5 Image Tools That Are Perfect For Blogging and Social Media

You have probably seen a blog post with a really good picture and wondered how bloggers have the time to design custom images. In fact, there would’ve been many times when the image for the blog post captures your attention before the blog post itself.  This happens quite often on social media and is a valuable method to get views. You can create a really great blog post but to capture your users’ attention, you need a great picture.

“A picture speaks a thousand words” rings true for bloggers, marketers, social media experts and more. The only thing that’s holding users back is the belief in the myth that custom images take a long time to create. This is nowhere close to the truth and to prove it, here are a list of resources that you can use to design images in 5 minutes or less:

Canva is the perfect tool for creating simple images for your posts. It has a large variety of features and make image editing a piece of cake. The tool has a lot to offer apart from the basic features like image straightening. cropping and adding text. Among it’s other features are the ability to add speech bubbles, define image transparency and add effects. If you prefer to create your images from scratch, you can pick a template and add backgrounds, text, stickers, emojis, badges and more. Canva also lets you enhance photos by adding texture and enhancing photos. Most of its features are free and users love it.

PicMonkey is another popular tool among marketers and bloggers. The tool is similar to Canva and lets you edit and design images.  Additionally, it is great for editing as it offers some unique options. These options include whitening teeth, fixing exposure, removing blemishes and remove red eye. The tool also offers pre-designed templates for social media and blog posts. Collages can also be made effortlessly. PicMonkey offers free trials but is actually a paid tool. Their plans are pretty cheap and can be subscribed to monthly or annually.

For those that can’t afford or do not know how to use Photoshop, Pixlr is a great alternative. The online editing tool many of the features that Photoshop does and can be easy to use even for bloggers without a designing background. Pixlr Express is also a great option as users can work with simpler features. Pixlr Express divided editing tasks into tabs to make it simpler for you to edit. If you would like to customize the image further with your fonts, it is recommended to buy the desktop version of the app.

Detailed blog posts will need to have multiple visual cues to represent data that is being talked about. Infographics, charts and presentations are the most common ways to showcase data and Picktochart lets you create these effortlessly. Users can create charts and graphs by simply choosing a type and then double-clicking to enter data. You can even add images to your infographics and add your own images.  Posters can also be created within a few minutes.

If those don’t work for you, here’s a bonus list of lesser known tools to help you get the job done:

  • Fotojet – FotoJet is a completely free online editing and design tool that is similar to Canva. The tool has loads of features and has very user-friendly interface.
  • PlaceIt – A paid app for iOS users that provides thousand of placeholder layouts so that brands can add logos and images.
  • Venngage – Similar to Picktochart, Venngage lets you create and customize infographics with ease.
  • QuotesCover – A simple tool that turns your quotes into perfect images and posters that you can share.

Using tools for image editing is a simple process. Once you have a basic understanding of the tools, a few minutes is all it takes to  have the perfect image for your post. Different tools can be used for different purposes, so it is possible to use a combination of these tools to make the process easier.

Image: Pixabay

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