You may have noticed that some stories on Glossy News have custom Photoshopped images, while others have stock photos, or something quite generic. Sometimes a killer image can make a story, so let’s get you one.
Ways to get a great image on your story…
1 – The very easiest way is by going out onto the web and finding the perfect image and adding it to your story at the bottom where it reads “Gazette Custom Settings” and click “browse”. Try to keep it 300×300 up to 600×600, and wider is fine too. There may be some copyright issues that come up, but if you’re concerned, just email me and I’ll share what I know about this.
It’s perfectly okay to upload a photo you don’t own the rights to if you expect us to use it as a guide, or to replace it later.
2 – The second easiest way is by making it yourself. If you have any command of Photoshop (madly expensive), Photoshop Elements (doable, price wise), Gimp (free!) or a similar program, maybe you want to make the image yourself.
Make it clever, make it funny, make it at least 300×300 pixels (max of about 600×600, though wider also works,) and add it to your story. If it’s much bigger, it won’t display properly, and if it’s taller than wide, it’s not going to look right.
If you can add the GlossyNews.com logo, that’s ideal, but not required. We have about 20,000 images per month taken off our server, and each one could be a moment of promotion if it has the logo.
3 – Request an image. At the top of your story, write what you’re looking for in ALL CAPS and one of the editors or I will try to make it work. Sometimes we don’t have time and put in a stock image, and other times we might choose a totally different image or theme. If you can make them yourself, that’s the best way.
4 – Put no image at all, and no instructions. Honestly, this works too, but it may cause delays in publishing your story, since someone will have to dedicate time and energy to polish it up.
To Authors on a Self-Publishing Schedule: — If you’d like us to whip up an image, just put your story in Pending or Drafts and we’ll see it and give it the due attention. It’s not always possible with the time constraints of a breaking story, but usually it works.