Our art comes as one 16:9 JPG at 3840 x 2160 pixels, the same shape as your TV screen. This guide shows how to get it onto your TV. It works on Samsung The Frame and on other TVs that can show your own pictures.
Before you start, save the JPG on your phone or computer. Our guide How to Download Your Frame TV Art After You Buy explains that step.
TVs with an art mode: the general steps
Most TVs with an art mode use a phone app from the TV maker. The names differ, but the steps are much the same:
- Install the TV maker's app on your phone, sign in and add your TV. Keep the phone and the TV on the same Wi-Fi network.
- Open the art mode part of the app and look for your own photos.
- Pick the JPG from your phone and upload it.
- Choose a full-screen view without a border, so the art fills the screen.
- Set the picture as the art the TV shows.
Step by step in the SmartThings app
On Samsung The Frame, you add your own art with the SmartThings app.
- Install SmartThings from the App Store or Google Play and sign in with your Samsung account.
- Check that your phone and the TV are on the same Wi-Fi network. If the TV is not in the app yet, add it as a new device and follow the steps on screen.
- Tap your TV in the list of devices.
- Tap Art Mode.
- Find the section for your own photos and tap the button to add one.
- Choose the JPG from your phone's photos and upload it.
- When the app asks for a mat (a border around the picture, also called a matte), choose no mat. A mat makes the picture smaller and puts a border around it. Our files are made to fill the whole screen.
- Send the picture to the TV. The TV switches to art mode and shows it.
The menu names change a little between app versions, but the path stays the same: your TV, Art Mode, your photos, add. On the TV remote, a short press on the power button switches between TV and art mode.
Why the file fits without cropping
Your TV screen is 16:9, and so is our file. The app has nothing to crop and nothing to stretch. If you ever use a picture of another shape, such as a square or a portrait photo, the app may ask you to crop it or it may add bars at the sides. You will not see that with our art. Frame TV Art Size and Resolution explains the shape and the pixels in more detail.
Other smart TVs: use a USB stick
Most smart TVs can show a photo from a USB stick, even without an art mode.
- On your computer, copy the JPG to a USB stick.
- Plug the stick into a USB port on the TV.
- Open the USB stick on the TV. Look for a Media, USB or Photos app, or press the Source or Input button on the remote.
- Open the JPG and choose full screen.
- If the picture turns off after a few minutes, check the TV's screen saver and power saving settings.
If the TV does not see the stick, format it as FAT32 or exFAT on a computer and copy the file again. Formatting erases everything on the stick, so use an empty one.
Some TVs also have a gallery or ambient mode for your own photos. Some TVs with Google TV, for example, can show a Google Photos album as a screen saver.
Make it look its best
When the art is on the screen, a few settings make a big difference: brightness, color tone and the sensors. We explain them in The Best Art Mode Settings for Your Frame TV.
A word on still pictures
TVs made for art mode are built to show a still picture for hours. On other TVs, especially OLED screens, one picture left on for many hours a day can leave a faint mark on the screen over time. If you have an OLED TV, show the art for shorter periods or use a slideshow, and follow the advice in your TV's manual.
Need help?
Every TV is a little different. If you get stuck, send us a message through the Contact page with your TV model, and we will do our best to help. Not sure which art to put up first? Have a look at How to Choose Frame TV Art for Your Room and the Season.