Optimizing Images With Photoshop – Part 2

This is a continuation of our previous tutorial concerning making our artwork images look better using Photoshop.

If you have missed the first part, then please read up on it here:

How to Use Photoshop to Optimize Photographs

Using Photoshop for to Fix Artwork Photographs

Rotating the Photograph in Photoshop

The next step is to rotate your image. If this is not needed, just skip this part.

First, we need a grid to line up our image.

Select “View”, check “Extras”, then go to “Show”, then click “Grid”.

A grid will appear over your image so you can line it up accurately.

Next step: Go to “View” in Photoshop, then “Fit on Screen”.  As you can see above, my artwork rotation needs to be adjusted, so I will do that right now.

Select “Image”, then “Image Rotation”, and click “Arbitrary”.

I selected one degree clockwise to make my painting perfectly in line.

 

 

Changing the Image Size and Cropping

Turn off the grid by deselecting it, as described above.

Cropping your artwork image is the next step.

Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Click on one corner, just a little inside your image. Now drag the corner until you have selected all your artwork, then select “Image”, then “Crop”.

Here is my newly cropped image of my abstract painting.

 

 

Now, it is time to manipulate the image size.

But before you do this, go “File” and select “Save as” to save your photo. Create a new folder to save the image in, and call it “Print Ready Images 2”, or something similar. Select an optimal file type such as TIFF, then save your artwork photo. This is your good quality image, and should never be worked on or saved over again, since the quality lessens everytime an image is saved. If you need to manipulate your photograph again, always work from  the original.

Next, go to “Image” then “Image Size”.

Make sure “Constrain Proportions” is checked, and choose 600 pixels for the larger dimension.

Select “File”, then “Save as”.

Go to your pictures folder, and create a new folder, and label it “Web Images 3”. Save the artwork image into this folder.

You can name it according to the tips I gave in Optimizing Images for the Web, because of the reasons we stated here:

How to Protect Your Art From Online Theft

You may upload this image to your site right away, or you may prefer to add a little copyright info. at the bottom. I will show you how to do this in an upcoming tutorial.

Next time we will you how it should be uploaded, and the types of file types you should use for your image. If you have not subscribed, please do so you will not miss this important article!

Here are the links to previous posts on this subject, if you are interested.

How to Photograph Art For the Internet

Photographing Art - My Camera Settings