---
title: Building your portfolio
description: "Add projects to your Artsume portfolio: upload images, video, and audio, write text, or paste a link. Plus details, drafts, ordering, and export."
date: 2026-07-07
updated: 2026-08-25
author: Artsume Team
tags:
  - artist
  - portfolio
  - getting-started
url: "https://www.artsume.com/docs/building-portfolio"
type: docs
---

# Building your portfolio

# Building your portfolio

Your portfolio is how organizations see your work when they review your applications, and it's the centerpiece of your public profile.

You can add up to **30 projects**. Once you have one, the Portfolio tab shows a running count, so you always know where you stand.

## Where to build it

Your portfolio lives on the **Portfolio** tab of your profile. The tab appears once you turn on Artist in **What you do**. See [Artists and arts professionals](/docs/artists-and-professionals).

Select the dashed **Add work** tile in the grid to start. On smaller screens, an **Add work** button also sits in the action bar. To change something later, open the project and select **Edit**.

## The two steps

Adding a project takes you through two steps, marked **Media** and **Details** at the top of the window.

**Media** comes first because it decides how the project is presented. Drop files into the zone, paste a link, or write a piece. One zone takes everything, and Artsume sorts each file by what it is.

**Details** is where you name it. Only **Title** and **Year** are required. Everything else is optional and appears when it makes sense.

> ℹ️ **You don't pick a work type:** Artsume works out how to present a project from what you put in it. Two images become an image series, one track becomes an audio piece, a chapter becomes a written piece. A read-only **Shows as** chip in the editor tells you what it decided, and it updates as you add and remove things.

## What you can add

### Upload files

| Kind | How many per project | Size | Formats |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Images | 5 | 25 MB each | JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, AVIF |
| Video | 1 | 50 MB | MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV |
| Audio | 5 tracks | 50 MB each | MP3, M4A, WAV, AIFF, OGG, FLAC |

Uploaded and linked media share the same limit. A YouTube link and an uploaded MP4 both count as your one video.

### Write a piece

Select **Write or paste text** to type directly into Artsume. Choose what kind of piece it is (poem, short story, chapter, essay, or other), give it a title, and write. Your words save as you type, and **Save piece** closes it. A project can hold up to 10 pieces, so a collection can carry all of them, and they read inline on your profile.

### Paste a link

Paste a public URL and Artsume works out what it is:

- **YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Bilibili, Twitch, Kick**: becomes your project video
- **SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp**: added as tracks
- **Instagram, X, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn, Behance, Dribbble, ArtStation, Pinterest, Tumblr**: added as posts

Anything else becomes a plain link card, so a Substack essay or a museum page works too. Up to 5 links per project.

## Covers and order

The **first image is the cover**. Drag an image to the front to change that, or press the star on any other image to promote it. The cover tile is marked so you can see which one it is at a glance.

A project with no images gets a typographic cover built from its title and first lines. Add an image later and Artsume uses that instead.

Artsume makes thumbnails for your images automatically, and pulls a preview for linked videos and posts. An uploaded video shows a muted panel with a play mark rather than a still frame, so lead with an image if the first impression matters.

Audio tracks play as a set, in the order you put them in. Drag to reorder both images and tracks.

## Fill in the details

Beyond **Title** and **Year**, the Details step offers:

- **Description**: what it is, and what you were after. Your statement about the work goes here.
- **Tags**: type a tag and press Enter, and select the × to remove one. Tags help organizations find you, and there's no limit.

Below those, **Add detail** offers six optional groups. Add only the ones the project needs:

| Group | What it holds |
| --- | --- |
| **Medium & dimensions** | Medium (called **Format** for video), and Height, Width, and Depth with a unit choice of inches or centimeters. Dimensions appear for image-led projects. |
| **Edition** | Edition number and edition size |
| **Publication** | Where it was published, the year, and a link. **Add to my CV** turns it into a CV line joined to this project. |
| **For sale** | Price and currency, plus a status of **For sale**, **Not for sale**, or **Price on request** |
| **Credits** | The people you made it with, by name and role. Up to 10 per project. |
| **Catalog number** | An accession number, which only you see, and a credit line, which shows beside the project |

Leave an empty box empty. A blank measurement means "not measured", not zero.

## Visibility and drafts

Two switches sit at the bottom of the Details step:

- **Shown on your profile** decides whether visitors see the project. Turn it off and it stays in your portfolio, carrying a **Hidden** badge, but comes off your public page.
- **Feature on profile** puts it in the **Featured work** section of your About tab. It does not reorder your portfolio, which keeps its own order.

Your work saves as you go. A chip near the footer reads **Draft saved** when it lands, and **Save as draft** closes the editor without publishing. Drafts carry a **Draft** badge and stay off your public page until you select **Publish project**. Editing something already live, the button reads **Save changes** instead.

## Reorder, export, and delete

**Reorder** sits above the grid at all times, and turns on once you have at least two projects. Drag a row, or use the arrows, then select **Done**. **Reset to default** puts them back in year order, newest first.

**Export works** in your profile header's **···** menu (or **Export** in the action bar on mobile) downloads up to 30 projects as a ZIP with a printable manifest. Files too large to include are linked in the manifest instead. For per-project exhibition labels and other ways to share, see [Sharing your profile](/docs/sharing-your-profile).

Deleting happens inside the editor. Open the project, go to the **Details** step, and use the delete button in the footer. Artsume asks you to confirm, and deletion removes the files with it.

## Link projects to your CV

You can connect a project to the CV lines that give it context, such as the exhibition where it was shown or the award it received. The linking control lives on the CV side. See [Creating your CV](/docs/creating-cv).

## Best practices

- **Quality over quantity.** A tight set of strong pieces reads better than a full 30 that dilute your voice.
- **Lead with your best.** Order matters, so put your most representative project first.
- **Be specific in the details.** Precise mediums, dimensions, and descriptions help reviewers place your work.
- **Let a project be a whole project.** Process shots, the finished piece, the field recording behind it, and the post it lived on can all sit together.
- **Keep it current.** Add new work as your practice evolves, and revisit older descriptions when your thinking changes.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: How many projects can I add?**
A: Up to 30. The Portfolio tab shows a running count. Favor a focused selection of your strongest pieces over filling every slot.

**Q: Can I upload video and audio directly, or do I have to link them?**
A: Both work. Each project takes one video up to 50 MB and up to five audio tracks at 50 MB each, alongside five images. Or paste a link from YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, SoundCloud, and others. Uploads and links share the same per-project limits.

**Q: Can I upload a PDF of my writing?**
A: Not right now. Write or paste your text directly in the editor instead, using Write or paste text. A project holds up to ten pieces, and they read inline on your profile.

**Q: How do I choose which image is the cover?**
A: The first image is the cover. Drag another image to the front, or press the star on it, and the cover chip moves. A project with no images gets a typographic cover from its title.

**Q: How do I hide a project from my public profile?**
A: Turn off Shown on your profile. It stays in your portfolio with a Hidden badge, and you can keep working on it, but it comes off your public page.

**Q: Can I save a project before it's finished?**
A: Yes. Your work saves as you go, and Save as draft closes the editor. Drafts carry a Draft badge and stay off your public page until you select Publish project.

**Q: How do I delete a project?**
A: Open it, go to the Details step, and use the delete button in the footer. You'll be asked to confirm. It removes the project and its files, and you can't undo it.

## Next steps

- [Creating your CV](/docs/creating-cv): document exhibitions, awards, and publications, and link them to your projects
- [Sharing your profile](/docs/sharing-your-profile): export options, artwork labels, and ways to share
- [Applying to programs](/docs/applying-to-programs): put your portfolio to work in applications
- [Best practices](/docs/best-practices): presentation tips across your whole profile