Creating Beautiful Graphics and Video (with NO Design Skills)
The next time you have a teenager around you with their phone, observe how they are using it. (Without being creepy!) Watch what they are doing with their Instagram feed.
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Are they reading the thoughtful content? How long are they looking at each post?
I have news for you: they are scrolling through more quickly than you can imagine. And if they see something that quickly catches their eye, they “like” it and move on. For the truly compelling images and video, they will give it a few seconds.
This is the world we live in! There is an unbelievable amount of “stuff” we can all take in online, and so only the things that truly stand out actually get your attention.
Why does this matter?
Because we MUST have top-notch visuals on our social media pages. This means, great photos, great graphics, and great looking videos. Otherwise, people won’t even pay attention.
Want to know a secret?
There are TONS of resources available for those of us who are a little more “graphically challenged.” You can make great looking content without being artistic at all!
Let me share with you some of my favorites:
Canva is great for making graphics for social media. You can pick the exact sizes right when you create them (so you don’t have to figure out dimensions for yourself!) Example: You can select right at the beginning that you are making a Facebook banner, and it will be sized and ready for you to upload.
Canva has a ton of great templates to choose from, so all of the fonts and design are done for you, just type in your own text. You can upload your own photos, or stock photos to use, or (here’s the best part) you can use one of their stock photos for only $1. This let’s you be confident that you have all the permission you need to use their photos for promotions, graphics, ads, etc. Simple.
This is one of my favorite sites for quickly and easily editing photos and creating beautiful custom graphics. Need to turn your photo into a beautiful touched-up headshot? Some simple tools with get you there. You can also add text, various effects, and create fun overlays.
Picmonkey also has amazing templates, which simplify graphic design even further. I am a big fan of easy templates!
Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark allows you to make great looking graphics and video with ease. I like it best for its video capabilities. While there are lots of other programs and sites where you just “drag and drop” your photos into a video template, my experience is that many of them don’t look great in the end. Adobe Spark offers just enough editing options for you to customize a thing or two, without getting overly complicated.
You can pick a theme, upload your photos, add some text, choose your music, and you’ve got a great looking video.
Word Swag is an incredibly easy app for creating graphics. You type your text over your photos, right on your phone, pick your template and fonts, and you are set.
To start, don’t get overwhelmed by the amount of options to choose from. Pick one design program, watch a tutorial, make one graphic or video and see if you liked it. If the program seems like something you can get your head around – you’re done! The good news is that you don’t need 100 design programs, you only need ONE.
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