ARTICLES

The megapixel myth. Most consumers assume, and manufacturer's would like you to believe, that a camera with more megapixels means better quality pictures. Insofar as higher megapixel (higher resolution) images can produce finer details, then yes, more megapixels is beneficial. But the quality of a digital image is also measured by other factors: ability to shoot in low light, noise reduction, color accuracy, and how much distortion the lens may produce. And of course, whether the camera is easy to use and has the particular feature set you may desire.

So you need not pay extra money for more megapixels unless you are going to make very large prints from your photos or intend to use them for commercial four-color printing, which does have very high resolution demands.

Four Keys to Photographing Artwork with a Digital Camera

The steps outlined here are not intended to produce results equal to those of a professional photographer; however, if you are the do-it-yourself type or have had trouble shooting your artwork in the past, then these four key steps will get you on the right track.

1. LIGHTING THE ARTWORK

The key to lighting your artwork is to have uniform lighting across the surface and to avoid shooting in any type of low light situation. In the studio, professionals use two lamps, one on the left and one on the right, aimed at 45 degrees toward the artboard. That provides optimal lighting, but requires lamps and special stands. Alternatively, you can get good results by shooting outdoors in natural light. Digital cameras don't typically do well in low light, but natural light, even bright shade, is many times brighter than regular indoor light. A strong, diffuse light is always best. Avoid direct sunlight. Overcast or semi-overcast days are often ideal, as they provide steady, indirect light. Be wary of too much shade (or very low light) which will not give the camera enough light to record your colors accurately.

2. ALIGNING THE CAMERA / FRAMING THE ARTWORK

If you've tried shooting artwork before, you know that the results are sometimes shaped like a trapezoid. This is because the artwork is not "squared up" correctly in the viewfinder. The plane of the camera must be parallel to the plane of the painting. If the camera is even a few inches higher or lower, or to the left or right, the picture will have a trapezoidal distortion.

It's worth taking extra care in positioning the camera to ensure "square" results. Run a few tests if necessary. A tripod is essential. If you are holding the camera by hand, there is no way to verify that you are holding it in the same place each time you shoot. An inexpensive tripod can be had for less than $40. It also ensures against blurry photos.

Check the squareness of the alignment by looking through the camera's viewscreen or viewfinder. Don't attempt to fill the viewfinder with the artwork; you might clip off some of it. Instead, leave a little space around the artwork. Your goal is to keep adjusting the height and angle of the camera until the spaces between the edges of the artwork and the edges of the viewfinder are as parallel as possible. If you're off, you'll see that the extra space or "frame" around the image will not look straight.

misaligned aligned

Left: Artwork incorrectly aligned in viewfinder. Red lines show that the extra space or "frame" around the image is not parallel with the sides of the viewfinder.

Right: Artwork correctly aligned in viewfinder. The height and angle of the camera have been adjusted until the spaces between the edges of the artwork and the edges of the viewfinder are as even as possible.

If, despite your best efforts, you still get distortion, you can "bend" the image back into shape in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements using: Edit > Transform > Distort (or Skew).

3. EXPOSURE SETTINGS

This part is easy — the camera does it all for you. Some digital cameras give you manual controls over the exposure with shutter speed and aperture. Don't attempt this unless you really know what you're doing. The camera's auto exposure should work fine. Never take photos of your artwork with the flash. Always disable the flash function.

Digital cameras also have ISO or light sensitivity settings of 80, 100, 200, 400, 800 and higher. Higher numbers mean higher sensitivity and permit you to shoot in low light situations; however, the higher the number the more "noise" is introduced in the final image. Noise looks like fine mottling or specs, especially in the darker areas. That's very undesirable, especially for artwork, so always shoot in the brightest light possible with sensitivity settings of 80 or 100. Check your manual and make sure you know how to set this.

Digital cameras also have a white balance control. This enables the camera to correctly read white under that particular color of light, in order to achieve the most accurate color. Cameras typically have presets such as Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, and Tungsten; however, they may not be as accurate as taking a custom white balance reading. Take a moment to learn where this setting is on your camera.

4. POST PRODUCTION

For optimal results, just about every photograph will still need some tweaking in an image editing program.* If your exposure and white balance were set correctly, there are really only two edits you'll need to make.

1. Cropping. To eliminate the background and make sure the image is perfectly square.

2. Adjusting Levels. Even in the best lighting situation, digital cameras often narrow the range between the darks and the lights and, as a result, colors can appear dim. A simple adjustment in Levels restores the contrast and colors. The adjustment allows you to make the darks as dark as you need and the lights as light as they need to be. As you might imagine, this adjustment is very important for artwork. In fact, it is the single most powerful adjustment you can make to any digital image to improve its overall quality.

In Photoshop: Image > Adjustment > Level

Photoshop Levels Adjustment

The dialog box that pops up may look intimidating, but it's really just a bar chart (called a histogram) showing the range of values in the image. The left side corresponds to the darks (note the little black triangle). The right side corresponds to the lights (note the little white triangle). And the gray triangle in the middle corresponds to the middle tones.

What is important to note are the flat, empty spaces on either side of the histogram (indicated by the red brackets). Not all histograms have these flat areas, but those that do tell you that the photograph doesn't have a full range of values. The darks are not as dark as they should be and the lights are not as light as they should be. That's why the painting before Levels adjustment (below, left) appears dim and washed out as compared to the painting after Levels adjustment (right).

uncorrected

Left, image before adjustment. Right, image after adjustment.

Photoshop Levels Adjustment

To adjust Levels, simply pull the left and right sliders in closer to the center. You'll immediately see the contrast increase and colors brighten. Dragging the left slider punches up the darks, while dragging the right slider lightens the lights. The slider in the middle colors the middle tones. Adjust until the image as it appears on screen is closer to the actual painting.

Of course, every piece of artwork is different and will have a different histogram. Experiment with several photographs, play with the sliders, and become familiar with how dramatically they can improve the image that comes out of your camera. When it comes to correcting photographs, the Levels adjustment is your best friend.

*I strongly urge any artist working with a digital camera to obtain and learn how to use an image editing program. Adobe Photoshop is the established standard for both professionals and amateurs, but it is quite expensive. Adobe also offers a slightly less sophisticated version called Photoshop Elements which costs about $60.