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Creator here! Artpip started off as a side project to help me learn a bit more about art in general and has grown from there. It's been great fun making it and

Creator here! Artpip started off as a side project to help me learn a bit more about art in general and has grown from there. It's been great fun making it and I have learnt A LOT about art history in the process. I can now recognise a lot of painters and have got pretty good at dating/categorising paintings (compared to before, at least!). Happy to answer any questions.

speps 9y ago
Could it update the lock screen picture as well? I find that a lot more interesting than the desktop which I barely ever see.
- mcjiggerlog 9y ago
  I presume you mean on Windows. Unfortunately this is pretty difficult. I'd like to make it happen so I'll look into it again at some point.
  - throwaway9933 9y ago
    from what I recall you are able to set it from the registry. create this key with a string value called 'LockScreenImage', this string should point directly to an image, i.e: C:\.... HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization throwaway because of not wanting to get arrested for hacking the registry
  - voltagex_ 9y ago
    ??? http://www.kunal-chowdhury.com/2015/11/uwp-lock-screen.html http://www.kunal-chowdhury.com/2015/11/uwp-lock-screen.html
    - H4CK3RM4N 9y ago
      But it's not an UWP.
      - voltagex_ 9y ago
        Yep. You can now call these APIs from the desktop, AFAIK.
        connorcpu 9y ago
        There may be a little more to it, but sadly after setting it up for a couple hours, it seems the TrySetLockScreenImageAsync method always returns failure from a non-UWP app :( If anyone else wants to tinker with it https://gist.github.com/Connicpu/8b092b2c0ad539573b893dbca54c5c9a https://gist.github.com/Connicpu/8b092b2c0ad539573b893dbca54...
        voltagex_ 9y ago
        Sorry. Seems it's limited in what paths pictures can be loaded from. Bloody Microsoft.
  - H4CK3RM4N 9y ago
    I use a screensaver on my Mac, and it seems like it refuses to recognise the image in ~/Library/Application Support/Artpip/images as an inmate without the .jpg extension. Is there any chance of you changing the images to use a .jpg extension, so I can set my screensaver to use your folder automatically.
    - mcjiggerlog 9y ago
      Interesting. Yeah, I can do that.
- kojoru 9y ago
  There's another project that does exactly that, City Art Search: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/city-art-search/9wzdncrdtbtp?wa=wsignin1.0 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/city-art-search/9wzd...
  - icc97 9y ago
    Wow that's the first app from the Windows store that I actually wanted to install.
    - ableal 9y ago
      It's very nice on Windows tablets and phones (a vanishing species, unfortunately). The author has posted about it on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/windowsphone/comments/5yjdpp/city_art_search_reached_8000_artworks_in_database/ https://www.reddit.com/r/windowsphone/comments/5yjdpp/city_a...
  - kojoru 9y ago
    Please also note that you might be better served by a new "Preview" version here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/cas-preview/9nblggh434kn https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/cas-preview/9nblggh4... Don't know why they still keep it in preview.
cocacola1 9y ago
Any resources you can suggest to learn more about art history? Preferably some books as well. I like the idea, though. I don't really look at my desktop very often, but this might give me that push. Question on the project, though. Whenever I step away from my laptop for a minute, I have a hot corner to display a screen saver. Any way of using this as a substitute for the screen savers, so it'll just cycle art?
- jdgiese 9y ago
  I recommend reading "The Story of Art" by Gombrich. It is very well written, although perhaps it should have been called "The Story of Western Art".
  - mcjiggerlog 9y ago
    I was going to recommend the same book. It's a pretty good starting place. I've also enjoyed Theories of Modern Art by Chipp [1]. Gives a great insight into the mind of the artist. [1] http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93073.Theories_of_Modern_Art http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93073.Theories_of_Modern_...
- visarga 9y ago
  > I don't really look at my desktop very often Use an older second monitor that you have laying around. Its proximity to the main monitor will place the paintings right in your viewfield, but your work on the main monitor will be unaffected. When you take a breather you can enjoy art.
  - mcjiggerlog 9y ago
    Don't take this as an officially supported feature, but http://artpip.com/live http://artpip.com/live exists if you want to simply display the featured artwork on a second monitor in a fullscreen browser. It should refresh and stay up to date. I'm using it to power my ghetto live painting - http://i.imgur.com/bNDEZTu.jpg http://i.imgur.com/bNDEZTu.jpg
- vertebrate 9y ago
smartbit 9y ago
The Amsterdam Rijksmuseum has a large collection of high resolution pictures available for download https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio without cost. If you make a collection that fit a screen or with proper cropping and have each individual user create it's own account it would save you the bandwidth :-)
- mcjiggerlog 9y ago
  I've been burned too many times by hotlinking to third parties and then having the source disappear on me. Thanks for the link though, I'll look into including some of the imagery.
bananaboy 9y ago
If you don't mind my asking, are you making money from this? Maybe you could do an interview over at indiehackers.com!
- mcjiggerlog 9y ago
  I was trying to support it through the print sales at first and that was nowhere near covering costs as there wasn't much interest to be honest. The Pro version was only launched last week, so still early days!
scandox 9y ago
Could we have discovery mode for unknown/new artists' work?
- mcjiggerlog 9y ago
  I'd definitely like to support current artists at some point. I wasn't sure what the best way to build up a library would be, though. I guess just manually contacting artists.
- alexcp_ 9y ago
  althought the content is more concept art instead of fine art, you might like the Artstation Chrome extension, it's a great way to discover new artist: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/artstation-discover/ghkbedmkakkdhfkhchadmkhlflnafocm https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/artstation-discove...
nasht100 9y ago
Love the app! Just bought a license :) Re: Art history - It would be great to see a blurb about the artwork in the app to put some context to the work. eg: https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/asset/fanatics-of-tangier/GQFWfe9Fn0D95Q https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/asset/fanatics...

speps 9y ago

Could it update the lock screen picture as well? I find that a lot more interesting than the desktop which I barely ever see.

mcjiggerlog 9y ago
I presume you mean on Windows. Unfortunately this is pretty difficult. I'd like to make it happen so I'll look into it again at some point.
- throwaway9933 9y ago
  from what I recall you are able to set it from the registry. create this key with a string value called 'LockScreenImage', this string should point directly to an image, i.e: C:\.... HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization throwaway because of not wanting to get arrested for hacking the registry
- voltagex_ 9y ago
  ??? http://www.kunal-chowdhury.com/2015/11/uwp-lock-screen.html http://www.kunal-chowdhury.com/2015/11/uwp-lock-screen.html
  - H4CK3RM4N 9y ago
    But it's not an UWP.
    - voltagex_ 9y ago
      Yep. You can now call these APIs from the desktop, AFAIK.
      - connorcpu 9y ago
        There may be a little more to it, but sadly after setting it up for a couple hours, it seems the TrySetLockScreenImageAsync method always returns failure from a non-UWP app :( If anyone else wants to tinker with it https://gist.github.com/Connicpu/8b092b2c0ad539573b893dbca54c5c9a https://gist.github.com/Connicpu/8b092b2c0ad539573b893dbca54...
        voltagex_ 9y ago
        Sorry. Seems it's limited in what paths pictures can be loaded from. Bloody Microsoft.
- H4CK3RM4N 9y ago
  I use a screensaver on my Mac, and it seems like it refuses to recognise the image in ~/Library/Application Support/Artpip/images as an inmate without the .jpg extension. Is there any chance of you changing the images to use a .jpg extension, so I can set my screensaver to use your folder automatically.
  - mcjiggerlog 9y ago
    Interesting. Yeah, I can do that.
kojoru 9y ago
There's another project that does exactly that, City Art Search: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/city-art-search/9wzdncrdtbtp?wa=wsignin1.0 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/city-art-search/9wzd...
- icc97 9y ago
  Wow that's the first app from the Windows store that I actually wanted to install.
  - ableal 9y ago
    It's very nice on Windows tablets and phones (a vanishing species, unfortunately). The author has posted about it on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/windowsphone/comments/5yjdpp/city_art_search_reached_8000_artworks_in_database/ https://www.reddit.com/r/windowsphone/comments/5yjdpp/city_a...
- kojoru 9y ago
  Please also note that you might be better served by a new "Preview" version here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/cas-preview/9nblggh434kn https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/cas-preview/9nblggh4... Don't know why they still keep it in preview.

cocacola1 9y ago

Any resources you can suggest to learn more about art history? Preferably some books as well. I like the idea, though. I don't really look at my desktop very often, but this might give me that push. Question on the project, though. Whenever I step away from my laptop for a minute, I have a hot corner to display a screen saver. Any way of using this as a substitute for the screen savers, so it'll just cycle art?

jdgiese 9y ago
I recommend reading "The Story of Art" by Gombrich. It is very well written, although perhaps it should have been called "The Story of Western Art".
- mcjiggerlog 9y ago
  I was going to recommend the same book. It's a pretty good starting place. I've also enjoyed Theories of Modern Art by Chipp [1]. Gives a great insight into the mind of the artist. [1] http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93073.Theories_of_Modern_Art http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93073.Theories_of_Modern_...
visarga 9y ago
> I don't really look at my desktop very often Use an older second monitor that you have laying around. Its proximity to the main monitor will place the paintings right in your viewfield, but your work on the main monitor will be unaffected. When you take a breather you can enjoy art.
- mcjiggerlog 9y ago
  Don't take this as an officially supported feature, but http://artpip.com/live http://artpip.com/live exists if you want to simply display the featured artwork on a second monitor in a fullscreen browser. It should refresh and stay up to date. I'm using it to power my ghetto live painting - http://i.imgur.com/bNDEZTu.jpg http://i.imgur.com/bNDEZTu.jpg
vertebrate 9y ago

smartbit 9y ago

The Amsterdam Rijksmuseum has a large collection of high resolution pictures available for download https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio without cost. If you make a collection that fit a screen or with proper cropping and have each individual user create it's own account it would save you the bandwidth :-)

mcjiggerlog 9y ago
I've been burned too many times by hotlinking to third parties and then having the source disappear on me. Thanks for the link though, I'll look into including some of the imagery.

bananaboy 9y ago

If you don't mind my asking, are you making money from this? Maybe you could do an interview over at indiehackers.com!

mcjiggerlog 9y ago
I was trying to support it through the print sales at first and that was nowhere near covering costs as there wasn't much interest to be honest. The Pro version was only launched last week, so still early days!

scandox 9y ago

Could we have discovery mode for unknown/new artists' work?

mcjiggerlog 9y ago
I'd definitely like to support current artists at some point. I wasn't sure what the best way to build up a library would be, though. I guess just manually contacting artists.
alexcp_ 9y ago
althought the content is more concept art instead of fine art, you might like the Artstation Chrome extension, it's a great way to discover new artist: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/artstation-discover/ghkbedmkakkdhfkhchadmkhlflnafocm https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/artstation-discove...

nasht100 9y ago

Love the app! Just bought a license :) Re: Art history - It would be great to see a blurb about the artwork in the app to put some context to the work. eg: https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/asset/fanatics-of-tangier/GQFWfe9Fn0D95Q https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/asset/fanatics...