This Is How I Make 2 Types Of Images For My Blog

/ Ally Bean

Have you ever heard someone say that their mantra is to always be recommending?  I love that idea.  Information is part of what makes the world go round.  

To wit, here’s what I use to make 2 types of unique images that I share on The Spectacled Bean. I’m often asked about where I get my images, so here you go.  

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WHEN I TURN PERSONAL PHOTOS INTO ART I use a free app called Waterlogue.  It’s on my phone, ezpz to use, and offers a variety of looks.  Here’s an example of a before and after image.

First I took a photo with my phone.  This is that photo.

Then I used the app choosing one of their filters, in this case the Illustrator, to make my photo look snazzy.  This is the after.

As you can see the app has taken a so-so photo and turned it into a bombdiggity blog-worthy picture.

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WHEN I CREATE IMAGES WITH TEXT I use Canva on my desktop computer [or here for your phone].  It’s a graphic design website [or an app for your phone] featuring a variety of free templates, many pre-sized for any social media you might use.

First I picked a template.  This is the before.

Then I did a fast little rewrite using the first movie quote that came to mind, thus creating something clever and unique.  This is the after.

In this example I did a color change & resized the font but there were many free and $$$ options I could have used to make this image even more amazeballs.

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I hope that this information is of some value to you.  

If you know of other ways to create blog post images [preferably free] please recommend them in the comments below.

And on that note, with nothing more to say here, I shall wish all of you Happy Blogging.

98 thoughts on “This Is How I Make 2 Types Of Images For My Blog”

  3. Good stuff here. If I take a screen shot, I use “Tools” in WORD to crop, filter, and sharpen. If I get stuck, I yell for my in-house artist. Canva has created many a book cover, not mine though. Kind to share, Ally!

    Liked by 3 people

    • marian, I never thought of messing around with a screen shot, but now that you mention it I could do that. Good idea. I didn’t know about Canva as a way to make a book cover, but I can see how that’d work. Again, interesting. Thanks for the info.

      Liked by 2 people

  5. 1 – Waterlogue is cool.

    2 – The other apps are equally cool. Hope that makes blogging more fun (though there are certainly challenges).

    3 – Love the word “bombdiggity.”

    4 – I have to learn to do more things with my devices.

    Thanks for sharing such good information – agree, sharing makes things work better. Wish more people shared, and were open to learning.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Zen-Den, I like the word “bombdiggity” too and feel that I’ve been lax about using it. I’ll correct that in the future.

      You said it about being open to learning. I’ll share whatever I know, but many people don’t want to learn/grow/change so it falls of deaf ears. Their loss.

      Like

  8. I tried using Canva to create an infographic for work. I was tearing out what little hair I have left before giving up. I’ve never thought to revisit it for a single image. Maybe…

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dan, I’ve not tried anything as complex as an infographic on Canva, but for cute little images to add to my blog or other social media places I find it fairly straightforward and many things are free there. Gotta like the price!

      Liked by 1 person

    • I used PicMonkey for quite a while and loved it. That is until they decided they wanted me to pay to use it, and since mostly I use it for the non profit I work with that wasn’t an option. So, a friend told me about Canva, and I’ve been using that and it does what I need mostly. I’d still prefer PicMonkey for editing, but … I use screen shots a lot. I’ve never tried to edit them in Word but now I will.

      Liked by 3 people

      • Judy, I never used PicMonkey although I know a few people who liked it. I’ve never put any screen shots into Canva because I never thought to do that. I can see how that’d be a good way to jazz them up. I bet you could also do that with Waterlogue if you wanted something more dramatic. The free possibilities are endless.

        Liked by 1 person

      • I’ve never tried PicMonkey. I’ll add that to the list. I do some small edits in Word for stuff at work. I like to have it done outside, in case someone says “can I get a copy of that picture.”

        Liked by 3 people

  9. Waterlogue!?! OMG, I love what you did with it. I think I have a new obsession. And I thought the PolyGen app was cool…
    I’ve used Canva before – quite nice…and I also like PicMonkey. I wish I had more time for these fun things (retirement goals!!!!)…but I will HAVE to make time for Waterlogue.
    Thanks for sharing, Ally!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Deb, Waterlogue is fun. And like Rivergirl said, it’s addictive. I don’t know about PolyGen but will look into it. I tried PicMonkey a while back and got confused, but I’m older & wiser now [allegedly] so one of these days I’ll give it a go again.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. I love Canva and, to a lesser extent, PicMonkey. I find free images on Pixabay and import them into Canva to noodle around with. Sometimes I just make something in GIMP. I’ll have to try that Waterlogue. Thanks for the recommendation!

    Liked by 3 people

  12. Altering my pictures? What a concept! It could just possibly transform some of my less than stellar concert shots into something magical, right? I’ve heard of Canva but have not tried it yet. It seems there are many things I still need to learn. Work is slack right now so maybe I’ll have time to explore. Thanks, Ally!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Janet, Waterlogue is cool and easy to use. It doesn’t always result in a great new pic but when it does the new image is interesting. Canva is fairly simple to use, but there is a learning curve. Be forewarned that your first attempts with it might take some time… but oh the fun results!

      Liked by 1 person

  13. It was fun to read about your playing with images and photos. I loved the way you showed before and after pictures on your screen.

    What a cool mouse pad!!! By the placement, I’m guessing you are left-handed. John is a lefty, so half the things in our house are backwards to each of us.

    Liked by 3 people

      • I’ve never seen a left-handed mouser and a right-handed writer. Golly! Think what all you could do at the same time!!! I was going to set up John’s mouse on the left, but he said he wouldn’t mind it on the right. That makes it easier for me to work on his machine.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, the Waterlogue app is super easy to use on your phone. Try it, you’ll like it. The canva website I only use on my desktop computer because a phone screen would be too small for me.

      Like

  20. I love seeing how people morph and modify images., Cool
    I have avoided those tools as I it looks like so much fun I know I’d probably disappear into the computer and never be seen again…
    (Oh. I pitch, bat, and catch baseballs left handed but write right handed. Mom was left handed. I use both without really noticing sometimes.)

    Liked by 3 people

    • philmouse, there’s something to be said for your logic about not using these apps. They can be time sucks.

      I mouse left-handed because years ago I was in a car accident and hurt my right shoulder. For about a year after I had to mouse left-handed and the habit stuck. I feel more balanced this way when sitting in front of the computer now.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, Canva has worked for me so that I can create something but not spend an entire day doing so. I hope you like Waterlogue. It can turn the mundane into the magnificent.

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  23. Great information! You are doing a wonderful job of spicing up your blogging life. I wish I were as adventurous but I’m kind of stuck in my old ways – hard sometimes to teach an old dog like me new tricks! But you have given me something to think about and strive for. Best of all, it doesn’t seem too complicated. I admire your willingness to try new things.

    Cheers to you
    Susan Grace

    Liked by 2 people

    • Susan, I’ve kept a blog for a very long time and I’d go mad if I didn’t try new things every so often. These apps are easy to use and free so I like them. Maybe someday, when the mood strikes you, you’ll give one a try. Did I mention they’re free? 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Oh dear, I can see another addiction looming if I were to do this. Toooo much fun and hugely distracting I can well imagine … but it sounds like great fun and a valuable tool to be able to master 🙂 Thanks for the sharing Ally Bean … 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    • Susan, you’re right in that these can become addictive. I like messing around with graphic design so for me it’s oddly relaxing to immerse myself in them. But I do keep an eye on the clock.

      Liked by 1 person

  26. Thanks for sharing! Very clever and helpful info. I simply use my own photos for the most part. But, I have opted to find free ones online when I’m looking for something a bit different from my ‘norm’.

    Liked by 2 people

  29. Ooooooh … a new free toy to try out (Waterlogue). Great for me as on an iPhone and have Win10 on my desktop. Excellent, thanks Ally!

    Also a big fan of Canva. I’d seen it recommended for quite a while before deciding to dive in and now I find it great for blog headers ‘n such. I love to use images in my blog posts, but am finding it’s harder to locate suitable ones which are free to use.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Deb, I bet you’ll love Waterlogue. It is, as many commenters have mentioned, addictive. And so easy to use.

      I like Canva, but I won’t lie, it took me a while to understand it. However now that I do it was time well-invested. I know what you mean about finding suitable images for a blog post. I like to add them, but I won’t steal a photo from someone so I’m super careful about where I get my images.

      Liked by 1 person

  30. Yup, I had trouble when I first had a go but, like all things, plugging on for a bit proved beneficial. Looking forward to having time to playing with Waterlogue. We’re moving home in a couple of weeks, so I’ll have time to fiddle once all that is behind me.

    Liked by 3 people

  31. hmmm – maybe I should finally give one of these a try. I’ve often admired the cool text boxes created by other people but I’ve never bothered to figure out how to do it myself. I’ll add it to my never ending to-do list 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  32. Thanks for the info Ally. I have a flip phone so I can’t do Waterlogue and I am happy to hear about Canva. I was using the free version of Fotor.com when I wanted to add text to a picture and I used to use them for creating collages as well (then I discovered you could do the same thing in WordPress). Fotor.com did have more enhancements that were free and I noticed they are doing away with some of the free ways to enhance the pictures but they do have a wonderful selection of frames and backgrounds for photos.

    Liked by 2 people

    • linda, I’ve not heard of Fotor.com but will take a look at it. Thank you. You can upload one of your own photos in Canva, then use it to make whatever. I’ve only done that once because I like how ezpz it is to use one of Canva’s designs then adapt it to whatever I need.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I’m going to try Canva Ally. A fellow blogger from the UK uses Fotor to create unusual edges around his photos (nature photos) to make them look like they come from an old photo album. He also uses the free version – I looked for the feature but they have so many enhancements that I couldn’t find it and I have to explore a little more to see what they have. I used to use Pic Monkey but they started charging a fee and I thought it was quite pricey for the few times I wanted to use enhancements. The heat is creeping back again – I’m going on a loooooong walk at several parks and to an Art in the Park event today … I’m grateful it is not oppressive or raining or storming and I hear we get cooler weather the end of the week (yay!!)

        Liked by 1 person

          • Thanks Ally – I did go on a very long walk in the heat this morning – right now it is a torrential rain and two more bouts of rain expected before 8:00 a.m. Sunday which might kill tomorrow’s walk/adventure. The weathermen cannot predict the weather anymore … I don’t know if they rely on models too much or the weather is too unpredictable.

            Liked by 1 person

    • L. Marie, I don’t do Pinterest but I can understand how Canva would be a great way to make an image for it. Smart friend you have there. I wish I could remember who told me about Waterlogue because it is cool and fun. Thank you to whomever it was.

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