Blogging

Pixlr Express Editor 101: Create Amazing Graphics Online for Free

Oct 7, 2020 | Animation, Digital Marketing

If you are a business owner, you are always on the lookout for great editing tools. Whether it is video or photos, you need to edit, having the right tools is important for your branding and advertising. You also have to keep in mind the technical specifications that are needed to create graphics online that will work on multiple platforms and sites.

Being able to find the right mix of creative and technological prowess is not easy.

If you are looking for a great free online graphic editor, Pixlr Editor Express Editor is a great tool. At Pixlr.com, you can download three different editors version pixlr editor download including Playful, Efficient, and Advanced. There is a video tutorial on this photo editor by Lauren from The Thinking Closet.

She explains how you can use Pixlr Express to edit photos, add stickers, animations, and other assets to create a better photo. Here are some of the tips she mentions in the video:

1. Bring in your photos.– You can bring in new photos by selecting your photo files that you want to add and placing them on the canvas. If you don’t already have a portfolio of images to use, you can always join a royalty free resource site. Download images and customize them to your liking within a tool like Pixlr.

2. Add borders.– If you want to add borders to your photos, you can do so once you have added your photos. You can choose from a variety of different types and widths of borders. You can decide not to use borders if you don’t want them.

3. Use browse function to bring in individual photos.– To bring in more pictures for a collage or infographic, use the “browse” function.

4. Use the “adjustment” button to crop first.– One of the first things you should do is to adjust your photo to improve the quality. By using the adjustment tool, you can increase the lighting, adjust the contrast, and bring in more color saturation to improve the color. This is especially effective when creating photos featuring people or events that you want to focus on. Pixlr Express allows you to improve the overall quality. Use the vibrancy tool to improve skin tone or other colors, as well as other aspects.

5. Add lighting effects to improve the quality of the photo.– The use of good lighting is important to the quality of your photos and images. Adding lighting effects to make your photos darker or lighter, you can greatly improve the look of your work and make it appear more professional.

6. Resize to change the pixels to 750. This speeds up your blog or website loading time.– This is a recommendation by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. She has used 750 on many of her photos and collages and liked this size. However, if you are making an infographic, you may want to consider changing this to meet the needs of your project.

7. Use the contrast tool to add light or darken the contrast.– Once you have adjusted the lighting effects, you will want to tweak the contrast a bit. That’s because changing the lighting will sometimes fade out the photo a bit. So you use the contrast to improve the clarity and quality.

8. Use focal blur function or filters to give it a different look such as vintage or black and white.– The “focal blur” function allows you to give your photos a unique look that appears to focus on the center of the image. It creates a blur effect for everything that is not in the center circle. This is a professional-looking effect that many well-known photographers use to enhance a picture.

9. Use text editor to choose a creative font.– Using the creative fonts will help to personalize or customize your image so that you can create a unique look for your work. Play with a variety of fonts when creating professional images or graphics or infographics.

10. Add labels, ribbons, and stickers to enhance your image.– If you want to add a label, Pixlr Express will let you do that. It’s easy to do. Just select the ribbon or label function so that you can pull it into the photo like a sticker and place it in the position you want to. If you need royalty free images to use within your visual content, be sure to check out any of these free image sites.

Magic Wand and Selection Tool

The magic wand and selection tool allows you to select specific parts of your picture or graphic that you want to cut out of the photo. The lasso tool is a great tool to use also. It allows you to circle the selection you want and cut it out of the image. This is usually used to place the image on another layer or picture to create a unique effect.

You can use Pixlr Editor to locate the section you want to cut from the main photo. Then place the image wherever you want or use the Advanced Pixlr Editor to layer it with other pictures. This might be a good thing to use if you plan to create infographics or collages where you are featuring several graphics.

Pixlr Express is one of the simplest online design tool credited to edit professional-looking photos and deliver incredible simplicity, unlike the advanced option. You’ll need Adobe Flash Player to run the program.

How to Create an Infographic in Pixlr Express

If you want to create an infographic in the Pixlr program, you can do so. Just bring in your photos that you want to put into your infographic and follow the steps in the video or our tips above to edit and adjust your infographic.

You will probably want to use the “collage” option and bring in different photos that you plan to use in your infographic, then start using the editing functions to enhance it. If you don’t use the collage function, you’ll want to choose graphics that will enhance your infographic and promote the idea of your infographic in the best way.

To make your infographic in infographic format, you could use PowerPoint after you have edited your photos in Pixlr Express to create your infographic.

There is another great video tutorial on Pixlr Express at this link. This narrator talks about how to create specific edits and how to focus in on the subject in various ways.

Getting Started with an Infographic

You should think of creating an infographic in a sort of “layered” fashion, much like the tools you see in Pixlr Express or the advanced editor. By layering images on top or behind each other, you will create a more complex mix of graphic images that will complement your images and message in your infographics.

If you need help in designing and creating your images or infographics, contact us at infographicdesignteam.com.

We create customized infographics for businesses to use on their websites, blogs, and social media. We have been doing this for over a decade, and we enjoy showing business owners how they can maximize their impact on the web through the magic of infographics.

For samples of our work, feel free to go to our online portfolio page. Then contact us to learn more about how we can help you edit, create, and publish your customized infographics to your websites, blogs, and social media pages.

Post Views:
7,802

How to Start a Graphic Design and Marketing Agency Online

Oct 7, 2020 | Animation, Digital Marketing

Starting a graphic design agency is a big undertaking. It requires a lot of planning, resources, and money. But, like anything else online, there are also hundreds of opportunities that you can cash in on if you have a good strategy.

Graphic design is in high demand. If you have the talents to create original graphics or designs, you can be involved in a wide variety of industries such as web design, graphic arts design, and even interior design. Graphic design is needed in a variety of contexts and people are often willing to pay well for this uniquely creative skill.

In this post, we will talk about the advantages of starting your design agency, as well as some of the resources and tips you may want to tap into to get your design company started.

Why Start a Design Agency?

If you have talent in graphics or artistic design, you can tap into a lucrative opportunity through graphic design advertising. Many different types of people need professional designs today for their websites, logos, and other digital assets. The original design is important for branding, and many companies will pay you well for creating these graphics and other designs for them.

Other advantages in setting up your own top creative agency are that you will have an opportunity to establish yourself as a digital artist that can create some different items that you can sell online.

Some websites and platforms allow you to sell your digital assets online such as Digital Point and iStockphoto. These royalty-free image platforms can help you to create a sales platform that also allows you to sell premade designs. This can add to your revenue streams and help provide extra cash flow while you are building your business. It will also help you to establish yourself as a graphic design artist and promote your business on other platforms.

How to Start a Graphic Design agency

Once you decide to create your design agency or marketing solutions agency, there are some specific steps that you should take before you get started. As with any new business venture, you should do your research and your homework before you start launching your business. It’s best to make mistakes in the process of starting your company rather than make them with a client’s work. This can hurt your reputation if you are trying to promote yourself as a high-quality graphic designer. So make the worst mistakes in the early stages of developing your business and avoid the big mistakes once you get customers.

The following steps should serve to get you started with your design agency so that you can work on improving your technique and growing your business.

1. First, assess the tools and resources that you have already. Consider your talents as a part of your resources. Everything you can bring to your business will help define what it becomes in the future. The tools you use can include graphic design tools, online resources, and images that you will use in your designs. It’s a good idea to collect your graphics and images ahead of time so that you will have everything you need before you get started. However, you will always want to look for other tools and assets that will help you to grow your business as you get new ideas. So stay flexible to changes.

2. Think about the tools you’ll need to get started.– You need to do some research to find out what you’ll need to start and maintain your business. You may need to download a good selection of artistic design software such as Adobe PhotoShop, Canva, or other online tools. Then you’ll need to practice using them until you master the tools before you start taking clients.

3. Consider your budget. Decide how much money you need to start your business and take notice of any resources you can tap into to get the money you need. The sources of your reserve can come from a variety of sources such as bank accounts, business loans, or other sources. It’s best not to borrow any more than you have to when you are getting started with a new business. But sometimes you have to do this as you are gaining ground with your business cash flow.

4. Connect with other design experts.– One of the best things you can do when you are getting started with your design business is to connect to other well-established designers. By connecting to some of the most influential people in your industry, you’ll be able to use their power to get you more leads, while helping them out, as well. Make sure you arrange it to where the influencer also gets something out of it, such as a plug for a new eBook or a link back to their website. That way, they will want to help you more.

5. Start a website and a blog.– Your website and blog will serve as your virtual real estate that people will come to find out how they can purchase your services. You should have an online portfolio (see #7) on your website on a separate page that people can view to see the kind of work you do. Also, make sure and include your contact information on your website and your blog so people can contact you.

6. Use media such as videos and podcasts or infographics to promote your work.– People love podcasts and video. You can attract a larger number of viewers if you use media on topics that appeal to your target audience. Videos can help attract a much larger portion of your audience, especially if you address issues that matter to your customers. If you are design company owner, you may want to illustrate how you do some of your work or talk about topics in design such as 3D design techniques or other things you can share with your viewers.

Podcasts are also a good asset to add to your website, and listeners can take your podcast with them with their mobile devices. Infographics are also a great idea because they combine high-quality graphics with significant data and information. You can use infographics to promote your ideas and design services in a streamlined way.

7. Create an online portfolio.– If you do creative work in the design industry, you need to have an online portfolio that viewers can see. This will give them an idea of the kind of work you do, and they can communicate with you about what type of designs they may want. Onlne portfolios are important because they illustrate the kind of work you do. This will help you match up your services with people who are interested in your skills and who may want to hire you.

How to Create an Infographic for your Design Agency

Creating an infographic for your design company is a good idea because it can help you to promote your business to the people that are most likely to do business with you. Use samples from some of your best work to attract your clientele.

You can feature a particular sample on your main page or show a video that highlights one of your best creations, and then provide a form where people can sign up for a free estimate.

How an Infographic Can Help Get New Leads

If you are considering creating an infographic for your design business, look at some samples by professional infographic design companies first. This will give you an idea of how good infographics look. Then you can brainstorm ideas that you want to include on your infographic based on your business goals.

Animation in PowerPoint Presentations: Are they worth it?

Oct 7, 2020 | Animation, Video Marketing

Nothing can add life to a PowerPoint presentations better than animation. Animations add flair to a presentation. When used well, the motion effects can add dynamism to your deck and make your message more powerful.

When you first start including animation in your presentation, it may be tempting to overdo it. This can make your PowerPoint slow and often not enjoyable for your audience. The best animation effects have an aesthetic use that is in sync with your message and also helps to control the pace of your presentations.

How to Use Animation in PowerPoint?

PowerPoint has evolved over the years and several new features have been added to it to enhance it further. A presentation, similar to a story, has a beginning, middle and a conclusion. To mark these points, you can use animation in the form of a Transition. The Transition Pane in PowerPoint has several variations and options to choose from.

To use animation in 2013, 2016 PowerPoint, follow the following steps.

Select the text or object that you wish to animate
Click “Add animation” on the Animations tab of the ribbon to choose an animation effect
The speed of the effect chosen is determined by the Duration setting. Click on the Timing option under Animations tab and enter the number seconds that you wish the animation effect to continue
When you animate a text or an object, a small numeral shows up to the left of the object. The numeral shows the presence of an animation effect and its position in the sequence of animations on a slide. To remove an animation, just select the numeral and press delete.

According to experts, a crucial aspect to remember when adding animations is to keep it simple. While PowerPoint offers an array of options for animation, over-using them can make your presentation appear unprofessional and distract your viewers.

Animation should aid, not be a hurdle in your viewer’s understanding of your PowerPoint. The animation doesn’t help much when it is distracting. Flashy animations such as ‘Boomerang’, ‘Checkerboard’, or ‘Bonce’ take the focus away from the message and may even come across as irritating. All said, animation, when used well, can work to enhance audience engagement and recall levels significantly.When using animations, objects, texts and images can flip, fly or drop on your slide. You can make them spin, shimmer or pulse for emphasis. For business purposes, it is best to follow some simple animations such as:

Appear – The object just pops on the screen
Fade – The object moves in and out in a quiet, gentle way
Wipe – An invisible eraser wipes the slide
Zoom – The object comes from far away to the forefront

It is advised that you stick to the same animations all through your presentations to ensure a sense of consistency to your story.

Experts say that the best thing to do with PowerPoint animation is to use it to build your story at a gradual pace. This will also ensure that your audience can absorb all the content without feeling a loaded. Also, they will stay focused as they would want to find out what happens next.

Tips to Create Effective PowerPoint Animations

Here are some things to keep in mind to create effective PowerPoint animations.

1. Choose the right effects

Animation effects fall into four categories: entrance, emphasis, motion paths and exits. Entrance effects are the most commonly used ones. Few people use the exit effects. However, they can be extremely useful in certain situations. Both motion paths and emphasis effects have limited use and should be applied only in specific cases.

When explaining a process or sharing a story, PowerPoint motion paths make for a great tool. You can employ motion animation to take your audience through the different steps of a process. It can be used for objects, texts or images, with a lot of creativity.

2. Control of the effects

When you apply an effect, there are three options: start on click, start with previous and start after previous. Most presenters depend on “start on click” for all effects. It gives them time to get across a specific point to their audience before proceeding to the next effect. “Start after previous” is helpful when you are looking to keep the sequence flowing as you talk. “Start with previous” is helpful to stack multiple effects of running at the same time to maintain a good pace.

3. Timing of the effects

To control the timing of the effects, you can go to ‘speed setting’. You would want to apply the same speed setting so that you are able to anticipate the flow of the effects as you talk consistently.

4. Sequence

The arrangement of the effects is an important consideration. It is crucial to get the sequence of your effects right to achieve the desired results. The layering of the objects can also have an impact on the overall animation. Whether an effect begins on top of another or comes from behind can completely change the effectiveness or the message of the animation.

5. Check thoroughly

It is always a good idea to review your presentation in the Slide Show mode. This way you can test the timing, control and arrangement to produce the desired effect.

The key to effective animation is to understand when to use it. You can follow the 80/20 rule for this. What 20% of your presentation is the most important? That is what is worth adding your animation to.

Once you understand how animations can work for your presentations, you’re limited only by your imagination. Use the extensive selection of animation options in PowerPoint and make your presentations lively and unforgettable.