You have 73×73 pixels to work with. Using Photoshop (or whatever image editor you use that can save transparent PNGs), create a new document 73×73 at 72DPI.

This is what 73×73 pixels looks like:

Since I wanted to show both my niche (photography) and myself, I decided to look for some icons to work with. I found the icons I wanted in the free “Function Icon Set” package.

These are the items I chose to work with for my picture:

1. ... Read More »]]> Recently I’ve been making a bigger effort at being an active member of Twitter. Doing so made me realize that I wanted a cute, memorable icon as my profile picture. I wanted people to see me, as well as get an idea of what my focus is on Twitter (which lately has been photography).

Step One: Create the canvas

You have 73×73 pixels to work with. Using Photoshop (or whatever image editor you use that can save transparent PNGs), create a new document 73×73 at 72DPI.

This is what 73×73 pixels looks like:

Step Two: Choose your elements

Since I wanted to show both my niche (photography) and myself, I decided to look for some icons to work with. I found the icons I wanted in the free “Function Icon Set” package.

These are the items I chose to work with for my picture:

1. The first image is the picture I decided on for now as my “real” photo.

2. The second image is the camera icon I decided on.

3. The third image is what I will use as a frame to insert actual tiny photos into as “examples” of my work.

Think this is pretty ambitious? With a little creative sizing and positioning, we can turn all of this into a successful icon.

The next steps will show you the process I followed to create my icon. By using similar techniques and principles, you too can create a unique Twitter profile picture that will stand out to potential followers!

Step Three: Putting it together

First things first. I took my image and cropped it with rounded corners, and rotated it to a slight angle to add some flair. You can also see that I’ve placed it off to the left to make some room for my icons to fit.

Next, I added a simple white border, and added a drop shadow.

I made two of the “picture” icons and placed them at angles, very small, behind my main image. I put the camera in the front right corner.

By adding a small flash around the camera, and placing some of my own images inside the frames, I have my finished product:

Note that I saved the final image as a transparent PNG. This allows it to look good no matter what color background it is sitting on.

If you enjoyed this article, make sure to follow me on Twitter, and/or leave your comments below!

SplashUp currently holds a “beta” on it’s logo, indicating we can expect a lot of development and improvement as time gos on.

It’s meta description is as follows:

Splashup is the only full-featured, free range, image editor online. Create new images, edit existing images and manipulate layers with filters, layer effects and myriad other drawing and image editing tools.

According to its WhoIs page it is registered privately through Domains by Proxy.

I didn’t have time to extensively test the site for bugs, but upon ... Read More »]]> I literally just Stumbled across this nifty little website called SplashUp.com. I must say, I was really impressed! Sites like these really have me looking forward to the future of the web. What if we could edit and share all our images online everywhere we went?

About SplashUp

SplashUp currently holds a “beta” on it’s logo, indicating we can expect a lot of development and improvement as time gos on.

It’s meta description is as follows:

Splashup is the only full-featured, free range, image editor online. Create new images, edit existing images and manipulate layers with filters, layer effects and myriad other drawing and image editing tools.

According to its WhoIs page it is registered privately through Domains by Proxy.

I didn’t have time to extensively test the site for bugs, but upon a quick sweep through it seems simple enough for a first time photo editor, but powerful enough for professionals.

SplashUp in the future

I wonder if sites like SplashUp will continue to remain free? Will we begin replacing programs such as Photoshop? I have seen worse picture editors come installed on computers.

Cool features from SplashUp allow you to share your images through the site itself, or on your Facebook or Flickr accounts.

You can follow their blog for updates here.