Did you notice my new toy?
I’ve been playing with it for some time now.
My new fascination is evident in all my blog graphics, bar none.
The truth is my fascination is an obsession.
I am obsessed with Snapseed, a free photo-editing app that lets you perform seemingly magical effects with your photos.
The best part– Snapseed is available to both iOS and Android users and is absolutely free.
ProBlogDesign discusses the importance of a strong image. Often, no matter how well-written, a post just won’t get read without it. They call good images a “must have” for any great post.
According to research, 65% of readers are visual learners. By containing graphics, and using filters to improve them, you are making the message in your post that much stronger and understandable for the majority of your readers.
Enter Google’s Snapseed
In their Best Apps of 2016 Issue, iPhone Life Magazine calls Snapseed the “Best of the Best” for Photo Editing Apps.
Snapseed is compared by the magazine to a photo-editing program, but better. It’s what people with smartphones use to tweak their photos.
Be Creative with Different Combinations of Snapseed’s Filters
Post: How to Blog Like an Expert
Rationale: I chose a purse for the following reason. Decades ago, there was a popular song. The lyrics went, “Who ya gonna call, Ghost Busters?” So, I thought of people calling the experts for when they needed expert answers to questions.
Filters: Contains cropping and a border. I used the Tune Image filter to make the pink warmer. I increased the Saturation. I used Picassa to straighten the purse, but I could have used Snapseed.
Post:Â How to Easily Get People to Subscribe to Your Blog by Networking
Rationale: Bloggers have a reputation for liking coffee. I figured the bloggers would drink coffee if they were actually networking with each other.
Filters: Contains a border and the blurred background.
Post: Never Make Grammar Mistakes Again–How to Use Grammarly
Rationale: I wanted the page to look dirty since the post was about fixing (grammar) mistakes, so I used the Grunge filter at +400.
Filters: Auto Adjusted (fine tuning)
I rotated it at a +2.55 degree angle in order to straighten the notebook.
I blurred the background which was a brown table, so the focus would be on the notebook paper. The blur was at +30 strength.
I think photos with a frame seem to pop off the page, so I used Frame 8 which had a different width than the frames I’d used before. Even the dirty frame made the photo seemed like it had mistakes on it.
Now, look at the same photo without the filters.
Post: 5 Reasons Paper.li Will Make You See More Blog Traffic
Rationale: I thought using paper matched the topic of Paper.li, an online paper. Also, in contrast to the Grammarly photo, I thought it showed the contrast of how different you can get your photos to look depending on the combination of filters you use.
Filter: My notebook was crooked! I had no need to retake the photo. Snapseed straightened it for me with the Rotate tool.
Post: Meet and Greet 12: New Year’s Party
Rationale: I knew I had this post coming up, and I hadn’t applied Drama yet. When I tried it, I thought it made the photo look better.
Filters:Â Drama
Post: Meet and Greet 12: New Year’s Party
Rationale: A 2016 cake was appropriate for a New Year’s Party
Filters:Â Brightness -64, Saturation, Rotation -7.25 degrees
I also cropped the photo, so the plastic box around the cake didn’t show.
Post: How to Save Time, Money, and Stress [Cross Promotion]
Rationale: Since the post was about bloggers helping each other, I thought the teddy bears would be a cute representation of the bloggers.
Filters: I knew I would want to write the headline on the carpet, so I blurred the carpet, so the focus would be on the teddy bears.
Post: I have a post coming up on how to make money from blogging.
Rationale: The first time I wrote about making money from blogging, I used a picture of cash in my graphic, so this time I wanted something else. I figured a cash register offered variety while keeping the same theme of money.
Filters: Noir, lens blur, retro lux, and a frame. Since the post will be about making money, I tried to use the filters to put a glow on the photo.This time, I picked a fancier frame. Although it’s a thumbnail image, can you tell there is white separating the black from the graphic? I thought the appearance of the while would make it seem like the photo had a matte, something people with money could splurge on.
![How to rock your blog photos for free [snapseed]](https://mostlyblogging.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Bulletin-Board-Photo.jpg)
Post: I have a post planned about new Pinterest boards all bloggers could start.
Filter: HDR Scape
Rationale: I hadn’t used this filter yet, and I wanted to display it for this article. When I applied the filter, the holes on the bulletin board looked much more obvious. I think the bulletin board looks like it’s showing signs of wear. If it looks like I need a new bulletin  board, that’s perfect for a post on new Pinterest boards.
This might very possibly be my favorite graphic doctored with Snapseed’s filters.
Post: 5 Free SEO Tools to Help You Easily Improve Your Keywords
Rationale: The post was about little-known SEO tools. I thought of a treasure chest of obscure SEO sites.
Filters: By using Grunge, I was able to give the safe the look of a treasure chest when it’s just been discovered. I also used a Frame and a Crop.
Now look at the original photo.
In contrast, you can plainly see how Snapseed’s filters enhance your photo to accompany the mood of your article. They actually give your article mood which engages readers since the graphic is the first thing your readers see after your headline.
A complete list of Snapseed’s filters is available in the Infographic.
Other things you can do with Snapseed:
Healing will get rid of spots marring your photo. Vignette and fixing red-eye are additional options.
When you are done editing your photos, you can share them with others, or Email the photo to yourself for inserting into your blog post.
Conclusion: Snapseed
In closing, Snapseed is easy to use. Any of these filters can be modified to greater or lesser degrees with a simple swipe of your finger.
In the not-too-distant past, people would use expensive photo-editing tools like photoshop. Today, many apps are free, and Snapseed is stand-out-tall among them. I hope this post sparked your creativity and inspired you to think of your own filter combinations you can apply to your photos.
I’m no mathematician, but I’m guessing the number of combinations is infinite.
Please share, so others know the benefit of Snapseed.
Readers, are you using Snapseed? Which is your favorite filter to use? Are you using any other photo-editing apps that you would recommend or advise us to avoid? I look forward to your views.
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