How To Design A Banner

I get several questions on how I design my blog. The answer is hours of scouring Google for tips and tricks, and trial and error (I do have a life sometimes though). It can be very frustrating to find what you're looking for and make it work, so I've decided to start a new topic on my blog called "Blogging Tips". Every few posts I will write a new "How to". You can see some of the topics I will be covering soon here. If there is something you have a question about, please leave a comment or send me an e-mail to jamielb_03@hotmail.com and I will be sure to get back to you!

How To Design A Banner

For those of us that don't have Photoshop, there doesn't seem to be a lot of options for designing cute banners.....  until Picnik came along! I like to use the version on Facebook because you can upload and download pictures directly to and from Facebook. There is so much you can do with Picnik, but I will cover the basics. 

1. Picnik
Get the Picnik App on Facebook at http://apps.facebook.com/picnik/?ref=ts

2. Upload picture(s)
From the home page you can select to "Upload a picture" or "Create a Collage". You can upload pictures that are saved from your computer, or you can pull them directly from Facebook.

3. Solid or patterned background
If you don't want pictures, but a solid or patterned background behind your font, you still need to upload a picture. For this banner I went to google images and searched for "orange wallpaper". Saved it, and uploaded it to Picnik. Another great place to find inspiring pictures is weheartit.com
4. Sizing
Now it's time to decide how big you want your banner. This is where the "trial and error" part comes in. Under the "Edit" tab you can either "Crop" or "Resize". Either of these will work. If you just want a portion of the picture you uploaded you will want to crop the picture. If you want the entire picture you uploaded then you will want to resize it. 

A long skinny banner would be around 900 x 100. A banner that takes up most of the screen when you first log in would be around 1000 x 500. You will have to play with the numbers and decide what works for your design. 

5. Adding text
Under the "Create" tab you can select "text". This is my favorite part. Play around with all the options, until you find something you love!

6. Adding a frame
Under the "Create" tab you can add a frame, round the edges, make a shadow etc....

7. Click the "Save and Share" tab to save the completed banner to your computer. Then upload it to Blogger.

8. Once you have uploaded it, your banner may look to large or be off center. If that happens, go to my tutorial on how to center your banner.


12 comments:

Anna said...

Yay for the new layout!

Unknown said...

great how-to =)

Michelle said...

LOVE THE NEW LAYOUT! Picnik is one of my favorite programs!

Kira said...

Your new layout looks great!

I use Illustrator and Photoshop, but I am one of the lucky few who uses those programs daily for work so I know them pretty well. They are expensive and Photoshop is not very easy to pick up without training.

A friend of mine told me about Picnik recently. I played around with it and I couldn't believe how many things you could do and how easy it was.

I'm actually using Picnik along with my trusty Adobe programs to create save the dates and invitations for my sister's wedding. It's going to save me a lot of time!

Unknown said...

How helpful!! Thank you!!

Claire said...

wow i think i love you :)

Kristen Victoria said...

I loooove love love your new header! The whole new design works very well together. I love the sidebar links as well. I know how to design a header but I would like to hear how you came up with sidebar title designs (idea for future blogger tip?). Good job girl!

Unknown said...

I love picnik! It's the only photo editing software I use. I really want the paid version at some point. Banners are like the only thing I know how to do. I need to figure out how to add my own background with the new blogger layout stuff. I don't want a full background, just one on the sides. I've been too lazy to fully figure it out, so if you figure it out, share your knowledge!

Lara Kennard said...

I'm going to LOVE this section of your blog!! :)

Unknown said...

wow! thank you for the tips, this is great :)

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