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Create a Simple Banner

Critiqued by Cowboytf | July 23, 2008 .

I get asked this question a million times so I thought it was high time I answer it.  It’s super easy to create a banner.  Just have an idea of what you want in your head….image, colors, etc.

First, I recommend Paint.net.  It’s free and super easy to use & it’s what I’ll be using for this tutorial.  You can also use Gimp but it’s such a memory hog and I don’t like things that slow down my computer.

Step 1

Open your paint program and select new.  Enter the dimensions of the banner you want to create.  For this tutorial, I selected 125px X 125px.  It’s the most common size.  I also increased the resolution for a more crisp, clean banner.  I put 300 because that is a very nice quality but you could use what ever.  The default is 96.

Now that we have our shape, it’s time to design.  This is pretty much where you can do what you want.  You can use the line, circles, text, etc to create the image you have in your mind.  I wanted to incorporate my logo into my banner but I didn’t want it to over power what my site was about so I decided to create a translucent type look with text overlay.

I wanted the entire banner background to be black to match my site.  This is where you click on your color, the little bucket, and then fill your square with that color.  Got it?!

So now I want to import my logo.  You click on layers, import from file, choose your picture that you want to import (if any) and viola…..it’s in your square.  Position it where you want and move on to the next step.

Since I’m going for a translucent look, I need to make my logo lighter and less visible.  I do this by clicking on Adjustments, then Hue/Saturation, then lowering the lightness to my desired look.  Hit Ctrl-d when done.

Finally, I add the text of my choice with the color of my choice.  I chose white for this banner and basically put it on top of the logo.  You can align it how ever with your font choice.  Hit Ctrl-d again when you’re finished.  That’s it!  You’ve just created a banner.

It’s really simple to use and you can create just about anything.  Remember to use the standard sizes for creating your banner.

  • 125 x 125
  • 468 x 60
  • 250 x 250
  • 88 x 31

So what does the finished product look like???  Here ya go!

Once you get really good at this, you’ll be able to create them for other people charging a flat fee!  Before you know it, you’ll be able to buy the moon with all the money you’re making from designing banners and headers, etc……woohoo:)

Posted under Blogging Tips & Tools, Tutorials | Like this article? Subscribe to our RSS feed

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3 Comments so far
  1. T@SendChocolate  July 23, 2008 11:36 pm

    Easy to understand, but paint.net doesn’t work for a Mac, which I use. Any ideas for something easy to use, free for Mac?

    T.

    T@SendChocolates last blog post..What I Learned at Blogher ‘08 #2

  2. The Glamorous WAHM  July 26, 2008 9:13 am

    Thank you so much! You have saved me!

  3. Rachel  July 28, 2008 10:24 am

    Thanks so much for this — I agree about Gimp! It takes up so much space for everything!

    Rachels last blog post..The Reasons Why I Say "Yes."