How Your Smart TV Can Add a Touch of Art to Your Living Room

A smart TV can take up a lot of space in your living space, but it doesn’t have to be a featureless black void when it’s on standby. Most TVs and streaming devices can be customized to display some unique artwork or your favorite photos to enhance the look of any room.

Today’s smart TV is more than just an entertainment device; it’s a decorative piece that adds a touch of beauty to your home. By displaying high-resolution artwork, a smart TV can transform your living room into an art gallery. Whether you prefer classic paintings or modern photos, you can now browse a variety of artworks with ease, adding a personal and stylish touch to your personal space. Check out how to use your smart TV without an internet connection.

Get some artwork to show on TV.

Digital cameras and smartphones produce high-resolution images that will usually look good on larger television screens. However, when you get your favorite artwork online, you should download it in the highest resolution possible for the best results. Be sure to check whether you can download the image if you don’t pay for it or whether it is copyright-free (for example, in the United States, it is legal to use artwork produced before 1923).

If you’re happy with suggested images, many TVs and streaming devices have built-in galleries. Amazon’s Alexa even offers up original AI-generated artwork via the Fire TV Stick. Alternatively, a quick Google search for digital art will yield plenty of options for downloading tasteful images for just a few dollars.

What are your options for displaying artwork on TV?

There are many options for displaying artwork and photos on your smart TV screen. If you are unable to use your current devices, there is a solution that will suit most requirements and budgets:

Compact TV Shows

Most TV manufacturers have realized that we like to see our favorite photos as screensavers, and Samsung has designed its Frame line of TVs around this principle. Samsung TVs and newer LG TVs include a photo gallery app as standard.

Other brands, including TCL and Vizio, have built-in screensaver and gallery features where you can add your own photos, which can be accessed from their settings. Google TV also has a screensaver setting that can be linked to your Google Photos account to access your favorite artwork and photos.

TV Gallery Apps

If your TV doesn’t have a built-in photo gallery, you can download an app from the built-in app store or get an app for your Android or iOS device that turns your TV into a digital photo frame. These apps include the Amazon Fire TV app, Google Photos, and Roku Photo Streams, which work with compatible TVs and devices, as well as brand-specific streaming apps, like Sony’s Photo Sharing Plus.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to paid apps like Pixo, which runs the selected photo gallery on most smart devices.

USB storage devices

Perhaps the easiest way to view media on a smart TV is to connect a storage device to an available USB port. This could be a simple flash drive, which can be purchased for just a few dollars with more than enough storage space to accommodate a large gallery of photos.

The USB drive can then be accessed via the TV or media player settings and can usually be configured to act as a screensaver.

Connectable streaming devices

A streaming device will turn your regular TV into a smart TV, or you can use it as an extension to your existing smart TV. These devices are generally affordable, and most have a built-in gallery function that displays selected artwork and/or photos in a slideshow format when the TV is on standby.

For example, Chromecast and Android TV devices often turn into a photo gallery when the device is not in use. Check out our roundup of the best streaming devices you can buy this year.

How to Create Artwork on Popular Smart TVs

Once you've organized your favorite artwork or photo collection, you can set it to play as a slideshow when your TV is on standby. Here are some examples of how to set up your photo gallery for some popular TV brands.

Samsung Smart TVs

Ideally, Samsung requires a Samsung Galaxy device to sync with the TV's Gallery app, so if you don't have one of those tablets or smartphones, you can try another option listed below.

To sync your Samsung device with your Smart TV, follow these steps:

1. Press the Home button on your Samsung remote.
2. Select the Gallery app from the TV app list.
3. When prompted, sign in with your Samsung account password.
4. Select the menu button. .
5. Here, you can configure your slideshow and select which photos you want to display.

LG Smart TVs

Most modern LG TVs have a wide range of artwork in various genres ready to display in standby mode. However, you can also add your own selection of photos and artwork to your LG Gallery from an external storage device, such as a USB flash drive, by following these steps:

1. Press the Home button on your LG Magic Remote.
2. Select the Gallery app at the bottom of the screen.
3. Edit your photos by selecting the “My Photos” menu.
4. Select the “Add” button at the top right of the menu.
5. With the “Add” mode displayed on the screen, you can navigate to external storage devices.
6. Add your photos to your “My Photos” list by clicking the “Add” button.
7. Click “Complete” to save your new images.

Sony Smart TVs

Sony Smart TVs also work well with an external storage device to display photos, which can be accessed via the TV's media player and configured to play a slideshow by following these steps:

1. Upload your artwork and/or photos to a USB storage device.
2. Press the Home button, then select the Media button, which looks like a triangular “play” icon.
3. Select images using the remote control up and down buttons and press agree To confirm.
4. Select your USB storage device and click to confirm the photo folder.
5. Navigate to the options button using the up and down control buttons and press agree.
6. Select file options and click on agree.
7. Select an image to frame and click agree To confirm.
8. Press Back to return to the device selection menu.

How to Create Artworks Using Popular Streaming Devices

Streaming devices are affordable, plug-and-play solutions that turn your regular TV into a smart one and provide a practical alternative to smart TV apps. A major benefit of most streaming devices is that you can easily play your photos and photo galleries when your TV is on standby. Check out Streaming Device vs. Smart TV Apps: Which is Better for You?

Google Chromecast

Displays Chromecast From Google Media from your Google Photos library using the Google Home app on your Android device. Create an album in Google Photos containing your artwork and photos and follow these steps to display them as a screensaver on your TV:

1. Open the Google Home app on your Android device.
2. Select Chromecast from the list.
3. Click on Settings in the top corner.
4. Tap Ambient Mode, then select Google Photos.
5. Select the album that contains your artwork and/or photos.

Amazon Fire TV Stick

Amazon Photos is a photo viewing platform for Android and iOS that works with Fire TV Stick As a screensaver. Here's how to display your favorite photos using your Amazon Fire TV Stick:

1. Download the free Amazon Photos app.
2. Create a collection of images to use as a screensaver.
3. Open Fire TV settings on your TV.
4. Specify screen saver.
5. Click on the current screensaver and select the curated collection of images from Amazon Photos.

Apple TV

Apple TV works similarly to Google's Chromecast and Google TV but uses Apple's Photos app instead of Google Photos. Follow these steps to use your photos and artwork as a screensaver:

1. Organize a gallery of artwork or photos in the Photos app on your Apple device.
2. Open the Photos app on your Apple TV.
3. Go to “Albums” in the menu bar.
4. Select the album you have organized and select “Set as screen saver”.
5. Click to confirm your selection.

These are just some of the common ways to turn your smart TV into an aesthetically pleasing gallery standby. As a bonus, your backlit screen will often bring out the vibrant colors and improve the resolution of your artwork. Whether you’re using it as a digital photo frame or a moving art gallery, it’s worth looking into your TV or streaming device’s settings to get the most out of your specific model whenever possible. Now you can see what to consider before using your TV as a computer monitor.