Digital art galleries & virtual exhibitions - this is how you develop your own kind of space app

Do you need an individual or even tailor -made solution for the digital presentation and visualization of your works of art in living rooms ? Then you may not be able to get around your own app for it . While there are a number of apps and online tools for the virtual presentation of works of art, exhibitions and portfolios, these solutions have their respective restrictions. In addition, monthly fees are usually due for use.

What does the market offer in art space apps?

First of all, let's take a look at the range of conventional apps and popular providers for virtualization and online visualization of one's own art. To do this, we have selected two options that exemplarily outline the range of functions of existing solutions.

Art Space: Artwork Preview app from 4axis Technologies

Artist Space is the latest app developed by the same people who have also launched Drawing Desk Art Space enables you to create quite decent mockup models of commercial art in a few minutes. It is as simple as uploading your works of art, the selection of hundreds of interiors that can be designed individually, and the simple sharing of your creations with others.

Art Space thus offers artists a powerful tool for creating professional mockups that help artists sell or present their creations. The app is available for download in the Apple Store and was designed for artists who exhibit their work in digital form, present their portfolio, stand out on social media and want to convince collectors.

Feature List:

• Interiors of more than two hundred living, gallery, commercial and studio rooms
• The possibility to feed personalized interiors
• Add a watermark
• Change dimensions of the artwork manually or achieve realistic artwork proportions in all interior
• Cut 
• Adjust exposure, contrast, warmth, saturation, shadow and more for the interior and the works of art
• Choose from several frame colors, materials and sizes
• Via 10 background designs to choose from
• Rasterlayouts to arrange several works of art
• Adaptable wall, floor colors and textures
• JPG, PNG or PSD files can be exported.
• Option for saving in the cloud

How does it look in terms of price:

Unlimited access to all premium functions and daily content updates during the subscription period are available in the weekly subscription for USD 6.99 per week. The annual subscription costs $ 69.99 per year.

Alternative apps for mockup presentations:

• Art Mockup: Smartist Creator
• ArtMywall - Show Art on Walls
• Wallpictureapp: Show Anything
• Art days: Display Your Art

Virtual reality art exhibitions with artSeps

The target group of species are those artists and organizations that plan exhibitions, be it virtually or physically, but do not have a high budget. With the help of a 3D editor, an individual exhibition space be developed. There is also the possibility to select a finished room template.

In this area you can design your exhibition and your guests can then move freely. For the exhibition, it is possible not only to integrate two -dimensional media (such as photographs and paintings), but also three -dimensional media (such as sculptures and installations) as well as films. In addition to the integration into websites, the virtual exhibitions also be distributed via links. For the creation of your exhibition and the virtual visit, only a computer or a smartphone that is connected to the Internet are required.

A "private space" is one of the additional services that offer artsteps as an optional extra for the free basic service. These services can cost between a few hundred and a few thousand euros per month, depending on whether they are used for commercial or academic purposes and how many user accounts are required. In contrast to the free variant, the appearance with your own logo, which can be displayed on the registration screen, can be adapted to individual backgrounds and much more.

Furthermore, the URL generated by the computer is replaced by an independent artSPS domain and enables access to restricted exhibitions.

Alternatives to arteps:

• Art matrix
• Iconospace
• cura3d
• Curat10n
• VR All Art

Are the existing solutions for your purposes neglected? Then you will learn with us how to develop your own art space as an app or find a competent and at the same time affordable service provider.

Develop your own art space app

Before you start, you should first formulate a catalog of requirements to your own app. What functions did you miss in the above solutions? Which individualization and adaptation options do you need? Who is your target group? etc.

Since we do not have the necessary programming knowledge for providing a step-by-step instructions for the development of such an app, we would like to recommend Google Developers Codelab: Create to Art Space App

By using what you learn in this codelab, you create your own digital art environment, an application that indicates a variety of works of art according to your own ideas. Together with previous codelabs, in which you are given step-by-step instructions, you will receive all the necessary guidelines and suggestions for the development of the app.

Creating an application itself is a complex task. You should have sufficient experience in app development. If you are not sure how certain components of the application should be implemented, you can use earlier codelabs at any time.

If you create this application yourself and find solutions for the challenges you meet on the go, learn faster and can implement unique concepts. Another advantage is that the application can be completely changed and adjusted (topic to adapt the design is explained in a later codelab).

Requirements (Attention: Now it will be something Geeky):

• Know-how to create and carry out a project in Android Studio
• Experience with the Kotlin Syntax, including Boolescher expressions and Whhen expressions.
• Possibility to use elementary jetpack compose concepts, e.g. B. the use of states with mutable tests.
• Experience with combinable functions, including combinable texts, images and buttons.

Budget-friendly app development: How to realize high-quality mobile applications with limited means

A third option is to have an app programmed .

The development of a mobile app does not have to cost a fortune. Many professional artists, galleries and artificial stone directions shy away from digital projects because they fear high development costs. budget-oriented app development is not only possible, but can produce powerful and user-friendly solutions as well as large-scale projects.

The key lies in strategic planning, targeted technology selection and clear prioritization. If you work with an experienced app agency Berlin , you can avoid costly detours from the start and have an app developed that is focused on the essentials.

Important principles for cost-efficient app development

A price -conscious implementation begins in the conception phase. The following applies: less is often more - especially when it comes to functions. The waiver of unnecessary extras not only reduces the development time, but also later maintenance costs. The following list provides an overview of the central principles:

• MVP approach (minimum VIABLE product). Development only of the most important core functions for market entry.
• Open source technologies. Use of free frameworks and libraries reduces license costs.
• Cross-platform development. A code for several platforms such as iOS and Android saves resources.
• Agile project management. Iterative procedure prevents undesirable developments and saves money in the long term.
• External app agencies with experience. Access to scalable teams, optimized processes and best practices.

These measures help to use resources in a targeted manner. The MVP approach is particularly popular because it enables fast market tests and avoids unnecessary features before the user needs are clearly emerging.

Cost comparison of different development methods

In the following, the table shows typical methods for app development and its effects on the budget:

The table illustrates that not every method is suitable for every project. If you need performance, you have to invest in native development. For budget projects (for individual artists, cooperatives or minor initiatives), on the other hand, cross-platform or even no-code is recommended. Professional advice from an app agency (e.g. in the App stronghold Berlin) can help choose the right way.

Avoid hidden cost traps: what you have to consider in budget projects

Even with favorable app development, drives. A common mistake is to underestimate the maintenance costs. Favorable code is not automatically maintenance -friendly. It is therefore essential to pay attention to clean, documented code from the start - even if this costs more. Costs for app store certifications, Privacy requirements (e.g. GDPR), regular updates or in-app support are also often overlooked.

The choice of cheap tools should not be at the expense of quality or scalability. This applies in particular to financially strong art galleries, museums or large cultural institutions in which the quality must meet the highest demands.

Intelligent planning beats great budget

The development of a mobile application with a small budget is not only possible, but - if the implementation is correct - can even create competitive advantages. Instead of investing in overloaded functions, the focus is on user -friendliness, scalability and a clean technical foundation.

Especially for artists with a manageable budget, art start-ups and small galleries, it is worthwhile to rely app agency Berlin This creates solutions that not only remain in the budget frame, but also convince with the target group.

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.

www. kunstplaza .de/