The new first impression of your church or ministry is now through media, whether it be your website, social media presence, or streaming your service. Excellence in what you put out digitally is a difference-maker. Paying someone is worth it (says the “media guy”), but it costs, and not everyone has a budget for that. Subscribing to a monthly or yearly plan can be more cost-effective, but you still have to have the software and knowledge on how to use it. Photoshop and Illustrator can really ding the annual budget, and they are professional tools for creators. I have been using both for over a decade and I still look up tutorials on how to use them. I’ve found myself using Adobe XD for speed. It’s not as robust but I can bust out way more material with it because it’s so light I can have dozens of artboards up at one time. Sadly, it didn’t make the list because it requires a monthly fee.

Photopea.com | The Straight-Up Photoshop/Illustrator Alternative

This one still has a learning curve. I am including it in the list because it’s free and you can import Illustrator, Photoshop, and even Adobe XD files. Also, the templates you can get from church media sites will more than often be in Photoshop or Illustrator format. This leads to frustration and settling on the standard JPEG that comes with no customization. At least with Photopea you can edit and add to the material and not pay for the extra subscription for simple edits.   

Canva.com | A Nice All-in-One For Beginners

Full disclosure — I don’t love Canva. I know a lot of people that love Canva for its convenience based on the insane amount of templates they offer for free. I struggle to find what I want and the premium templates come with a premium monthly subscription. However, it is a great starting point. If you are not already stuck in a yearly plan, and you are new to the graphics game, this could be a great way to slap together whatever materials you need.  

Figma.com | A Near Perfect Adobe XD Alternative for Creative Beginners

Again it’s not as robust as Photoshop/Illustrator and it has a pay-wall, but you may never hit it. I just started on this platform and I love it as much as XD. Like XD, it is a prototyping tool, most designers use it to develop user interactions for apps or websites. Adobe XD is the perfect tool for churches with an Adobe account, if you are not a part of the Adobe infrastructure, Figma is the tool to start, grow, and continue creating media with excellence.        

Start with one piece of digital or print material and see what you can produce with one of these free options.