Photographing your Artwork for the Sharpest, Most Accurate Images You Can Imagine!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Although I now use a Canon R5 camera instead of my M50, the steps I use in the video haven't changed! However, In this video I don't address the absolute need for you to calibrate your monitor. You can get awesome photos and using the custom white balance setting is great, but if you can't trust the accuracy of what you're seeing on your screen, you will be terribly disappointed when you get back a print from your printer or view your Instagram image on another device, if you haven't taken the time to calibrate your monitor. There's great software available that makes this super easy and the one I use is the Spyder5Elite from Datacolor, but really, any calibration software with good review ratings will work. Please don't skip this step if accuracy in your image captures is important to you! Thanks, Steve

[@SolaceRadioMeanderRadioNetwork]

I've been worried about this for a while, as screens are all different. Thank you so much, for the calibration suggestions, and the video!

[@dickonwhitehead1502]

A fairly good quality monitor that is capable of producing accurate colour when calibrated is essential as well. Your average laptop screen won’t do it!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

@@dickonwhitehead1502 This is true. Though laptop monitors are getting better, I still wouldn't trust them to do my color correcting and touchup...even my Macbook Pro.

[@Neorhim]

Great video, very detailed. I'm surprised that you don't talk about your light source more (the ones on your ceiling). I think it needs to be as a neutral white as possible and also full colours spectrum (most LEDs don't produce all the colours spectrum even if they are sort of neutral white)… Do you talk about it somewhere else in another video? Thanks

[@the_mtrapp_canvas]

This was so ORGANIZED & DETAILED & exactly what I was looking for to set up my camera for art photography. Your video not only showed me what steps to take, but also answered WHY I need to take those steps. This is what helps us learn. Is knowing the "why" behind it all. I've finally found the video I was looking for. Thank you, SO much.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Comments like yours Michelle, is why I do these video. Glad I could help and go get 'em!

[@buyaport]

Thanks for putting this together! I find it always interesting to see how others do it. -- Just a few details: (1) No need to set a custom white balance in camera if shooting raw and planning to adjust it later. (If you set it nonetheless, do it correctly, see the manual.) (2) Try to get the picture plane and the sensor plane parallel. Adjust your tripod! It won't be perfect, but will save a lot of work later. Perhaps you also need to adjust the tilt of the picture, as it is basically a mirror. (Using a polarizer filter might help sometimes.) (3) Lightroom has come a long way! The adjustments done here can be done in Lightroom now, and much faster. If you prefer Photoshop, you can easily send pictures to it and back again. (4) The print size is determined by the pixel count of the sensor and the dpi, not the sensor size. (5) Invest in a color check(e)r card. The software that comes with these cards, will adjust the colors much faster and more accurate than we can with all the 24 sliders under HSL. It will also help with adjusting the white balance and exposure.

[@deandeceiver]

I honestly don’t know have this video is not viral, thank you so much for putting this information out, you’re giving me the tools to literally start a career 🙌🙌🙌 I won’t forget this, now I can help some artist to reproduce their paintings so they can focus and what they do best! You’re amazing sir 🔥🔥🔥

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Thanks DM, that's so great to hear, good luck at helping out us tech noob artists, 😆

[@Muleketo369]

Hi Steve, just wanted to say thank you so much for your video. I had to photograph 50 pieces of arts and I followed your guidelines. Your knowledge is priceless.

[@driatros]

1. Use a macro lens, even though you're not trying to shoot small things. They are WAY less prone to distortion. 2. Get a mirror, place it where the middle of the painting is so that it's perfectly on the same angle / plane as the painting. 3. Point your camera so you see your lens reflected in the mirror. This ensures your sensor is parallel to the painting. Don't take the pics at angles like you did. Resizing it like you did reduces the image quality. Using the mirror technique also helps you eliminate a ton of post-production work. You can also glue a mirror to a white canvas, so you can use that as a template for aligning the camera and setting white balance too, in case you're not using a color grid for calibration (which you should) 4. Ideally your would have 2 sources of light at 45 degrees to the painting, one on each side. Your lights are in the ceiling, that's probably why you have darker shadows than you want. 5. Measure the exposure with the gray card, not auto exposure. 6. Use a color grid to calibrate your colors.

[@bethlondonart]

Thank you for this detailed and clear lesson on art photography. You are an excellent instructor.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

I'm glad you found it helpful @bethlondonart Paint On!

[@athenarhizomatic2219]

Incredibly well-made tutorial, you really covered everything important. Thank you very much!

[@charlespinkney3283]

This is a great video Steve. I have not been able to use my eos m50 to photograph my artwork as I couldn't understand any of the instructional videos. Today I came across your video and I'm sure I can follow what you do and eventually get some decent images of my paintings. I am 64 yrs old and have Aspergers syndrome. Thanks again for your help.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

That makes me happy to hear it's helped you Charles! Please don't hesitate to let me know if I can answer any questions that come up along the way. And thanks for reaching out. Happy Painting!

[@danielvalentine5896]

I came across this tutorial while I was still deciding what camera to buy. After seeing this, I bought the same camera Steve is using, because I knew this video would show me how to operate the camera for my purposes. Thank you Steve, this is an extremely helpful video. I was very frustrated before I found this tutorial.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Thanks Daniel, that's really great to hear. I hope you like your M50 as much as I still do!

[@glenosaur]

Bless your heart, Steve for your guidance. Great painting, also!

[@djblush8865]

That was really helpful. Thank you very much for sharing your wisdom.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

@@djblush8865 I'm glad to hear it helped to answer some of your questions. Like anything we do, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Paint on!

[@janayhair4972]

Thank you so very much this is exactly what I was looking for! You rock sir!

[@user-to2gh7sg3l]

Thanks Steve, this is very helpful. One thing I'd add is to make sure your camera is Manual or Aperture Priority mode in order to adjust White Balance. I spent 5 minutes fussing until I realized it was in Auto mode... Heh.

[@giovannisiano574]

By far the best tutorial on the subject have seen so far!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Thanks Giovanni, I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@lsimon4127]

AMAZING tutorial. Thank you

[@AK-df2ve]

Thank you for taking the time to give such an in-depth tutorial. So helpful and clear :)

[@chrisproctor3779]

Thank you so much for this video, Steve. I am fairly new to painting, but I was interested in how to photograph my paintings for printing. This video was extremely helpful and will be my "go to" reference when I'm ready. Thanks again! I really appreciate you taking the time to put this together!

[@j3y3k70]

THANKS!!! This is an amazing VIDEO! Clear and Easy to follow. No extra fluff... It really helped me to understand a lot of the concepts for taking pics of my artworks! 👍🏾👍🏾

[@LuckyDutch2011]

I have been looking for a video like this for weeks (months actually). I am a 61 year old novice to painting AND Lightroom, but have been using Photoshop as a scientist ever since we switched to digital photography (I still have thousands of B/W photos and color slides from the early years in my career). This is indeed a magnificent tutorial and I have learned a lot . I have a few decent paintings that I need to take good pictures off. This video will guide me through the process. Thanks.... and subscribed !!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Hiya LuckyDutchFishing! Let us know how it goes for you and if you run into any snags along the way. My father-in-law lives with us and we just got done scanning and processing 7,500 slides he took all along the way. Talk about an undertaking, sheesh! Thanks so much for subbing!

[@frankie-xv3wo]

thank you so very very very much. you are so clear in explaining and so generous in sharing your knowledge and experience. you have helped me SO much today. I was really wondering how I photograph my work to create much larger prints from it - I used to scan everything at a very high dpi but since I have been using paper larger than my scanner and neon paints (which do not scan well at all) you have really shown me what I need to do. Thank you Steve. Also.... Your painting is beautiful :)

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You're so welcome Frankie, I'm glad I could help you. You can always take your painting outside to get your photo, but set it in the shade and have someone or something angle it down slightly. If you do that you won't get glare in your photo capture. Just make sure you photograph a gray or white card to get that all important white balance!

[@frankie-xv3wo]

@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt That’s great thank you. Fortunately I don’t need to worry too much about glare as I use highly matte acrylic gouache so my work is very flat. I had been trying to photograph it laid flat on a table but will try it propped up. The fluorescent pink is tricky but I think I’ve been trying to make my paper too white (over exposing) when it would be better to just remove that in the edit. Thanks once again 😊

[@pjbk3838]

OMG. This is doable, so helpful. I watched some other sites and it was like they were speaking another language, tech speech. Thank you so much! I will share this with art bddies and watch many times.

[@larsthufvesson9725]

Thanks Steve, this was very useful indeed - your guidance in Photoshop was very clear and informative!

[@stevenmcleanart]

Great Video Steve. Choc full of hard to come by info. Thanks for sharing so much of your knowledge.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Thanks for the feedback Steve, I hope it helps you!!

[@stevenmcleanart]

@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt It has to as I'm completely rubbish at photographing art :-).

[@ChristianDThompson]

Really nice way of making it square. Very well explained.

[@jannattrass9668]

Thank you for your answer! Video was very helpful.

[@clevepage]

Thanks Steve. This came up just at the right time. Excellent overview and it all makes perfect sense. Thanks for your generosity sharing the knowledge you’ve gained.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

So glad you've found it helpful Cleve, you're welcome, I'm really happy to be able to help. Goodness knows I've had some amazing teachers along the way, and I'm loving being able to pass along some of what I've learned. Let me know how it goes and if you have any additional questions.

[@MrCreativeoutlet]

I really appreciate this detaied lesson. so much to learn. Also the quick keys are so helpful.

[@ross2musiclive395]

Steve, thank you so very much. I am having my first solo show in decades and preparing photos for the press release, etc. - so much has changed....I now have a Canon and your detailed settings explanations were JUST what I needed. Very grateful. thank you thank you!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Sell 'em all Ross2 Music Live!! I'm glad I could help!

[@ross2musiclive395]

@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt Thanks, Steve. So I set up lights and took photos of all my paintings today and I have them now in Photoshop, attempting to fix the skew. Since your video was from a couple years ago, I have the feeling Photoshop CC has changed a bit and I'm stuck at the point where I have used the polygon tool, floated that onto a layer, made the rectangular marquis in the correct dimensions, dragged rulers down, and here is where hitting CMD J does not show the points on the painting where I can drag them into square. Any updated instructions for CC?

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

@@ross2musiclive395 Use Command-T instead of Command J. LMK if that solves your problem!

[@rwroosevelt]

Steve, this is PRECISELY the video I need right now! Thank you so very much!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You're welcome Rodney, let us know how it goes!

[@starakatart]

Thank you, this is so helpful!

[@lisalange4922]

OMG! Thank you so much for this tutorial! I was trying to figure out how to take photos of my art so I can make greeting cards! I really appreciate your help and suggestions for a good camera!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

So glad this helped you Lisa. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions pop up that I might be able to answer for you. Happy painting!

[@stephaniel8164]

So much great information! Thank you!!! I feel much more capable to take perfect pictures of my artwork.

[@seanrademaker4421]

Very informative! Thanks for sharing, Steve

[@nayomie.e]

thank you so so much for this!! I have been struggling using my camera to take photos of my art and this was so clear cut and informative!

[@johnmarble3177]

Thanks, Steve, I love your explanations and sense of humor. I'm going to try this method on my paintings.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Have fun and good luck!

[@Artforall80]

Excellent video thank you.

[@johnoliveira2788]

Steve, I've just drop by your channel and I love it. This is the best video I've ever saw about it and is going to save me lots of time and head aches. Thank you so much for this wonderful tutorial. Cheers.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Such a kind comment, thank you John, I appreciate it!

[@DannyWJaco]

Commendation on the pace and clarity of your speech and delivery. Of course the content was beneficial, but your lighthearted and humble attitude keeps the viewer engaged, even through segments that might otherwise be too technical to grasp. I learned a lot and enjoyed the presentation. 😀

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Thanks a bunch, MEandD! Good luck with your art and photography!

[@jorisstrickx]

perspective cropping is so much faster then all the steps you're taking to square the painting up. I use it all the time when I photograph in a museum and I have to get rid of some reflections. I just take a few steps sideways and square it up later.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You're so right. I only learned about the tool after I made this vid. Now I use it all the time... it's a wonderful time saver. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'll be sure to use it in my future Photoshop videos!

[@patrickwelch3274]

Crazy how the photos are as important as the painting. I’ve struggled with this. I’ve tried the iPhone but I’ve never had a photo as same as painting. I like the fact you can edit it to bring it close to original. The camera is the only way. You got to technical for me. I need to make it easy. I’ll take the painting to a professional photographer.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Hi Patrick, that'll work. I still take my large paintings to a professional photographer because he has the equiptment to capture the shot with polarizing filters to remove any glare from the surface.

[@mattmeckel99]

Great video. Thank you!

[@miriambaranov]

This is amazing! Thank you for thoroughly reviewing this topic, I finally found a video that answers it all! And the yelling goat part was hilarious now I will remember what iso is .... forever 🤣

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Hi Miriam, I'm glad it was helpful for you. It makes the effort worthwhile. Happy painting!!

[@handyconceptsarts8983]

thanks Steve. I have gray cards and never knew how to use them. Was going to take a photo class just to learn how to use my camera. but then we were quarantined soooo... And since I've been painting a lot while social distancing it would be great to be able to take decent photos of what I've done. I've been scared to change my auto settings but now I am ready to play. thanks again.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

That's great to hear and why I love to do these vids! Please let us know how it goes and if you hit a snag.

[@madisonfrevert7340]

This is by far the most helpful video I have found on this subject. I took 3 pages of notes! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

So glad to hear that Madison. I'm working on another video on how to photograph your artwork using a copy stand, lights and polarizing film to eliminate any glare. Stay tuned...

[@driekiefourie9606]

I was just wondering if notes were available. I still need to take the notes from die video!

[@christophepleinairperspect5096]

Wow Steve! thanks so much for that. Cant wait to give it a try with my next painting. Very helpful and concise...keep them rolling Steve! cheers

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Thanks Christophe, I'm so glad you found this helpful! It seems much more complicated than it is, but that's how it comes across when you have to explain every little step. Really, once you've done it a couple of times it becomes second nature to photograph your artwork. Paint on!!

[@AboutArchie]

Knocked it out of the park here. Well done and thanks. Doesn't hurt that I have an M50 as well (and love it.)

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Hey, thanks Archie, much appreciated. Go get 'em!

[@gitbuh12345qwerty]

That was amazing, you cleared up a lot for me, thanks!

[@rider2731]

Thank you Steve. I just gave you the first LIKE. Your tutorial is clear and you explained it very well.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Thanks a bunch Art Studio! Likes are always appreciated. Happy Painting!

[@bobourlard8950]

Love your video! Thank you. Can you do a video on how to photograph and STICH together larger pieces?

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Thanks Bo, I'll add it to my future videos list!

[@kvaks3000]

I thought the image used for setting a custom white balance would have to have the whole frame filled with the gray card. Is the camera smart enough to recognize which part of the image is a gray card and ignore everything around it when it calculates the color temperature?

[@gertrude1310]

Got a video about taking photos for 2x or 4x printing size? Like using stitching and how to take the different photos to reduce or eliminate any distortion.

[@CuquiLopezCasas]

Thank you so much for your simple and thorough explanations. I started selling my art on line and I was getting stuck on this. I have an older or just different, not an expert, cannon but the main settings are the same.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You're very welcome Cristina, good luck in your art!

[@john-wells]

Thank you SO MUCH for this! You are incredibly helpful! 👍🏼😁

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Thanks John, that makes my day. Happy shooting!

[@michaeloates7321]

Steve! You are the man! Thanks so much. This has helped me tremendously.

[@claradolour6425]

This is excellent! Thank you! 🎉🎉🎉

[@maryjojacobson1122]

I loved this information and how you presented it. I was disappointed when I found out that I would have to make two photos and stitch them to get a bigger print.any suggestions on how to get around that. I use the same camera you do.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Hi Mary Jo, of course capturing the image on a full frame camera sensor is the very best way to get the largest and best resolution on your images. Second to that is to take the two photos on your crop sensor camera and have photoshop stitch them together. But if you're unable or unwilling to do that, there is a new work around in Photoshop (and now Lightroom too!). There is now a new feature, if you're working in the Camera Raw portion of Photoshop that is called "Enhance". It enables you to double the width and the height, actually quadrupling the size of your image and it does it very well. Here's a link to a tutorial by one of my favorite Photoshop KZbinrs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nInQiq1jj95koJY

[@agnesheinz8904]

Very well explained. Thanks

[@silviaklahm2604]

what an amazing detail instructive video! thank you so very much!!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You're very welcome! I'm glad you found it helpful!!

[@RajbirSingh-os1gr]

Excellent presentation,Thank you so much.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Glad you found it helpful Rajbir, thanks for watching!

[@bruceosborne1892]

Excellent video Steve. This is something I need to do, to help save on printing costs. Thank you.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Super to hear Bruce, I'm glad to help. I guarantee that once you get it set up and get good results the first time, you'll be able to fly through the set up in the future.

[@KingArte]

Great help! Thank you

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You're welcome David, glad it helps!

[@ievazacharevskyte3564]

thank you so much! this is very very helpful !!!!!

[@janayhair4972]

Do you have tutorials on composite joinery for larger prints? I was confused on why that would be needed and would love to know more about that.

[@richardervine4501]

thanks for your post lots of information to learn

[@Learn2Paint]

Thanks Steve for taking the time to make this very detailed video on photographing artwork. I've been struggling with getting great images for print as I have started painting larger work. I definitely will try your method out. I appreciate you sharing your time on KZbin for all us that lack the expertise in understanding the correct camera settings.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

So glad you found this helpful Terri. Feel free to ask any questions that might come up along the way, here in the comment section.

[@maryweir2808]

Hi Steve, this was so helpful, I always have trouble taking my photos, thank you so much, love all your videos.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Thanks Mary, I love hearing that people who watch find it helpful. I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to watch my videos. Good luck with the captures!

[@martyl7066]

Thanks for the amazing tutorial handsome buddy.....😇😊😏😍

[@natalykenny2069]

Hi Steve, thank you so much for all your tutorials! I am learning so much!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You're so welcome Nataly, I'm always happy to help.

[@leenaniva4663]

Humble Thank You. This was what I was looking for :)

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Glad it helped! I hope you find it easier now to get good photos and you can always ask me a question here if you find there's something I didn't cover.

[@Ayman.outdoorcamping]

Thank you so much for sharing all this details

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You are so welcome, glad you found it helpful Wally!

[@mauricechavez2522]

thank you, this has been very helpful ! great video

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You're welcome Maurice, I'm glad to hear it was helpful!

[@natalykenny2069]

Thank you Steve, for amazing tutorials! I am learning so much! I also admire your art a lot!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Awww, thank you Nataly! I'm happy I can help. I've had so many help me along my path I'm happy to be able to give how I can. Paint on!!

[@ClodsCreations]

This is awesome, thank you. Just beginning to learn this exact thing. God bless.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

So glad it's what you needed when you needed it. Thanks for watching and I hope you come on back! Lots of good content =0)

[@ClodsCreations]

@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt Thank you. Just starting all this at 52, and your channel is something I have been looking for. Ready and willing to learn.

[@davidhuth5659]

Thanks Steve! This was very helpful!

[@pavanpatel4590]

Thank you for this wealth of knowledge!

[@deonnatomlinson5762]

I just wanted to say thank u This is so very much needed 😇💖🙏👍👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼😇😇😇

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You are so welcome, I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@Burtonsplace1]

Thanks so much Steve, great info.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You're welcome Burtons Place, I'm glad it was helpful!

[@AD-zy4qw]

Great tutorial! Thank you.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Glad you found it helpful AD, much appreciated!

[@raymondwujiahan6538]

Thanks for this video. gonna show it to art students

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Glad it was helpful, and I hope it helps your students as well. Happy painting!

[@borisdourmana8343]

The video we needed but we did not deserve

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

What a gracious comment... thank you Boris! Best of luck with your photos! S.

[@kim_wild]

The only part I missed, and maybe I just missed it, was you didn't mention what setting to put the camera on initially. I realized it was M by seeing that icon when setting the white balance but maybe just mention that ahead of time? Great video, thank you!!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Thanks for the suggestion, don't know how I missed that!

[@jdinoregon733]

What do you gain by using Lightroom? Why not import directly to Photoshop and do all your post-processing there?

[@mikepenney5726]

imho white balance isn't enough... you need to using an x-rite color checker and calibration software

[@driekiefourie]

Hi Steve What a great video. So glad I found it. Do you have the notes as a PDF or any other format than me taking notes by pausing the video. Would love to implement to the T. Regards from South Africa

[@mr.mikesart7111]

Great video. You just made it seem not so difficult for someone not on photoshop or involved in digital. I stopped after photography shifted from film to digital.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

I hear you. I started out shooting film in the 70's, went to digital, but still love shooting film with my old analog cameras, both 35mm and 120mm. You got this!

[@mr.mikesart7111]

@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt one of my big issues is color at least when it comes to color photography. I only messed with black and white back in the day. But your video made me less afraid of it. Thanks for this not being a 10 camera option video. lol seriously. Great painting by the way. Love it

[@thomaskauffman983]

Thoughtful demo. To avoid distortion and subsequent loss or distortion of the image I would spend more time the front end with lighting coming in at 45 degree angles so I could shoot straight on. Otherwise, really no one else would know unless they had the privilege of comparing the photo to the original art work that they had purchased!! :)

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Yes, setting up with your camera directly in front, at the same height as the center of your painting is optimal, along with lights set off to the side at a 45º angle. But I've done that and it requires the use of polarizing film over your lights as well as a circular polarizer on your camera that you can rotate to remove the shine. I may show that down the road, but most artists don't want to go through the hassle and expense, and don't have the room to do this kind of set up. But you're spot on about it being better. And honestly, Once you've squared up the sides, it looks exactly like the original, even if you're looking at both side by side. Thanks so much Thomas!!!

[@briancrawford6868]

@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt You only need to use polarizers if there is glare, and glare can usually be taken care of with adjusting your lighting. Not a hassle at all. I shoot art with two side lights and my camera properly aimed and centered, and have never needed polarizers; I just move my lights so that the glare is eliminated. Adjusting my lights to skim the art piece is often what is needed. 45 degrees is just a good starting angle for your lights.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

@@briancrawford6868 Thanks Brian! This is very helpful.

[@kimandrews1141]

Thank you so much! I get very frustrated with photographing and can not get clear focus, glare and poor color!

[@tedebaer1]

Thank you!

[@wiggleit100]

So is it better to take a photo before or after you gloss finish it to reduce glare? Or use a Matte finish, use photoshop, or . . .

[@mindofwatercolor]

Outstanding Steve! As someone who I'm sure shoots for reproduction a lot more than me, I was happy to have many of my steps verified. Some great tips I hadn't considered. I used to use Lightroom a lot but not much any more. I tend to use the camera raw filter in Photoshop. I was curious if you have to deal with light fall off from shooting with only overhead lights. Maybe they are high enough it doesn't matter? I've always had a light gradient across my piece when I shoot from overhead lights. Do you have to deal with this or just not an issue in your studio? I use soft boxes on either side. Again, just a great, thorough tutorial from a pro.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Hi Steve, yes light fall-off is a real thing we have to deal with on some captures, but not all. If I find that it's noticeable, I'll fix it in Photoshop usually, but it can be done in Lightroom. Duplicate the layer. Add a levels or curves adjustment layer and lighten the image using the midpoint slider until it's slightly lighter. Then I'll use a black and white gradient on the levels adjustment layer and only allow the lighter areas to show through the mask where I want it to lighten. This always fixes it, but sometimes you'll have to play with that middle slider to get the proper levels correction. Great question Steve-O! Of course, you can use soft boxes if you can get to both sides of the painting to light it evenly. Unfortunately with my setup, I can't do that. I used to take my paintings outside in the overhang of the back patio, and this can work, but sometimes it's nearly impossible to get that glare off the surface of the canvas.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

PS., Adobe Camera Raw filter does all the color correcting you'll need to do this, so, that's fine!

[@johncollado1151]

Morning Steve... how did we ever survive before the digital age! I'm bookmarking this video for future reference and appreciate all you have put into it. I don't do a lot of traditional work anymore, but if I do I will be referring to this video for sure. Thanks again and stay safe!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Morning John, always good to hear from you. Thanks for your kind words. You're so right about the digital age, lol. When I started it was getting my reference using 35mm film, waiting a week to have your photos developed ( hoping you got something usable), then polaroids, now digital. It just keeps getting easier and easier. But, like most old farts, believe somethings been lost for those just coming up.

[@johncollado1151]

@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt I agree, those who start out digitally are missing the finer points of traditional. I always wondered if those digital artists could do the same magic traditionally, or are they stuck letting the computer make it easier for them. If computers ended today, could they create without the ctrl-z command?

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

@@johncollado1151 I can say that from what I see, it kinda depends on if they use the computer to draw with, or if they use it to cut and paste. There are lots of amazing digital artists, most of who work in the video game/movie concept arts. BTW, I'm guessing you must work on a PC and not a Mac? ;0)

[@johncollado1151]

@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt Ah, did the ctrl-z give it away! I've used both over the years but have settled down to a PC only because my son maintains it for me and there is a little more variety out there for a PC. Not sure if I mentioned it before, but prior to digital my weapon of choice was an airbrush, it gave me the closest thing to real that I could create. Now I don't think I could see the needle to maintain it let alone paint with it.

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

@@johncollado1151 HA! Hey John, you and I used the same tool. I started out airbrushing on vans and motorcycle tanks, then on t-shirts at amusement parks to work my way through college. Then, when I got out of school, I was an airbrushin' fool until the computer came along and I could do the same in Photoshop much faster without cutting all those masks and breathing all those fumes. But I do still miss it. And, like you, I can no longer see the tip of the needle to know when it was bent and spattering instead of giving a fine spray... I'd have to rely on feel now.

[@juliaoreilly1206]

Steve, thanks for a super tutorial, it's helped me so much to meet the challenges of photographing my art for online media & reproduction! I do have one possibly silly question: If I'm shooting several different works in one session, is it best to set a custom white balance for each image, or will that one custom assignment work for the entire day's shoot (assuming the light isn't changing radically in the studio during that time)? And related to that, it seems like each session should be a reset of the custom white balance that's been set in the camera - even if I'm using basically the same light setup in the same space? I use an older Canon EOS Rebel XT. It looks like it keeps that custom wb setting until I manually change it, even when I turn the camera off. Thanks again for the video!! This video is gold for artists trying to photograph artwork.

[@JacquelynSmith_perfect45degree]

Very thorough! Thank you for taking the time to do this. Would you use this camera for landscape reference photos or is it primarily for this job?

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

I use it for all my photo reference too. It's a great camera... still have no complaints! Cheers!

[@shraddhafineartshindi]

Best video ever thankyou thankyou so much

[@shraddhafineartshindi]

I was searching for just that... thanks...

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

Glad it helped Shraddha!

[@PeterPiklMusic]

Hi Steve, Thanks for this amazingly informative Video. I happen to have the Canon M6ii and thought of it (after seeing tons of reviews) as the successor of the M50. Yet I can't find the RAW Option und der "Image Quality". Do you have a custom firmware or some kind of advanced trickery you could share with me/us about that? Thanks man! Peter

[@PeterPiklMusic]

I found it! I was in the Movie settings as I only used my camera for video so far. First time trying to make photos with it. ;) Reminds me of searching for the keys in my pocket! ;D Problem resolved...

[@wendydavis3897]

I have a Canon EOS D6 using a 50 mm lens, and am doing what you have indicated. I have the Camera in "M" manual mode, the aperture at F11, the ISO at 100, I have a timer on and I am manually focusing. But when I take pictures I just get black screen. ? I googled it and it says there is not enough light. But there should be enough ambient light with the windows and the lights on in the room to get SOMETHING... Is there a setting that I have inadvertently set that is causing this? It does shoot pictures if the camera is in Auto, the ISO is 100 and it seems to put the aperture to 2.6 (that is what flashes in the veiwfinder)... but these are NOT sharp as they should be. HELP. 😳

[@oliverpavic275]

Would this process be the same for photographing oil portraits? Especially portraits painted with dark colours?

[@j90s56]

What if my histogram looks cropped on the left? What can I adjust. Some thin layers of paint don't appear in the final photo. Too much light maybe? Can you help?

[@dawngasparini]

Thank you for this great teaching on photographing paintings! I have some questions: First, the lighting in a room, I have a floor Ott light & canister ceiling lights & natural north light from a window next to my easel, would I use all during daylight? I am wondering also what will the difference be if I use a white piece of paper or the grey card? I'm confused on the lighting & the grey or white card. When shooting a graphite drawing on white paper do I use the same principles. I took a photo of a drawing I did outside in shaded area but the background looked grey instead of white. I don't have LR or PS. I really appreciate your help, Steve. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! Dawn

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

You can use any and all those light sources, just make sure that your painting/drawing is evenly illuminated. Don't have one side brighter than the other side, same with top and bottom. You can use either a gray card or a white sheet of paper. You're just telling the interface that this spot should be neutral grey with no color cast. I'm curious, what is the photo editor you're using if not PS or LR?