Social media images can be a pain. Dimensions change. You’re not sure if the photo you’re using is copyrighted. Or even worse, you used Comic Sans on your image. Creating social media images can be a frustrating process.
But, it doesn’t have to be that way. There’s a very simple tool that will ensure that you create the perfect images for your social media. That tool is Canva. Canva is web-based tool that lets you create images in your web browser with a variety of free images and fonts. It also has all the correct dimensions for social media channels as well (Twitter, Facebook, etc…). It’s how I create most the images on this blog.
Not only is it easy to use, it’s also completely free. There are some images that cost if you want to use them, however there are plenty of great free ones to choose from. Ready to see it in action? Here’s a quick breakdown on how to use Canva.
1. Go to Canva.com
First, head to Canva.com and create an account. You’ll want an account so that you can save your work and have it for reference in case you need re-edit.
2. Pick the Social Media Network
Second, pick the social network that you want to create the graphic for. Once you’ve selected the social network, Canva will then preload a template with correct image dimensions.
3. Pick Your Layout
Third, pick a layout that you want to use on your graphics. Canva has already created some layouts for you to pick from. You can also choose to use a blank layout by clicking the text button (I typically use a blank layout). Also notice that every element has either a “$” or a “free” tag on the bottom right. I’ve always found everything I need with the “free” tag.
4. Pick Your Text
Fourth, pick your text layout. Here’s where you can add your text and change font, size or color. Click on the text and the text change options will appear. You can adjust fonts, size, color and text alignment. You’ll also notice that there’s a back and forward option. This allows you to move elements around much like layers in Photoshop.
5. Pick Your Background
At this point you’ll want to determine the background for image. Canva provides a search tool that lets you look for images or illustrations based on keywords. You can also search through graphs, icons or frames. I typically click on “photos”. Once I click on “photos” usually the latest free images pop up on the left.
Once you select your background image, you can resize it to fill the template. You can also click on the image to apply filters, crop, rotate and adjust transparency.
6. Add Your Own Image or Logo and Download
Finally, if you want to use your own image as a background, just click on the uploads option on the left. If you want to add a logo, just upload a PNG file with a transparent background. Once you’ve made your final adjustments click “Download” to get your image. Now that you’ve got your image, you can use it with the social media network that you chose in the second step.
Now you’re finished! Canva also has an iPad app that let’s you do everything mentioned above. However, I found the web browser easier to use.
Hopefully Canva will be a tool that you can use to create the perfect images for social media networks. Do you know any other tools that let you do something similar? Click here to share below.