How I Create The Images For My Blog Posts

“A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Over the past few months, I have standardized on the tools and general layout for the images that go with each of my posts.  An image can make the difference in whether a potential reader stays around to read your post or leaves to find something more interesting elsewhere.

Today, I share with you my method for making FREE, eye-catching images that will keep your readers around a little longer.  If you have a blog without images or with out of date images, you can use these steps to add flare to your blog.  To demonstrate, I will be updating the image for one of the more popular posts on my blog from three years ago – How To Respond To The Election Results.

My original post had a simple American flag at the top of the screen.  There was nothing to indicate the title of the post or other details that would cause image viewers to head back to my site.

Here are the steps I took to create a new image for this blog post:

STEP 1:  Go to pixabay.com.  Pixabay.com is a great site for finding FREE images you can use for your blog.

STEP 2:  Type in a key word that goes with your blog post title.  For example, I searched for images based on the search word:  election.

STEP 3:  Select an image to go with your post.  (When I look for an image, I look for an image with room for a title and other text.  I also look for an image that best represents the content of my post.)

STEP 4:  Once you’ve selected your image, click on the desired size (I almost always select the small size).  Then press “Free Download” to save the image in your download folder.

STEP 5:  Go to picmonkey.com.  Picmonkey.com is a FREE photo editing tool.

STEP 6:  Select you photo to edit from you download folder.  (Once you have the photo open, check out all the great ways you can edit the folder by utilizing the editor options on the left side of the screen.)

STEP 7:  Select the text editor option by pressing the icon “Tt”.

STEP 8:  Select your desired font.  (I consistently use Tahoma for my images.  I would encourage you to be consistent in selecting your font type as it helps bring consistency to your blog brand identity.)

STEP 9:  Enter your text in the text box.  (Note:  I typically type the blog post title along with a tag line (Jon Stolpe Stretched jonstolpe.com) to help image viewers back to my site.)

STEP 10:  Edit the text for size, color, and orientation in the text editor box which will pop up on your screen when you are editing text.

STEP 11:  Once you are satisfied with your image, select the “Save” button at the top center of your screen.

STEP 12:  Create a file name for your image which you can type in the left “File name” box.

STEP 13:  Press “Save to my computer” in the lower left corner to save the image to your computer.

STEP 14:  Open your post editor to the desired post.

STEP 15:  Move your cursor to the desired image location.  (In my case, I clicked on the old image.)

STEP 16:  Select “Add Media” right below the title (and above the post).

STEP 17:  Select “Upload Files.”

STEP 18:  Click on “Select Files.”

STEP 19:  Find your saved image, and select the image by double clicking on the image file name or image thumbnail.

STEP 20:  Click “Insert into post”  once you have selected the file and added any desired information on the right side of the screen.  (I usually center my image and make the image approximately 600 pixels wide.)

STEP 21:  Your new image will appear in the post editor.  Click “Update” on the right screen when you are satisfied with your changes.

That’s it!  Just in case, I check out my post by selecting “View Post” to make sure everything looks good.

I know I listed a lot of steps, but I wanted to make sure I detailed everything I do to create images for my blog posts.  I hope these steps will help you to brighten up your blog posts.

Do you use images on your blog posts?  Is so, what steps do you use to create your images?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.