Working with a shelter or rescue group, you likely know the power of a good, sharable photo or graphic on social media. But most people in the animal welfare industry do not have a background in photography or graphic design. If you can find a volunteer or staff member with the skill, fantastic — but what if you‘re the one having to create images and graphics?

Luckily, you don’t need a degree in graphic design to make beautiful graphics for social media. “There are so many user-friendly apps and resources out there to help enhance your photos and get animals adopted,” said graphic design consultant Carolina Aguirre, who doesn’t want graphic design to hold you back from saving lives.

Here are just a few of her user-friendly favorites, all found in the app store:

• Snapseed: “This is more similar to Photoshop than most of them in the tools they offer. You’re able to edit more specifically within a photo, without changing the entire thing. For example, erasing something in the background. You can be nit-picky with this one!” The Snapseed app is currently free.
• Camera +: “This is an oldie but a goodie, and they are always making updates. I would say this is better for changing the overall photo. Think bringing a dog’s face into focus or really fine-tuning. It also touts taking better photos, with a zoom option that lets you get close up photos that are really clear.” The app is currently $2.99.
• Canva: “Once you have your photo the way you want it, Canva is awesome for adding onto photos. Whether you’re creating a meme, promotion or simply adding text and borders, you can do it in here. The great thing about Canva is that it already has templates set up with basic design principles so you don’t have to worry about that. It also has the popular formats for different social sites built in so you don’t have to worry about specific sizing for Instagram, Twitter, etc.” Canva is free, with enhanced features available for a monthly fee.

The above are just a few examples of the many tools out there built for the “average” (i.e., non-design) person. For all the SnapChat users out there: “You can always bring your photo into SnapChat and use any of the filters and text options they provide. Then simply save it to your camera. Voila!” And, when in doubt? “Less is more.”