Tons of people, post hundreds of millions of social media photos. Every. Day.
However, only a few (relatively) inspire you enough to stop and notice rather than scroll on or leave entirely.
Why?
Because too many social media photos are low-quality, unappealing, booooring or just not worth sharing.
But hey, good for you. As a result of there’s no need for any of this.
Not with so many awesome tools available to you.
Building a library of high-res, eye-catching, notable, shareable, and beautiful photos is simple. And low-cost (or free).
Let’s have a look at 16 great ones.
16 of the best social media photos tools
FULL-SERVICE IMAGE CREATION TOOLS
1. Canva
What’s it
An online web app to design graphics for projects, huge and small.
Why use it
No design or editing experience required.
And, it is the most versatile tool out there (although flexibility comes with a cost—lots of the other tools are simpler to use).
Create wonderful looking graphics for your social media posts. Edit images, create infographics, build graphs—fairly rapidly and simply (sometimes versatility makes things a little harder to do).
Select from a ton of ready-made layouts.
I made this a while back, summarizing an article on the web (actually, I made a whole blog, visually summarizing books, articles, meetings, and movies).
You could, too.
- Get your words right…
- Then photos
- Choose a template
- Same for fonts, colors, and format
- Have fun doing all that
- Then, post away
Begin for free. Pay for more services, if/as you want them.
Canva has preset picture sizes for Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. That is essential since each platform has settings and limitations for social media photos.
Be the designer you never thought you can be.
2. BeFunky
What’s it
BeFunky helps you… be funky. Like Canva, it’s a one-stop-shop for creating graphics, and collages.
Why use it
It’s simple. It does a whole lot. So you do not have to (or are unable to do).
Need to add effects to your photos (like make it cartoon-y)? Or assemble them into a funky, but professional, college? Fix photos with issues like over-or-under-saturation?
BeFunky will help. Then, choose a layout for your social media needs. Like headers, blog resources, or a small enterprise template.
All done online, without downloading a thing. Except for your completed and polished photos.
Get 125 digital effects at no cost. Or, pay a monthly fee to get high-res and other crazy-cool picture effects and templates.
DESIGN TOOLS
3. Creative Market
What’s it
A digital warehouse of ready-to-use design assets assembled from lots of independent creators.
Graphics, fonts, site themes, images, mockups, and more—you could find it all in Creative Market.
Why use it
Because all of the hard work is done for you. Everything is assembled to look and work well together.
Browse what they’ve, enjoy what you see, choose what works greatest for your social media photos and posts.
There’s a lot to select from. Do not get overwhelmed. However, when you do, begin with their free stuff. They provide six free products each week, so you could build up your own collection.
Like this one (of fonts, typefaces, mockups, graphics, patterns, and clipart).
Has your creative flow runneth dry? If so, encourage yourself with Made with Creative Market.
STOCK IMAGES
There is a place for everything, including stock photos.
Perhaps the big firms could shoot, draw, or create their own, however, for the rest of us, flock to stock.
However, attempt to be non-mainstream about the ones you choose. Because they are boring (which you don’t want to be).
It is a crowded field. I will share a couple I think make stock rock.
4. Adobe Stock
What’s it
A group of over 90 million high-quality assets to use in your social campaigns. For images, videos, illustrations, and templates.
Why use it
Since you are a pro digital marketer.
Not a pro illustrator, photographer, or videographer.
Better you license what they have done to accomplish what you need for your social campaigns, right?
- Browse and discover what inspires you and your viewers
- Choose a license
- Download the pictures
- Attach them to your posts
- Share throughout your social channels
Even better, use Hootsuite to do all of that in one easy-to-use dashboard.
5. iStock
What’s it
A collection of royalty-free images, illustrations, and movies
Why use it
To search out plenty of images and drawings that look great, yet not so mainstream.
It’s my go-to website, for my stuff and for my clients.
It’s simple to search out photos and save to a ‘board.’ I keep a board for each project to confirm and create a consistent design language for any new site.
Do the same for your social campaigns.
Right here’s a search outcome for “retro” and “cry” (for a client piece I’m doing).
ANIMATION
6. Giphy
What’s it
A large and rising collection of free animated gifs.
Why use it
To boost, excite and wake up your social audience.
As with all content, photos are meant to improve the words. A little motion makes it more memorable. Although used sparingly, otherwise it distracts rather than enhances.
Do some Giphy searches. Enjoy the chuckles. Make it so your viewers do, too (with a purpose).
DATA VISUALIZATION
7. Infogram
What’s it
An online app to make infographics and reports. Including maps, charts, graphics, and dashboards.
Why use it
Utilizing data in your social posts builds credibility with your audience.
You could not need a full infographic. Superb. Create charts and graphs to make your points well-understood, with over 35 chart types to select.
Working with data could be tricky. Infogram makes it simple and painless. Fun, too.
Begin at no cost. As you get to be a professional, consider one of their three packages, from $19 to $149 USD a month.
8. Piktochart
What’s it
Another method to create presentations, infographics, and printables.
Why use it
It’s simple. And you could…
- Begin at no cost
- Browse and pick with a template (there’s lots of)
- Plug in your data
- Choose an awesome picture or 10 or 20
- Drop some of your own in
- Preview it. Refine it. Play with it. Preview it again.
- Download it
- Post it
When you get good, create your own template to maintain a consistent search for your marketing campaign(s).
With three packages, from $12.50 to $82.50 USD per month.
9. Easel.ly
What’s it
The same as the previous two apps above.
Why use it
It’s got a cute name.
And…
It has a set of graphics different from Infogram and Piktochart.
Good to have choices for your visuals.
PHOTO EDITORS
10. Hootsuite Composer (with in-place image editor)
What’s it
A social media picture editor and library that you could use when making and scheduling your posts across networks.
Why use it
To write your words, then improve them with pictures. All in one place, within Hootsuite Composer.
It’s simple:
- Create a new post
- Write your text
- Add a stunning picture (add your own, or choose one from the media library)
- Customize it
- Publish or schedule it
Voila. Finí. Done.
About these customizations…
All the usual suspects like crop, resize, transform, turn, filter, and more.
Want to post your piece on Facebook or Instagram? Choose one of the recommended picture sizes.
Add your logo or watermark, too (coming soon).
No need to jot down here, edit there. Do all this from a single platform.
Without cost.
It comes with whatever Hootsuite package you have signed up for.
11. Stencil
What’s it
An online, social media photos editor created for entrepreneurs, bloggers, and small businesses.
Why use it
It’s simple to get began, simple to use. With a zillion choices for photos, quotes, icons, backgrounds, and templates.
Okay, maybe I exaggerated on the zillion part:
- 2,100,000+ photos
- 1,000,000+ icons and graphics
- 100,000+ quotes
- 2,500+ fonts
- 730+ templates
Utilizing Stencil is easy. You are presented with a canvas. Choose images, icons, templates, and quotes to place on it. Drag, crop, resize, filter, tilt, set transparency, change colors, change fonts, add a background.
I created this one in 45 seconds.
Choose a pre-sized format to look good on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Then, preview it, download it, share it, save it, or schedule it.
Begin creating at no cost. Then pay $9 or $12 USD a month for more visual goodness.
PHOTO OVERLAYS
12. Over
What’s it
A mobile app (for iPhone and Android) for including text, overlays, and blending colors for social media photos.
Why use it
Because all you want is your phone, app, and thumb to wow your audience.
- Load the app
- Choose a template (or begin from scratch)
- Add text, choose images, videos, fonts, colors, and graphics (all royalty-free)
- Customize it
- Share it (and schedule it, too)
Select from a ton of assets to help your brand and message. Even more, learn from their ideas, trends, and insights for standing out from the crowd.
Feeling impressed? No? You’ll once you begin utilizing Over. Type of laborious to not.
Now… go mix a cloud, make an ice cream cone drip, or put your self posing on prime of the Burj Khalifa.
13. PicMonkey
What’s it
A web-based app to excellent or seriously change your social media photos.
Why use it
As a result of it’s online, nothing to obtain or set up.
And… with a shipload of options to create the impact you have been in search of (or simply found too).
Begin straight away to mix colors, create double-exposures, add filters, and all the opposite enhancing options.
Like the opposite social media picture instruments on this roundup, use a template or begin with a clean slate.
From $7.99 to $12.99 to $39.99 USD per thirty days.
ANNOTATIONS AND MOCKUPS
15. Placeit
What’s it
A web-based net app to create a mockup.
Why use it
As a result of generally, only a screenshot of your web site or app received’t gives the reader the fitting info.
PlaceIt helps you rapidly generate demos of your web site or product being utilized in actual life.
For instance, take an internet site screenshot, then put that screenshot on somebody’s Macbook display with PlaceIt.
Choose a mockup template—there are tons to select from. Then customize it. Placeit has some brains, too. It’s straightforward to regulate the issues that make sense for that template.
PlaceIt is free for low-res photos, $29 USD a month for hi-res ones.
16. Skitch
What’s it
Skitch is software so as to add any feedback to any visible. It’s an Evernote product, out there for Apple merchandise.
Why use it
To simply and visually convey your concepts to others.
Bought a webpage, or app window you wish to touch upon? Or want to indicate somebody what’s not working in your display?
Both manner, take a snapshot of your display. Use arrows, textual content, stickers, and a handful of different instruments to make your level.
Footage + phrases—they go so properly collectively. The extra senses you employ, the extra since you’ll make.
And it’s free.
The precise social media instrument for the fitting social media job, proper?
As you may see, there’s a lot of them. I take advantage of a bunch myself. Generally, it is dependent upon the job, for certain. Different instances, it is dependent upon my temper. I like having choices.