I did research on some programs that I could use to make my magazine! Most of these are for graphic design rather than photography editing. I’m looking for a program that has a wide range of graphics, is easy to use, and is preferably free. Here’s what I found:
Adobe InDesign: This software application is very popular amongst designers. It has great graphics and tools for making a magazine, and so many fonts and colors to choose from. It has a very similar layout to that of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, both of which I have previous experience with. However, the program does require a paid monthly subscription (20.99 per month for a single app). Also, the program looks pretty complex so I would have to watch several online tutorials to get the hang of it. Overall a great option but I don’t think it’s my first choice.
Canva: I LOVE CANVA! So I might be a little biased when I say that it’s awesome. It has a user-friendly layout, has thousands of graphics, and best of all… (drumroll please) it’s free! It offers countless design templates or you can make your own from scratch. If you’re having trouble with a certain aspect of the program, you can watch a quick how-to video to help guide you. It even has interactive tutorials to help practice your design skills. Plus, it has millions of fonts to choose from; but if you can’t find one that best suits your design, you can upload your own font that you’ve previously download (I’ve tried it using a font from https://www.dafont.com). The program is available as an application on mobile devices or as a website on a laptop or computer. What’s not to love? Needless to say, Canva is probably my first choice.
Gravit Designer: This program is another great option, which I have a little bit of experience with. It offers both a User Guide and online tutorials (on their Youtube Channel) for those of us who need a little extra help with navigating the program. I tried out the free version, and I must say it doesn’t disappoint. They have so many shapes, illustrations, icons, emojis, stickers, frames, and lines that are perfect for a magazine. The program mostly uses vectors for designing, which may be a little time consuming for my work and time constraint. The layout reminds me of the Adobe InDesign one in that it’s pretty complex. Another downside is that it only allows users to have free access to the ‘pro’ version for 15 days, after which they must pay $79.20 per year. This program is great for professional graphic designers, but I’m not sure I would use it for my portfolio project.
Crello: This program is very similar to Canva; it’s user-friendly and has so many colorful design templates. By making a free account, you’re able to upload your own photos and have access to a wide array of English/Latin, Cyrillic, and Hebrew fonts. They have a lot of stickers, lines, borders, and frames that are useful for making an engaging magazine layout. The site does have a how-to guide with tutorials and tips and tricks to teach users how to use a certain feature. The only downside is that you have to pay $0.99 for any background, but it’s understandable. Also, Crello Pro is available for 19.99 per month to have access to more designs and templates. All in all, this is a great site that I will consider for my magazine production.
Superimpose: This app, which costs $1.99 on the App Store, is used to… you guessed it: superimpose an image on top of another. You can mask out any unwanted parts or smoothen the edges of a picture to create a product that looks very professional in a short amount of time. I have this app downloaded on my phone and I have extensive experience with it, so it’s definitely something I’m going to use to make a part of my magazine. In a previous blog post, a talked about making a ‘collage’ with different clothing items or products on top of each other, so this application will come in handy for that. I highly recommend this app for anyone looking to make a collage or cool picture like the one with the waterfall below.
Smart Closet: After the shutdown of one of my all-time favorite apps, Polyvore, Smart Closet is a very similar alternative that allows users to explore fashion and beauty products to create their own personal ‘lookbook’. It’s completely free on the app store, and you can even upload your own products to personalize it with your own pieces. The app also serves as a way for users to find and shop for items using different filters (brand, color, price, size, etc). I will definitely try to use this in my own magazine project as I am planning to make one page of my two-page spread a collage with clothing and beauty products.
See you soon!
Catalina
Image Citations (in order of appearance):
Wikipedia. (2019, January 05). Adobe InDesign. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_InDesign
Adobe. (2018, October 15). Workspace basics in InDesign. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/workspace-basics.html
LinkedIn. Canva. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://www.linkedin.com/company/canva
Catalina
Image Citations (in order of appearance):
Wikipedia. (2019, January 05). Adobe InDesign. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_InDesign
Adobe. (2018, October 15). Workspace basics in InDesign. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/workspace-basics.html
LinkedIn. Canva. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://www.linkedin.com/company/canva
Canva. About. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://about.canva.com
MacUpdate. (2019, February 1). Gravit Designer. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/59606/gravit-designer
Linux-Apps. (2018, May 29). Gravit Designer. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://www.linux-apps.com/p/1237943/
Crello. Crello. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://crello.com
Okoi, Martins D. (2017, October 26). Crello - A Free Cloud-Based Graphic Design Tool. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://www.fossmint.com/crello-a-free-cloud-based-graphic-design-tool/
iTunes App Store. Superimpose. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/superimpose/id435913585?mt=8
App Spliced. Superimpose X. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from
iTunes App Store. Smart Closet- Fashion Style. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from
Smart Closet. Manage Your Closet and Share Your Style. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://smartcloset.me/app
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