Hey there! Who is you? I am Maggie. This is my blog. Welcome to Chickadee Lover Maggie. Enjoy your time here!

Today I’m writing about how I make my featured images! Now, the key to enjoying anything with blogging (which is true in many other areas of life a swell) is to create a system. Once you have a system down that works for you, you can use your creativity and try things out without the hassle of also sorting through the boring (albeit necessary) details every time!

Here’s what you’ll need to follow this tutorial!

• a working phone (preferably an iPhone, maybe an Android)
• the app RookieCam (free)
• the app Superimpose ($1)
• time and patience!

how I make my
featured images

1. First, I find an image on a free stock photo website. (Tip: check out this post to read about my top three favorites!)

2. Next, I take a 1:1 (square) white background (which I grab from the app Superimpose) and put the text I want on it over on RookieCam. (Tip: I stick to picking thicker fonts so that it’s easier to edit with in an upcoming step.)

3. Then I load the stock photo as the background on Superimpose, crop it to 1:1, and select my text image as the foreground. (Tip: if I’m not completely happy with the stock photo’s color, I’ll filter it before opening it in Superimpose.)

4. I use the Magic Wand masking tool to remove all of the white from around and within the text.

5. Next, I click “invert mask” to bring the white back and make the text transparent! Digital designer magic :’D

6. Then I go over to “Transform” and click “Merge Down” and choose the drop shadow option.

7. I pick the color, opacity, and blur that complements the stock photo best.

8. Lastly, I export the image to my photos and upload it to my blog!

Thanks for reading! There are so many different ways I’ve created featured images over the years, but I love the system behind this one and how it still allows room for a lot of possibilities. Another thing I’ll do is if the text and background aren’t quite satisfactory, I’ll add a sticker from Superimpose that matches the color and theme of the image.