Some of our favorite social networks afford us this customization, but there are a few tricks that may save you some time and frustration when creating a custom profile background. While none of these can replace the eye of a great graphic designer, they should help you get a sense of the layout you're after.
Choose an Image Editor
To start, you'll need an image editor. Photoshop is probably best suited for the task, but there are plenty of free alternatives on the web.
Gimp is a free, open source image editing and compositing tool that has many of the layering and filtering abilities of Photoshop.
Webdesigner Depot is one of the most popular web design blogs in the world. It covers tutorials, design trends, blogging as well as inspirational posts. It's run by Walter Apai, a web designer from Vancouver, Canada. The blog is a great resource for both beginners and advanced designers looking to expand and improve their knowledge. The site is visited by Fortune 500 companies and is used as a reference by many design schools. Visited by almost 2 million readers per month, WDD is a prime resource for both graphic and web designers. Visit WDD at webdesignerdepot.com. Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/designerdepot. Subscribe to RSS feed: webdesignerdepot.com/rss.htm.
More social media resources from Mashable:
- 85+ of the Best Twitterers Designers Should Follow
- 100 Great Resources for Design Inspiration
- 5 Ways Social Media Changed Fashion in 2009
- 5 Tips for Building Lasting Online Friendships