Visuals are an important aspect of building platforms. Think about it. What is more likely to catch your eye on Twitter or Facebook? A few words and maybe a link, or a strong image that conveys a message?
There’s a reason for the idiom, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
With that in mind, I recently had the chance to try out a new graphics platform, called FotoJet. The folks at FotoJet were kind enough to give me a premium account so I could test out all their features. As a side note, you can sign up for a free account and use most of the features. But if you do choose to upgrade to the Plus account, for $4.99 per month, you get access to more editing tools and more content (templates, fonts, etc.).
I wasn’t sure what to expect. The first thing I heard about FotoJet was that I could use it to make posters. And that’s possible. It’s also possible to create collages, invitations, flyers, cards, and magazine covers, which you can download and print on your own. But it turns out to be a very useful tool for creating social media graphics.
What I ended up doing was creating an image for I Know Dino’s Instagram. Here’s the final result:
FotoJet is pretty intuitive to use. Decide if you want to create a collage or a design. In my case, I choose a design. Then you’ll see a blank canvas with the right proportions for whatever you’re creating.
All of the options are in the left nav. For my test, I chose a film template, which had a combination of photos, clipart, and text.
FotoJet comes with a lot of options. You can even upload your own photos from your computer or Facebook, or choose from photos from Pixabay. There’s weren’t a too many dinosaur options, so I ended up using Public Domain photos from the 1925 silent film, The Lost World.
I couldn’t simply click on the photos in the template and replace them with my own. And as a result, I was unable to re-create the rounded edges effect of the photos in the film strip clipart. However, according to the FAQ, it’s possible to have rounded borders on images in collages.
Overall though, it was very easy to get my desired effect. I could easily remove text and other objects I didn’t want, add more content (I chose not to), and even change the filters and other options on the photos I did use.
When I was done, I hit the save button and uploaded it to my Instagram. FotoJet does not store any images you upload or graphics you create. If you want to save a project for later, you can choose to save a project. This just means you download a .jet file that you can upload later to your FotoJet account.
I was impressed with how intuitive the interface was to use, and I liked that for the most part, there was flexibility in designing my graphic. There are other ways to create graphics, such as with Photoshop or Canva, but the biggest benefit to FotoJet I found were the templates. I didn’t have to start from scratch to create something cool.
I was not paid by FotoJet to write this review, though they did give me access to a premium account. Overall, I think it’s a pretty quick and easy way to make graphics, so if you’re looking for a platform then definitely try out the free version.
