About Online Viewing Rooms
Design-driven, flexible, and built to impress.
Online Viewing Rooms let you present artwork digitally. You can tailor the look and feel of your viewing rooms with layouts, banners, editable text, and detailed artwork views.
Whether you're creating a sleek, minimal grid or an editorial-style showcase, OVR is designed to help you tell the story of your artworks, your way.
What you can do with OVR
Live Editor Preview: Instantly see your changes as you design.
Banner Image Support: Add stunning visuals to set the tone.
Editable Text Blocks: Customize headings, descriptions, and more.
Enhanced Artwork Details: Show provenance, history, publications, and other key information.
Grid Layouts & Custom Styling: Choose 1, 2, 3, or 4 artworks across.
How to create and customize your OVR
Step 1: Start a new OVR
Navigate to the OVR tab in the left sidebar.
On the All Viewing Room Links page, click Create OVR in the top right corner.
You can also create a new OVR from any Inventory List, Exhibition, or Fair. Open it in Inventory and click New OVR at the top of the page. ARTERNAL creates an OVR named after that list and opens it in the editor in a new tab. This is not available on live lists.
When you click Create OVR, the Create Online Viewing Room window opens, where you can:
Select an Inventory list from the dropdown. You can search it, and exhibitions and fairs are labeled.
Check the Link name and URL.
When you pick an inventory list, the Link name and URL fill in from the list’s name. You can edit both, then click Create. Typing a new Link name does not update the URL.
Step 2: Customize your OVR design and settings
After clicking Create, you’ll be taken into the OVR editor, which opens with two panels:
On the right-hand side, you’ll see the settings panel, where you can personalize every part of your OVR.
Left (section 1): A real-time preview of your OVR.
Right (section 2): Design and settings panel.
Your OVR link works as soon as you create it. After that, changes you make in the editor are not visible to visitors until you click Publish.
Let's take a deeper look into each section of the settings panel.
General
Edit the Link name.
See the Inventory List connected to the OVR.
Copy the full OVR Link for sharing.
Contact Association: Link this OVR to one contact with the Associated Contact dropdown. The dashboard’s Associated Contact filter uses this.
Under Tracking Options, choose whether to:
Collect name and email address on entry.
Enable inquire button, which adds an Inquire button to each artwork.
Visibility: Choose Private or Specific Users to control which teammates can see the OVR in ARTERNAL. This does not change who can open the public link.
Customize your OVR banner (Header)
The Header section lets you transform the top of your OVR into a visually striking introduction. This is where you can add a banner image, adjust layout settings, and set the tone for the entire viewing room.
Here’s what you can do:
Display Banner: Toggle this on to show the banner area at the top.
Banner Height: Use the slider to adjust how much space the banner takes up (measured in % of screen height).
Cover Image: Upload your banner image directly here by dragging a file or clicking to browse.
URL: Paste in an image URL to use as the banner image.
Browse: Select your banner image from one of the images, alt views or installation views found in the OVR without having to upload.
✨ Enhance the visual impact with design options:
Enable Scroll Effect: Adds subtle animation when scrolling the banner into view. (This will crop your image slightly depending on the dimensions.)
Overlay: Enable this to layer a semi-transparent color over the banner image.
Color Overlay: Choose any color to use for the overlay.
Opacity: Control how strong or subtle the overlay effect appears.
📝 Text Placement Controls:
Horizontal & Vertical Text Alignment: Choose how the title and subtitle align across your banner (left, center, right and top, middle, bottom).
Display Date: Optionally toggle this on to display the exhibition date.
💡 Tip: If you haven’t uploaded a cover image yet, the banner area will remain grey. This is perfect for testing your title layout and overlays before finalizing.
Layout & Background: Set the mood and structure
The Layout & Background panel lets you define the overall look and structure of your Online Viewing Room. Here's how each setting works.
Background Color
Change the background color of your OVR to match your gallery's brand aesthetic or the tone of your exhibition. Click the color dot to open the color picker and preview your selection in real time.
Grid Columns
Choose how many artworks appear per row: 1, 2, 3, or 4 columns. This is a great way to control how spacious or dense your layout feels.
✨ Tip: If you're showcasing large works or want to highlight a few pieces, 1 or 2 columns work beautifully. For a fuller, fair-style wall display, try 3 or 4.
Artwork Alignment
Choose whether to align artworks to the left or center of the page. New OVRs start centered.
Everything you change is instantly reflected in the live preview on the left. Just don’t forget to hit Publish when you're happy with your updates.
Artwork Settings: Control what viewers see
The Artwork Settings panel lets you fine-tune the information that appears beneath each artwork (caption) and within its expanded detail view. This is a great way to highlight only the most relevant context for your audience.
Show in caption
Choose what displays directly under each artwork on the main OVR page:
Show price: Display the current price of the work.
Show prices when sold: Include prices even for sold works.
Hide currency code: Hide the currency code next to prices.
Default price label: Choose which of your price labels to show.
Show VAT status: Show each work’s VAT status in the caption.
Show location: Show each work’s location in the caption.
Show status indicator: Add a visual status tag (e.g., "Available" or "On Hold"). Choose the style: Text, Icon, or Both.
Show in detail view
When a viewer clicks into a work, this information can be displayed:
Provenance: Add ownership history to support transparency.
Exhibition History: Show where the work has been exhibited.
Collections: Highlight any significant public or private collections.
Literature: Reference where the work has been published.
Publications: Note catalogs, articles, or books that include the work.
Credits: Display contributors or collaborators involved.
Documents: Show the artwork’s documents.
Example of detail view in action
Once your selections are made, clicking into an artwork reveals the expanded detail view. In the example below, we’ve enabled Provenance, Exhibition History, and Literature. This gives viewers deeper insight into the artwork’s journey, public showings, and scholarly references. This is a great way to build trust, provide context, and support the value of each piece.
✨ Enable only what’s relevant. You’re in control of the depth of information shared.
Display Custom Fields
Have additional metadata that doesn’t fall under standard fields? Use Custom Fields to include them.
Click the dropdown to select from your available custom fields.
Click Apply Artwork Settings to confirm and update the artwork detail view. For more, see Customize Your Online Viewing Rooms with Inventory Custom Fields.
Text Formatting
In the Text Formatting panel, you can customize the look and feel of your OVR's text elements to match your gallery’s tone and style. There are separate controls for:
Header: This is the title at the top of your OVR. Choose the font family, size, weight (bold), and style (italic) to suit your design.
Subheading: Add supportive context under your title with its own font and styling settings.
Body: This controls the default font for the rest of your page, including descriptions and additional details.
Caption: Styles the artwork captions under each work.
You can adjust the font color, size, weight, and italicization for each style individually. Click More options for Letter spacing, Line height, and Uppercase.
💡 Tip: Want even more customization? Click "Add custom fonts" at the bottom of the panel to upload your own typefaces. Just be sure your font file is web-safe and properly licensed.
To learn how to upload fonts, see Editing Custom Fonts in Settings.
Documents & Installations
This section lets you add contextual materials and installation images to your Online Viewing Room.
Show Documents Tab
This is the place to upload and share PDFs, press releases, essays, or any other files you’d like to make available to visitors.
When enabled, a Documents tab will appear at the top of your OVR next to the Artworks tab.
⚠️ Note: The position of the Documents tab is fixed and will always appear above the artworks.
Show Installation Views
Toggle this on to showcase installation images from your gallery, fair booth, or exhibition space.
Then choose a Layout: Carousel, 4 Col, 3 Col, or 2 Col. For the carousel, see Display Installation Views as a Full-Width Carousel.
You can choose where installation images appear:
Top: Displays the installation views just below your OVR banner.
Bottom: Displays the installation views at the end of your OVR.
In Tab: Adds installation views to their own tab, named Views, next to Documents and Artworks.
Use installation views to provide scale, context, and ambiance to your presentation.
Top bar buttons in the OVR editor
Once you've customized your Online Viewing Room, the top bar gives you quick access to actions that help preview, finalize, or reuse your setup. Help opens this article. Duplicate copies all settings to a new OVR and adds “(copy)” to its name. See Duplicate an Online Viewing Room (OVR).
Back
Exit the OVR editor and return to the previous page. If you have unpublished changes, your browser asks you to confirm before you leave.
Preview
Opens a new tab showing exactly what your OVR will look like to clients. Use this to review formatting, layout, and image placement before you publish. Preview visits are not counted.
Save Template
Click this to save your current OVR settings as the default for future OVRs. This covers artwork settings, header, text formatting, and layout and background. New OVRs start from your saved template. The confirm button says Save Organization Template or Save Account Template, depending on Settings > Online Viewing Rooms > Template source.
Copy
Opens a menu with two options. Public Link copies a link for clients, and their visits are tracked. Internal Link copies a link with tracking off, for sharing with your team.
Publish
Click Publish to make your changes live for visitors. A new OVR’s link is already on when you create it, so Publish is for the edits you make after that.
Navigating the OVR dashboard: All Links, Active, and Disabled
Once you’ve created one or more Online Viewing Rooms, the OVR tab becomes your central hub to track, manage, and organize them. Here’s how each section works:
All Links
This is your master list of every OVR ever created within your account.
In the All Links view, you can see:
List: Title of the inventory list associated with the OVR.
Link Name: Public-facing name of the Online Viewing Room.
Visits: The number of times the OVR link has been viewed.
Inquiries: The number of inquiries for the OVR.
Creator: The teammate who created the OVR.
Last visited: The most recent time a visitor accessed the link.
Date Created: When the OVR was created. The newest OVRs show first.
💡 Use the search box at the top of the page to quickly find a specific OVR. Use the Associated Contact filter to show the OVRs linked to one contact.
On the right, you’ll also see a Copy button and a three-dot menu for additional actions.
More options menu
Click the three-dot icon on the right-hand side of any OVR row to reveal more link-specific actions:
👁️ Preview
Open the OVR in a new tab to preview exactly what your clients will see.⚙️ Edit Settings
Jump directly into the customization panel to update your OVR’s design or layout.📧 Send Smartmail
Opens a new Smart Mail draft with the OVR link in it.🚫 Disable Link
Temporarily deactivate the link so it’s no longer viewable by the public. You can always turn it back on later with Enable Link in the Disabled view.🔒 Make Private
Changes the OVR’s Visibility so only you can see it in ARTERNAL. On a private OVR, this option reads Make Public.📋 Duplicate Link
Makes a copy of the OVR with “(copy)” added to its name.❌ Delete Link
Permanently remove the OVR link from your account. This action cannot be undone.
💡 Use this menu to quickly update, pause, or clean up your viewing rooms without navigating away from the dashboard.
Managing active and disabled OVR links
Once you've created your OVR, you can easily manage your links from the OVR tab in the left sidebar.
Active
The Active view shows all OVRs that are currently live and viewable via their shareable URL.
Each entry shows:
The list the OVR is tied to (Exhibition, Fair, or Custom List).
The link name and creator.
Number of visits.
When it was last visited.
You’ll also see two options to the right:
🔗 Copy: Choose Public Link to share with collectors, or Internal Link for your team.
⋮ Menu: Click to open more options:
Preview: Opens the OVR in a new tab.
Edit Settings: Reopen the settings panel to make changes.
Send Smartmail: Opens a new Smart Mail draft with the OVR link in it.
Disable Link: Temporarily turn the link off.
Make Private: Changes which teammates can see the OVR in ARTERNAL.
Duplicate Link: Makes a copy of the OVR.
Delete Link: Permanently delete the OVR from your account.
Disabled
The Disabled view shows OVRs that have been turned off. These links are no longer viewable, but all design and content remain saved.
From this view, you can:
Turn a link back on with Enable Link in the three-dot menu.
Preview or continue editing an existing OVR.
Permanently delete it.
This makes it easy to archive viewing rooms you’re no longer using, without losing any of your work.
My Links shows only the OVRs you created. The OVR sidebar also has Info Collected and Inquiries pages. To learn more, see Online Viewing Room Inquiries.
Viewing visit analytics
You can view detailed engagement metrics by clicking the Visits number on any OVR in All Links, Active, Disabled, or My Links.
This opens a detailed breakdown of visitor activity so you can better understand how viewers are interacting with your Online Viewing Room.
The top of the panel shows the OVR name, the list it was created from, Copy, Preview, and Edit buttons, and a three-dot menu with Send Smartmail and Disable Link. Arrows let you move to the previous or next OVR.
Below the stats are the tabs: Activity, Artwork Views, Doc Views, Info Collected, and Inquiries. Some tabs only appear when there is data for them or when the feature is on for your account.
On accounts without tracking insights, the panel shows a blurred preview and a prompt to upgrade.
At a glance
At the top of the panel, you'll see high-level stats for the selected OVR:
Total visits: The total number of visitors.
Total visit length: Combined time spent across all visits.
Artwork views: How many individual artworks were viewed.
Document views: Total number of document interactions.
Inquiries: The number of inquiries, when inquiries are on for your account.
Visitor details
Below, you’ll see a list of each session, including:
Visitor: Shows a desktop or mobile icon, the visitor’s name or email if known (otherwise “Visitor”), and the date of the visit.
Visit Length: How long the visitor stayed on the page.
Viewed Images: Number of artworks viewed (out of total).
Viewed Docs: Number of documents viewed (out of total).
Location: Geolocation based on the viewer's IP address.
💡 This panel is a great way to track collector interest and follow up with Smart Mail if someone has spent time engaging with the room.
Viewing a visitor’s activity
Click a visit in the Activity tab to expand it. You’ll see each artwork the visitor looked at and the time spent on each.
What you’ll see
Artwork thumbnails: A preview of each artwork the viewer clicked on.
View duration: How long they spent looking at each artwork.
💡 This view is especially helpful for sales follow-up. If you see that a client lingered on a specific piece, you can use Smart Mail to send a personalized message referencing that interest.
Artwork Views
The Artwork Views tab gives you a clear summary of which artworks were viewed, how long they were viewed, and how many times each one was viewed. This tab only appears when there are artwork views.
What you’ll see
Thumbnail preview of each work in your OVR.
Time spent on each work.
Number of views for each artwork.
This makes it easy to:
Identify which works drew the most attention.
Spot trends across multiple visitors.
Follow up with leads who engaged with a particular piece.
Whether you're preparing for a sales conversation or reviewing the performance of an OVR, this section gives you a fast, visual way to measure interest at the artwork level.
Doc Views
The Doc Views tab shows you how many times each document in your OVR has been opened and viewed. This tab only appears when there are document views.
What you’ll see
A preview icon of the uploaded document.
The file name.
A view count showing how many times it was opened.
This view helps you:
Understand which supplemental materials (e.g. checklists, essays, press releases) were of interest.
Track engagement beyond artwork views.
Measure the effectiveness of supporting documentation.
Whether you're sharing additional context or logistical details, this tab ensures you're in the loop on who’s interacting with your documents.
Need to make a quick update?
The top of the activity panel has Copy, Preview, and Edit buttons. Its three-dot menu lets you send a Smart Mail with the link or disable the link.
You’re all set
With Online Viewing Room, you have complete control over how you present your artworks visually, informatively, and with impact. Whether you’re customizing the layout, formatting text, or tracking visitor engagement, OVR gives you the tools to create a compelling digital experience from start to finish.
If you have any questions or want to explore best practices, our team is here to help.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I create an OVR from a list, exhibition, or fair? A: Yes. Open the list, exhibition, or fair and click New OVR at the top of the page. This is not available on live lists.
Q: Will my changes go live immediately? A: Not until you click Publish. You can safely make edits and preview your OVR before publishing. A new OVR’s link is on as soon as you create it.
Q: Can I duplicate the style of one OVR and use it for another? A: Yes. Use Save Template in the OVR editor to save your settings as the default for new OVRs, or use Duplicate to copy an OVR’s settings to a new OVR.
Q: Who can view the OVR? A: Anyone with the link while it is enabled. To ask visitors for their details first, turn on Collect name and email address on entry. The Visibility setting only controls which teammates see the OVR in ARTERNAL.
Q: What happens when I disable an OVR? A: Disabling an OVR removes public access to the link without deleting the content. You can turn it back on at any time with Enable Link in the Disabled view.
Q: Can I track who viewed the OVR? A: Yes. You’ll see visitor info, time spent, artworks and documents viewed, and even their location. Tracking insights depend on your account.
Q: Can I customize the font and layout of my OVR? A: Yes. OVR gives you full control over banner settings, background color, grid layout, artwork alignment, fonts, and more.
Q: Can I reorder artworks in the grid? A: You’ll need to update the order in the Inventory List that the OVR is linked to. The OVR reflects that arrangement.