Presentation Perfection!

Tips and Tricks for Artwork Submission to Eye of The Art

By John Keaton

You've created a masterpiece that you want to share with the world at large, whether it is a Painting, a Drawing, or a Sculpture, the presentation of your new piece is of great importance. In the "Business" of being an artist, presentation perfection is an art unto itself.

With the entire World watching, and the ever-diminishing attention span of most humans, you probably have less than two seconds to grab their focus and have them consider your work.

Let 's go over some basics for achieving optimum results.

1) Photograph vs. Digital File

It all starts with an image. Obviously a digital file is preferred. A normal photograph must be scanned (at the proper dpi) and then made into a file, while the digital image is already a file.

2) Image Resolution and File Types

Generally your image should be at least 150 dpi, or dots per inch. For printing and reproduction an image should be a minimum of 300 dpi. This is your image resolution, which simply said, determines the printed quality of your file.
The higher the dpi, the better the image will reproduce.

There are numerous file types, which are basically text or images translated into computer language. For our purposes, it is important to understand a few of the file types.

JPEG - This is the most commonly used file type. JPEGs are easily transmitted through the Internet and can store vast amounts of visual information even at 72 dpi, which is the norm for computer images. For submissions to Eye of the Art, I recommend 300 dpi, if you intend to offer your works as prints.

GIF- This is an indexed file used primarily when text and images are combined. (Text generally appears Fuzzy in a jpeg File)

PNG - A PNG file is optimum for transmitting images, which are going to be printed.

Photoshop File: This is a file created in a program called Photoshop. Available in PC or Macintosh Format, Photoshop is the premiere image manipulation program and is unsurpassed in its capabilities and functions. A Photoshop file can consist of many layers, which should be merged as a copy, and then saved as a JPEG or a PNG. Save your original file with the layers, as you may wish to alter or add to the image at a later date. DO NOT attempt to send Photoshop Files through the Internet, as they are too large and, in most cases, not supported.

Step 1:

Okay, so you have your image, either scanned or as a digital File, and are ready to proceed to the next step.

IMAGE OPTIMIZATION IN PHOTOSHOP: (Troubleshooting)

Problem 1: The image is blurry or fuzzy and simply not clear.

Obviously, you will want to start with a sharp photo, digital or not. If you encounter a situation where it is not possible to re-shoot (Perhaps the artwork in question has been sold and is quite simply not available) you may use the filter option in Photoshop and select "Sharpen." You may use this Filter once or twice and it will add some clarity to your image. I do not recommend using the option "Sharpen More", as it will seriously deteriorate your image.

Unsharpened Image

Adjusted Image (Sharpened)

Problem 2: The image is not centered.

Utilizing the Crop tool in Photoshop, grab the top left of where you wish to crop and pull the to the bottom right frame of the desired image area within the crop Tool. You will see the outer area become gray and your "Selected" area will remain visible. Press enter and Photoshop will delete the gray area. Be mindful of the fact that this cannot be undone and center your image, as best possible before deleting the gray area.

Uncentered Image

Adjusted Image (Centered)

Problem 3: The Image was photographed at an Angle.

This is a problem of perspective. With some practice, it can be resolved. First of all, use the rulers to create a perfect square within your desired area. The rulers will appear as blue lines. Create a rectangle using the rulers as guides.

Now go to the edit menu and select the option "Transform" and its subcategory "Skew"

Pull the handles on your rectangle until the desired image area lines up with the ruler guides and the image is properly squared up. Press enter and crop your work as outlined above in Problem 2. You have now altered reality and perfectly centered a previously unattractive, unusable image. If the Image were centered and photographed head on in the first place, you would have saved yourself this procedure. WE LIVE AND WE LEARN!

Skewed Image

Adjusted Image (Proper Perspective)

Problem 4: The image is washed out and lacks color.

There is nothing like the original, but when the image looks faded, you may enhance it to some degree with this two step process

Step 1: In the image option select image adjustment and its subcategory "Hue/Saturation"

Pull the saturation lever to the right to increase your color intensity. Don’t overdue it! Press OK to apply. You will see the changes directly on the screen.

Step 2: Once again in the image option select "Brightness/Contrast" to fully optimize the contrast (Pull the lever and watch was happens) Press OK when you are satisfied with the results. Next do the same with the brightness Lever and choose your setting by pressing OK. With this simple operation, you have greatly improved your image.

It is important to be true to yourself and not exaggerate these functions. Your goal is to present a realistic interpretation of an existing original. Perhaps working with these tools will spur you on to create new images, as well. There are other methods of enhancing images with the "Image/Color Balance" tool, but for our purposes this technique should be more than adequate.

Faded Image

Adjusted Image