your digital file captures every detail.

Quick Tips for Photographing Art

• Use two lights at 45-degree angles to avoid glare
• Set your camera to f/8–f/11 for sharp focus across the whole piece
• Keep ISO under 400 to reduce noise
• Shoot RAW files for better color control
• Take photos outside on cloudy days for the best natural light
• Use a tripod—hand-held shots blur easily
• Include a gray card for perfect color balance
• For digitizing artwork under 11×14 inches, consider a good scanner
• Check your paper background—white paper background works best for most art

Share this with other artists who need better photos of their work.

Choosing Between Photography and Scanning

When to Use a Flatbed Scanner

Small artwork under 11×14 inches? A flatbed scanner might be your best choice.

Scanner advantages:

• Perfect for paper-based art
• Captures fine details without camera shake
• Consistent lighting every time

A good scanner can produce excellent results for smaller pieces.

When Photographing Art Works Better

Large artwork needs a camera. So does anything with texture or on canvas.

Photography advantages:

• No size limits
• Better for textured surfaces
• Captures the true feel of original paintings
• More flexible for different art types

Most professional artists use both methods. Scan small, flat pieces. Photograph everything else.

Essential Equipment for Art Photography

Camera Requirements

You need at least 12 megapixels for decent prints. 24 megapixels is better.

DSLR cameras work best. (DSLR stands for "digital single-lens reflex." SLRs, single-lens reflex, use film.) The Sony A6000 gives excellent results without breaking the bank. Pair it with a 50mm lens for minimal distortion.

Budget tight? Look for used cameras. A 5-year-old DSLR beats any phone camera for art photos.

Tripod - Not Optional

Hand-held shots blur. Always.

Your hands shake more than you think. Even slight movement ruins print quality.

Get a tripod that extends to at least 60 inches. You'll position it straight in front of your artwork.

Lighting Setup That Actually Works

Two lights. Equal brightness. That's it.

Position them at 45-degree angles on each side of your artwork. This creates even lighting without glare.

Light types that work:

• Softbox lights with umbrellas
• LED panels with diffusers
• Natural light on cloudy days

Avoid these:

• Direct sunlight (creates harsh shadows)
• Single light source (uneven brightness)
• Household bulbs (wrong color temperature)

Why Not Use Camera Phone Photos for Professional Prints?

Phone cameras seem good enough when you're using them day-to-day. But try to make a professional print with one, and you'll quickly discover there are limitations.

Phones usually only capture about 10–16 megapixels (a measure of how much detail an image can potentially capture). Entry-level DSLR cameras can usually capture 24–32. For anything large-format or enlarged, a phone might not catch enough detail.

Another issue is sensor size. Cameras capture colors based on how many light-sensitive diodes can be packed into the sensor. A phone doesn't have as much room as a dedicated camera—instead, they have internal photo processing tricks to get around the lack of light they can sense. But those tricks are designed to produce photos that look good on a phone screen, which doesn't necessarily translate to color-accurate prints.

Does this mean you need spend several hundred dollars to buy a DSLR camera before you can start making prints? Not necessarily. Some libraries offer DSLRs for check-out. Some camera stores and production services allow you to rent camera equipment—and lighting gear, too!

You can also try smaller prints. Greeting cards, small products, and prints smaller than 8x10 inches can all work with good phone-camera photos.

DSLR photography is the best bet for established art businesses, but it adds a learning curve and a sizable overhead cost. New smartphones can work for smaller prints, but are inflexible with their lighting requirements and may not be suitable for large prints. Whether phones work for you depends on your art and goals.

Perfect Camera Settings for Art Photos

The Magic Numbers

Aperture: f/8 to f/11

Controls how much light enters the camera, i.e., exposure and depth of field. Bigger numbers mean less light and tighter focus. f/5.6 works for smaller pieces.

ISO: 100–200.

Controls how much the digital light signal is amplified. Higher numbers add grain/noise that shows up in prints. Too-low ISO for the lighting can also be grainy. A low ISO in bright lighting is best for sharp, rich colors.

Shutter Speed: Whatever gives proper exposure

Controls how much time light has to get into the camera. Slower speed/lower number means more exposure. If your photo comes out too dark, decrease the shutter speed.

File Format: RAW + JPEG

RAW files are uncompressed and unprocessed, giving you more control in editing. They're also huge. JPEG is your backup.

Camera Flash: Off

White Balance Matters

Set it to match your lighting's color temperature:

• Daylight: 5500K
• LED panels: Usually 5000K
• Tungsten lights: 3200K

Pro tip: Include a gray card in the first shot. It makes color correction simple later.

A gray card in photography is deceptively simple—it's literally a gray-colored card, specifically an 18% medium gray.

Why not use a white sheet of printer paper? Because white paper has a special brightener dye in it that makes it look "more white" to our eyes. To the camera, it looks just a little bit blue. Gray cards are specially made to be 100% color-neutral.

Lighting Setup Step-by-Step

Option 1: Indoor Studio Lighting

Set up in a room with space for two lights and your tripod.

Light placement:

1. Position lights 6 feet from your artwork
2. Angle them 45 degrees toward the piece
3. Use umbrellas or softboxes to diffuse harsh light
4. Check corners—they should be as bright as the center

Test your setup: Use a light meter app to check all four corners of your artwork. Readings should match within 0.5 stops.

Option 2: Natural Light Photography

Natural sunlight gives the most accurate colors for most art. But timing matters.

Best conditions:

• Overcast sky (nature's giant softbox)
• Bright but not sunny
• Morning or afternoon (avoid harsh midday sun)
• No direct sunlight hitting your artwork

Setup:

1. Find a shaded outdoor area
2. Prop the artwork vertically against a wall or easel
3. Position yourself so natural light hits the artwork evenly
4. Use a white sheet as a reflector if one side looks dark

Watch the paper background: If your art has a white paper background, natural light shows it most accurately. Indoor lighting can make white paper look yellow or blue.

Camera Position and Shooting Technique

Getting the Angle Right

Your camera needs to be perfectly parallel to your artwork. Any tilt creates distortion.

Setup process:

1. Mount the camera on your tripod at the artwork's center height
2. Use your camera's grid lines to align edges (helps prevent tilt)
3. Fill the frame with the artwork plus a 1- or 2-inch border (makes sure you get everything)
4. Physically getting closer is better than using zoom (preserves more detail)

Shooting Process

Before you shoot:

1. Gently clean your artwork's surface—dust shows up in photos
2. Remove any tape or pins from corners
3. Check for glare by looking at the artwork from the camera position
4. Set a 2-second timer to avoid camera shake

Take multiple shots. 5–10 photos of each piece. Vary the exposure slightly—this is called "bracketing your shots" and gives you a range of exposures to choose from for editing. Refocus between shots.

Common Photography Mistakes That Ruin Prints

Lighting Problems

Uneven lighting: One side brighter than the other creates muddy colors in prints.

Wrong color temperature: Mixing daylight and tungsten creates color casts that are hard to fix.

Too much contrast: Harsh shadows lose detail that can't be recovered in editing.

Technical Issues

Camera shake: Slightly blurry photos look terrible when printed large.

Wrong focus: Auto-focus can miss. Use single-point focus on your artwork's center.

Compression artifacts: Shooting only JPEG loses color information. Always shoot RAW when possible.

How to Use a Scanner to Digitize Art

Setting Up Your Scanner

Clean everything first. Dust on the scanner bed shows up as spots in your digital file. Use a microfiber cloth or lint-free tissue. Check your artwork too. Remove any eraser crumbs or dust particles.

Clean the scanner bed between each scan.

Position your artwork: Place it face down on the scanner bed. Align one edge with the scanner's guide marks. Make sure it lies completely flat—wavy paper creates shadows and distortions that show up in the scan.

Scanner Settings That Work

Resolution (DPI) guide:

• 300 DPI: Print at original size
• 600 DPI: Print up to 2x larger
• 900 DPI: Print up to 3x larger
• 1200 DPI: Print up to 4x larger

Color mode settings:

• Color: For paintings, colored drawings, mixed media
• Grayscale: For pencil drawings, charcoal work
• Black & white: For line drawings only

File format choice: TIFF creates larger files than JPEG, but gives you more editing flexibility later. Choose the highest quality setting your scanner offers.

Scanning Large Artwork in Sections

When your art is bigger than the scanner bed:

First section:

1. Align the top edge of your artwork with the scanner's edge
2. Note exactly where the artwork ends on the scanner
3. Scan the first portion
4. Save with a clear filename like "artwork_part1"

Second section:

1. Move the artwork so the previously scanned area overlaps slightly
2. Keep the same orientation (don't flip or rotate)
3. Scan the second portion
4. Save as "artwork_part2"

Combining sections in Adobe Photoshop:

1. Open both scanned images
2. Create a new document large enough for the complete artwork
3. Copy and paste each section into the new document
4. Use the move tool to align the overlapping areas
5. Merge the sections carefully
6. Crop to remove any excess background

Editing Your Photos and Scanned Images for Print Quality

So, what do you do when you open your new digital file?

Color correct for accuracy:

1. Use your gray card to set white balance
2. Adjust exposure until it matches the real artwork
3. Fine-tune contrast and brightness
4. Check colors against the original painting

The goal is to make your digital file look exactly like the original artwork. Don't boost colors just because they look good on-screen. Computer pixels can display over 16 million colors since they're based on light. Printer ink is more limited. Research color management to get the best results.

Crop the image. Remove any background and straighten edges. Your artwork should fill the frame.

You can use the spot healing or clone stamp tools in Adobe Photoshop for small imperfections. Don't overdo it—some texture shows the handmade quality.

Only apply slight sharpening for crisp details. Too much creates halos around the edges.

Color Accuracy - Getting It Right

The Screen vs. Print Problem

Your monitor shows colors differently than prints. What looks perfect on-screen might print muddy or oversaturated.

Monitor calibration helps: Use a hardware calibrator like the X-Rite ColorMunki. It costs $150 but pays for itself in accurate colors.

Test prints save money: Print a small version first. Check colors against your original artwork in good light.

Working with Color Mode

When you transfer your digital file from your camera or scanner to your computer, it will be in RGB, since both devices work by recording light.

Digital screens display in RGB (red, green, blue), but printer inks use CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black—higher-end printers can add other colors too). This is because screens produce light, letting them use an additive color model, while inks modify light, so they use a subtractive model. Photo prints are developed chemically using RGB light.

The different color models present a problem when you need to go from your editing software to the printer while preserving color accuracy.

The first rule is to check what color profile your specific printing service wants. Photo and art printing services will ask for RGB (usually sRGB or Adobe RGB). Some commercial applications are done in CMYK, but it's likely your service will ask you to send the RGB file for them to convert themselves.

Sending a file that's not in the correct color mode can result in changed colors in the final print.

File Preparation for Professional Printing

Resolution Requirements

300 DPI is the typical standard for printing. Higher DPI is higher resolution, but takes more computing power. DPI means "dots per inch"—The more dots per inch, the more detail is preserved.

This is where the RAW, uncompressed camera file size comes into play.

Let's say that your file is 4800x6000 pixels. You need 300 dots (equivalent to pixels) per inch for printing quality. Divide 4800 and 6000 by 300, and you get a maximum image size of 16x20 inches. (With 600 DPI, your maximum size is 8x10.) Thus, the bigger your original image is, the bigger you can print it without losing quality.

Some larger print applications can work with lower DPI, usually when you're meant to view the end product from further away. For example, billboards can be printed with a DPI as low as 10–20.

Aspect Ratios

Aspect ratios describe the width and height of your image. If your art fits a common aspect ratio, buyers will be able to find frames more easily.

If your art has unusual dimensions, consider offering a cropped version or one that has borders to let it fit in a standard frame.

You can also experiment with different aspect ratios to see how they affect your art. A perfectly square version can have a different feel than a portrait or landscape ratio.

File Formats for Printing

Save as TIFF for the highest image quality. TIFF can be saved uncompressed and is universally compatible across different editing software, printers, and platforms. It's a larger file than an equivalent JPEG, but higher resolution detail is preserved.

JPEG is good for online applications, since it compresses the image to save space. However, this makes it a "lossy" image format.

PNG is good for digital art with transparent backgrounds—JPEG doesn't support it.

Printing services may require certain image formats. Keep your TIFF copy as a backup. They may also require certain margins to be sure no detail gets lost in the printer. Ask your printing service for the best way to send files to them.

Color Management for Consistent Results

Soft proofing: Preview how your colors will print before sending files. Photoshop's soft proof shows you problem areas.

Printer profiles: Use ICC profiles for your specific printer and paper combination. They're basically instructions for your printer on how to ensure colors match between the screen and print. Fine art paper brands supply these for their products.

Working with print services: Ask about their preferred color space (also called color model and color gamut—basically, the range of colors their printer can produce). This is the RGB vs. CYMK question, plus which specific kind of RGB they want, since there are several different ranges like sRGB and Adobe RBG.

In some cases, they may be able to produce Pantone or spot colors if you ask for them. Pantone colors are specific named colors that can't be perfectly replicated by a CMYK ink mix, but can sometimes be simulated. Spot colors are additional, specially mixed inks to produce a specific color (usually a Pantone). They're more expensive than CMYK inks.

Scaling Up Your Art Photography

Batch Processing

For multiple pieces:

• Keep lighting setup consistent
• Use the same camera settings
• Create editing presets for similar artwork
• Save time by processing similar pieces together

Professional Workflow

File organization:

• Create folders by date and project
• Use consistent naming conventions
• Keep RAW files and edited versions separate
• Back up everything in multiple locations

Quality control:

• Check each photo at 100% zoom
• Compare colors to the original artwork
• Print test strips for color accuracy
• Keep notes on what settings work best

When to Hire a Professional

DIY vs. Professional Photography

You can handle it yourself if:

• Your artwork is flat (paintings, drawings, prints)
• You have time to learn and practice
• Your budget is tight
• You only need occasional photos

Consider hiring a pro when:

• 3D artwork needs specialized lighting
• You're shooting for major exhibitions
• Time is more valuable than money
• You need consistent results across hundreds of pieces

Finding the Right Photographer

Look for:

• Experience with artwork photography
• Understanding of color management
• Professional lighting equipment
• Portfolio of similar work

Questions to ask:

• What color space do you work in?
• How do you handle color accuracy?
• What's your turnaround time?
• Can you provide files in multiple formats?

Getting Started with Digitizing Your Artwork

For small, flat artwork (under 11×14 inches): Start with a good scanner. They have a low skill barrier to use and offer more consistent results.

For large or textured artwork: Photography gives you more flexibility. Set up basic lighting and practice.

Take time to get your scanner settings right or practice your camera setup. This is the most important part. Not everything can or should be fixed in post.

Edit your digital file carefully. Compare it to your original painting in good light.

Not perfect? That's normal. Each attempt teaches you something new about digitizing artwork.

Good enough to print? You're ready to start selling art online or creating art prints.

The difference between amateur and professional results isn't expensive equipment. It's understanding your tools and how prints work.

Start with what you have. A basic scanner or camera setup can produce professional-looking results with practice.