“I thought I was going to prove Photoshop was the best of the best for everything, but depending on the job I can’t say that I think that’s the case now.”
 – Kelly Meissner, freelance graphic designer

Beyond Photoshop: Other Great Programs for Customizing Photos with Kelly Meisnner

Session 56

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Not every organization has a fleet of talented graphic designers or access to the best design software. So how do you choose design tools that fit your project and skill level? This week, Beth hosts freelance designer Kelly Meissner to discuss tools that help match medium and message. While Adobe’s Photoshop is the most well-known and adaptive program, Kelly explains it might be simpler for some projects to use other programs that are more user-friendly (and free!). When you’re facing a complex task that you’re going to revisit often, Photoshop will help, but simpler tasks like placing text or cropping can be done with simpler programs. She explains that different options should be examined based on where the image is going and how often the image is going to be used and edited. She tells Beth: “When choosing a photo editing program, it’s really a matter of how much control you need.”

Kelly and Beth discuss:

  • The pros and cons of using Photoshop for all your design projects
  • Free photo design tools, like Canva and Paint.NET
  • Fitting design to match an image’s final destination
  • How using outside design templates can be a “double-edged sword”
  • Avoiding sacrificing content and meaning for visual appeal
  • Online instructional resources regarding design and photo editing
Resources:

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