Creating creative content yourself: opportunities and tools

All content that is posted on the Internet today is aimed at attracting the attention of the user audience. It should be useful, informative, easy to perceive, but also quite original, colorful, bright. This is what will make it memorable and ultimately lead to increased conversion. And it does not matter whether we are talking about creating advertising banners, publications on websites, posts on social networks, messengers or specialized creative for traffic arbitrage, targeted advertising: the approaches to the implementation of this idea will be quite similar.

Not so long ago, a large number of specialists were involved in creating creatives. Even within the same company, entire departments were formed from people with certain knowledge and skills in this area. After neural networks and specialized services appeared on the market, specialists were able to complete impressive volumes of tasks much faster, and receive even more original and extraordinary solutions. But, nevertheless, the work of a creative person is still quite in demand. Only specialists who are well versed in this industry will be able to form a high-quality task for the same neural networks or get an excellent option using specialized services. That is, all these tools today should be perceived exclusively as assistants in the implementation of complex, labor-intensive and extraordinary tasks, and not as a replacement for a person. But we must not forget that all these creatives must be not only high-quality, but also unique. The same rules apply here as when working with text content.

In today's review, we will dwell in more detail on the benefits that specialized services bring to specialists, what functionality they have. Let's get acquainted in more detail with the most popular applications that are widely used in practice today when creating original and unusual graphic content. We will provide a number of recommendations that will allow you to perform these works as efficiently as possible and with minimal time and effort. We will tell you what points you should pay attention to when choosing a service for creating creatives.

Why it is worth using services for creating creatives in practice

Services for creating graphic content for publications on various online platforms have appeared for a relatively long time. From the very beginning, they were designed to simplify the work of specialists working in this niche, speed up the execution of everyday tasks, improve the quality and uniqueness of the finished material. Among the main advantages that modern tools have, it is worth highlighting:

• Ease and ease of use. Most of these services have a simple and intuitive interface, have an impressive set of ready-made templates and original design elements that can be used in practice. This is what will allow you to get quite extraordinary and effective solutions even for those who do not have deep knowledge and skills in the field of design.
• Significant savings in time and effort. Now specialists do not need to create all the materials literally from scratch, spending not just hours, but days on this. Just choose the template that seems most suitable to you in this case, and then - make improvements to it, thereby making the material unique and individual.
• The ability to organize joint work. Not just one person, but a team of specialists can work on the same project. Teamwork has never been so convenient and effective. Alternatively, you can easily organize simultaneous work with materials for publications on different platforms, be it a website, social networks, outdoor advertising, etc.
• A huge variety of services. The modern market offers a huge variety of specialized tools that you can use in practice to create creatives. These can be programs that are installed on a computer and those that work in an online environment, including on mobile devices, services based on artificial intelligence, etc. These can be both paid and free solutions. This means that you can easily choose the option that will be the most convenient and effective in your work.
• Constant relevance. All the services that are presented on the market today are constantly updated by developers, supplemented with new functions and capabilities. This allows you to create materials that will correspond to the latest trends in the field of design. That is, they will be perceived by the user audience in the most positive way, causing a backlash.

All this allows us to confidently say that modern designers and creatives have enough tools at their disposal that can make the creation of extraordinary projects easier, faster and more accessible.

Functionality of services for creating creatives

Regardless of which tool you choose, you should have a tool at your disposal that can implement your ideas and creative concepts. That is, initially you need to understand what exactly you want to get at the output. So, if you create creatives from scratch, then bet on a service that offers a huge variety of modern templates. If you need to get animation, then evaluate whether this option is present in the product you have chosen, etc. Otherwise, you will have to look for other solutions, spend time, adapt the resulting creatives.

The functionality of the services directly affects how professional your material will be, how positively the user audience will evaluate it. We have already mentioned that most modern solutions offer the ability to work in teams. This is one of the best ways to avoid many mistakes, speed up the work and get a selection of creatives for posting on various platforms, taking into account their specifics and the main requirements of the user audience.

Additional functionality of services for creating creatives

Along with the basic functions typical for most of the services that are presented on the market today, most modern solutions are also equipped with additional features. This is what will make your work as convenient, interesting and efficient as possible. We are talking about the presence of built-in templates, the ability to make individual settings for certain tasks, formats, integration with third-party services that expand the possibilities for creativity. That is, additional functionality - this is what increases the efficiency and convenience of work, saves time and allows you to get a unique and bright solution at the end, which will definitely be perceived positively by the user audience.

Most modern services for creating creatives are equipped with the following additional features:

• Sets of ready-made templates. We are talking about the fact that most of these services already have sets of layouts adapted for creating materials for a particular social network, business cards, advertising banners, etc. Templates can significantly speed up the work and provide many ideas, including for people who are not very familiar with all the nuances of online design.
• The ability to integrate with other platforms. We are talking about social networks, cloud structures and any other applications that allow you to expand functionality. In particular, that you can immediately publish finished materials on social networks or any other platforms, analyze the effectiveness of launched campaigns, and ensure file uploads.
• The presence of a function for adaptation to different formats. We are talking about the fact that the program itself will adjust your creative to certain sizes characteristic of a particular site, while maintaining the necessary proportions and original style. That is, you can launch the same material on different sites without making manual revisions.
• Built-in libraries of stock videos and images. These are specialized storage facilities that contain a huge number of finished materials that you can take as a basis and subject to minor processing for uniqueness and personalization. This eliminates the need for a long search for original images on online spaces.
• Collaboration, which involves the involvement of several specialists in the implementation of the task. Most services create a space convenient for interaction. Specialists will be able to work in it simultaneously, make adjustments to the same project literally in real time, leave comments. At the same time, everyone will see what actions others are taking, which will eliminate confusion.
• The ability to make adjustments to videos, images, and audio tracks. Using built-in editors, you can easily trim existing videos, cut out certain parts of them, delete existing audio, and add your own audio. It is convenient that all this work is done on one platform, without requiring the connection of third-party services.
• Adding animated elements and other effects. Alternatively, you can add movement to a photo, apply certain special effects and perform a number of related works that make the created materials more creative, unusual, interesting for the user audience. Again, even a person who does not have the relevant knowledge and skills can perform these works, including animating an image.
• Using the capabilities of artificial intelligence. Today, there are already plenty of services on the network that are based on neural networks. With their help, the process of converting pictures and videos becomes more intelligent. The program itself can select the most harmonious color combination, make certain modifications or changes to the source and get an original, unique material.

Now it's time to get acquainted in more detail with the best services that the modern market offers for creating various creatives.

TOP 15 services for creating creatives

On the modern market, services developed specifically for creating various creatives are presented in a fairly wide variety. These programs differ from each other in functionality, cost, a set of additional options and many other parameters. But in order for you to be able to easily choose the most suitable option for yourself, you need to understand what exactly is at stake and be well oriented in this variety. Here, getting acquainted with our selection will help you:

1. Canvas. This is the SMMplanner service's own development, created for quick and easy production of creatives for mailings, social networks. It can rightfully be called a more than worthy analogue of foreign services, such as Canvas, Krello. They have a wide variety of templates for creating stories, posts, advertisements. The presence of a built-in graphic editor allows you to make adjustments to the size, add various filters, crop along the contour or individual elements and perform a number of related works. As additional options, it is worth highlighting the presence of a library of icons and images from Unsplash. It is offered to users in a free basic tariff, as well as in a paid version priced from $ 4 per month. In the latter case, you will receive more advanced functionality, namely the ability to remove the basic background, apply stickers, masks, inscriptions. You can download the finished version from the program in the most convenient format for you: PNG, JPG, JSON.
2. Canva. This is the leader of recent years in this market segment, which is largely due to its simplicity and ease of use in practice. With the help of this software, you can create creatives for social networks, including Pinterest, messengers. There is a fairly impressive set of templates for making certificates, coupons, infographics. It is convenient that all of them are already deliberately adjusted to the standardized sizes of a particular site. That is, you do not need to make any additional adjustments and changes. In the built-in editor, you can easily make changes to the basic templates. You can also use the service's ready-made image database, combine them with your creatives. There is an option to add stickers, videos. You can either download the received materials for yourself or immediately send them for publication. Consumers are offered 3 tariff options, one of which is free. It is clear that basic functionality will be present here. The premium tariff will cost $ 12 per month. It has more advanced access to the image database, more useful tools. For businesses, the service offers a $30 monthly plan. If you wish, you can also use the Canva mobile app.
3. Picture.Plus. A service that will allow you to create various visuals for social networks, targeted advertising, and any other purposes based on an impressive set of ready-made templates and forms. If desired, you can easily adapt the resulting material to your corporate style, as well as to the requirements that certain sites impose on publications. It is quite simple to use, which is positively assessed even by people who are just starting to work in this direction. One of the significant advantages of the service is the presence of an impressive photo bank, where there is a Russian-language search. You just need to specify a topic and get access to more than 1 million licensed photos. The site also has a video bank, although it is somewhat smaller in volume. Users are also offered to choose a suitable font from more than 50 options in Cyrillic. The cost of using this service is about $ 4 per month for the full version, while there is also a basic, free one.
4. Flyvi. A service developed specifically for creating creatives for the VKontakte social network. This includes posts, stories, and other visual options. There are over 20,000 templates that can be easily adapted to your own preferences. You can choose the option that suits you best for launching an advertising campaign, stories, presentations, and any other publications. For greater convenience, all templates are divided into separate categories, which will significantly save time on searching. In the built-in editor, you can change any elements in the image. It also has its own library with more than 10 million images, thousands of fonts, animations, and backgrounds. There is a free version and a paid version for $4 per month.
5. Crello. If you have already worked with Canva, you will probably notice quite significant similarities here. The program also has a library of templates for different platforms and areas of activity, be it blogs, social networks, or advertising platforms. Animated designs and various types of advertising banners are also offered to your attention. The functionality includes the ability to change the size, background, adjust the transparency of the image, add additional layers, frames, filters. If desired, you can replace the basic background with your own, add animation, audio, video. The program is designed for different platforms, in particular, there are separate applications for iOS and Android. The basic functions are already present in the free tariff. But if you want to access advanced features, you will need to purchase the PRO tariff for $ 9.99 per month. In this case, you will also have access to the ability to work together and priority technical support.
6. Ipiccy. This service combines the capabilities of a photo editor, graphic design and collage designer. It offers a huge variety of tools, including basic and advanced template processing, applying filters, making adjustments, including color schemes. Ipiccy is often used to change the appearance. If desired, you can process by layers, change textures, add frames. It will be convenient to work with collages here, in particular, there are ready-made schemes. Go to the graphic design block to use various stickers, add text accompaniment. It is very convenient in work that all the tools are displayed in one window. As a base, you can use images available in the library or upload your own. The service is completely free to use.
7. Pablo by Buffer. This is a photo editor designed to create original creatives based on built-in templates. Direct access to the Unsplash service is provided here. You can use all the solutions presented here absolutely free of charge and for any purpose. It is also possible to work with your own images. The main functional capabilities here are changing the size of the image, adding filters, text, headings, quotes, logos. You can use this service completely free of charge.
8. PicsArt. An application developed specifically for devices with the Android and iOS operating systems. Suitable for working with both graphic and video content. There is also a version of the program for use on personal computers and laptops. Basically, this service is adapted to create creative content for social networks. It provides a set of ready-made templates for the requirements of a particular platform, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, TilTok, etc. With its help, you can create creative content for posts, stories. There is a set of free stickers, image fonts, as well as tools for cropping photos, videos, adding effects, etc. But we would like to draw your attention to the fact that this service has a completely English-language interface. It is quite simple, intuitive, which allows it to be used even by people who do not know the language. The basic version is offered to the user for free, while for the Gold tariff you will need to pay $ 4.67 per month of use. In this case, you will get more advanced access to background libraries, effects and other tools that increase the convenience and functionality of your work.
9. Desygner. Users are offered thousands of different templates that can be easily adapted to their own preferences and the specifics of their upcoming work. There is also a private library, which currently contains over 150 million photos and images. The program is quite easy to use, and allows you to process images in just a couple of clicks and get original, but at the same time unique solutions, including animation for unusual visual effects. You can create one image, and then transform it to suit the specifics of a particular site, change its size. The basic version will be free to use, while for an unlimited package you will need to pay $4 per month.
10. Fotostars. This is the tool that will allow you to edit various ideas and apply original photo effects to them. In particular, there are over 50 filters, the ability to adjust the color scheme, sharpness, rotate images at different angles, process details and crop. These options make the tool quite professional, but at the same time easy to use even for beginners. With its help, you can also crop photos, change the size of images, add text to them, choose the style that will best suit your wishes. The tool is completely free to use.
11. InShot. A fairly large-scale service that offers several mobile applications for creating visuals at the same time. Thus, one of them is aimed at processing photos and videos. It has a fairly impressive set of filters, effects and backgrounds, which will allow you to add stickers, text to the image, change the background, turn the image into a full-fledged advertising tool. To work with videos, you can use tools that allow you to overlay music, change the audio track, add transitions. The second option is a special Story Maker for Instagram. There is a set of specialized stickers, fonts, and its own audio library. Users are offered the product in two tariffs: free and paid. They will not differ in functionality, but if you choose the free option, you will have to watch ads from time to time.
12. Photo Editor. One of the easiest to use photo editors, distinguished by a fairly impressive set of functions. With its help, you can adjust the color schemes on the base photo, add or remove certain elements, rotate the image, crop it or change the size. You can also use the built-in photo effects to get an image in a certain style. All these options that you will need in your work can be easily found through the built-in search. You can also study the set of hot keys to make your work even faster and more convenient. The service is completely free to use.
13. Picselcut. This service is based on artificial intelligence and allows you to create truly extraordinary and original creatives. The background image here is selected by neural networks, which saves your time and effort. Users are also offered a huge variety of templates, there is an option to upload your own image. Basic tools include an eraser for removing certain elements, general background removal, a batch editing option that allows you to apply the same settings to make changes to several images at once. Also, using the capabilities of neural networks, you can create your own chair project, that is, even without templates. You can use this tool for free.
14. BeFunky. These are services that combine the capabilities of a photo editor, collage designer, and even a content editor for online marketing. That is, with its help, you can create, edit different pictures, combine several images into a single material, add various elements to it, including text, prepare banners and posts for social networks, as well as any other visuals. Separately, templates have been developed here for those who work with social networks Twitter, Facebook, including Facebook Ads. All this is offered in the free basic version, but you can also purchase a paid version, the functionality of which is significantly expanded. It will cost you an average of $ 10 per month.
15. Pixlr. Using this tool in practice, you can make adjustments to both photo and video content, as well as create materials from scratch. It has a built-in generator based on neural networks. It will help you create your own images or form a collage from several photos, perform basic transformations with them. There is also a set of filters, photo effects, including those that allow you to create animated pictures. What about the price? There is a free version and a paid one. The latter costs only $1 per month.

If you wish, you can also pay attention to such services as Fotoflexer, Freepik, Supa “Hey, Teaser”, Elty, VistaCreate, Synthesia and many others. The choice here is really very, very wide.

Tips for creating creatives

In order to create a creative that you and your audience will really like, and will not require subsequent revisions, you need to not only choose the most suitable service for yourself, but also take into account a number of other nuances, in particular:

• Never limit yourself to one creative. Even if you managed to create a picture that you really like, make one or even two more. At the end, you will be able to compare all the available options and make the final, most correct decision. Alternatively, you can play around with filters, angles, ideas. Moreover, having several options, you will be able to replace your publication if the original version does not work the way you wanted.
• Study your target audience before creating creatives for them. You must clearly understand who exactly you are targeting and what target action you would like to receive as a result. The success of any idea directly depends on how much you can interest your readers. That is, all your creatives must be thought out in detail and focused on those people who they can obviously interest.
• Focus on large elements. This is what will never go unnoticed, it will definitely attract attention. That is, if you make your own creative with an abundance of small elements, people may not understand what idea you would like to convey to them. In addition, not everyone will spend time and effort on a detailed study of the material and will simply pass by if they do not quickly notice something important for themselves.
• Adapt the image or video to display on certain devices. This is relevant in cases where you are targeting social media users, because most of them view content from their smartphones. That is, make creatives such that they can be easily viewed even from a small screen.
• Determine the placement location in advance. How your material will be perceived in the end will directly depend on this parameter. In this case, you should take into account the specifics of the site. In some cases, you need to bet directly on the image or video, in others - on the title, text accompaniment.

As you can see, the rules are quite simple to implement, but if you do everything right, the effect will exceed all your expectations. That is, focus directly on your audience, on its interests. In this case, data parsing will provide you with significant assistance. With its help, you can prepare such creatives that people will really like. At the same time, you should understand that the general impression of your materials will automatically be redistributed to the entire business as a whole. Accordingly, to those goods and services that you supply to the market.

So which service to choose for creating creatives?

We have already said above that when choosing a service for creatives, first of all, you need to proceed from its functionality. That is, the platform should allow you to create exactly the materials you need. But it is also important to pay attention to related points:

1. Formats of available creatives. So, if you work with graphic content, then you should choose services that offer an abundance of templates. This will give you much wider opportunities for work. It will also not be superfluous to have such an option as the ability to upload your own photos. If you work with video content, then here you should bet on a solution where the main emphasis is on videos. Also, among the options that we talked about above, there are plenty of universal solutions, that is, those that are suitable for working with both pictures and videos.
2. The ability to work in a team. We have already described above that such a solution will be convenient if you have several specialists, each of whom works with separate sites. Also, such an option will come in handy when implementing complex and large-scale projects that involve close interaction between several performers.
3. Cost. For many, this factor will be decisive. Our selection included plenty of solutions that can be used absolutely free of charge. However, if you are looking for maximum functionality, you should choose one of the paid plans. Most of them offer a more extensive set of tools, professional technical support service that instantly responds to user requests. Moreover, if you do this work yourself, then all you have to pay for is the program itself. You do not involve third-party specialists, which means you save a lot of money, and in the end you get a professional-level product.

That is, you need to determine what tasks are facing you, and then choose the service for creating creatives that will best meet them.

Let's sum it up

All those services for creating creatives that are presented on the modern market open up unlimited opportunities for individual work. They are suitable even for people who are completely far from web design, those who are not ready to dive headlong into complex terminology, spend a lot of time and effort on upcoming work, but at the same time would like to get a really cool visual at the end.

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