A painting's value depends on the artist, the medium and size, the condition and quality of the work, and what comparable pieces have actually sold for.

The fastest way to find out is to upload a photo and a few details: Priceyourpainting gives you a free price range in about 30 seconds, based on recorded sales of comparable original paintings.

Upload a clear photo of your painting and add its dimensions, medium and support, the year it was made, and the time and materials that went into it. You get a free estimated price range in about 30 seconds, online, with no appointment and no card required.

Accuracy depends on those details. Photograph the painting square-on in soft daylight with the edges visible, enter exact dimensions, choose the medium from the list or pick Other and type it, describe any frame in the optional frame field, and use the description for anything the fields don't cover.

Professional valuation compares a painting with recent sales of similar works, by the same artist or one at a comparable career stage, in a similar medium, size and style, and adjusts for condition and demand.

Priceyourpainting's valuation model does this comparison for you. It uses AI to read the image alongside the details you give, so two paintings of the same size can receive different ranges. It is built for original paintings by living artists, which is where formula calculators and auction databases have the least to say.

The main factors are the artist's reputation and sales history, the medium (oil, acrylic, watercolour), the size, the subject and style, the condition, and provenance.

Market demand matters most: a painting is ultimately worth what a willing buyer will pay for comparable work right now.

Yes. The estimate is anchored in recorded sales of original paintings by artists working in comparable styles and media, not in asking prices or opinions.

Sold prices matter because a listed price is only what someone hopes to get. Valuation has moved from personal judgement to sales data over decades, and that is the evidence the estimate uses.

No. The estimate is automated: our valuation model uses AI to analyse your painting against sales data.

That is why it arrives in seconds and the first range is free. It reads the photo and your details, so it cannot inspect the canvas, check condition or verify who painted it.

An online valuation gives a likely price range, not a guaranteed sale price, and its accuracy depends on the photo, the details entered and how much comparable sales evidence exists.

Read the range as a measure of certainty: a wide range means the evidence is thinner. Compare the result with your own size-and-time formula. If they differ, find out why rather than averaging them. Only a buyer paying a price turns any estimate into a market fact.

An online estimate cannot authenticate a painting, judge its condition, or confirm its provenance.

A photo hides cracks, repairs and fading, and the model only knows the history you tell it. An online estimate is also not a valuation for insurance, probate, divorce or tax. Priceyourpainting does not replace a specialist appraisal for high-value or historically significant pieces.

The first estimate is free. Estimate+, the detailed report, is a one-off £7.99, €7.99 or $7.99.

Estimate+ shows how your price was built and where to sell: the market context for your style, medium and region, the factors pushing your price up or down, recommendations on which selling platform suits your work, and a PDF report certified by Priceyourpainting that you can share with galleries, buyers or collectors.

An online estimate is a quick opinion for your own decisions, an auction estimate is an auction house's forecast for a work it wants to sell, and a professional appraisal is a signed valuation written for a stated purpose.

An online estimate, like the free range from Priceyourpainting, comes in seconds from a photo and a few details. An auction estimate comes from the house's specialists, is usually free, and exists to win a consignment. A professional appraisal comes from a qualified appraiser, is paid, takes weeks, and is the only one of the three an insurer, court or tax authority will accept.

Usually not, because auction houses only estimate works they expect to sell.

Sotheby's, for example, states that its online estimates are free and non-binding, and that items its specialists judge unsuited for sale receive no estimate. A new painting by an emerging artist rarely has the auction record that makes a house take it on. An estimate based on comparable sales of original work is the closer match for pricing it.

You need a qualified appraiser when a document has to satisfy someone else: an insurer, a court, an executor or a tax authority. The same applies when a painting is old, signed by a known name, or inherited and unattributed, or when being wrong would be costly.

Appraisers are paid for their time: the American Society of Appraisers says fees are set by each appraiser, often by the hour, half day or full day, and a credible valuation of a painting can take several weeks. Check the appraiser's credentials, ask which standards they follow, such as USPAP in the US, and agree the fee in writing before work starts.

No. An online estimate, including Estimate+, is not accepted for insurance cover, probate or tax filings.

For artists in the US, donating your own painting is a special case: the deduction is limited to the cost of the materials, not the painting's market value, so a market valuation does not change what you can claim. Collectors who donate a work they bought follow different rules. Ask a tax adviser before you donate.

It might be. Value comes down to the artist, age, provenance, medium, condition and current demand, and some inherited works are worth far more than their owners expect.

A free estimate is a quick first look. Priceyourpainting is built for original paintings by living artists and cannot authenticate a signature or confirm who painted a work, so for an old, signed or unattributed piece, a qualified appraiser is the step that settles it.

Artists sell through online marketplaces, galleries, direct commissions and social media. Each reaches a different audience and takes different fees, so the right listing price varies by platform.

Estimate+ suggests which platform may suit your work and recommends pricing for each channel, helping you avoid under- or over-pricing.

Use the estimate as one of two checks: a formula gives you the price your time and materials need, and the estimate tells you what the market supports.

If the market range sits above your formula price, you have room to price higher. If it sits below, look at size, platform and audience before cutting.