How to Create “Stunning Social Media Graphics WITHOUT Photoshop” Tutorial
- 1. How to Create “Stunning Social Media Graphics WITHOUT Photoshop” Tutorial
- 2. – We are all including images in our social media content, right? Because one of the toughest parts of running a Facebook page or any social account is creating high-quality graphics.
- 3. Why Use Photos and Videos ? – Photos and Videos are eye-candy that attract and engage readers with your offering.
- 4. – Did you know that 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and that we process images 60,000 times faster than plain text? – http://www.adweek.com/digital/visual-social-media- marketing/
- 5. – Photoshop makes our head spin when it comes to editor because it is hard to use but don’t worry there are many easy- to-use, low-cost alternatives available to you to create social media graphics.
- 6. –I’ll show you 6 easy tools that will help you create compelling graphics for social media.
- 7. 1: Use PicMonkey’s Online Photo Editor to Take Your Images From Good to Glorious PicMonkey‘s free option has a wide variety of frames, special effects and font types to choose from. With a touch of a button, you can crop and resize your photo, and add text to your images. The paid option offers additional features that include more frames and photo effects.
- 8. 2: Express Yourself Through Photos and Creations on LiveLuvCreate LiveLuvCreate is an image-creation website most anyone will find easy to use. With LiveLuvCreate, you pick from a variety of design layouts—from one image as a background to a collage of graphics. You can use images from your computer or choose from LiveLuvCreate’s library. Choose up to three text areas with a range of font types, colors and styles. You may also select borders, filters and photo effects for additional image enhancements. Once you complete your graphic, you can share your creation on Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook, or download the image to your computer.
- 9. 3: Create Your Own Designs With Canva Canva is a free application that offers a myriad of graphic types for use in everything from presentations and posters, to business cards and invitations. For social media use, consider Canva to help you design Facebook cover photos and blog images. If you’re signed into Facebook, Canva can pull in your photos. You can also upload your own graphics from your computer, or purchase from Canva’s stock image library(most images are only $1 US). Additionally, Canva has a unique feature where you can collaborate with other users, which is great if you need to share or edit your images with someone else. Canva is currently under closed beta, but you can reserve your username and be placed on a waiting list. Then, you can try Canva out once you gain access to the beta version.
- 10. 4: Use Image and Photo Editing Software From Paint.NET – If you want some of PhotoShop’s capabilities, check out Paint.NET as an alternative. – Paint.NET is a free download for PCs and offers many of the same features available in PhotoShop. – It supports layers, has unlimited undo capability and offers special photo effects, including red-eye removal. You can also draw shapes, add text and recolor your images with Paint.NET. – Because Paint.NET is a free download, tapping into the user community is the best way to get help with how to use it. Check out Paint.NET’s online forum for help, tutorials and plugins.
- 11. 5: Design Unique and Compelling Presentations With PowerPoint It may come as a surprise to see PowerPoint on this list, but it offers another easy way to create social media images. Any PowerPoint slide can be saved as a JPEG or PNG. Just click on Save As, and then select JPEG or PNG from the Save as Type drop-down menu. PowerPoint then asks if you want to export every slide or just the current slide. Select Current Slide Only, and you have an image file of your PowerPoint slide. If you’re comfortable using PowerPoint, take advantage of this capability to create social media images.
- 12. 6: Make Awesome Collages With PicCollage Don’t forget that compelling social media images can include snapshots, and when you want to creatively display these types of photos, check out PicCollage. PicCollage is an app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Once you download the app, use photos from your Facebook account or camera stream to create collages. Select a background on PicCollage, add your photos, then text and stickers to your image. PicCollage also allows you to resize, rotate, edit and delete any of your creations. When you complete your collage, you can share your image on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Use PicCollage to creatively display photos from a client event, office party or conference. Or pull in a favorite quote and surround it with images. With a little creativity, PicCollage helps you create social media graphics that show a more personal side to your business.
- 13. – Consider any of these tools to help you get the job done if you need help to create social media graphics.
- 14. – I mentioned those six (6) editors that we can use when we need to edit picture but in this tutorial I will use canva for example.
- 15. How to use Canva (By Molly Moriarity) Enter your e-mail and a password and Canva brings you right to “Your Designs” home page. Choosing Your Presentation Type. Choose what you want to create from a variety of presentation options. Inserting Text. Creating text can be done in a number of ways.
- 16. – Copying Your Slide – Exporting – Linking – Drawbacks
- 17. Setting Up an Account – This step is very easy. Enter your e-mail and a password and Canva brings you right to “Your Designs” home page.
- 18. Choosing Your Presentation Type – Choose what you want to create from a variety of presentation options. We love Canva’s social media layout — it leaves ample room to build pages in creative ways. The variety of layout options gives you room to create from scratch or use and manipulate Canva’s pre-made layouts. These existing layouts make the difference from spending two hours creating an interesting layout and taking five minutes to whip up something beautiful.
- 20. Using the Sidebar – Canva’s sidebar is where you will find all of your editing tools. The “Layouts” tab provides those pre-made designs you can change as necessary layer by layer, while the “Background” tab leaves you with a more basic template to build from. The “Text” tab has a multitude of text boxes to choose from, and the “Upload” tool allows you to add new images if you don’t find anything in the “Search” tab that will work.
- 22. Uploading Your Own Photos – You can upload original or stock photos for a presentation with ease. Your images become readily available in the sidebar under “Uploads.” One great feature on Canva: Your images are saved the moment they are created, so there is no need to worry about closing out of a tab without saving.
- 23. – Once images are integrated into your sidebar, you have the option of layering images (Canva’s or your own) on top of each other and the ability to sort and move layers. This can be really helpful when you are trying to place your company logo on the slide.
- 24. Inserting Text – Creating text can be done in a number of ways. You can utilize the supplied banners or place text boxes where you need. For the second option, drag your text box onto your slide, placing it where you want. Select the box and a text editing bar will appear. Here you can change font, size and color of the text.
- 28. Copying Your Slide – Copying is one of the more significant functions that makes your life easier. After you have completed a slide and it is formatted to your liking, look to the right of the slide you are working on. You should see an icon depicting slides layered on top of each other (see image below); click that. This will create an exact replica for you to copy as you need to generate new slides. You’ll also see the “Trash” icon right below. Don’t freak out if you accidentally send a slide to the garbage — it’s easily retrievable with the “Undo” function.
- 30. Exporting – When you’re ready to send this piece out into the world, reach for the “Link & Publish” button in the top right corner of your page. This will generate a pop-up screen, asking if you would like it exported as an Image or a PDF. Choose one and save accordingly.
- 32. Linking – You can link material easily: Select the image or area you want to link, then press the downward arrow at the far-right end of the formatting bar and select “Link”. This allows you to hyperlink an image or design within the slides so they lead to your website.
- 34. Our Favorite Features – Color Save – There are many cool features in Canva. The palette color save feature is very helpful. It maintains the color palette you create throughout the presentation. Canva also provides their code if you need it for a different slide. This enables themes to be created with ease and maintained throughout your presentation.
- 35. Editor’s Picks – If you want to use some really strong new designs that Canva’s promoting at the moment, use the “Editor’s Picks” section. This is probably the first place we look when trying to build something creative in a time crunch.
- 36. Canva Blog – Canva’s blog is a great resource for staying up-to-date on the new features available. If you’re in need of some inspiration, you can subscribe to Canva’s mailing list to check in on all those new updates, like their newest feature: “Photo Filters,” which allows you to play with color balances of images right on the slides.
- 38. Drawbacks – Free Slides Limit – There are only a few issues we would like to see improved in Canva, but one of the most glaring is the 15 free slides limit. You can use the presentation design, but you will need to export after a certain point, and then possibly try to blend them together in outside formats. There doesn’t appear to be another option for getting around the restriction.
- 39. Background Images – Another issue we came across was switching between images. Generally this is pretty easy, but if you have selected the background of your slide with your cursor, you need to de-select the background before moving to another image layer on the slide. This is slightly frustrating, but once you understand the de-select feature, it’s easy to work with.
- 40. Corrupt Images – When you are trying to export your presentation, you may hit a wall where it will not export. This could be the issue with the image itself. Canva at this point asks you in a pop-up window to reach out to their service team to make a service request. They will have a customer service member respond promptly. This problem was solved on my dashboard, and the service representative also sent me the updated file in an e-mail.
- 42. – This brings us back to a pro: Canva’s great customer service. The many benefits that come with this tool completely outweigh the drawbacks, and we encourage you to give it a try! Canva is an easy-to-use solution for improving design skills and creating beautiful visual content that will draw the admiration of your peers.
- 43. – But before you edit a picture, it is necessary that you know the sizes of various Social Media Graphics
- 44. –Social Media Graphics Sizes
- 45. – Facebook Image Sizes – Profile Picture: 180 x 180 (Displays 160 x 160 on Desktop) – Business Page Profile Picture: 180 x 180 (Displays 160 x 160 on Desktop) – Cover Photo: 820 x 312 – Shared Image: 1,200 x 630 – Twitter Image Sizes – Profile Photo: 400 x 400 (Displays 200 x 200) – Header Photo: 1,500 x 500 – In-Stream Photo: Minimum 440 x 220 (2:1 Ratio)
- 46. – Instagram Image Sizes – Profile Picture: 110 x 110 – Photo Thumbnails: 161 x 161 – Photo Size: 1080 x 1080 – LinkedIn Image Sizes – Personal Profile Image: 400 x 400 (Recommended) – Personal Background Image: 1584 x 396 – Company Logo Image: 300 x 300
- 47. – Pinterest Image Sizes – Profile Picture: 165 x 165 – Expanded pins have a minimum width 600 pixels (height is scaled). – It’s recommended to use an image aspect ratio of 2:3 to 1:3.5 – Board Display – 222 x 150 pixels (large thumbnail) – 55 x 55 (smaller thumbnail) – Google+ Image Sizes – Profile Picture: 250 x 250 (Recommended) – Cover Image: 1,080 x 608
- 48. – YouTube Image Sizes – Channel Profile Image: 800 x 800 – Channel Cover Photo: 2,560 x 1,440 – Video Uploads: 1280 x 720 (Minimum HD)
- 49. –We’re done!
- 50. –You can now Create Stunning Social Media Graphics