Fine Art America - any good?

[Betty LaRue]

Thanks for all your helpful tips Betty.  I really like the beautiful art you have on FAA.  I also like to play around and do "art" with my photos, usually by adding a texture and blending layers.  I haven't used Nik filters but have some Topaz plugins.  

 

I'm assuming you must use some sort of tablet for all your brushing work.  That's next on my list of photography-related purchases. Are there any makes in particular recommend?  

 

Maria, I have a Wacom tablet, but I have never found a comfortable way to use it.  Or....understand it!  It's one of those things that masters me instead of the other way around.  I do all of my work with the mouse!

I'm one of those people who need somebody to sit beside me and s l o w l y put me through the paces with it.  I have a son-in-law who tried, but he zipped from here to there and only left my head in a spin.  People who are very proficient in an area tend to think those of us who are not can keep up mentally, but I need to digest each step before moving to the next.

One day....

 

Betty

[Zigzagmtart]

I also have a Wacom. I was told that if I disconnected the mouse and only used the tablet for 2 weeks I would never use a mouse again. That was 2 years ago and I still use the mouse most of the time. Some things are easier with the tablet though and I learn a little more all the time.

[Jill Morgan]

I love my Wacom tablet. So much easier when adjusting just certain areas of a picture to adjust exposure etc. Or to select hair on a mask. I go back and forth between the mouse and the tablet, but certainly find the tablet better for photo retouching.

 

Jill

[Callie]

I use only my tablet for everything, I hate having to use a mouse now. I ended up trying to use one on another computer just yesterday, it was so frustrating. Just what you get used to!

[Sheila Smart]

 

I too dabbled with painting watercolours, and it didn't quite work out. So, what types of photos (i.e. what kinds of subject matter) best lend themselves to digital manipulation with software like fotosketcher?

 

I guess Sheila should answer this one. 

I can't try fotosketcher because I have a Mac, and it doesn't work on a Mac. So I can't see what is possible with it.

I find with my other painting software that usually landscapes and florals work best.  Other still life. 

 

I do use the CS6 watercolor filter a lot, but only to fix images that aren't worthy alone.  Like I've said before. If I have an image I've cropped and need it to be larger, the image gets soft when enlarged. I can run it through the watercolor filter (say, birds, butterflies) and it works.  I like to offer larger images on FAA just in case a buyer wants a large print. Since I usually go on and do other things to the image after using the CS filter, like adding textures and such, it works for me.  I usually don't use painting filters with the exception of CS6 watercolor filter for anything with eyes, noses, etc.  But since I can't see what fotosketcher does, I can't say about that one.

Sheila?

 

Hopefully, I can answer this one!  When I look at a particular image, if I can see what, say, someone like JMW Turner would see if he saw the same image through his own eyes then I take it through an "oil painting" or "water colour" software.  Both my husband and I are huge fans of Turner and whenever his work is shown at exhibitions here, we are first at the door! At the moment, I am working on a shot I took in NZ North Island in 2012 and when finished, will send a link.  Here is the original on my website 

 

Taken at dawn at Bay of Plenty when I noticed a beautiful mist appearing over the bay in front of our campervan.  Worth falling out of bed for! I will upload my JWM take on this later!

 

 Before finding Fotosketcher, I used to use an old Microsoft software which someone sent me about ten years ago and which now won't work on my CS6 but Fotosketcher is ten times better and much more realistic.  Landscapes seem to convert well 

 

Cheers

Sheila

[John Mitchell]

 

 

I too dabbled with painting watercolours, and it didn't quite work out. So, what types of photos (i.e. what kinds of subject matter) best lend themselves to digital manipulation with software like fotosketcher?

 

I guess Sheila should answer this one. 

I can't try fotosketcher because I have a Mac, and it doesn't work on a Mac. So I can't see what is possible with it.

I find with my other painting software that usually landscapes and florals work best.  Other still life. 

 

I do use the CS6 watercolor filter a lot, but only to fix images that aren't worthy alone.  Like I've said before. If I have an image I've cropped and need it to be larger, the image gets soft when enlarged. I can run it through the watercolor filter (say, birds, butterflies) and it works.  I like to offer larger images on FAA just in case a buyer wants a large print. Since I usually go on and do other things to the image after using the CS filter, like adding textures and such, it works for me.  I usually don't use painting filters with the exception of CS6 watercolor filter for anything with eyes, noses, etc.  But since I can't see what fotosketcher does, I can't say about that one.

Sheila?

 

Hopefully, I can answer this one!  When I look at a particular image, if I can see what, say, someone like JMW Turner would see if he saw the same image through his own eyes then I take it through an "oil painting" or "water colour" software.  Both my husband and I are huge fans of Turner and whenever his work is shown at exhibitions here, we are first at the door! At the moment, I am working on a shot I took in NZ North Island in 2012 and when finished, will send a link.  Here is the original on my website 

 

Taken at dawn at Bay of Plenty when I noticed a beautiful mist appearing over the bay in front of our campervan.  Worth falling out of bed for! I will upload my JWM take on this later!

 

 Before finding Fotosketcher, I used to use an old Microsoft software which someone sent me about ten years ago and which now won't work on my CS6 but Fotosketcher is ten times better and much more realistic.  Landscapes seem to convert well 

 

Cheers

Sheila

 

Very atmospheric shot, Sheila. Looking forward to seeing your JWM version. Have to admit that after fiddling around a bit with fotosketcher, I'm not sure I would have the patience for this sort of thing, which I suppose is why I like "straight" photography.

[Niels Quist]

Yes, quite a Turner.....

 

Those of you working a lot with these applications have become very talented.

 

I am neither sure whether I have got the patience. Perhaps more rough, simple and fast in my photographic attitude.But I appreciate the inputs you guys have given me here. It made me open an account with Fine Art America - and I have got some experience with FotoSketcher in how to add artifacts deliberately to my images    . Enough to see what I should avoid and that my first oil and water ones should be replaced by improved ones    - which doesn't have to be a big deal. But I think I will take a break - see if any of the uploaded files will make a sale, and see how I look upon this whole business after a while.

[Betty LaRue]

I understand what you guys are saying.  Facts are, these works probably are more popular with women than men.  Venus/Mars thing, you know.   And I do believe a person needs to have a sprinkling of artistic bones at minimum, how else to make critical decisions with the image?

 

Chances are, when it comes to picking up a new camera system (like I just did with Fuji X), you guys are going to grasp it quickly, while I will fumble around for weeks trying to figure out the settings and what they mean.  Here I am trying to figure out how to set aperture.  We each have our talents, don't we?

[Zigzagmtart]

Certainly true for me Betty. I am constantly helping my wife with camera settings. And she oh so gently suggests that the composition I just framed up might be better if I moved left or crawled under under a bush or whatever. If not for my ego I could do quite well just shooting what she directs me to.

[Allan Bell]

Certainly true for me Betty. I am constantly helping my wife with camera settings. And she oh so gently suggests that the composition I just framed up might be better if I moved left or crawled under under a bush or whatever. If not for my ego I could do quite well just shooting what she directs me to.

 

You set up the camera and other hardware then let your missus take the photo. Perfect partnership.

 

Allan

[Peter Jordan]

4 weeks since I started this thread and I have now got FAA running - urgent needs now:

 

(1)   Do a new head shot. (I know how to do this)

 

(2)   Get a few hundred images prepared and uploaded (I know how to do this)

 

(3)   Start to learn watercolor etc. effects. (I think I know how to do this)

 

(4)   Publicize my work (I have no idea how to do this)

 

It will all take time.   But not today, lovely weather so I am going out with a camera

[Niels Quist]

4 weeks since I started this thread and I have now got FAA running - urgent needs now:

 

(1)   Do a new head shot. (I know how to do this)

 

(2)   Get a few hundred images prepared and uploaded (I know how to do this)

 

(3)   Start to learn watercolor etc. effects. (I think I know how to do this)

 

(4)   Publicize my work (I have no idea how to do this)

 

It will all take time.   But not today, lovely weather so I am going out with a camera

 

Great work in a short time.

 

I have held back many images of which I am in doubt, harbour images including named boats f.inst, (and images with names and letters and persons I do not have a release for).

 

In fact, I am very much in doubt of how art imagery works in this respect. One doesn't get much help from the FAA terms (contributor should hold the necessary property and model releases - or something like that) - but the FAA forum shows that people don't consider this much and think that for editorial and art use photos of crowds (and what about their clothes with brand marks), f.inst., are okay. 

 

Does anyone know about the legal stuff in this matter when talking about "art"?

[Peter Jordan]

Niels,

 

My take on MR and PR is that they mainly protect the photographer and publisher against claims for misrepresentation.  For example using images for, say, tobacco advertising which some subjects might consider defamatory - maybe they campaign against the stuff.   So I see releases as essential for images being licensed to typical Alamy clients such as advertising, books, magazines and newspapers.     I cannot see that there is much threat of this problem with pictures being sold to be hung on a wall.   In any case I will not put any images on the Art Pictures if people are prominent in the picture - specks in the distance I would ignore or clone out.   

 

I noticed on Joining FAA that they now offer their contributors the option to license images.   Of course I did not take up their offer,  firstly because I expect to move into a different kind of market, and secondly I doubt their competence to run an image licensing.   Eight years with Alamy has taught me that it is a complex and competitive business, so I will leave all my images for licensing with  Alamy who are professionals in this.

[Niels Quist]

^{Thanks, Peter.}

 

^{You are probably right about a slightly different view on releases for this purpose - and I will slacken a tiny bit and find the images I was thinking of. I also skipped the licensing part, as I thought it would only cause problems.}

[Sheila Smart]

Regarding FotoSketcher, I emailed David, who produced the software, regarding any plans to have a Mac version and here is his response:

 

Unfortunately, there won’t be a Mac version of FotoSketcher. I did have plans in the past to port it to the Mac, but due to technical (and now also contractual) reasons, I have had to abandon them.  The good news is that it is still possible to run FotoSketcher on a Mac, although it requires a little expertise. Some Mac users have reported running FotoSketcher successfully using Crossover, Parallel Desktops or WineHQ.

 

I have no idea what the last three are or what you would have to do!

 

Sheila

[Allan Bell]

Thanks for that Sheila. Regarding the last three items I would not want to be using third party software in order to run Fotosketcher.

 

Allan

[skylineboy]

the other programs needed to use windows based software are kind of virtual solutions.

 

eg they make fotosketcher etc think its running on a PC, then it will work!

the act as a bridge between the PC code, thinking its on a pc, then the wineHQ (or others), convert it into mac friendly code. so the mac's getting its instructions from mac software, but ibviously putting PC code through.

 

some software is out there to enable you to have a computer running windows AND mac os too.

 

 

software translation really, or thats the theory. it can be more complicated than that.

 

HTH

[rickp]

Duplicate post.

[rickp]

Many thanks John.

 

I also presumed 25MB was the max compressed JPEG size. However, I then saw that they also accept TIFF files (for which 25MB would be small). The 1200x1200 pixel limit exacerbated my confusion (& still does).

 

Good to hear that they do not require exclusive images though. Cheers!

The 1200x1200 pixel size is a minimum size accepted for upload.

 

The 25Mb maximum file size is for any file type - so, it could be a large JPG, or a small TIFF.

[Peter Jordan]

I have uploaded a number of new images to FAA today.    The have appeared on my Homepage,  but not on Behind the scenes/Artwork I would like them to be there as I want to add them to galleries.   Also I am unable to find a way to contact FAA to ask them the question.

 

Any help would be appreciated..

[Niels Quist]

I have uploaded a number of new images to FAA today. The have appeared on my Homepage, but not on Behind the scenes/Artwork I would like them to be there as I want to add them to galleries. Also I am unable to find a way to contact FAA to ask them the question.

 

Any help would be appreciated..

Probably a matter of hours. My first impressions are that they have quite frequent server updates, but it may take a few hours.

 

You can contact them from the main homepage at the bottom:

 

http://fineartamerica.com/contactus.html?tab=contactus

 

I have been looking into the social media promoting thing and I am probably not the type who would like to bombard my few contacts with these frequent art promotions. You cannot set up a fan page without including posting on your personal Facebook account. Tried the StumpleUpon - gives instantly about 20 hits mostly from the US. In fact, I don't think it will be so easy to obtain sales unless one is working extremely agressively on the social media. Not quite my way.

[Lastrega]

Niels,

 

I didn't want my personal FB page updated either, so I started by 'hiding'  the updates on my personal FB page. 

 

Now I have discovered that when you upload to FAA, there are tick boxes where you can choose which FB pages you want to update. I didn't see that at first, but I am using it now.

[Craig Yates]

I have uploaded a number of new images to FAA today.    The have appeared on my Homepage,  but not on Behind the scenes/Artwork I would like them to be there as I want to add them to galleries.   Also I am unable to find a way to contact FAA to ask them the question.

 

Any help would be appreciated..

 

Peter. I have uploaded an image this morning and all seems normal. After the upload completes it goes to the title and keyword page,

and after key wording and pressing the submit button at the bottom ,the image is sent to your chosen portfolio and behind the scenes artwork.

Do you upload in a different way?

 

Regards

Craig

[Peter Jordan]

Niels,

 

Thanks for the help. That is the contact link I couldn't find.

 

Craig,

 

I do upload the way you mentioned.  My problem was understanding what happens immediately after that.   If I want to edit the details, the images are not visible in Behind the Scenes/Artwork.   I have found out how to deal with this now.  You just go to the homepage where, if you are logged in, the new images are there with an "Edit" button under each one.  I guess they will appear in Behind the Scenes/Artwork when they have a server update.

 

I have not got my mind around the how to publicize question yet..

[Zigzagmtart]

If you have both a personal and a fan page on facebook there should be checkboxes to mark which or both you want the new artwork announcement. I usually announce on my fan page but not on my personal page. I dislike bombarding my few friends with spam. They have to sign up for the fan page separately so I think that is ok. Occasionally I will make a post on my personal page mentioning my art and if anyone is interested to go to the fan page.