Earlier this year I featured a mock-up movie poster based on a conversation I’d had with my youngest son. The image produced more comments than anything else I’d published that day. It was a good reminder as to the importance good visuals play in getting a message across.
In full disclosure, I created that image using the Adobe Creative Suite of products, which are powerful, professional grade tools, however, I wanted to find out if I could create similar images with easier to use (and less expensive) applications. Because – why not?
My selection criteria
- Must be able to use masks and layers – This eliminated Microsoft Paint (to be fair, Paint was never really in consideration)
- Must be able to edit photos (meaning change colors, erase bits, etc. not just add filters) – This eliminated Canva
- Must be able to upload as well as download edited images without a subscription – This eliminated PicMonkey
For those of you unfamiliar with the terms above, layers allow you to move and edit isolated elements of a design while masking aids with an element’s transparency and shape.
The experiment
I found Sumopaint and clicked on it’s “Try Online” option. (Note – Sumopaint does require Flash so may not be available on all devices)
I expected another window to open, but instead, a screen similar in appearance to Microsoft Paint appeared at the bottom of my browser window.
For the purpose of this trial, I planned to add and edit multiple image layers, adjust transparency (opacity), add text, and alter an image’s size and shape (free transform tool).
Now, I had to upload the first image to edit.
I found a nice background photo from www.pixabay.com showing a number of posters hanging in a row. I then used the File>Import To Layer Command to import my mock movie poster for Poisonous Zombie Tsnumani Sharks. SumoPaint automatically created a new layer.
My poster was originally larger than the background. I resized it using CTRL+T which is the shortcut for the Free Transform Tool.
I recommend you resize your image immediately upon import as SumoPaint has a tendency to crop out anything exceeding your window otherwise.
I wanted my poster to go where the map was in the original image, but I also wanted it to look like it was behind the frame.
I moved the layer with the Poisonous Zombie Tsunami sharks to the back so as not to mess it up as I worked on the map.
I selected the layer with sidewalk frames and used the eraser tool. Unfortunately, rather than creating a transparent area as I expected, this resulted in a white area.
Ultimately, I was able to find a workaround by selecting everything in the background image except the white area where the map had been and copying and pasting it as a third layer.
A little decrease in brightness here, a little blur there, and a little more adjustment using the Free Transform>Distort tool and voila.
The results
Having passed my initial test, I decided to try out some of SumoPaint’s additional features such as its filters, color, and text adjustments as well as layer effects resulting in some other mock-ups.
Of course, now I want to write the books to go along with all these covers, but that is a problem for another day.
Final Review
Things I like:
- Can’t beat the price
- The learning curve is relatively short (compared to Adobe Creative suite)
- The User Interface was relatively straightforward and easy to navigate
- The built-in filters can be customized for a unique look
- Colors and gradient maps can be added and adjusted with a click of a button
- Text can be stretched, warped, or otherwise transformed, giving it an edge over most other online editing tools
Things I didn’t like:
- Text can’t be edited once you have released a text box
- I couldn’t find a way to make the background transparent once an image was loaded short of adding a new layer and deleting the old
- Layers would only allow for a handful of text boxes before the program became buggy.
- When transforming an object, the object automatically reverts to 100% opacity until the transform is completed which is problematic if you are trying to distort an object so it matches the shape of something behind it
- There are no rulers or align tools so object placement requires some guesswork (Canva has a clear advantage here)
While Adobe still remains the gold standard in my mind, it is good to know I have another option when I need to perform quick and easy edits on the fly, and now I hope, so do you.
Allie Potts Writes 
Looks amazing!
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I may or may not have had too much fun in the creation of the visuals for this post.
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I think I need to have some visual creation fun..
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I would say you should, but then you might find yourself mocking up blog headers, which will lead to blog posts, which will inevitably delay your novel writing efforts. Hmm… why did I let myself do this again?
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Thank you Allie P – I followed your advice and I am now having to give myself a slap on the wrist as I edge towards a blog post. 🙂
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HA! Taking a blog break is definitely not as easy as it looks!
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Looks like iGraphic. I get myself into such problems with graphics programs!
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I’m not familiar with that one. I love playing with graphics, but I lose track of way too much time.
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Design is not my strong suit, and my photo editing skills are not advanced enough to utilize layering (yet). BUT this is all helpful information nonetheless, should I think about taking the plunge.
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I’d love to see what you could do with your photos, though they are pretty spectacular without the help.
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This will be so hard for me to figure out on my own, as it’s all new to me. I don’t even know photoshop, but I will keep this post handy for when I finally decide to get with the program! thank you!
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I have confidence in you 🙂 It’s not so bad once you start poking around, and a whole lot easier to learn than some of the other programs I’ve used.
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Thanks!
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I shall definitely have to spend an hour or two playing around with Sumopaint!
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That’s the best way to learn
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That’s the way I try to learn, when it comes to me, it doesn’t always work!
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Me too. I am constantly learning things the hard way, but the lessons I learn that way tend to stick longer.
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Don’t they just!
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Thanks for the tutorial, Allie. I love making images and still use Word. I know… so archaic. The thing Word can’t do is transparency and that is a problem. I’ll take a look at sumopaint. 😀 Your results look good!
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Considering it is supposed to only be a word processor, Word can do some pretty neat stuff. I’ll use it every now and then myself for simple tweaks. And thank you!
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I’ve not heard of this app, and it sounds like the sort of thing I could lose myself in for hours. I use canva, which I like– but I might have to try Sumopaint for the fun of it. Of course, I’m always way behind the curve, having just found out about the waterlogue app that I now want to use on all my iPhone photos.
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That app does produce some stunning art!
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That looks wonderful! You amazed me.
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🙂 HA! Great to know I was honest in the post’s title.
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Wow! Way above MY pay grade. Very impressive indeed. Now I know who to contact for a great cover design… 🙂
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🙂 Thank you! I’d be honored to even be considered.
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Very helpful and informative, Allie. Thank you.
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I just thought it was a useful tool and needed to share. Hopefully it will come in handy for you too.
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This is wicked cool, Allie.
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It’s super handy
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