Not
everyone can afford expensive tools like Photoshop, but that doesn’t mean your
blog can’t be beautifully designed! There is a plethora of free design tools
out there – ones that I have been relying on for years to create my own blog
headers, buttons and logos as well as edit my photos. Here are my top 8 tools
for improving your visual content.
This is
probably my worst kept secret – I tell everyone about this fantastic tool. Even
those with no experience in design will be able to create gorgeous images and
graphics with Canva. It’s easy and simple to use with its free pre-made icons and illustrations, amazing fonts and attractive
layouts. You can make online graphics such as Twitter headers and Facebook
cover photos, as well as ready-to-print documents like CVs, letters, posters
and business cards.
You can
pay to upgrade to Canva for Work and some images cost $1+, however for the most
part it is free. I have used it for a few years now without spending a penny!
The only annoying thing about the free version is that it doesn’t allow you to
alter the dimensions of your design once you start on it. There is also a free
Canva app but in my experience it’s quite laggy and I personally prefer to work
on a larger screen anyway.
2. PIC MONKEY
PicMonkey is a well-known blogger favourite, but if you haven’t heard of it, it is
basically a free photo editor. With basic editing essentials as well as more
advanced filters, overlays and touch up tools. You can also make fun collages,
which are great for weekly or monthly round-up posts. Again, you can pay for some additional
features but I’ve managed to get by using the free version. I edit most, if not
all of my blog photos with this extremely useful website.
3. BEFUNKY
BeFunky
is a new discovery of mine and one I hope to use more. A brilliant photo
editor, this website offers stunning vintage filters as well as some design
tools and a collage maker.
4. PIXLR
Pilxlr
is another way to fine-tune your images. With additional stickers, effects and
overlays you can add a personal vibe to your creations. Pixlr is free but you
can pay for additional features – it is the cheapest upgrade I’ve found at $1.99
a month, however I still use the free version.
5. GIMP
If you
prefer a desktop program rather than an in-browser tool, GIMP is your answer.
Don’t be put off by the unfortunate acronym, because GNU Image Manipulation
Program can do most, if not all things that Photoshop can, without the price
tag. It often lags and slows down my computer, but I wouldn’t be without it – I
use it to create my blog header, logo and buttons.
6. WHATTHEFONT
Nothing
is more annoying than falling in love with a font and being unable to find out
what it’s called! Thank god I found out about What the Font – a huge database that
will find an exact or close match when you upload an image with text in it. No
more tireless google searching and scrolling through font sites!
7. DAFONT
Speaking
of fonts – I’m such a font geek and love finding new ones. Da Font is my go to
resource for free fonts that you can download and install to GIMP, word and any
other creative programs on your computer.
8. EYEDROPPER
Pick out
colours from webpages and images with an eyedropper tool. You can probably
install the Eye Dropper Extension on most browsers but because I mainly use
Chrome when editing, I use this tool. They’re brilliant when overlaying text
onto an image. With the hex code of a colour you can find the perfect contrasting
colour, or expand your colour palette, by simply googling the code or searching
it on websites such as Colour-Hex.
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