Images play a vital role in our digital world, and their significance has grown in recent years as visual content is more engaging and shareable. Stock images, which are readily available on the internet, are an excellent resource for bloggers, social media managers, content creators, and business owners looking for high-quality images to use in their marketing campaigns.
However, sometimes these images don’t fit our exact needs, and we need to modify them. Canva.com is a great tool that can help you modify stock images quickly and easily.
Here are some ways to tweak stock images to fit your brand using the free software platform Canva.com
1. Add text
Text overlays can enhance an image and add context, descriptions, or branding to the image. Canva.com has a range of font styles, sizes, and colors that can be added to an image. This feature is especially useful for creating social media graphics, posters, or flyers.
2. Use within grids, frames, etc.
Use Canva to add grids, frames, and borders to your images. These features can help to emphasize the image or organize it within a design. Frames and borders can also add a professional touch. Also, this free tool offers a wide range of customizable templates that can be used to create stunning designs in a matter of minutes, making it an ideal tool for both beginners and professionals.
3. Add filters, overlays and other elements
You’ll find a vast library of filters, overlays, and effects that can be applied to an image. These effects can help to enhance the image by adding texture, color grading, or toning. You can also add visual effects like blurs, vignettes, or glows.
4. Rotate, zoom, flip, cut and combine
Another way to customize an image using Canva is to adjust an image’s size, position, and orientation. You can crop the image, rotate it, flip it, and even combine multiple images. This feature is useful when creating collages, posters, or social media graphics.
5. Change the color profile of the existing image
Modify the color profile of the original image to create a more unique look. Choices include the image’s brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue. This feature can be useful when trying to match a brand’s color scheme or when adjusting an image for print or web use.
6. Change color photos to black and white or existing color profiles
This works best with powerful images of people, or well defined lines such as architecture. You’d be surprised how much a “how-hum” image will pop when you make it black and white, sepia or monotone. Using these features will create a vintage or nostalgic effect or remove the color distractions from an image.
7. Change the composition of the photo, adding or deleting white space
Similar to cropping up your image, you can add more white space to the foreground or background. Follow the rule of thirds, where you divide the image into thirds horizontally and vertically and place the subject at one of the intersections for a more visually pleasing result.
This can create a more balanced composition, or, if you want to evoke a particular idea or feeling such as distance or intimacy. Placing the subject off-center, for example, can create a sense of imbalance or tension, while placing the subject in the center can create a sense of stability or calm.
A subject placed higher in the frame can convey a sense of power or importance, while a subject placed lower in the frame can convey a sense of vulnerability or subservience.
In conclusion, modifying stock images with Canva.com is a quick and easy way to enhance your visual content. With its range of tools and features, this free software allows you to customize an image to fit your needs. So next time you come across an image that doesn’t quite fit your needs, consider using Canva.com to modify it.
For a brief video showing how to customize a stock photo in Canva.com, check out the video below!