Making a Motivational Image or Poster

We all have seen truly inspirational quotes embedded in images on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. They mvoe us to share with others, or make us laugh or really think. Though it is rare, every once in awhile I come up with a thought that is uniquely my own. lol So I decided to take my own words and pair them with a beautiful image in hopes to motivate or inspire someone or pass on a luagh or smile.

First, I compose my thought. My most profound quotes are usually triggered by an event and typically pop in my head just as my eyes close for sleep. I keep a pen and note pad by my bed for just this occurrence so I can recall my thoughts the next morning. If you don't share a bed or your partner is a heavy sleeper, I recommend using the Dragon Dictation app on your smart phone or tablet, because sometimes I can't read my own handwriting!

After I've composed the message to my liking, I search for a suitable photo. Because of the thousands of photos that my husband and I have taken over the years, I will choose one of our own instead of getting one off the 'net. If you need to use someone else's photo, please please please seek out how it can be used so as not to violate copyright laws. In most cases, a simple request for permission from the owner is all that is needed for personal use. For commercial use, you should definitely obtain the photo legally.

I have a been compiling my quotes and sayings for about three years now. I maintain one document in which I place all my random thoughts; some thoughts are in a final state while others are not and need tweaking. In fact, the following quote was jotted down about a year ago and I finalized it just recently to make my own message to put on the web.

The direction in the wind cannot be controlled.
It is the strength in our wings that leads us
to where we need to be. -- Alicia White

The next step was choosing a photo to set off the message. I have photos of birds in flight including an eagle, but the eagle photo didn't show his wings very well. I found a photo I took a few months ago of a pelican flying above the Arkansas River. His wings were perfectly outlined.

Then I designed a frame around the photo in Photoshop. I placed my quote for best readability and included my logo and contact info. The entire image was downsized to a manageable 1000px wide and saved as a JPG file at 10 resolution, which can be easily uploaded onto any social media site. Make sure you keep the original file separate from the smaller file in case you want the image printed in a book or as a poster.

The image is square which is a great shape for thumbnail viewing on the web, but not so much for printing as most prints are rectangle. To print it, I would take the original file and change the layout to create a high quality file perfect for a print or poster. This is one of many products offered at Back of the Room Productions™. Speakers, coaches, authors and thought leaders can use images like these to provide a long lasting message to their clients.

Alicia White is the CEO of Back of the Room Productions, home of the Speakers Briefcase™, Authors Briefcase™, and The Speaklet™ and North America's first Back of the Room Branding and Marketing Materials Provider. Copyright 2013.

A side note about the photo: my husband and I were visiting my parents in No. Little Rock Arkansas. We had just finished visiting the dog park at Burns Park and overhead were tons of seagulls flying. I gathered my camera and long lens and tried to get a shot. Just as I was finishing I watched this pelican flying towards us. I took several shots of him as he went over head. The shot below is five  photos merged together to show his flight path. It was pretty dang cool!

All photos Copyright 2013 911 iMedia, Inc. Photos may be used for personal use with proper credit to AliciaWhite911 or BackoftheRoomProductions.com