Several savvy Used.ca users have already experimented with image editing on their local online classifieds site. Whether it’s a catchy tag line or their item’s listing price, we’ve found that these alterations significantly improve the number of “hits” they receive (ie: the number of people that click on their ad). Below are instructions on how to use the free image editing website Pixlr to add text to your pictures.

Step 1) Go to www.pixlr.com and click on the “Open image editor” link.

Step 2) Select the “Open image from computer” option.

Step 3) Navigate to the folder where you’ve saved your image. To keep things simple, I’ve saved my picture to the Desktop. Once you have your image selected, click “Open.”

Step 4) Then, select the “A” icon in the Tools menu. This is the Text tool. Once you have selected the “A” icon, click anywhere on your image and type in the text that you would to appear.

Step 5) In this example, I’ve decided to showcase the price of my car. Once I type my text in the Text Box, I have the option to change its Font, Size, Style, and Color.

Step 6) When you’re satisfied what your masterpiece, click on “File” at the top left hand side of your screen. Then, select “Save…”

Step 7) You’re going to want to rename your picture so that it doesn’t overwrite the original. I’ve simply added “_Edited” to its original title. Double-check that “Save to my computer” is selected, and that the Format drop-down menu is set to JPEG. This will ensure that you will be able to upload the image to your local UsedEverywhere site. When your screen looks like the image below, click “OK.”

Step 8) Next, you’ll be asked to select a location to save your edited image. Once again, to keep things simple I’ve saved it to my Desktop. That way it will be easier to locate when I am placing my ad.

Step 9) Place an ad on your local UsedEverywhere site with your image and wait next to your phone. Should only be a couple of minutes!

I hope you found these tips helpful. If you followed the above steps and created text on an image, send me your Ad ID number (located under the description of your ad) and I’ll share it with the Used.ca community!