Tutorial ~ Make your own Poster / Postcard

Use any photo – your child’s photo, your family photo, a favourite photo – to make your own Bible poster (A4), Bible verse card (4×6), postcard (4×6) or jigsaw puzzle. Adapt for any theme. Add your own Bible verse, borders and page title… this post will walk you through step-by-step. Make it a masterpiece your child will treasure!

WHY MAKE YOUR OWN BIBLE POSTER?

You are doing a theme package for your child and have found the perfect photo that would make a great Bible verse poster, postcard, or jigsaw. You just know your child will love it.
You’ve just been on holidays and want to share a beach, scenery, flower, animal or sunset photo with them.
You have a new family photo to send. Or you have just received your child’s photo and want to send it back to them.
For any of these scenarios, you could have a go at jazzing your photo up yourself using a photo editing program like Photoshop, Gimp, or MS Publisher, and that’s what this tutorial is all about.
Or you could use one of the wonderful free poster or photo editing sites online (scroll down to the end of this post, below the tutorial). This post will cover them, too.

GETTING STARTED

To start with, keep it simple. Once you get the hang of the basics, you will have lots of fun playing. See my FREE Bible posters for ideas and inspiration. This is the poster we are going to make today. You will be able to download it at the end of this post. Okay, let’s get started…

DIY POSTER

1. CHOOSE YOUR PHOTO

Choose your photo and open it up in any photo manipulation program like MS Publisher, Gimp, or Photoshop. These instructions are specifically for MS Publisher. Set your page size (file – page setup) to A4 for a poster, or 4×6 for a postcard or verse card. Choose the orientation you want – portrait or landscape. Click okay. Adjust the size and position of your photo so that it is sitting nicely wherever you want it on your blank page.

2. ADD A BIBLE VERSE

Insert a text box (insert – text box). Type in a favourite Bible verse. Choose your colour and font… like so. You could easily print it right here, but let’s see what else we can do.
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3. ADD EXTRAS (optional)

If you want to add a title for your poster, or to draw attention to a key word, insert a separate text box or word art. Choose your colour and font. Want a strip of colour, a different background, an embellishment or a shape? Do it here. Your creativity is the limit! For this tutorial, I wanted to keep it simple, so no extras were added.

4. ADD A FRAME (optional)

There are different ways you can do this. You can attach the frame to the actual photo. Or you can have a separate frame that you can move around independently from the photo. That gives you more flexibility.

a) Use the formatting buttons at the top of your screen. Left click your photo first (to select it). At the top of your screen, click on the ‘line colour’ dropdown arrow, and click on the colour you want. If ‘sample line colour’ is one of your options, you may like to click on it (to select it), then click on any part of your photo to choose an exact colour match. This is extremely helpful if you wish to highlight something in your photo in particular.

~ OR ~

b) Right click on the photo – select ‘format picture’ – click on the ‘colours and lines’ tab. Click on the dropdown arrow on the right hand side of the line – colour box. Choose the colour, weight, and style you want, then click okay.

~ OR ~

c) Simply insert a rectangle shape inside or outside the edge of your photo. Choose your colour, weight and style. This will keep your frame separate to your photo, giving you more flexibility to move it around, and this is what I have done below.

5. PRINT

You may need to play with all these stages a little until you get the precise effect you want. Check it in print preview to make sure, then print it. Use photo paper and laminate your masterpiece for a professional finish. That’s it! If you have any further questions about this process in MS Publisher, just ask! I would be happy to assist. And if you would like a copy of this finished sample poster / verse card for your own personal use, you can download it here… enjoy!

DIY POSTER ONLINE

Now let’s also have a look at some free resources that are available online.

DIY Bible Poster (wordofGod) Choose from an existing background (only), choose your Bible verse – click the first down arrow to select ‘English’ and then what Bible verse you want, click ‘add selected verse’, select the colour of your text, you can add shapes if you want them, preview your masterpiece at the bottom of the page and alter as required, then click ‘save as image’.
Free Online Poster Maker (postermaker) make your own poster online; upload your own image or select from an existing background. Add text, shapes, special effects, borders, overlays, etc. Print when you are done.
20 Free Photo Editing sites online for more inspiration.
Make your own Postcards Online (lovetoknow) create your own unique postcards using these small or large postcard templates. You can customize the cards before printing with your own images and text, or add them afterwards instead; free printable
Postcard Templates | Postcard Backs (printablepaper) various postcard templates – Large Postcard | Small Postcard | 4 x 6 Postcard | 3.5 x 5 Postcard | 4.25 x 5.5 Postcard | Postcard Back horizontal | Postcard Back vertical; free printable