Second Canvas
Category - Art GallerySecond Canvas Reviews and Product Details
Second Canvas is a prominent tool used by institutions such as the Prado Museum, Mauritshuis in the Netherlands, SMK in Denmark and others for building multimedia experiences. The software converts super high-resolution images (more than twenty-four Mpx) into zoomable files (including additional multimedia layers) and publishes it in formats appropriate for apps, websites, and digital exhibitions.
High-resolution images converted into a browsable format offer website visitors a 3D or 360º view of a painting or sculpture. By enriching your artwork with multimedia layers (texts, images, audio), you invite users into an interactive experience. The experience could be even more profound with additional information about the artist, style, a thorough description of the artwork, the location of the museum, and even related art pieces.
While most artworks are silent expressions of an artist’s ideas and feelings, they still tell stories. To elevate the storytelling, you can always include notes about technique, composition, characters, and historical background, which would be an educational and relatable journey for viewers and a better interpretation of a specific artwork.
Overall, Second Canvas offers some of the most advanced features to create interactive experiences (using a Content Management System), including infrared artworks and X-ray formats, allowing visitors to switch between layers, and discover hidden details, pentimento, sketches and more.
Features
- Private Exhibition Rooms
- Zoomable Images
- Intuitive Multimedia Content
- Art Gallery Management
- Exhibitions Management
- Client Relationship
- Marketing and Promotion
- Artist Portal
- Tools and Website Integration
- Inventory Management
- Enterprise-level Security
- Artwork Location Tracking
- Online Invoicing
- Transactional Services
- Budgets and Financial Management
- Ticketing and Membership
- Group Sales and Tours
- Fundraising and Relationship Management
- Grant Management
Second Canvas pricing
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$900/yearLearn more
Second Canvas reviews
What our experts think
Pros:
One advantage that stands out is that Second Canvas does not limit publishing images to their website or app only. As a gallery owner (management/social media strategist), you are permitted to publish SHR images to any platform of your choice (Second Canvas will generate the appropriate format). For instance, a library of images for a mobile app, a widget for a website, and objects to include in iBooks and digital publications.
(For those organizations that do not have an app, Second Canvas offers a solution for creating one that would be built based on previously digitized images of their collection, compatible with both iOS and Android.)
What I take away from researching Second Canvas is that they do not overcomplicate. The process of grouping artworks is intuitive and user-friendly. You can create as many groupings as you see the need with previously uploaded and enriched artworks. To make it easier for website viewers to navigate, you can also offer them themed rooms and virtuals exhibition visits.
Here, I would also recommend choosing several works of art that you want to highlight to attract visitors’ attention and create banners about those artworks (or exhibitions) to drive more traffic to your website.
For those gallerists or art curators who will decide to create an app using Second Canvas, but would not feel comfortable sharing their credentials (to allow Second Canvas’ team to take care of publishing images), there is an alternative solution: they will use their own developer credentials for posting and announcing technical updates.
The immersive experience of discovering and viewing artworks is multidimensional and works both inside and outside a museum or a gallery. Use the material (SHR images and additional data) in a class or when reaching a new audience online by offering digitalized versions of exhibitions, converted into a browsable format.
“Second Canvas is a very powerful tool. It is amazing how easy it is to create a new history focused on the details of an artwork,” noted a satisfied user.
At the same time, nothing surpasses a visit to a museum, and using Second Canvas, you can offer visitors digitalized interaction via their devices or screens installed throughout a gallery to improve interpretation and knowledge of each artwork.
“We are using Second Canvas to give our visitors a new perspective on our artworks. We aim to use Second Canvas as an additional resource to be used during their museum visit. Second Canvas is also used as an educational resource for specific activities run by our educational department,” according to another user of the software.
Cons:
Although we found no significant complaints, one reviewer noted that Second Canvas software was designed with individual interaction in mind, which makes it less convenient when multiple users try to view art objects simultaneously.
About the author
Maria Kossman