Detail Control
One of Waterlogue's most powerful features is the ability to adjust detail with the size control. You can adjust this setting to create images ranging from bold, simplified interpretations to detailed, intricate renderings.
Understanding the size options
In Waterlogue, the size options (measured in virtual inches) represent different watercolor paper dimensions—similar to how traditional artists select paper sizes for their work.
Smaller sizes produce simplified watercolors with larger textures, while larger sizes allow finer details—mirroring traditional watercolor, where artists choose paper based on subject and desired detail.
Choosing the right size
When choosing a size, consider your subject, as some images require specific detail levels to preserve facial expressions or distinctive features:
For detail-rich images
Landscapes or scenes with distant subjects benefit from larger sizes (10" or 12") because they preserve important details that would otherwise be lost.
Source: Tinrocket
For simple subjects
When you want to emphasize bold shapes over details, smaller sizes (4" or 6") yield more expressive, abstracted results that capture the essence of your subject.
Source: Tinrocket
Finding the right balance
Capturing essence—communicating most with the least—comes from finding the perfect balance of detail. Waterlogue makes comparing subtle differences easy by instantly showing previous results.
The differences in the following examples may appear subtle at first. Don't worry—as you become familiar with your subjects, you'll develop an intuitive feel for selecting the perfect size setting.
In this landscape photo, the woman and dog occupy a small part of the scene. They're the emotional focus of the image. Finding the right setting size will capture them perfectly:
Too little detail
At 8", the detail feels insufficient—the figure appears rough, and the dog’s face is incomplete.
Source: Tinrocket
Penny’s eyes vanished (while her beagle nose stayed perfectly clear).
Too much detail
At 12", the figure appears more defined, but unfortunately, the dog’s facial features still don’t fully capture its true expression.
At 12", brushstrokes don’t quite capture Penny’s facial character—her unique expression gets lost in translation.
Just right
At 10", everything balances perfectly—all elements have just enough detail without appearing overworked.
Penny’s expression now comes through perfectly—small details like this often determine the ideal size.
More observations
Examining other elements in this photo provides additional examples of how size settings affect texture and detail quality:
Clouds
Comparing the 8" and 10" versions shows that the smaller size adds a stronger paper texture to the clouds—they look smoother in the 10" version.
Ground
Comparing 10" with 12" illustrates why more detail isn't always better—12" makes the ground blotchier, whereas 10" shows fewer distracting patches.
Finding the right balance is subjective—experiment with different sizes, as the results may surprise you!
Tips & Notes
We hope this guide helps you understand one of Waterlogue's most powerful features! Here are a few extra tips to help you use the size controls like a pro:
Quicker previews
Lower the size setting before testing different styles to get faster previews while experimenting.
Export flexibility
Waterlogue’s “virtual size” doesn’t affect how large you can export your image. Waterlogue automatically resizes any image to its standard sizes, ensuring that whatever size you choose is perfect for printing or sharing.