Monday, July 16, 2012

So You Want to Make a Blog Button...


Many of you have asked for help with your blog buttons, so I decided to make a quick improv tutorial. If you want to follow along, go ahead and bring up Pixlr & TextureMate. :) It'll be simple, I promise!



(I suggest changing the video quality to 720p. You might also want to go fullscreen.)

There you have it! I hope you were able to see well enough to get a decent idea of what was going on. I know it was a little stretched. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

54 comments:

Clare said...

Excellent tutorial, thanks for sharing.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Now no one has an excuse!

Gail said...

I enjoy writing but I'm not a 'writer".

I have no photo programs so I'm kinda outta luck here. Thanks anyway.

Writer Pat Newcombe said...

Great advice.

Katie Dunn said...

THANK YOU!! I've been needing a button for Thirsty Thursday and now I can make one myself! Wahoo=)

David P. King said...

I'm going to have to give this a try. This is a lifesaver for us non-technical types (*points at self*). :)

Bailey M.K. Knight said...

Thanks for making this! I love finding online and open source things I can use instead of expensive programs.

Donna K. Weaver said...

Thanks! I've wondered about this myself.

Nancy Thompson said...

Wow, Carrie! Thanks so much for sharing your expertise. That was excellent! Gonna text you a private message regarding this tutorial. Talk soon.

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Clare! :) No problem.

Carrie Butler said...

It's certainly worth a try! If not, I'm always willing to help. :)

Carrie Butler said...

That's okay, Gail. Everyone is welcome here! :)

Actually, I took that into consideration when I made this tutorial. I found a free online alternative called Pixlr.

There's no download required, and everything works right inside your browser window. You should play around with it sometime. It's fun! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Pat! :)

Carrie Butler said...

You're very welcome! I can't wait to see it. :D

Carrie Butler said...

*Grins* Thanks, David! I'm glad to hear it.

Carrie Butler said...

No problem, Bailey! Me too. It always feels like a victory. :)

Carrie Butler said...

You're welcome. :) Thanks for stopping by, Donna!

Carrie Butler said...

Anytime! :)

P.S. Hoping everything goes well. ♥

Melissa said...

Great tutorial! & Great free resources, too! :D You may be sorry your taught me this. :P

Emily R. King said...

And here I thought making a blog button was easy. Sheesh!
Just kidding, you did a great job, Carrie. Even I could do this! :)

Melodie said...

I found Pixlr last week when I made a blog button. It is an awesome program but I had no idea of all the other options. Thanks!!!

Lydia Kang said...

Bookmarked!

Leigh Covington said...

SWEET! Every time I do this I have to go look up certain parts and then I can't find the post I'm looking for. Now I know where to go! Thanks girl!

Victoria Smith said...

You. Are. Amazing. *favorites page* I sooo have been dying to do these. I hate that I have to keep asking Jaycee!!! And you should totally vlog. Very good speaking voice ;D

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Melissa! :)

Hah! I think not. I can't wait to see all of your wonderful creations!

Carrie Butler said...

*Grins* Why thank you, Empress King!

Carrie Butler said...

You're welcome! I hope you get a chance to play around with it some more. :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Lydia! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Glad to help! :) Thanks for stopping by, Leigh!

Carrie Butler said...

Oo, you'll have to let me know how it goes for you. Give me a shout if you need help with anything! :D Thank you, Victoria!

Oh, the thought of vlogging terrifies me. I'm going to have to work my way up to that one! *Grins*

Mina Burrows said...

Carrie, you are so awesome!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for posting this! I've been wondering how to do this:-)

Sophia Chang said...

You are too cool - so good to hear your voice.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Carrie! That was very helpful for beginners like myself. I use Corel as a photo editing program, but I want to check out what you used because it looks more user friendly. Now I just need to find the time to play around with this stuff.

cleemckenzie said...

Great to know this, Carrie. Thanks for sharing the information. The Golden Eagle was very sweet to gift me with a button for Alligators Overhead, but now I know how to tackle that myself. :-)

Carrie Butler said...

Aww, thanks, Mina! :)

Carrie Butler said...

No problem! I'm glad to help. :)

nutschell said...

Super helpful stuff! i do love watching tutorials :)
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Sophia! I always feel so dorky doing things like this. :)

Carrie Butler said...

No problem, Michael! :) I know what you mean. I've played around with Corel before, and it's not a favorite of mine. I think I'll stick with Photoshop and this free program, Pixlr, for now. :) Enjoy!

Carrie Butler said...

You're very welcome, Lee! I just saw the button Eagle made you. It looks great! :)

Carrie Butler said...

I'm glad! Thank you for stopping by, Nutschell. :)

Elise Fallson said...

Thank you so much Carrie! Awesome tutorial!! (:

Carrie Butler said...

No problem, Elise! :) Thank you!

Peggy Eddleman said...

You are too awesome, Carrie. So full of the awesome.

Unknown said...

Ahh blog buttons... they are the bane of my existence. Thanks for the help, Carrie.

Talli Roland said...

Great tutorial! Thanks, Carrie.

Carrie Butler said...

Why thank you, Peggy! You're pretty awesome yourself. ;)

Carrie Butler said...

No problem, Trisha. If you ever need help, just give me a shout! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Talli! :D

Bethany Elizabeth said...

That a great tutorial - thanks! :) Maybe I should make one now. :D

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Bethany! It couldn't hurt to try. :D

Mike said...

I had a blog button at one time, but I kind of drifted away from blogging and I deleted it. I need to bookmark this in case I decide to do one again.

Carrie Butler said...

Sounds like a plan to me! Let me know if you need any help. :)