Artzip Help Center

Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is Artzip?

Artzip is the easiest way for artists to create hi-res, print quality images of their art.

Use the simple web app to capture photos of your artwork. After uploading your photos, Artzip utilizes custom image technology to stitch photos together creating a high PPI (pixels per inch) image.

Is Artzip easy?

Yes, Artzip is easy!

There is a small learning curve but once you get the hang of shooting the art correctly, you’ll be finished in minutes. When you upload good photos, you get a fantastic Zip!

How much does it cost?

Pay $25 to unlock your Zip and remove the watermark.
You then have unlimited downloads of that image, and can send the image to your preferred printer. We recommend creating a few Zips of the same artwork in one session to ensure you've gotten it right, then choose and purchase your most successful Zip.

What’s a Zip?

A Zip is the high-resolution image that you receive when we zip your segment photos (detail shots) together.

What's a Reference Photo?

A reference photo is an image of the entire artwork. Having this image ensures that the detail photos are zipped together in the correct order.

What Are Detail Photos?

Detail photos are close-up photos that capture the details of every area of the artwork. These close-up photos then get zipped together to form the high-res image.

Good Detail Photos = A Good Zip

Photographing Art

How should I light my artwork?

Even lighting across the face of the painting is recommended.
Daylight works very well (outside on an overcast day or in the shade on a sunny day).
If shooting indoors, you want to use daylight bulbs, not soft white. Soft white bulbs will make your photos look yellowish.
Brighter light is better. If the light is not bright enough, the photo may be out of focus or grainy.
If the paint is glossy, an indoor lighting system with polarized film is a good solution for removing glare. This is more labor-intensive but relatively easy once you set it up.
If you want to emphasize the thickness of the paint, place the lights above the painting pointing down. This will mimic the lighting in which most artwork is viewed, and when you print the image, the viewer will see the shadows created by the texture as if they are really there.

To watch a video illustrating the DIY four-point lighting system and polarized film, click here.

Troubleshooting

My Zip didn’t turn out correctly.

Any of these requirements were not met when shooting the artwork or uploading your images.

You neglected to shoot and upload all areas of the artwork.
You didn't upload all the detail photos.
One or more of your photos were out of focus.

My zip is grainy or out of focus.

You may be shooting in low light, and you should shoot in brighter light for your camera to be able to take in more data. Brighter light allows your camera to capture clearer photos.

Error message when downloading my zip to my phone.

Often the image can be too large for a phone to handle. We recommend downloading your zip on a computer.