There are many aspects to having an online presence that users need to be aware of. From Social Media posts to Image advertising and even Video promotions. All may help in their way.
But just maybe your budget may not allow for this or your skill level. Well here is a list of Tools that can aid you in your endeavour. These are not recommendations (unless specified) and choosing the tool will be your choice and your risk.
What we will be covering in this post: Stock Photography; Logo Creation; Video Creation; QR Code Generation; Invoice Creation; Barcode Generation; Image Resizing and Image Optimization (a very important one).
You might need the odd image from time to time or just a placeholder for the time being. Or, you simply cannot afford images for now and are looking for an alternative. Well, below you will find a list of websites that can support your requirements. Many of these offer Free use of Imagery (please check the website if you are unsure, Shopfront will not be held liable for your images on the site).
https://animoto.com – another good option but Animoto branding on your free videos
QR code Generator
If you need it
Did you know that you can create a QR Code for all of the following:
URLs, Files, Social Media (Facebook, Instagram and even Youtube), Email and lots more.. what will you use it for?
Disclaimer – some phones/devices already have a built-in function to simply point your camera at the QR Code and it will do its thing. However, some do not. So if your device can not then you may need to download an App for that.
Apple or Android
If you are running a store and need barcodes for your products, you may already have what you need in place. But for those of you who do not or are doing some research – here you go:
We can’t all afford top-tier applications like Quickbooks to manage our invoices. So for those of you only sending the odd invoice here and there and are looking for a more simplified option:
When dealing with the internet and specifically selling Products, you will need imagery. We have already covered Free Stock, but you don’t just want to use any size image. Often you will be provided with a rough guide for sizing and this is where you will need to resize an image or two (or way more).
Something to be aware of is image formats. The list below mostly covers web use, there are other image formats out there but no need for them to be covered at this point:
JPEG – is a raster image file format ideal for most use-case scenarios. JPEGs are “lossy” meaning they reduce file size, but also the quality of the images when you use the format.
Ideal use – optimized to 25kb
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PNG (Portable Network Graphics) – PNG is a raster graphics format that supports lossless compression, transparencies all while maintaining detail and contrast between colours. It also offers much better text readability than JPEG format. Note, however, if used like a JPEG the file size might be way more significant.
Image version – Optimized to 32kb
Graphic version – 3.6kb
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Gif (Graphics Interchange Format) – a limited palette of 256 colours, so the quality can not be compared to that of your average JPEG. This file format is often used for small static animations and low-quality graphics.
Note the jagged edges – 4kb
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SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) – was developed by W3C as a markup language to render two-dimensional images right within the browser.
It doesn’t rely on pixels like a raster format, but rather uses XML text to outline shapes and lines in a similar way to how mathematical equations create graphs.
This means you can scale up SVG images infinitely without any loss of quality.
Best used for logos, icons, and simple illustrations.
Note how smooth the graphic is – 1.05kb – sweet!
Image Optimization
A necessary step
This cannot be understated, but the speed in the online world is a metric. The faster your site the better!
The section above educated you on how to select the right image for the job, but the next thing is to optimise those images even more. If you are familiar with image editing and simple web use, the photos above are the ones you would select, if selecting PNG or JPEG you need to optimise these before placing them on your site (or ours). There are multiple ways to achieve this but whichever you use, and after you have resized the images to the correct dimensions – drop the images into tinypng for quick and easy optimization to save space.. then and only then are you ok to upload your images to Shopfront.
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