Artist Studio Pro
Web App User Guide
Everything you need to know about using the web app - from activation to advanced color mixing.
Getting Started
What Is Artist Studio Pro?
Artist Studio Pro is a web app that runs in your browser - no download required. It works on any device with a modern browser and gives you instant access to 1,400+ hand-mixed oil paint recipes. Your purchase also includes a mobile app for Android and iPhone as a free bonus, plus desktop apps for Windows and Mac. All versions share the same recipe database.
What You Need
- A modern web browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, or Brave)
- An internet connection to load the app and validate your license
- Your Gumroad license key (from your purchase receipt email)
Accessing the Web App
Go to:
You'll see the activation screen where you enter your license key.
Activating Your License
Finding Your License Key
When you purchased Artist Studio Pro on Gumroad, you received a confirmation email with your license key. It looks like this:
If you can't find the email, log in to your Gumroad account at gumroad.com → Library → Artist Studio Pro - your license key will be displayed.
Entering Your Key
Important Notes
- Your license key works on any device - just enter it at artiststudiopro.art/app.
- You can use the app on multiple devices by entering the same key on each one.
Signing Out
Click Sign Out in the bottom-right corner of the toolbar. This clears your license from the browser.
Your First Session - Quick Start
Here's the fastest way to get started:
That's it. You're color-mixing. 🎨
Setting Up Your Palette
Why This Matters
Artist Studio Pro contains 1,400+ hand-mixed recipes using combinations of 23 oil pigments. The My Palette feature filters those recipes so you only see mixes you can actually make with the tubes you own.
How to Select Your Colors
- Look for the My Palette panel on the right side of the app
- Click on each pigment you own - it will become highlighted
- Click again to deselect a pigment you don't have
Although the app was built primarily using Rublev oil colors (with Cobalt Turquoise from Kama Pigments), you can use your own brand. The pigment names correspond to standard pigment types that most professional brands offer.
Loading a Reference Image
Uploading Your Own Image
Click the upload area in the main canvas section, or drag and drop an image file directly onto it. Supported formats: JPG, PNG, WEBP.
Image Size
For best performance, use images under 4000 pixels wide. The app will handle larger images but they may load slower on mobile devices.
Changing Your Image
Simply upload a new image at any time. Your previous session palette and settings are preserved.
Zoom & Pan
Use the + and − buttons in the toolbar above the canvas to zoom in and out. The current zoom level is shown as a percentage between the buttons. Click Reset to return to the default view.
You can also:
- Scroll (mouse wheel) to zoom in and out
- Click and drag to pan around the image when zoomed in
- Click (without dragging) to pick a color
Using the Mix Finder
How Color Matching Works
When you click on your reference image:
Reading a Result Card
| Element | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Color swatch | Visual preview of the actual mixed paint color |
| Pigment names | The paints used in the mix (e.g., "Raw Umber + Titanium or Lead White") |
| Hex code | The measured hex value of the mixed color |
| ΔE score | Perceptual color distance - lower = closer match |
Understanding ΔE Scores
| ΔE Range | What It Means |
|---|---|
| 0 – 3 | Virtually identical - excellent match |
| 3 – 7 | Very close - minimal visible difference |
| 7 – 15 | Good starting point - may need slight adjustment on the palette |
| 15 – 25 | Useful directional guide - you'll need to fine-tune |
| 25+ | Not shown - too far from the target to be useful |
About White Pigments
Recipes show "Titanium or Lead White" because both whites work, but they behave differently:
- Lead White - changes value but preserves color character. More transparent tinting. Great for subtle tones and portrait flesh.
- Titanium White - stronger tinter, can shift the hue slightly and brighten more. Better when you need opacity and brightness.
- You can combine both in a single mix. Having both on your palette is ideal.
Visual Tools - Posterize, Grid & Image Adjustments
Posterize
The Posterize tool simplifies your reference image into flat color zones, making it easier to see the big value shapes before you start mixing.
- Use the Greyscale button to toggle between color and greyscale independently
- Use the Posterize slider to adjust value levels from 2 to 8
- Greyscale works on its own — turn it on without posterize to study tonal values
- Click on a greyscale image to get grey mix recommendations using your palette
- Fewer posterize levels = simpler shapes, useful for blocking in
- More levels = more nuance, useful for refining
Grid Overlay
The Grid tool overlays a proportional division grid on your reference image:
- Customizable number of columns
- The grid scales perfectly with your image
- Use it to transfer compositions accurately to your canvas
Image Adjustments
The Image Adjustments panel sits on the right side below your pigment browser. It gives you four sliders to fine-tune how your reference image looks on screen:
- Brightness (70% to 130%) - darken your reference to see shadow values more clearly, or lighten it to study highlights
- Chroma (0% to 200%) - boost color intensity to identify subtle hues, or reduce it to study muted tones
- Temperature (-30 to +30) - warm up or cool down your reference to simulate different lighting conditions or compare warm vs cool palettes
- Sepia (0% to 100%) - add a warm sepia tone to your reference, useful for studying old master paintings or previewing an underpainting effect
All sliders move in small steps for very gradual, precise control. Click the Reset button to snap all sliders back to their defaults instantly.
These adjustments are purely visual and do not affect the actual color data. When you click a color to get mix recommendations, the app always reads the original pixel values.
Session Palette
As you click colors in your reference image, the Session Palette keeps a running list of every color you've sampled during the current session. This is useful for:
- Reviewing all the colors you've identified for a painting
- Comparing adjacent colors you've sampled
- Building a mental map of the painting's color relationships
The Session Palette can be cleared by deselecting your colors when you want to start a fresh session.
Studio Log - Paintings
The Studio Log is a full painting journal built into the app. Click the Studio Log button to open it in a new tab.
Creating a Painting Record
Click + New Painting to start a new record. Each painting has multiple sections:
Basic Info
| Field | What to Enter |
|---|---|
| Title | Name of the painting |
| Size | e.g., 16×20 inches, 30×40 cm |
| Medium | e.g., Oil, Watercolor |
| Support | e.g., Stretched Linen, Panel |
| Ground | e.g., Lead Ground, Gesso |
| Status | In Progress / Finished / On Hold |
| Series | Group related paintings (e.g., "Prairie Skies") |
Purpose / Destination
Tag what the painting is for - personal study, exhibition, commission, sale, gift.
Palette & Technique
| Field | What to Enter |
|---|---|
| Selected Colors | List the pigments used |
| Palette Notes | Mixing observations, proportions |
| Technique Approach | Alla prima, glazing, impasto, etc. |
| Method Notes | Brushwork, layering order, underpainting details |
| Medium/Solvent Notes | e.g., walnut oil, spike lavender, stand oil ratios |
Notes & To-Do
A freeform notes area plus a per-painting checklist for next session reminders, areas needing correction, and finishing tasks.
Session Log
Record each work session with a date and session notes. Sessions accumulate chronologically so you have a full history of the painting's progression.
Shows & Artist Calls
Track exhibitions and submissions - show name, type, status, location, entry deadline, and show dates.
Commission Details
Toggle "This is a Commission" to reveal client name, due date, price, payment status, and commission notes.
Sales & Inventory
Track sale status, asking/sale price, buyer name, deposits, and delivery notes.
Materials Tracking
Log every material with cost tracking - name, category, quantity, cost per unit, auto-calculated total cost, and supplier. Builds a full cost-per-painting breakdown.
Image
Upload a photo of the painting for reference.
Searching & Filtering
From the main Paintings list, search by title, painting ID, or series name, and filter by status.
Studio Log - Daily Planner
Switch to the Daily Planner tab in the Studio Log for a day-by-day organizer.
Navigating Dates
Use the ← / → arrows to move between days, or click Today to jump to the current date.
Sections
Today's Top Goals
A checklist of your main intentions for the day. Add goals and check them off as you go.
Studio Schedule
| Block | Typical Use |
|---|---|
| Early Morning | Planning, studies, warm-up sketches |
| Late Morning | Main painting session |
| Afternoon | Detail work, medium checks |
| Evening | Cleanup, reflection, photographing |
Daily To-Do List
Studio tasks that don't belong to a specific painting - supply orders, framing, admin.
Studio Reflections
A freeform journal for recording what went well, breakthroughs, observations about color and technique, and plans for tomorrow.
Session Timer
A floating timer is available in the Studio Log to time your painting sessions.
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| Start | Begin timing |
| Pause | Pause (click Start to resume) |
| Reset | Clear back to 00:00:00 |
| Log Time | Save elapsed time as a session entry on the active painting |
The timer displays HH:MM:SS. Use Log Time at the end of a session to automatically add a timestamped entry to your painting record.
The 23 Pigments
Every recipe in the database is built from this curated palette of historically-informed oil colors:
Whites
Strong tinter, opaque, brightens significantly
Transparent tinting, preserves color, warm
Yellows
Bright, opaque, warm
Traditional warm yellow
Cooler, lighter yellow
Muted golden, earthy
Soft, cool, natural
Workhorse warm earth yellow
Reds & Oranges
Bright, warm, opaque
Cool, deep, transparent
Vivid cool pink-red, transparent (Kama Pigments)
Warm, muted earth orange
Muted mauve-brown
Blues
Warm, transparent, essential mixing blue
Cool, powerful tinter
Clean, mid-temperature
Vivid blue-green, opaque (Kama Pigments)
Greens
Opaque, muted landscape green
Earths
Cool dark earth, muting and shadows
Warm, transparent reddish-brown
Deep, rich, transparent earth red
Blacks
Cool, slightly bluish
Neutral black
Tips & Best Practices
Color Matching
- Sample mid-tones first. Shadows and highlights can be matched separately once you have the base color.
- Click in uniform areas. The eyedropper averages a 7×7 area - clicking on an edge between two colors may give an unexpected average.
- If a result seems off, click nearby. Digital photos contain noise and compression artifacts. A nearby spot in the same color zone often gives a better read.
- Cross-reference multiple samples. Click the same area 2–3 times in slightly different spots to see which recipes come up consistently.
- Use ΔE as a confidence guide. Under 5 = nearly exact. 5–15 = great starting point. Above 15 = adjust on the palette.
Palette Selection
- Select your full palette for maximum results. The more pigments you select, the more recipe combinations are available.
- For a focused study, select only 3–5 colors. This forces a limited palette exercise - great for learning color relationships.
- Deselect whites to see dark mixes. Some recipes don't use white at all.
Posterize & Grid
- Use Posterize at 3–4 levels to simplify a complex scene. It reveals the underlying value structure.
- Turn on Greyscale and click to get grey value mixes — perfect for underpainting or grisaille work.
- Match your grid to your canvas divisions for accurate transfers.
Studio Log
- Create a painting record the moment you start a new canvas - even just the title and size.
- Log sessions consistently. Over time this becomes an invaluable record of how long different types of work take.
- Use Materials Tracking for commissions. Log every tube and material, and you'll know the true cost per painting.
Daily Planner
- Write your top 3 goals each morning before painting. It focuses the session.
- Use Studio Reflections daily, even briefly. One or two sentences per day adds up to a rich creative journal.
Keeping the App Updated
The pigment library is actively growing. We regularly add new colors to the palette as well as new mix recipes for every combination - expanded tint ranges, refined ratios, and community-requested pigments. There are 14 more colors planned for upcoming updates, each bringing hundreds of new recipes. To get the latest colors and recipes, use the 🔄 Update App button in the top toolbar.
How It Works
- Click 🔄 Update App in the header bar (green button)
- The app clears its local cache and reloads with the latest recipe database
- Your palette selections and license key are preserved - only the recipe data is refreshed
When Should I Update?
- Weekly is a good habit. New colors and recipes are added frequently as we expand the pigment library.
- If a color gives no results - updating may add new pigments and mixes for that range.
- After announcements - when we post about new color or pigment additions in the Facebook group, click Update App to get them.
Join the Community
Artist Studio Pro has a dedicated Facebook group where users share their work, discuss color mixing strategies, and get the latest news about new colors, recipes, and features.
Why You Should Join
- Get notified about new colors and recipes. When we add new pigments and mixes to the database, we announce it in the group first. This is the best way to know when to hit the 🔄 Update App button.
- Share your paintings and mixes. See how other artists are using the app in their studio practice.
- Ask questions and get help. The community and developers are active and happy to help with color matching, palette selection, and technical issues.
- Influence future features. We listen to feedback from the group when planning updates.
How to Join
The Facebook group link is built right into the app - look for the Facebook icon (f) in the top toolbar. Click it and it will take you directly to the group page where you can request to join.
Frequently Asked Questions
Troubleshooting
"Invalid license key" when activating
- Make sure you're copying the complete key including all dashes
- Check for extra spaces before or after the key
- Find your key at gumroad.com → Library → Artist Studio Pro
- Both Windows and Mac purchase keys work
The app loads but the screen is blank
- Try a hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)
- Try a different browser (Chrome and Edge work best)
- Make sure JavaScript is enabled
Colors look different on screen vs. on my palette
No results appear when I click on my image
- Make sure you have pigments selected in My Palette
- The sampled color may be outside the database range - try clicking a nearby area
- Very dark or very light areas sometimes fall outside the mixed recipe range
My palette selections disappeared
Your palette selections are saved in your browser and persist across sessions. If they disappeared, you may have cleared your browser data or switched browsers. Simply reselect your colors - it only takes a few seconds.
Studio Log data seems to be missing
Studio Log data is stored in your browser's local storage. If you switched browsers, used a private/incognito window, or cleared your browser data, the entries won't be available. Always use the same browser for consistent access.
The app is slow on my device
- Close other browser tabs to free up memory
- Use a smaller reference image (under 2000px wide)
- Chrome and Edge tend to perform best
Using the app on a new device
Just go to artiststudiopro.art/app and enter your license key. Studio Log data from your previous device won't transfer - it's stored locally in each browser.
Mobile App (Included Free)
Your purchase includes a mobile app for Android and iPhone - a streamlined version designed for quick color lookups at the easel. Pick a color from a reference photo and get the pigment recipe instantly.
Installing on Android
- Download the APK - included with your web app purchase
- Allow installation - when prompted, tap Settings → Allow from this source (this is normal for apps installed directly from a file)
- Tap the APK file to install
- Open Artist Studio Pro from your app drawer
Using the Android App
The app has four tabs at the bottom of the screen:
🎨 Palette
- Browse pigments by category - Whites, Yellows, Reds/Oranges, Blues, Greens, Earths, Blacks
- Tap a pigment to add it to your personal palette ("My Colors")
- Tap again to remove it
- Select the pigments you actually own - the app uses your palette to recommend mixes
🖼️ Canvas
- Tap Load Photo to pick an image from your phone
- Tap anywhere on the image to pick a color
- Pinch to zoom, drag to pan
- After picking a color, tap Find Mix → to see recommendations
Grid Overlay: Tap Grid to toggle a proportional grid over your image. Use the − and + buttons to adjust the number of columns (2–40). Rows adjust automatically to keep cells square.
Posterize: Drag the Poster slider (0–8) to reduce the image to fewer tonal bands - useful for simplifying a complex reference into paintable value groups. Tap the Grey button to toggle greyscale mode — you can use greyscale independently or combined with posterize. Tap a greyscale image to get grey value mix recipes.
🧪 Mixes
- Shows the 6 closest mix recipes for your picked color
- Each mix lists the pigments needed and how close the match is (ΔE - lower is better)
- Tap any mix card to see a large color preview
- If none of your owned pigments match, the app shows the best mixes from all available pigments
📖 Studio
The Studio tab gives you access to the full Studio Log - your painting journal and daily planner.
- Paintings Journal - tap + New Painting to create an entry. Track title, size, medium, support, status, series, sessions, to-dos, materials, commissions, shows, and sales. Upload a photo of your painting.
- Session Timer - time your painting sessions and log them directly to a painting entry.
- Daily Planner - tap Daily Planner in the header. Set top goals, plan your studio schedule (4 time blocks), manage a to-do list, and write end-of-day reflections. Navigate between days with ← / → or tap Today.
- All data saves automatically to your device.
Installing on iPhone
iPhone users get the same mobile app - just save it to your Home Screen from Safari:
- Open Safari and go to artiststudiopro.art/try/mobile.html
- Tap the Share button ⬆ at the bottom of the screen
- Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen
- Tap Add in the top right
That's it - you'll see an Artist Studio Pro icon on your Home Screen. It opens full-screen just like a native app, with the same features as the Android version.
Tips
- Select your pigments first - go to the Palette tab and tap all the pigments you own before using Canvas or Mixes
- Use good reference photos - well-lit photos with accurate color give better results
- Your palette is saved - your pigment selections persist between sessions
- Studio Log data is saved locally - paintings and planner entries are stored on your device
- Content updates are automatic - new colors, mixes, and features appear without reinstalling the app
Reporting Issues
When reporting a bug, please include:
- Your device model and OS version (Android: Settings → About Phone; iPhone: Settings → General → About)
- A screenshot if possible
- What you expected vs. what actually happened
- Steps to reproduce the issue
Known Limitations
- Requires an internet connection (the app loads content from our server)
- Photo loading from some cloud storage apps may not work - use photos saved locally on your phone
- The app is optimized for phones; tablet layout may have some visual quirks
- Content updates (new colors, fixes) are delivered automatically - no app update needed
