Thursday, January 10, 2013

ART TIP - Using Digital Photo Frames


Many of you may already have a digital photo frame at home, but if not, they are inexpensive to purchase.  I've seen them advertised recently for as little as $49 for an 8" screen.  I've had a number of friends say they or a family member got one for a gift and either its still in the box or they don't use it anymore.  Well its time to pull it out and put it in your studio.  

If you don't paint plein air, you know the colors from your printed photographs will be different with every printer you use.  One way to get a bit closer to nature, from the comfort of your studio, is to view your photographs on a monitor.  I didn't have a digital frame and never thought about using one for art until I saw Loft artist Karin Sebolka (who is a great watercolorist) using one in her studio to display her photo reference.  She showed me all the great things it could do including zooming in on something for a closer look.  Best of all it was inexpensive, so a great substitute for my laptop starting to get covered with paint spatters.

The frames are easy to use.  You can use a thumb drive/flash drive or just transfer your pictures using a thumb drive to the frame's memory.  A good idea if you're always hunting for your hard copy reference photo. 

One thing I would suggest if you are going to buy a frame is to get one with at least an 8" screen if possible.  You don't need an expensive or fancy one, but make sure it has zoom capabilities. 

Full size photograph - landscape view

The color is much more true to life in person
Zoom feature for closer look at the details

You can turn the frame if your photo has a portrait orientation







1 comment:

  1. That's a wonderful post. I have a digital photo frame which I have started using after reading this post. Thanks.

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