Hundreds of millions of images are shared on social media every day, but chances are only a few actually make you stop scrolling and pay attention. What do they have in common? They’re high-quality, visually appealing, and shareable.
Building a library of eye-catching images doesn’t have to be difficult and costly. Here are 14 resources you can use to create beautiful, share-worthy images for social media.
10 of the best resources for social media images
Full service image creations tools
For a social marketer, the biggest value Canva provides is simplicity: create striking imagery by just dragging and dropping elements into place.
No design experience? No problem. Plug text or photos into their ready-made layouts or produce something from scratch. It’s free to get started, but you can access more features and services with Canva’s midsize and enterprise offerings.
Design assets
For those who delve deeper into the design world, Creative Market has a massive catalog of ready-to-use fonts, templates, mockups, and stock photos produced by incredible talents. And if your creative flow is running dry, Made with Creative Market has infinite inspiration.
Not sure where to get started? Creative Market gives out six free products every week to start a collection of assets with.
Stock photos
You get instant access to over 1,800 images, social media templates, and other resources to help you market your business online PLUS access to all of the new images that are added to the library every single month. That means once you’ve found the perfect image, you can download it, attach it to your posts, and share it across your social channels—all from one place. Take photography off your plate and take your biz to the next level
Data visualization
Including data in your social posts is an effective way of engaging your audience and building credibility—but it has to look nice.
Data visualization can be tricky, but Infogram makes repacking data and information a painless process. Whether you want to create a simple chart or a complex infographic, you’ll find a multitude of options and designs to choose from.
It’s free to get started, but Infogram also offers a wide range of monthly plans that include additional features and services.
Creating an infographic from scratch doesn’t have to be an arduous task. If you’re up for the challenge, you can make your own using Easel.ly. Choose from a slew of ready-to-use templates or create your own. The real value is in the drag-and-drop interface and the ease of plugging in your own data. Easel.ly offers two pricing plans, free and pro.
Photo overlays
It’s probably best known as a tool for adding text to images—but the Over app can do so much more than that.
It also allows for blending, taking color samples, adding image overlays, and offers striking ready-made artwork. Thanks to an integration with Unsplash, a free stock photo site, Over is a creative graphic powerhouse.
Visual quotes
Sharing quotes is an effective method for garnering engagement on social, and Recite offers a free and effortless solution for making it happen. Just type your quote into the text box, choose from a handful of templates below it, click ‘Create,’ and it’s done.
BONUS: Download a free cheat sheet to quickly find the best image sizes for every social network and to easily add them to any post.
Annotations
Skitch is an Evernote product that provides all the tools necessary to add visual commentary to any image. Use arrows, text, stickers, and a handful of other tools to get your message across on a screenshot or any image of choice. It’s a free and helpful app for support or community teams that have to answer complicated technical user questions.
Mockups
Mockups galore! Sometimes you just need an image of your website or app and a screenshot just won’t cut it. Placeit offers a wide variety of mockups to showcase the image of your choosing. Upload it right into a template and voila! Download a free low-res version or buy it in a higher resolution.
Screen captures
Trying to explain a technical issue over the phone or email can be a frustrating process. Instead, use CloudApp to capture screenshots, webcam recordings, or GIFs, and then share those with your customers on social.
You’ll be able to resolve issues faster while bringing your product to life through eye-catching graphics. And, you can start capturing, recording, and uploading for free.
