Today I’m sharing a simple way to make your smart TV look like art. I love the Samsung Frame TV as much as the next interiors enthusiast (and spoiler alert: I eventually bought one), but did you know it is possible to achieve a similar look with any TV? This design hack will elevate your living room on a budget since digital artwork is generally under $5! Keep reading to learn how to display art on a TV using a flash drive, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast. I will also be sharing Youtube art slideshows that will help you create this look for free. Let’s get started!
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TV Art in Our Living Room
I wanted to begin by showing you some photos of our living room. I was able to make our TV look like artwork using inexpensive digital art. This is a great way to change the vibe of your living room or bedroom on a budget! I love digital artwork because it is so affordable–often under $5–and you can use it over and over. Keep reading to learn how!
The Correct Size for Digital Art
If you already have digital artwork that you would like to display on a TV, the first step is to make sure your artwork is sized correctly. Widescreen TVs have a 16:9 aspect ratio. Many digital prints will come with a file already sized for TV use (I will share some options below).
If necessary, you may crop your digital art to the correct aspect ratio. Use a free website like PicMonkey or a program like Photos on Mac. Simply choose the 16:9 option when cropping, and you are ready! Saving all of your 16:9 digital art to a folder on your computer.
Pre-Sized Digital TV Art
If you would like to skip the hassle of resizing, here are some digital artwork options that are pre-sized for a TV.
Vintage Art Finds
Modern Art Finds
How to Display Art on a TV
Now for the tutorial! There are several ways to display art on a TV, simply choose the one that works best for you.
Display Art with a USB Flash Drive
This is the method I use. Simply copy your folder of digital art onto a flash drive, then plug it into your TV’s USB port–mine is accessible on the side of the TV. This should automatically launch the TV’s photo viewing app, and you will be able to start a slideshow, or a select a photo to view. (The specific steps may vary depending on your TV.)
One thing to note, if you navigate away from the photo viewing app and need to relaunch it, simply unplug the flash drive, and then plug it in again.
Display Art with a Roku
- Upload your digital artwork to a Google Photos album
- Install the Photo View channel
- Sign in with Google and select your album
- In Roku settings, select Photo View as your screensaver
More Roku info HERE.
Display Art with a Fire TV
- Upload your photos to an Amazon Photos collection
- On Fire TV, click Display and Sounds > Screensaver
- Click Current Screensaver and select you photo collection
More Fire TV info HERE.
Display Art with an Apple TV
- Add your digital artwork to an album in Photos on Mac
- Tap the up arrow and create a Shared Album
- Open the Photos app on Apple TV, then swipe to the Shared category in the menu. (If you don’t see the Shared category, go to Settings > Users and Accounts > iCloud and turn on Shared Albums.)
- Select your shared album, then select Set as Screen Saver and confirm.
More Apple TV info HERE.
Display Art with a Chromecast
- Upload your digital artwork to a Google Photos album
- Open the Google Home app on your phone
- Choose your Chromecast device
- Tap Settings > Ambient Mode > Google Photos
More Chromecast info HERE.
Make a TV Look Like Art with YouTube Slideshows
An additional easy way to display art on your TV is to search for art slideshows on YouTube. Most smart TVs have an app, or the ability to cast a video from your phone. Here is some of my favorite TV artwork on YouTube:
Check out this post about our IKEA modern media console!
And there you have it, several options for turning your TV into a beautiful work of art. I would love to hear your thoughts below, especially if I need to update any of my instructions. Hope you found this post helpful! If you would like, sign up for my email list so you never miss a post. XO,
So many ways to display beautiful art on the tv! Thank you!
Can you use the flash drive on any smart TV or only specific brands?
Hi Oonagh! Since all TVs are different, I would check yours or read the product description online if you are purchasing a new TV. You could also try one of the other methods for displaying art–the Youtube slideshows are one of the easiest ways! 🙂
Great tips, thank you! I just wanted to note that people should think about the energy use of a tv. Therefore, I will be using your tips, but only for special occasions.
Thanks Lisanne! This is a great point and one of the reasons I eventually upgraded to the Samsung Frame TV since it uses very little energy to display art.