What Size Canvas to Use for Digital Art in Photoshop
A guide to help yous determine a skillful canvas size, resolution and dpi for your digital paintings and drawings
Each time I started a new digital painting, I used to basically approximate at what size the canvas should be. Sometimes it would work out fine, but other times information technology would lead me into frustrating issues with the painting further down the road.
I did a lot of research into what canvas size and resolution I should use for a whole bunch of different purposes, and I rarely encounter problems any more than.
Hither'south my full general rule of thumb:
If you but want to show it on the internet and on social media, a expert canvass size for digital fine art is a minimum of 2000 pixels on the long side, and 1200 pixels on the brusk side.
This will look good on nearly modern phones and pc monitors.
If you want to print your digital art, your canvas should be a minimum of 3300 past 2550 pixels. A canvas size of more than 6000 pixels on the long side isn't usually needed, unless yous want to impress it poster-sized.
This is obviously simplified a lot, just it works as a general rule. Read on for an caption of these numbers, why you don't want to get your canvas size incorrect, and an in-depth listing of the standard sheet sizes for multiple unlike purposes.
If you lot've recently started making digital art and you're figuring out the basics, I can personally recommend these courses over on Skillshare to help you figure things out faster. They are all by respected artists that teach their software well:
Intro to Procreate by Brooke Glaser
Photoshop Demystified past Gabrielle Brickey
Introduction to Clip Studio Paint past Asia Noble
Krita: Basic Level past Widhi Muttaqien
These links will requite you 1 month of Skillshare for free - more than than enough time to lookout man the class you're interested in, and probably plenty time to watch a few more than.
Canvas size in Digital Painting
I'thou going to have to kickoff off past explaining a few terms, so that the numbers I share later make sense to anybody.
In the softwares used for digital painting, the painting expanse is typically known as the sail. The canvas' size is measured in pixels.
PPI (pixels per inch) is how many pixels are in 1 inch when viewed on a screen, so on a monitor of 150PPI, a canvass that's 300 pixels tall and 300 wide volition announced to be two inches alpine.
DPI (dots per inch) is similar, but information technology's how many 'pixels' are in 1 inch when printed . That same sail of 300x300 would impress out as 1 inch alpine and wide when printed at 300DPI.
Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably , so someone may use DPI when speaking of viewing the prototype on a screen, or PPI when talking about press, which tin can exist a little disruptive.A lot of software will also use the term DPI when setting upwardly your sheet size, fifty-fifty if yous don't program on printing it.
300 is the standard DPI for printing a digital painting.
72 PPI was the norm for screens, but now with loftier pixel density screens similar phones and tablets, it is more like 250 PPI.
Since 300DPI is the norm for printing and modern screens are already at 250PPI, I recommend setting 300 DPI/PPI for everything yous paint , unless you take a specific reason not to.
Why is sheet size important?
A few bug can emerge if you don't pay attention to your sail size, both during the painting process and afterward.These tin exist separated into ii situations, either having a canvas that is too pocket-sized, or ane that'south also large:
Effect of canvas size as well minor
A smaller sail ways your software will run smoother. The issues of a canvas size too small come up after finishing the painting; either in viewing or printing the image at total size.
If you fabricated the art too modest, you'll either have to impress/view the art smaller than y'all'd like, or scale it up and get blurring or artifacts.
Obviously this simply makes the fine art look worse, and could render the fine art useless for commercial use and have to be repainted.
Consequence of canvas size too big
A bigger sail means you'll be able to do more things with it one time it'southward finished. The consequences of your canvas size beingness too large are all during painting.
A large sail can cause your painting software, and even your whole pc, to run much slower and lag.
If your system can't handle the sheet size, your brushstrokes will exist applied slower, tools will be slower to employ, filters will take longer to summate, saving volition have longer, the list goes on.
Saving the document will be extremely slow. Salvage files volition as well exist extremely big.
A slower running system will frustrate and slow down the entire process, as well as increasing the adventure of your software or system crashing.
Standard Sheet sizes for multiple purposes
The key to avoiding issues is to program what y'all'll use the art for:
If your fine art is going to be shown online:
Facebook image post: 1200 ten 630 pixels
Instagram photo sizes: 1080 ten 1080 pixels (square), 1080 10 566 pixels (landscape), 1080 x 1350 pixels (portrait)
Twitter mail image size: 1024 x 512 pixels
Twitter menu image size: 1200 x 628 pixels
Pinterest Standard Pin size: chiliad x 1500 pixels
Artstation image size: either 1920 pixel width, or 3840 pixel width if your arrangement can handle information technology
Deviant art recommended 1920 10 1080 pixels
For a personal Website recommended 1920 x1080 pixels
Desktop or Phone wallpapers: 1920x1080 pixels volition suffice, or you can go up to 2560 10 1440 pixels if you want to exist safe
If your fine art volition be printed or put on merch:
A5 paper: 1748 x 2480 pixels
A4 paper: 2480 x 3508 pixels (standard paper size in Europe)
A3 paper: 3508 x 4960 pixels
8.5'' x eleven'' paper: 2550x3300 pixels (standard newspaper size in USA)
11'' x fourteen'' newspaper: 3300x4200 pixels (typical size for art prints)
12'' x 18'' paper: 3600x5400 pixels (typical size for art prints)
18'' x 24'' newspaper: 5400x7200 pixels (typical size for art prints)
5'' x seven'' postcard: 1500x2100 pixels
24" x 36" poster: 7200x10800 pixels
Printful T-shirt: 3600x4800 pixels
Printful Mug: 2700x1050 pixels
Printful iPhone case: 879x1830 pixels
My method for ensuring my canvas size is ever just right
As a big sheet has drawbacks during painting, you want your canvas to be smaller while working on the art.
And since a small canvas can't be used for many things after finishing, you lot want to be able to make a larger finished painting.
In gild to be able to both have your cake and swallow information technology besides, I recommend the post-obit process when you kickoff a painting:
Start off as big equally yous can without slowing down your computer/tablet - increase the size of your art as much every bit you tin as you offset zooming in to do details
Look through the listing of sheet sizes above , and figure out the largest canvas you might desire when the painting is finished. If y'all make up one's mind you lot might want to make a affiche, that ways a final goal canvas size of 7200 x 10800 pixels.
Start your painting at this final target size, and see how well your system responds . If it's sluggish, downsize it a scrap. Keep downsizing until you are happy with how responsive your software is.
The start of the painting is when you'll probably exist making the largest changes and using the biggest brushstrokes, but every bit soon as you start making smaller changes and using a smaller brush size, increase the canvass size . Increment it upwards as far as you can before the software gets sluggish.
Each time you find yourself getting farther into the painting and using a smaller brush up the sail size until you hit your goal,. You should be able to get to your target size, while enjoying a smoothen painting experience along the fashion.
If you try this method and aren't able to hitting the terminal goal size past the end of the painting, you may need to come to terms with the fact that either you need to lower your expectations for how smooth your software will run, or print your finished art smaller.
Alternatively, y'all could upgrade your hardware; near all digital art software depends on CPU and RAM to run smoothly, so if you determine to upgrade then I recommend focusing on CPU and RAM.
New to making digital art?
Hither's another opportunity to learn about making digital art with 2 weeks of Skillshare Premium.
If you're new to Digital Fine art, I recommend these courses over on Skillshare to help you figure things out faster. They are all by respected artists that teach their software well:
Intro to Procreate by Brooke Glaser
Photoshop Demystified by Gabrielle Brickey
Introduction to Clip Studio Paint by Asia Noble
Krita: Basic Level by Widhi Muttaqien
You'll get 1 month of Skillshare for gratuitous - lookout man the class yous're interested in, and easily have spare fourth dimension to watch a couple more.
Source: https://www.selfemployedartist.com/blog/best-canvas-sizes
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