Free Tools for Designing Social Media Images: Social media has become a crucial marketing tool for all businesses. Your target audience prefers direct interaction with your social media accounts, and eye-catching designs in your posts can help boost engagement with your products, making your brand—whether corporate or personal—more appealing.
You might be surprised to learn that social media posts featuring images are more than twice as likely to attract people to your pages.
What are Social Media Designs?
Social media designs differ slightly from website images; they can't just be illustrations; they need to tell a story quickly or convey your message.
They should also be tailored specifically for each social media platform. Presenting a strong message effectively will lead to increased clicks and shares.
Free Tools for Designing Social Media Images
With these tools, you can create images in minutes, which will drive more traffic to your social media accounts. Here’s a collection of free online tools you can use to edit social media images.
1. Pablo
Developed by the social sharing app Buffer, Pablo provides marketers with the tools needed to boost audience engagement. Create images to share instantly or schedule them for posting at any time.
The tool features a wide range of royalty-free images, and you can also upload your own photos. The text editor allows you to add your messages or company logo.
With optimized layouts for Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Pablo can assist you in your work right now.
2. Canva
Canva is one of the most versatile free tools you can use for almost any digital project. It offers templates in the right image sizes for all major social sites (and many others). There are also numerous text and image templates to give you an inspiring boost when you need it.
You can access a library of free graphics, along with a wide range of text editing tools. You can use free Canva images or upgrade to a paid subscription, or upload your own photos.
I really love Canva; it's my favorite tool.
3. Pixlr
Pixlr boasts AI-powered tools and different versions of the software (the "advanced," "fun," and legacy versions). It has the look and feel of powerful graphic software like Photoshop, but there’s also an Express app for quickly creating and editing social images.
There’s a wide range of borders, layouts, overlays, effects, and more to choose from. You can upload images or create one using your webcam.
The downside here is that Pixlr relies on Adobe Flash, so you may need to adjust your web browser settings for it to work properly.
4. Fotor
Fotor is primarily a poster maker, but it also offers tools for creating social media graphics. There are templates for social media images in the right dimensions.
Fotor will also create thumbnails for YouTube videos. After selecting a template (or uploading your own image), you can access other graphic and text options.
Once your image is complete, you can click the share button to send the design to your favorite social site.
5. Easel.ly
Easel.ly specializes in creating infographics, which are liked and shared three times more than other visual content on social media.
Just choose a template and start adding your text and data. You can share the final product as a link or use an embed code to add it to your website.
6. Piktochart
Piktochart is another tool for creating infographics, but it doesn’t stop there. You can use it to enhance presentations, create social media graphics, and even print materials.
The free account gives you access to over 4000 icons, an editing system, and sharing capabilities. It does a lot, but the free version is somewhat limited compared to others on this list. However, the paid premium version includes many great features, so if you like how it works, it might be a good purchase.
7. PicMonkey
With a library of millions of stock images, PicMonkey has something for everyone. You can share images directly from the site to popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
PicMonkey isn’t free, but it offers a seven-day free trial. If you like what you see, you can subscribe.
8. BeFunky
BeFunky offers a decent number of free photo editing tools. It’s a great app for standard photo editing functions, various borders, and overlays.
When you create an image, it’s easy to share it on sites like Facebook and Twitter. The only downside is that many of the more attractive features are only available in the paid version of the service.
9. Inforgr.am app
The Inforgr.am app helps organize your data into charts and graphs, making it ideal for anyone presenting infographics on social media.
The free account allows you to upload up to 10 images and create two maps, along with a file library of 10. One of the coolest features is the ability to import spreadsheet data, making it easy to create charts and graphs.
10. Snappa
Snappa comes with a large number of image, graphic, text options, and scheduling capabilities. The free version supports only two social accounts, but you can still get a lot out of it.
One neat trick that Snappa can do is remove the background from an uploaded image with just one click; it’s worth trying out.
11. Quotes Cover
Quotes Cover is a quick and easy tool for creating artwork for your social media. You can enter your own quotes or choose from a selection of inspiring messages. Just select the social media platform you’re targeting and use the editor to make final adjustments. It comes with a wide range of options to make your images unique.
12. Genially
It’s said that online video uses over 80% of internet bandwidth. Whether you need an infographic or an interactive image, Genially can handle the task.
You can create presentations, infographics, quizzes, and much more using free templates. You can edit and add backgrounds and animations, then share your work in various ways. Genially is unique in its ability to embed YouTube videos in images, and you can even animate your elements.
13. Stencil
If you’re looking for quick development of social media images, you can’t overlook Stencil. It includes four million stock images, 1000 templates, 3150 Google web fonts, and over two million icons and illustrations.
If that’s not enough, you can also upload your own media. The free account is somewhat limited, allowing for the creation of only ten images per month, but you can upgrade to the paid version for more.
14. piZap editor
The piZap editor resembles Pixlr in its workspace layout similar to Photoshop. It offers various tools that can help you craft anything you want to share on social media, and it even has
