You could argue that there has never been a more exciting time to be an artist than in the 21st century. Compared to previous decades, the amount of tools we have at our disposal to build a presence—and potentially support ourselves financially through our passion—is unprecedented.
One of the best ways to showcase your work to others is through a website. You’ll find plenty of options in this respect, many of which cover several niches. One that is designed purely for creatives is Adobe Portfolio.
Adobe Portfolio can be a powerful tool for building your online presence if used correctly. But what is it, and how can you customize your website? Why should you even use the platform? Let’s find out.
What Is Adobe Portfolio?
For starters, Adobe Portfolio is a website-building service. It’s one of Adobe’s many online platforms designed to help creatives grow their presence and gain inspiration; Behance is another that you should consider signing up for.
Using Adobe Portfolio is free, as long as you’ve subscribed to a Creative Cloud plan. Pricing for these will depend on the subscription you choose; you can choose to gain all of Adobe’s apps for $39.99 per month, or—if it’s more cost-effective—choose an individual app or the Photography Plan.
What Can You Do With Adobe Portfolio?
Now that we’ve touched upon what Adobe Portfolio is, we can move on and look at what you can do with this tool. Below, we’ve outlined three ways you can use Adobe Portfolio to your advantage.
1. Build a Full Website
If you want to build a complete website with minimal manual work, Adobe Portfolio is one of your best choices. With this solution, you can develop various portfolio pages highlighting your favorite projects—along with linking to any external pages you may have.
With Adobe Portfolio, you can also add a simple contact page and make subpage collections to make it easier for others to navigate your site.
One thing worth noting is that Adobe Portfolio will give you a default “.myportfolio.com” domain. However, if you want to make your site look more professional, you can purchase a domain.
Go to Settings > Domain Name > Purchase a domain to do this. Alternatively, if you’ve already got one, you can select Connect your domain and follow the instructions.
2. Create a Simple Welcome Page
If you’re in the early stages of growing your online presence as an artist, building a complete website can feel a little daunting. In some cases, you might choose not to take action because you feel like you’ve got too much to do.
If you’re unsure where to start, it’s best to put up a simple landing page. Adobe Portfolio allows you to do this without problems; when you create your website, click on the Welcome Page tab and scroll down to pick your theme.
With your welcome page, you can briefly introduce yourself and add a photo—along with your social media links. From here, you can build out your website when you feel ready.
3. Integrate Portfolio With Other Adobe Products
One of the most frustrating things when creating a website is that it can take a long time to import and upload your content. Thankfully, Adobe has reduced the friction with Portfolio.
When you create an Adobe Portfolio website, you can use the platform alongside some of Adobe’s other products. For example, you can import albums from Lightroom and integrate Behance too. If you use Adobe Stock, you can also integrate this with your profile.
To do the above, click on the Integrations tab. To use Portfolio with Behance, enable the toggle at the top. And if you want to import albums from Lightroom, click on Add Albums instead.
Why Should Artists Use Adobe Portfolio?
Having read this far, you’ll have a good idea of what you can use Adobe Portfolio for. Before you jump in and create an account, though, it’s worth visiting some of the benefits you’ll enjoy. Below, we’ve identified three of the best reasons to use Adobe Portfolio as an artist.
1. Less Complicated Than Some Other Website Builders
Many website builders are beginner-friendly, but some can be a pain to navigate if you’ve got no experience in said field. Since Adobe Portfolio was designed specifically so that creators could use it, building a visually appealing website—which also has a good on-page experience for users—is pretty straightforward.
With Adobe Portfolio, you can easily upload images you’ve already put on Behance or from Lightroom as a starting point. Other than that, you’re pretty much good to go once you’ve selected a theme and added some text.
2. Gain Exposure
To successfully implement anything, you need to limit as much friction as you can between what you want to achieve and the steps to do it. Since Adobe Portfolio websites are easy to set up and maintain, using this tool is an excellent way to build early momentum.
As you put more effort into your website, you’ll notice that more people begin to discover your work. Through this additional exposure, you can unlock new opportunities that you previously never thought were possible.
3. Save Yourself Time and Energy
Let’s face it—the last thing that most artists want to do is spend hours creating a website. Beyond the early building phase, you need to maintain the page speed, optimize your site, and so on.
While you can outsource those to someone who’s good at doing those things, you might not have the budget initially. In such instances, Adobe Portfolio is an easy way to get your ideas off the ground with minimal effort.
With this tool, you can spend more time learning and improving your craft. You can then afford to buy a website developer if you want in the long run.
Adobe Portfolio Is an Excellent Way to Grow Your Online Presence
Having so many channels to promote yourself as an artist is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it means you’ve got an abundance of opportunities for people to discover your work and to connect with like-minded individuals. But on the flip side, it can make getting started a daunting task.
In the early stages of building an online presence, make things as easy as possible. One of the best places to use a simple tool is website building, and Adobe Portfolio will allow you to at least get something out there.
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