Page 98 - AV Presentations - Student Textbook

Five Tips to Help You Choose Your Images
by Lilian Timmers (https://www.foleon.com/blog/five-tips-to-help-you-choose-your-images)

In our introduction, we said “a picture can be worth more than a thousand words”; but in many cases,
this could not be further from the truth. The right image plus your content can prove to be the golden
ticket for your online magazine, but it’s very easy to make a mistake. So how do you create an enticing
page and what can you do to inspire the reader to click through to the next one? Five tips to help make
choosing an image a lot easier.

1. Make sure the image matches your content
Research shows that our brain processes images a whopping 60,000 times faster than text. The
combination of text and images is 60 times more successful in bringing across a message than plain text
alone.

One important rule applies regarding the use of images: your image has to match your story. It’s unlikely
that you will get your reader’s full attention otherwise, and they will most likely leave your page. So you
need to make sure that you choose an image that is right for your text. Only then will your publication
benefit from its appeal.

2. The bigger the better
The bigger the image, the greater the effect will be on your readers. Do not forget to take technical
aspects into account. Choose a large, high-quality image. It would be a shame to have a blurry picture
spoil your page!

Choose an interesting image that will inspire your reader to stay on your page. You could choose
something unusual that makes your reader wonder about what comes next and that inspires them to
click to the next page. Did you think that the above image was strange? Then we can give ourselves a
pat on the back for a job well done. ‘Perfect’ pictures are not attention grabbers after all.

Remember to look at the colors in your image and adapt your design accordingly. The idea is to create
unity and prevent a motley collection of colors.

3. Put an end to laziness! Do not stick to stock photos
You can easily get your hands-on pictures from stock photo agencies such as Getty Images or
Shuttershock. But the images in your publication will probably be less than thrilling. What happens next?
You end up with static images that do little to pique the reader’s interest and make them want to
continue reading.

You will mainly engender credibility by using
your own images. Your own images are
unique and personal and you can choose the
perfect picture for your text. Using your own
pictures will ultimately provide the reader
with more information than a hastily
selected stock picture.

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