Image Size Recommendations
Editing Software
You may be interested in some editing apps for photography and end-user design. Here are a few that may be helpful to you:
- Spark (beginner)
- Canva.com (beginner)
- Adobe Photoshop (advanced)
Platform Brand Resources
Photographs, Illustrations, Vectors, and Videos
Images and videos are often copyright protected. Copying and Pasting images in your post without checking to see if the content is protected could put you and the institution in a liability position. Here are a few places where you can find royalty-free images and videos:
- Burst (by Shopify)
- Freestocks.org
- FoodiesFeed
- Gratisography
- MMT Stock
- Pexels
- Picography
- Pixabay
- Splitshire
- StockSnap.io
- Unsplash
- Wikimedia Commons
- This blog provides additional sites
- UWindsor Photo Libraries
Giving Back
If you like using Royalty-Free images, you should consider how you give back to the community. To learn about sharing your pictures through the Creative Commons networks, you should explore their website. On their website, you will learn about icons, copyright and find resources for licensing your materials.
Taking images and videos for Social Media
When taking pictures, you need the verbal consent (at a minimum) of those you are photograph/record. You should
- let the person know who you are
- share your contact information
- provide information about what images you plan to capture, why you want the images, and the location to which you will post the images.
- It would be best if you allowed them to preview pictures
- You should get their contact information in case you need to reach out to them
- You should monitor your posts to make sure their image is treated with respect in the online environment
For a casual video of Social Media, verbal consent is generally ok. However, if you would like a more formal arrangement, you can have them fill out a Model Release Form.
Events
If you are running an event, you should let participants choose whether they are willing to have their photos taken at the event at the point of event registration and verify their preferences during the check-in and before taking pictures. Remind audiences and SM people to check-in with participants before posting photos during the event.
Other Tips
- Post content that is relevant to the University of Windsor Mission and Vision;
- Use #uwindsor if you want us to consider sharing your picture;
- Verify hashtag associations before using them in publications and sharing on SM;
- Videos must be captioned, and pictures must have alternate text to comply with the Accessibility Ontario Disabilities Act;
- Select your brand ambassadors wisely.