Pictures Top

One of the most important parts of almost any blog is images. A brilliant article full of necessary information may be treated as bad if the images are small, blurred, have poor quality or not easy to understand. We, the Freemake Blog team, have to do a lot of screenshots since Freemake Blog is dedicated to apps and software and we need to provide a full and clear how-to guide for using a particular tool. That’s where you can’t deal without screenshots. And that’s where you can’t deal without Snagit. We’d tried numerous free and paid screen takers, but Snagit was and still is the best for our blog.

Here are 5 tips to create amazing pictures for you blog with Snagit.

1) Be careful of your background

Before taking screenshot of your software, make sure the background doesn’t distract readers’ attention from what you want to show. The best thing to do is to create a new folder, maximize it and take a screenshot on white background. Snagit lets you easily choose what part of the screen you want to save, thus you’ll get a great picture without any unnecessary parts.

2) Cut unnecessary parts

Again, a lot of small details will be of no use. If you take a screenshot of your site, cut everything that has nothing to do with what you are explaining: browser tabs, toolbars, lateral columns with ads, or Windows panel. As soon as you press the Print Screen key and select the area you want, your screenshot will be opened in Snagit Editor, where you can delete all unwanted parts.

3) Resize big pictures

With a poor Internet connection or tiny cellular data plan, huge pictures take ages to load. Be kind to readers and don’t make them wait, potentially losing traffic. If you need to take a screenshot of Photoshop with all its tools and tabs, you’d better resize your screenshot. In Snagit go to Image tab and choose Resize. Make the screenshot smaller but at the same time viewable. If you have a custom-made site, you can create a small version of a picture that will open to a big screenshot when clicked on. For sites on WordPress, use Caption option with “Click to enlarge” text.

4) Point out important details

Whenever you explain what button to press or what parameter to choose to perform this or that action, it’s always better to mark out what are you talking about. Snagit has a number of styles and shapes for any liking. Simply choose one of them or create a custom style to match your blog. Use the Arrow tool to show software buttons or Highlight Area option to highlight a part of text in your screenshot.

5) Add text when necessary

Of course no one asks you to add large paragraphs that will completely spoil the image, but it won’t be bad if you add small notes or suggestions in your picture. It can be, for example, a combination of hot keys, tricks or secret tips. You can add either simple text or a speech bubble. Just make sure the text doesn’t take up half of your screenshot.

All in all, well done images make your blog look more professional and trustworthy. Snagit is a great way to get beautiful pictures easily. What tips would you add to this list? Share them in comments.