Practical techniques for making banners, thumbnails, and social images for free
| Feature | Free | Pro (from ~$15/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Templates | 250,000+ | 610,000+ |
| Background removal (AI) | No | Yes |
| Brand kit | No | Yes |
| Magic Resize | No | Yes |
| Asset library | Limited free pool | 100M+ |
| Use case | Size | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Rectangle (in-blog) | 300 x 250 px | Highest |
| Leaderboard (wide) | 728 x 90 px | Highest |
| YouTube thumbnail | 1280 x 720 px | Recommended |
| X card image | 1200 x 675 px | Useful |
| Instagram square | 1080 x 1080 px | Useful |
Lead with a single number ("80% revenue share," "$250 payout"). Cramming kills focus and tanks CTR.
Brightness shifts, complementary colors, and large numbers stop the scroll. Keep background-to-text contrast at 4.5:1 or higher.
Use a color that pops against the background (yellow, orange). Pair with action copy: "Sign up now," "Start free."
| Setting | Suggested values |
|---|---|
| Primary color | #1A237E (navy) / #0D0D0D (black) |
| Accent color | #FFD700 (gold) / #00C853 (green) |
| Text color | #FFFFFF (white) / #F5F5F5 (off-white) |
| Fonts | Headings: bold sans-serif / Body: readable lighter weight |