Here’s a list of 7 graphics tools, resources and tips to help you create graphics for your website as well as printables, such as keepsake booklets and business cards.
With helpful tools, it is possible for beginners, (like me), to create unique images, designs, logos and other graphics without having to draw them from scratch.
1. Free Microsoft Clip Art
Browsing the Microsoft Clip Art by keyword can be a great way to start a graphics project. Type in a keyword and browse images for inspiration, ideas and/or find an image that you can use for your project. You may choose to use an image without making any changes to it if it suits your purposes or you might want to make it unique by making changes to it, like recoloring it, resize, cropping or adding layers, styles and effects.
Microsoft Clip Art is free and can be accessed on line at their website…
Browsing the Microsoft Clip Art by keyword can be a great way to start a graphics project. Type in a keyword and browse images for inspiration, ideas and/or find an image that you can use for your project. You may choose to use an image without making any changes to it if it suits your purposes or you might want to make it unique by making changes to it, like recoloring it, resize, cropping or adding layers, styles and effects.
Microsoft Clip Art is free and can be accessed on line at their website…
| Or in a Microsoft Office application such as Word, Publisher or Outlook.. |  |
2. Inexpensive Clip Art At Etsy
A search for wedding clip art at Etsy.com yields many results. Below are some examples...
You may want to use some of the inexpensive clip art 'right out of the box', or you may want to edit it and give it your own unique touches, changing colors, etc., or use it as an element in a larger project you may be working on.
3. Color Names - HEX Codes - Shades - Mixing - Info At W3Schools Color Names Page
As I mentioned above, you may want to take a clip art image and make it your own by changing/replacing colors and as you do that you may find that it is helpful to know about color codes. When working with the colors in graphics you may need to be aware of the Hexadecimal code and/or the RGB code, depending on which program you are working in. For a list of HTML colors and the HEX code, visit the W3Schools Color Names page.
Click on the HEX code and you will see a display showing the color you selected as a background with all the other colors as text. This is helpful when choosing color schemes for fonts on your website.
 | I have found the ‘Shades’ feature to be very helpful as well. Knowing the codes for different shades of the same color can come in handy when creating graphics and designing your website. The W3Schools color name pages are a good resource for viewing colors, obtaining the HEX code and also to check out different shades and see which colors look best on various background colors. It can really be a helpful resource when working on website designs and graphics. For a technical definition and more details about hexadecimal color codes, you can view the Wikipedia article on Web Colors. |
4. Color Codes, HEX/RGB Conversion And Color Schemes At Color Picker.com
There will be times when you may need to know the RGB code or the HEX code, or both, depending on which program you are working in. One way I like to get a code conversion is to go to colorpicker.com. You can type in the RGB code and get the HEX code or vice versa. I also like to get color schemes and their codes from colorpicker.com, check it out at Color Picker.com.
You can visit the colorpicker.com site, pick a color, then click on the links at the bottom of the display to get an output of different color schemes as shown on the left side of the display above.
5. Image Editing Software
Photoshop Elements 11 is a less expensive alternative to Photoshop CS6. Elements is an easier, ‘lite’ version if you will, and is for beginners like me, it has many Presets that make it easier to apply techniques and effects, yet it is still a powerful tool that I rely on. I find it to be more than adequate for my graphics needs. Photoshop CS6 costs more and is really geared for more experienced graphic artists.
Example of the Photoshop Elements workspace shown to the left.
Wal-Mart has good prices on both Photoshop Elements 11 and Photoshop CS6 for PC or for Mac.
I took a Photoshop class at a local community college, RMCC, in Mena, Arkansas. It was part of their lifelong learning program. I greatly benefited from attending the helpful class. The class really helped to unlock the mystery of Photoshop for me. If you are interested in kick-starting your learning curve in Photoshop you may want to attend a local class in your area. You can also find many helpful tutorials and info for Photoshop out on the web.
Wal-Mart has good prices on both Photoshop Elements 11 and Photoshop CS6 for PC or for Mac.
I took a Photoshop class at a local community college, RMCC, in Mena, Arkansas. It was part of their lifelong learning program. I greatly benefited from attending the helpful class. The class really helped to unlock the mystery of Photoshop for me. If you are interested in kick-starting your learning curve in Photoshop you may want to attend a local class in your area. You can also find many helpful tutorials and info for Photoshop out on the web.
If you are not ready to purchase Photoshop you can use Microsoft Paint, Publisher and even Word to edit images. Do not underestimate even the simple tools, like Paint. For example, Microsoft Word offers tools for editing like adding transparency, artistic effects and recoloring. Just click on your image and then experiment with the different options in the ‘Picture Tools’ as shown to the right…
6. Free Photoshop Presets Downloads At GraphicsSoft.About.Com
Add to the endless possibilities of graphics you can create with Photoshop by going to the downloads section at GraphicsSoft.About.Com. There you can download free Photoshop Presets such as: styles, brushes and patterns. At GraphicsSoft.About.com, you will also find tutorials for Photoshop and other graphics software tutorials and information. I love all the free downloads from graphicssoft.about.com! The additional Presets really add to the choices I have when using Photoshop!
One of the Preset collections offered for download is the Valentine’s Day Collection.
Below are thumbnail examples of just 2 of the 11 presets offered in the collection.
| Valentine's Day Preset Collection - Patterns  | Valentine's Day Preset Collection - Styles  |
7. Free Downloads Of Patterns At SubtlePatterns.Com
Fabulous free pattern files offered at Subtle Patterns. These would make great backgrounds for web design as well as graphics projects. So cool! So subtle! You can download the individual .png files for a favorite pattern and/or download the Photoshop Preset Patterns .pat files and copy them to the appropriate folder in your Photoshop program. Here’s a thumbnail showing 6 of the over 300 patterns currently offered…
How about you, what are your favorite graphics tips, tools and resources?
