I’ve been asked a couple of times how I make the quote photos you see posted here on Tuesdays, so I thought I’d answer a few general questions.
I’ve been making these images since 2008. I do it for fun and relaxation (and because it takes less time than getting out my paints and brushes). You can get as fancy or as basic as you want. The steps are simple:
- Find a quote you love. Sources for quotes are all over the internet and Google is your best friend for finding them. Other sources include quotation dictionaries and your favorite non-fiction books.
- Find an image that gives support to the quote. My go-to source is MorgueFile as most of their free photos do not require attribution. You can also use your own snapshots or go to Flickr’s creative commons area (make sure you grab the link and name of the photographer to give them credit. You can do that in the alternate text of the image or in the caption). BE VERY CAREFUL about where you get your images. Read the licensing section for each photograph and choose only those images that are Creative Commons Attribution Required or Creative Commons no Attribution Required.
- Open up a graphics program. I believe Picasa is free, as is Pixlr. I use Adobe CS2 and Adobe Photoshop Elements, but I’ve also used basic scrapbooking software, Xara Photo & Graphic Design, and Serif Artist. You can also use Paint in your windows suite. Mac has an equivalent download I think is called Paintbrush (Mac users, chime in!).
- Open the image. Then create a text box on the image. Type in your quote and then play with font and font color until you are happy with the result.
- Save the image as a high quality .jpg or .png.
To get the most for your quote photo, you can add layer styles to your font (drop shadow, glow, etc). Another tip is to select the background image and desaturate or fade it. For images with strong colors or a lot going in, it helps tone things down so your quote stands out. In Adobe, you do this by selecting the background and then clicking on “layer” and then “layer adjustment.”
The most important thing is to play with your image in whichever software you choose. Learn what the effects do and try the font in various colors. Experimentation is part of the fun.
The Sarcastic Muse 
Anyone who reads any of my short stories knows that I am what would be considered a quote junkie 😉 They have so much wisdom to impart on our daily lives that I feel it would be foolish to dismiss them. This is a great way to bring them front and center and add a little personal flair to your interpretation of the quote. Thanks for sharing Robyn, I always appreciate your insights 😉
Quotes and images can be so powerful sometimes, can’t they? Thanks, Dave. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this ‘how to’. One of the things I’m most moved by in our blogging community is the generosity of bloggers – teaching, as you just did, and sharing links and references to other bloggers. It makes me smile every time someone shares as you do.
I like the “we’re all in this together” mindset. 🙂 The indie and blogging communities blow my mind with the attitude that there’s enough for everyone and we can all success. I believe it and love to share. Thank you so much for your comment!
Aloha Robyn,
Thanks for the information – I will have to give this a try. I place lots of photos in my posts and try to tell a sub-story in the captions (sometimes with more success than others) but I hadn’t though of matching the photo to a quote.
A Hui Hou,
Wayne
So cool of you to share all this, Robyn. I’ve just started posting photo quotes on FB, etc. and it’s SOOOO much fun. It creative, but a nice change from writing and energizes me. I definitely need to learn about layering.
I get a lot of free photos (that don’t need attribution) at http://www.unsplash.com and use http://www.picmonkey.com to create my photos. It’s free and you don’t even have to download anything to your computer.
Thank you for the new photo source and link to picmonkey. You’re doing great with them!