How To Add Your Own Art or Photos to the Samsung Frame TV

The Samsung Frame TV is designed to display artwork when you're not watching content. While Samsung's Art Store has thousands of pieces, many owners want to add their own photos, family portraits, or custom artwork. This guide covers every method to get your personal images onto The Frame.

Why Add Custom Art to Your Frame TV?

Samsung's Art Store subscription costs $5.99/month. But more importantly, nothing beats seeing your own memories and personal art on display. Wedding photos, travel shots, family portraits — these are the pieces that make your Frame TV truly yours.

The challenge? Samsung requires specific image formats and resolutions for optimal display. A regular phone photo won't look its best without some preparation.

Method 1: SmartThings App (Easiest)

The SmartThings app is the most straightforward way to add custom images to your Frame TV.

Video Walkthrough

Watch the full process from start to finish:

Step-by-Step Process

Your TV must already be added to the SmartThings app before you begin.

1. Open SmartThings and find your Frame TV

Open the SmartThings app and tap the Devices tab. Navigate to the location where your Frame TV is registered and select it.

2. Tap "Art Mode", then "Add Your Photos"

Once your TV is selected, tap Art Mode to enter the art management screen, then tap Add Your Photos to start uploading.

3. Choose your photos and tap "Save on The Frame"

Select one or more images from your phone gallery — pick the 4K artwork you downloaded from PaintMyFrame.ai — then tap Save on The Frame.

4. Select which photo to display

Choose which saved photo to show. You can also apply artistic effects like painting or drawing styles, or set up multiple photos as a slideshow to rotate automatically.

SmartThings Limitations

While convenient, the SmartThings app has some drawbacks. It compresses images during upload, which can reduce quality on larger screens. The app also doesn't provide editing tools for optimizing your photos for the TV's display ratio.

For a 55" or 65" Frame TV, you'll want images at 3840x2160 pixels (4K resolution) for the sharpest display. Phone photos are often higher resolution but in the wrong aspect ratio, leading to cropping or black bars.

Method 2: USB Drive

For the highest quality uploads, use a USB drive.

Preparing Your USB Drive

1. Format a USB drive as FAT32 or exFAT
2. Create a folder on the drive (any name works)
3. Copy your images into the folder
4. Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, BMP
5. Maximum file size: 20MB per image

Loading from USB

1. Insert the USB drive into the port on your Frame TV
2. The TV should detect the drive automatically
3. Navigate to Art Mode settings
4. Select "USB" as the source
5. Browse and select images to add to My Collection

USB Tips

Always use high-resolution images. The Frame TV's panel is 4K (3840x2160), so anything below that resolution will appear soft or pixelated, especially on larger screen sizes.

JPEG is the recommended format for photos. Use PNG only if your image has transparency or sharp graphic elements that would suffer from JPEG compression.

Method 3: Samsung Art Store Upload (PC)

Samsung also offers a web-based upload option through your Samsung account.

1. Visit the Samsung Art Store website
2. Sign in with the same Samsung account linked to your TV
3. Upload images through the web interface
4. Sync your TV to pull the new images

This method is less commonly used but can be convenient if you're editing photos on your computer.

Preparing Your Photos for the Best Display

Getting the image onto the TV is only half the battle. Here's how to make your photos look stunning on The Frame.

Resolution Requirements

• 32" Frame TV: minimum 1920x1080
• 43" Frame TV: 3840x2160 recommended
• 50"-85" Frame TV: 3840x2160 required for sharp display

Aspect Ratio

The Frame TV uses a 16:9 aspect ratio. If your photo is in a different ratio (like 4:3 from older cameras or 9:16 from phone portrait mode), you'll need to either crop it to 16:9 or use a mat frame to fill the remaining space.

Color and Brightness

The Frame TV has a matte display designed to mimic canvas or paper. Keep this in mind when preparing images:

• Slightly boost saturation — the matte finish can make colors appear more muted than on a glossy screen
• Avoid pure white backgrounds — they can look washed out. A slight cream or warm tone looks more natural
• Dark images display beautifully — the anti-reflective coating makes shadows and dark tones look rich

Image Sharpening

Apply moderate sharpening to your images before upload. The matte display panel slightly softens fine details compared to a standard glossy TV screen. A touch of sharpening in your photo editor compensates for this.

Transform Photos Into Paintings

Want your personal photos to look like they belong in a gallery? AI style transfer can transform any photo into an oil painting, watercolor, impressionist piece, or sketch.

Instead of displaying a raw photograph, imagine your family portrait rendered in the style of a classic oil painting, or your vacation sunset transformed into an impressionist masterpiece. This is exactly what style transfer technology does.

Try PaintMyFrame.ai Studio to transform your photos into Frame TV art

Our tool handles the technical requirements automatically — proper 4K resolution, correct aspect ratio, and optimized color for The Frame's matte display. Upload a photo, pick a style, and download a TV-ready image.

Common Issues and Fixes

"Image Not Supported" Error

This usually means the file format isn't recognized or the file is corrupted. Convert your image to JPEG and try again. Some HEIC files from iPhones need to be converted first.

Image Looks Blurry on TV

Your source image resolution is too low. For a 55" Frame TV, you need at least 3840x2160 pixels. Phone screenshots and social media downloads are typically too small.

Colors Look Different on TV

The Frame's matte display renders colors differently than your phone or computer screen. Adjusting the brightness and color tone settings in Art Mode can help match your expectations.

Image Has Black Bars

Your image aspect ratio doesn't match 16:9. Either crop the image to 16:9 before uploading, or use Samsung's built-in mat frames to artistically border the image.

Best Types of Images for The Frame

Some images look dramatically better on The Frame than others:

• Landscape photography — wide shots with rich colors are Frame TV favorites
• Portraits with painterly edits — stylized portraits look like gallery pieces
• Abstract art — bold colors and patterns command attention
• Architectural photography — clean lines and geometric shapes pair well with the TV's form factor
• Seasonal art — rotate holiday or seasonal images throughout the year

Creating a Rotation Playlist

Don't settle for a single static image. The Frame TV supports slideshows:

1. Add multiple images to My Collection
2. In Art Mode settings, select "Slideshow"
3. Set the interval (every 1 minute to every 24 hours)
4. Choose transition style

A curated rotation of 10-20 images keeps your space feeling fresh and dynamic.

Summary

Adding custom art to your Samsung Frame TV is straightforward with three main methods: SmartThings app for convenience, USB for quality, and Samsung's web portal as an alternative. The key to great-looking results is starting with high-resolution 4K images in 16:9 aspect ratio.

For the absolute best results, consider transforming your photos into actual artwork using AI style transfer. A family photo rendered as an oil painting looks infinitely more natural on The Frame than a raw photograph.

Create your first Frame TV masterpiece with PaintMyFrame.ai