This article is by Keith Bond, Regular contributing writer for FineArtViews.  You should submit an article and share your views as a guest author by clicking here.

I recently had one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moments.  The idea was really simple and obvious.  Almost too obvious. 

To set the stage:

I’m sure you have all had experience somewhere along the way when a client is interested in a work, but isn’t sure if it will fit in the space they want to put it.  If the client’s home is close to you (or your gallery) the artwork can be taken to their home to see if it will work.  Sometimes shipping on approval is feasible.  But this can be costly.

Enter the solution.  Photoshop.

One of my gallery owners demonstrated to me how he uses Photoshop to virtually place the paintings in the clients’ homes. 

The client sends a jpeg photo of the space with exact dimensions (this is important).  The gallery owner then photoshops in the painting (with the frame).  He is careful to show the proper scale of the artwork in the context of the location.  This is why dimensions are so important.

If there are multiple paintings being considered, he sends a separate jpeg for each painting.  He can even recommend other artworks that the client might want to consider.  The client can virtually see how the paintings fit into the space with a click of the button.  And the presentations look really good. 

This idea doesn’t work with all types of clients.  But for those clients who have size / location constraints, this is just another tool for consideration. 

Interior designers and architects have done this for a long time.  Why not artists and galleries?  If you have a bit of interior design ability, you could even arrange groupings of multiple works of art.

I’m sure that some of you have already used this tool.  Share your experiences with us.

Best Wishes,

Keith Bond