The Logical Blog by IconLogic

Piktochart: Working with Images

by Karin Rex

The success of an infographic depends on how visually arresting its images are. While Piktochart image tools are somewhat intuitive, I wanted to share a few tricks that will make an Piktochart apprentice into a Piktochart professional. Uploading and Inserting an Image You are not stuck with using only the images that Piktochart provides. You can upload any image you own and use it in your infographic. 1. In Piktochart, click Uploads. 2. Do one of the following: Drag an image from your desktop into the area provided Click Browse Images, locate an image, and open it 3. The uploaded image will appear in the palette below the Uploaded Images area. To insert the image, select the block where you want it and the click the image. Note: The amount of storage space you have for images will depend on the type of Piktochart account you have. A Lite account offers 100MB of space; a Pro account offers 400MB of space. Your remaining space is pictured below the Browse Images area.

Colorizing Icons Piktochart offers a ton of icons for you to use. Some of the icons are color and some are mono (black or white). Mono icons can be easily colorized. To view the Mono icons: 1. Click Graphics 2. Click Icons 3. Click Mono

To Colorize an Icon:   4. Select the icon   5. Click the Paint Bucket tool   6. Choose a color from the Default Colors area.   Note: You can also click the plus sign beneath Recent Colors and enter your own color value.   ***   Looking to learn Piktochart but don't have a lot of time or money? We've got you covered. Check out Karin's upcoming Piktochart Quick Start mini course (it's just $79). During class, you will explore visual communication basics and design principles as well as traditional infographic categories. You will also explore some infographics that work well–and some that do not.    *** Geeky Girl Karin Rex is an online learning pioneer and infographic evangelist. Since 1989, Karin has owned Geeky Girl, LLC, a boutique learning organization, where she devotes her time to writing, course development (instructor led and eLearning), and teaching.    Karin has authored several technology books, including: Office 2010 Demystified (McGraw-Hill) and hundreds of user guides, reference manuals, and tutorials. She’s also developed an extensive number of learning programs for a wide variety of global clients.   Karin is a certified synchronous facilitator, designer, and producer, with a master’s degree in professional writing. Additionally, Karin teaches undergraduate writing courses for Penn State University and is the Instructional Design Lead for InSync Training.

Around the Block with Piktochart

by Karin Rex  

How do you eat an elephant?

 

One bite at a time.

 

How do you build an infographic in Piktochart? 

 

One block at a time. 

The infographic below consists of five blocks (numbered to help you see them).

 

Blocks can contain any element Piktochart accepts:

• Text
• Graphics (icons, pictures)
• Shapes
• Lines
• YouTube or Vimeo video
• Charts
• Maps

For infographics, blocks can be any height you wish and up to 1980 pixels wide. Each block can have a unique background and its own look and feel. Blocks can be cloned or deleted with a single click.

Blocks not only allow you to split your infographic into sections, but also give you the flexibility to rearrange sections after you've completed your design. For example, in the infographic above, you can easily move any section above or below any other section.

1. To add a new blank block, select the block you want the new block to be positioned under and click the Plus sign button. A new block the same size and background color as the selected block will appear.
    
2. To move a block UP in the flow, click the Up Arrow icon. To move a block DOWN in the flow, click the Down Arrow icon.
    
3. To clone an existing block, select it and click the Clone button. All of the elements of the selected block will be copied to the new block.
    
4. To delete a block, select it and then click the Delete button.
    
5. To modify block height and width, click on the Gear icon. You can choose one of the pre-set sizes (600, 800, 1200 pixels) for width or type your own (up to 2980). Blocks can be any height you wish (which is why you see so many very tall infographics!).
    
6. You can modify block height by dragging on the bar handle between blocks. Drag up to decrease block height or drag down to increase block height.

Chip Off the Old Block

Currently, Piktochart does not have a way for you to copy blocks between infographics. However, you can select all of the elements in a block and copy them. Then, simply paste those copied blocks into your new infographic.

For more information about Piktochart, visit the Piktochart website.

If you are interested in learning how to create creative and intriguing infographics, sign up for my three-hour live, online mini course: Infographics with Piktochart: Quick Start.

Learn to create infographics that inform, impress, and influence

Infographics with Piktochart: Quick Start

An effective infographic has the power to inform, impress, and influence. As learning tools, infographics can support learning transfer and retention. On top of all that, they are FUN to concoct!

During this class you will explore visual communication basics and design principles as well as traditional infographic categories and when to use each. You will be introduced to some infographics that work well--and some that do not. You will also get started with a very cool free tool for creating infographics online: Piktochart. Finally, your instructor will guide you in publishing an infographic. 

Bring with you: examples, ideas, and some creative juice!

Who Should Attend? 

• Instructional designers who want to include infographics as part of their learning toolkit
• Marketing and web wonks who want to add flair to their value added content
• Anybody who wants to understand how to use and create attention-grabbing infographics

Learn more.