Easy/Free Graphic Design Software for PC? (Text-Only Logo)

November 20, 2018 5:07 PM

So, I'm playing around trying to make a logo for a new business.

I thought I had it all figured out in Powerpoint, but when I try to position it over a picture I want to use, it also shows the (white) background, blocking out some of the photo. I just want the words to show up ON the picture.

Is there a way to do this in Powerpoint or do I need graphic-type software?

I would just pay someone for a quick logo, but we may want to also send out postcards and possibly design some brochures.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am looking for multiple font options, sizes, positioning, etc.

Thank you!!

posted by funfunfun to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

Well, you could go a few ways here. You could use GIMP, which is open-source and free, and probably the most robust and well-known Photoshop alternative. Another option you might consider is that Adobe now uses a cloud-based model with a monthly fee, so while it’s not easy per se, you would have all the industry-standard tools you could ever want and then cancel your subscription when you’ve finished the projects you need. A single Adobe app (e.g. Photoshop) is $31.50/mo paid on a month-to-month basis. It ain’t free, but it’s still pretty cheap.

Anyway, there are plenty of apps that offer a free trial, or are fairly inexpensive, or are free (like GIMP) but I think you should take a little time deciding exactly what you want before you invest in a program. If you’re making images that will then be printed (business cards, brochures, letterhead) you will need a high-resolution version of your file, or it will look like a pixelated mess. Web-ready images are typically at 72 dpi, print-ready images at 300 dpi. And ideally logos and stuff should be in vector format vs. raster format, so that they print smoothly regardless whether the image is blown up or shrunk down.

If you’re playing around with ideas, I’d go with GIMP or something with a free trial (Adobe has fully functional free trials for 7 days) to get your ideas sketched out. Then I would enlist a professional to give you a polished hi-res final version of your ideas, because they’ll be able to tell you what about your ideas will and won’t work, rather than you figuring it out when you get your logo printed and it turns out to look really weird when enlarged, or illegible when shrunk down, or whatever. A professional will have the expertise to anticipate issues that might not occur to you, and to make recommendations. Then you’ll have the files for all your printing needs, and you won’t necessarily have to keep the graphic software around.
posted by Autumnheart at 5:41 PM on November 20, 2018

Canva.com is probably the simplest way to do it.
posted by MexicanYenta at 5:48 PM on November 20, 2018

PowerPoint is a miserable tool for this. MSPaint would be better than PPoint. Paint.net is pretty usable for a graphics program. Free.

Canva.com or another online logo maker will generate a logo, and that's a good option.
posted by theora55 at 7:15 PM on November 20, 2018

Are you inserting the text as a picture? You need to save the text as an image file that allows transparency. For instance, PNG will allow transparency. JPG does not.

You can select certain colors in an image to be transparent within PowerPoint. Here is a tutorial:

https://youtu.be/cdGPTsN5Xs8

Remember to save your file in a format that allows for transparency.
posted by shalom at 10:05 PM on November 20, 2018

Great feedback! Thank you so much!!
I did consider Adobe products, but it all seemed pretty complicated for the simple stuff I'm looking to do.

I will start toying around with a few of your suggestions. :-)
posted by funfunfun at 4:03 AM on November 21, 2018

I bookmarked this comment from leahwrenn, which might do what you need? Not sure if it will work with letters that have enclosed spaces, but super-simple to try: “open the photo in preview and use instant alpha to remove the background... Then save the image”
posted by daisyace at 6:16 AM on November 21, 2018

Canva is awesome and I use it all the time, but if you did end up needing more advanced photo editing tools like what you'd get with Photoshop or GIMP but don't necessarily want to download anything, Pixlr is a great free browser-based solution.

Also: if you want a transparent background, you'll need to save as .PNG file and make sure to specify that the file should have a transparent background (there's usually a checkbox or something for this). Good luck!
posted by helloimjennsco at 11:15 AM on November 21, 2018