How I Make My Blog Images {Step by Step with Pictures}

I am so excited to finally share this post with y'all! It has been one I've been wanting to do for a while now but it took a bit of planning. I often get questions about how I make images for my blog and after hearing someone tell me that they made their graphics on powerpoint it then became a self taught process. I am going to share the basics with you on how to make the images but just know that there are loads of ways you can go in and customize your graphics that I am not going into detail about. It really is super easy after you get the hang of it and I hope it helps out anyone that was curious.

For starters, you are going to have to have powerpoint for this. Some programs that are other companies equivalents may work but know that I only know how to navigate this process through Microsoft PowerPoint. I don't think it really maters which year or version you have but I am pretty sure I have the Student Pack.

Prepare yourself for picture (but hopefully not information) overload.

Just so you can be sure I am putting the information on how to do each step right above the picture that it correlates with!

1. Open up Microsoft PowerPoint and have a blank slide ready to go. The orientation of the slides for this image I am working on is landscape but portrait is great to use as well it all depends on what you are trying to portray in your graphic.

2. Have any products that you are hoping to use in your image saved onto your desktop. This isn't required but it is so helpful to keep all the images for a post together in this way. Also, how cute is the background I'm using at the moment? It's a free download from Evelyn Henson!

3. On the top bar (right above the slide) find the section that says insert and then click the picture icon. When you click on that then click the part that says "Picture from File." 

5. Make sure you are looking at the photos you have saved on your desktop and go ahead and insert all of the images that you plan to use.

6. Here are what mine look like all just hanging out on the screen after I've completed those steps.

7. Next, after you've inserted your pictures a new tool bar ("Format Picture") should pop up specifically for those pictures and you're going to need to click on it. Then, find the icon that says "Remove Background."

8. This is how it will look when you click the "Remove Background" choice. Keep in mind that this is how I remove the white background space that I don't need. Basically, anything that is purple is what will be deleted when you hit the "Remove Background" button the second time to complete your selection. On PowerPoint there are already great directions all about how to select what parts you want to stay and what you want tot be deleted.

9. After I've removed the background for all of my images I usually move them to the gray space on the sides so that I have a better look at the space I am working with. I then go back to the original toolbar "Home" and choose to insert a shape. I always go for something rectangular or square seeing as that is how my blog is set up so in this specific graphic I've chosen the first choice under Rectangles.

10. You are then able to draw out your rectangle as seen in the image below.

11. Because I like my images to be consistent with the rest of my blog theme I go to the "Format" toolbar that pops up when you insert your shape and click the fill button and opt for no fill. You could also choose white if you'd like it really doesn't make that much of a difference. As for the outer lines I chose white but towards the end I go back and switch it to no line. (I should have left it a color for the purposes of y'all seeing the boundaries I aim to create with it but hopefully you understand where I am coming from thus far in the process.

12. I always like to label my graphics and I do this by inserting a text box, an option found under the "Home" toolbar. For symmetry I make mine from one boundary line of the rectangle to the other so that it can be centered but this is personal preference.

13. Here is what it looks like after I've decided what my title will be along with my fonts and color choices for this specific image. I also like to put my blog address on my images so that people can refer back so I put that at the bottom of this specific image.

14. Now it is time to arrange the images that have been waiting patiently on the sides. This is all up to you as to how you want them to appear but I would advise you to make sure they are inside the boundaries of your rectangle if you want to ensure that your image has crisp even lines.

15. Once you are satisfied with that you can click back to the outer rectangle like I do and choose "no line" under the "format" toolbar for the shape. If you want to have a border on your graphic then you can experiment with different colors and widths but I usually choose not to so that it fits into my posts more seamlessly. 

16. Now it comes time to group everything together. Start by clicking edit on your very top choice bar. Then go down to select all (or you can use the shortcut set on your computer for this). This causes all of the stuff you've put on your slide to be selected.

17. Now if you right click within one of the boundaries of these selected images you are going to want to choose the "grouping" option and then click "group" (you can also use the shortcut set on your computer for this but I wanted this to be fully step by step). 

18. Lastly, save your newly created image to your desktop so that you can access it when you want to create your corresponding post!

On my desk:

makeup brush holder | pen cup | my favorite pens | kate spade pencils | flowers | book | blog planner | candle

I really hope this post helps some of y'all out and isn't too confusing! Let me know what you think of the process!