4 Tools for Creating Images for Social Networks
There are many tools available to create images for social networks, including Adobe’s indispensable Photoshop. However, companies, marketers, and bloggers may have more basic needs in terms of visuals or features, while focusing on quality, creativity, and professionalism. In a world where “an image is worth a thousand words”, it has never been more important to integrate images into a social media communication strategy.
Here are 4 tools to create images for social networks.
1 Canva
Canva allows you to create (and retouch) professional graphics with ease and speed, thanks to the drag-and-drop system combined with many resources: templates, shapes, photos, filters, icons, backgrounds, fonts, etc.
This tool is particularly well suited for creating graphics for social media using templates customized to standard social media sizes.
In total (and all categories combined), Canva offers no less than 50,000 models and several million free photos. Some items are subject to a fee and their price varies according to the license: $1 “One Time Use”, $10 “Multi-Use” and $100 “Extended”.
2 PicMonkey
PicMonkey is another popular platform that allows you to create images from a photo, template or blank media.
The photo editor has simple options such as exposure, color or brightness settings. It also presents filters or advanced options for portrait retouching (e. g. wrinkles, complexion, teeth). The Text (fonts) and Overlays (adding elements) features are particularly well thought out.
3 BeFunky
BeFunky is an interesting alternative to PicMonkey. This tool is composed of three main parts. The photo editor has options for making settings (e.g., sharpening, saturation and noise reduction) or adding text, effects, textures, graphics, etc. The Collages section allows you to aggregate several photos into one image. The Designer section offers models classified by category including “Social Media Headers” and “Social Media Graphics”.
4. Snappa
Snappa stands out from other solutions thanks to a very simple interface whose sole objective is to allow the rapid creation of visuals adapted to social media. You are invited to use one of the predefined sizes of standard formats or to define your dimensions.
Snappa offers 50,000+ HD photos from Stocksnap.io, as well as 3,500+ graphics, 200+ fonts, and templates, some of which are only available in the “pro” version.
Available in one click, some features are very useful such as superimposing a color – to highlight text on an image -, or superimposing layers for example. Like Canva, you can resize an image for other social networks very easily.