10 Tools and Services to Create Social Media Images

With the diversification of social media platforms, we get plenty of options to connect with the world in different forms. Almost each of these platform supports sharing of images to the connections. And, all of them have different image sizes and layouts required to best fit with their sharing process. Tech-savvy users can easily format the image as required by a specific social media platform. But, generally, we all are not capable of doing so on our own. That's where dedicated tools and services come into play. These tools help you create the right kind of image required for a specific social media platform. Some of them are free while others use a freemium model. Professionals can use the latter one with a paid tier while causal users get enough to fulfill their needs through a free plan. I use 2 to 3 such services for both Facebook and Twitter and each of these services helps me create better and visually appealing tweets and posts. Let's get started and check out these image creation tools and services.

Most of these tools and services work seamlessly both on a desktop as well as on a smartphone. Most of them provide a dedicated mobile app for a better experience on smaller devices.

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Some of these tools are capable of processing images for multiple social media platforms while others focus on a single one. Depending on your needs, you can choose the best one that fits your requirements.

1. Canva

Canva is one of the most popular online services to create different types of social media images. It has a huge user base and is best known for its vast array of options to create highly customized images for almost every possible scenario.

Its free plan is good enough for everyday use. You can create custom images both for social media and blog posts through a user-friendly interface.

Some of its major features are:

• Create custom logos, social media banners, flyers, resumes, and infographics.
• Real-time collaboration with team accounts.
• Schedule and post images directly to social media platforms from within the Canva dashboard.
• Use a mobile app or a web-based service on desktops.

It also has advanced image editing features and also includes team folders to store all assets of a project at a shareable location. Through a large library of templates, one can create the desired graphic in no time. I use this feature-packed service for creating logos and custom banners. By the way, check out the latest banner creator tool, better than anything else!

2. Visme

Visme is yet another popular service one can use to create stunning social media images. After Canva, it's probably the second-best online tool with a large user base. The interface is quite similar to the former service. I tried it for a week and it easily met my expectations.

This one too offers a generous free plan which makes it quite easy to test its functioning. Unless you're creating a highly customized graphic, the free plan is good enough for an average user.

Some of its major features are:

• Extremely user-friendly web interface.
• Huge collection of stock photos and templates.
• Post directly to social media platforms.
• Multiple types of team accounts are available.

While creating custom images, you can use a wide array of icons and fonts to get the results you're looking for. Apart from downloading your work in the form of an image, one can also create and download custom videos through this tool. I often use this service to create YouTube thumbnails.

3. Desygner

Desygner has all the features required to get a good presence on social media platforms. Like Canva, this one too has full-fledged mobile apps for both iOS and Android platforms. It has some of the best solutions for the digital branding of your product and services.

The free, as well as the entry-level paid plan, provide tons of features to cover almost every need of common users. It has one of the most flexible pricing tiers.

Some of its major features are:

• Access to millions of royalty-free stock images.
• Easy to learn through an intuitive and minimal interface.
• In-built sharing and scheduling of social media images.
• Automatic resizing based on the selected social media platform.

It has one of the large collections of templates crafted for all the popular social media platforms. All you have to do is to select the one meeting your requirements. Its mobile apps are one of the best solutions to quickly create and share your images while on the go.

4. Crello

Crello is your best bet if you're looking to quickly create custom images for sharing on social media platforms. It has a dedicated interface for the specific type of edits needed for an image. You can create animated images quite easily through this service.

Crello has one of the best free plans in its category. With generous limits on almost everything, one can create highly customized images at no cost.

Some of its major features are:

• Powerful and user-friendly image editing controls.
• One-click sharing to popular social media platforms.
• Large collection of both free and premium designs.
• Mobile apps for both iOS and Android smartphones.

As mentioned earlier, the creation of both animated images or videos is a cakewalk with this tool. You don't need to be tech-savvy to get a highly customized animated video through it. They also offer an unlimited version for a week so that you can get the full power and features of this service.

5. Snappa

Snappa is one of my favorite tools to create Twitter headers. Upon opening this tool, the first thing you'll notice is a clean and clutter-free interface. It's best suited for the technically challenged who want to get things done, quickly and easily. Some of my clients use this service.

Though the free plan of this service is not as generous as the other ones, it does give you ample options to create custom headers and banners.

Some of its major features are:

• Simple to advanced photo editing options
• Pick supported image sizes for every social media platform.
• Easy to learn and blazing-fast interface.
• Team accounts are also available.

It's not just regular social media graphics, but one can also create infographics, banners, and several other types of popular graphics through this tool. If you want to use social media posting and scheduling, you must switch to a paid plan to use these features.

6. Placid

Placid app is one of the strongest competitors in this list for creating custom social media images. Whether it's a custom Pinterest pin graphic or a custom Facebook cover, you can create all of these through a point-and-click interface in a few simple steps.

This service has a free trial option with a collection of paid plans to upgrade to if you're satisfied with the features and options.

Some of its major features are:

• Design presets and auto-generation of images are supported.
• Flexible and powerful API for advanced users.
• Extensions and plugins are available for popular apps.
• Plenty of customization options.

This service is best suited for those who're looking to completely automate the image generation process for their social media campaigns. This is a huge time saver and enables you to allocate the saved time to other useful tasks. Developers will find this service extremely useful.

7. Postcron ArtStudio

Postcron ArtStudio is a universal tool for creating custom social media posts and images. All you need to do is to select one of the presets and off you go. This tool has the largest collection of social media image presets for almost every popular platform. Do give it a try.

You can combine it with the Postcron scheduling system which makes it a swiss army knife to enhance your social media presence by many folds.

Some of its major features are:

• A rich collection of presets to quickly create a custom image.
• Intuitive and easy-to-access editing controls.
• Create custom images for free.
• Works seamlessly in all popular web browsers.

I found it best for creating Facebook and Twitter images though social networks are supported as well. Color management controls are easy-to-use which makes it one of my favorites. In a nutshell, it's a tool without any clutter focusing on the primary job of creating awesome social media images.

8. Venngage

Venngage is a powerful tool to create engaging social media graphics with minimum effort. It's a powerhouse to create a wide array of graphics to be used in different types of applications. Its interface is simple and clutter-free which makes it best-suited for people having zero graphic editing skills.

Its free plan is at par with some of its competitors giving you enough options for day-to-day use.

Some of its major features are:

• Pick a template depending on your design experience.
• Custom plans for individuals, professionals, and businesses.
• Export your graphic in different formats.
• Create and reuse your templates.

This service also offers generous plans for nonprofits and the education sector. It has a large collection of tutorials and guides to help you become a pro at using this powerful tool. It also has comparision pages where it is highlighted how this service stands against its competition.

9. Stencil

Stencil is a feature-packed online service to create custom social media graphics. No matter if you are an individual, or a business, or a social media marketer, there's a plan catering to everyone's needs. It has been given very high ratings on popular rating services by a large number of users.

Its free plan is best suited for casual users. If you post frequently on multiple social media platforms, then you may need to switch to a paid plan.

Some of its major features are:

• Browser extensions are available for quick image processing.
• A WordPress plugin is also available for bloggers.
• Either use presets or create your custom size.
• Integrated social media sharing system.

You can also schedule your social media posts through Buffer service right from within this tool. If you want to add popular quotes from different categories, it lets you quickly search and add them to the image. You can organize and save your images in the form of collections.

10. PixTeller

PixTeller is the last one in this list which is in no way less than the others included here. It's a no-nonsense custom image creator made specifically for social media savvy users. Simply, pick a preset and start editing your custom image for a specific platform.

You can start with a free plan and can upgrade it as and when you need more features to create much more polished and highly customized social media graphics.

Some of its major features are:

• Simple to use interface.
• Large collection of templates and presets.
• Export your custom image in different formats.
• Resize to different presets with a single click.

I like its single-click image resizing for presets which lets you convert an edited image for a specific social media platform in no time. Though the social sharing feature is missing in this tool, it's still worth trying because of the customization options it offers for your social media images.