Want to make images that tell stories?
Now you can create an interactive image to enrich photos, illustrations or designs. Create different layers of information and embed all kinds of content like videos, social media, and much more!
An interactive image is useful for communicating ideas quickly. In the end, an image is worth a thousand words!
In this post, we’ll tell you how to create an interactive image from scratch with Genially and how to share your creation while maintaining all of its features.
Static Images vs Interactive Images
But before we get started, why would you make an interactive image? What does it offer you above and beyond a static image?
Awesome, but making a static image is really easy. If you have a cell phone in your pocket, you’ll see how easy it is to take a photo in just a few seconds. Making an interactive image can be complicated, but now it also just takes a few minutes. We’ll explain how to make one with Genially.
Create an interactive image in Genially
1. The first step is to go to Genially and click on Create Genially, found on the left-hand vertical menu. To do so, you’ll need to be registered in the tool. If you’re not yet, don't worry. It’s free.
2. Once logged into Genially, select Create Genially and choose Interactive Image.
3. Next, click on Create Interactive Image. You can choose an image from:
a. Your device/computer
b. a URL
c. Unsplash
Tip: Once selected, you'll be able to rotate or flip your image and zoom in on a specific part, allowing you to crop the image to only leave the part you need.
TIP: Unsplash is a library of images without a copyright, where you'll be able to find the image you need by typing in what you're looking for in the search bar.
4. Let the fun begin! You'll be taken to the Editor, where you can transform your static image into an interactive image. In the example you'll see that we've added two buttons to add interactivity to an image.
5. Now, we'll start adding interactive elements. To add them, we just go to the left-hand menu of interactive elements and drag each button to the canvas.
TIP: Buttons are sets of icons and animated shapes that help us indicate an action. You can modify their dimensions and colors. You'll see an example below where we've added a button and made it green.
6. Next, we'll add some interactivity to our button. To do so, we select the element we've just added and click on the Interactivity button. In the image below, you'll see all of the options that will appear for interactive effects. This time, we've decided to choose the Tooltip option.
TIP: In this post we'll show you the story behind Wikipedia through an effective use of tooltips.
7. The Tooltip editor will open for you to insert your content. You can add text, images, gifs, and more.
8. Let's add a Window to a different interactive element. This time, we'll insert a video from YouTube.
We can do this by:
a. Searching for a video on Youtube.
b. Click on Share.
c. Copy the URL of the video.
9. Now:
a. Click on the button you've inserted and then on Interactivity
b. Select Window
c. In the editor for that window, click on the Insert video icon. Paste the link that you'd copied before.
TIP: In this post you'll discover interesting facts about several historical figures and will see windows in action.
Genius! Your interactive image is ready to show to the world.
As you've seen, with Genially it's easy to create content that communicates visually, enriching and capturing the attention of everyone who sees it.
TIPS
Share your creation
It’s the moment to share your creation using the Share button on the upper toolbar
Genially allows four main ways of sharing:
With a link
Inserted in your blog or web
Sent to email
Shared on social media
These options allow you to preserve your creation’s originality, animation effects and interactivity. If you want to learn more about the different sharing options with Genially, check out this article from our help center.
Types of Interactivity
You can make any resource (text, image, icon, photo, etc.) interactive. Just select an object and click on the icon that appears on the right or on the interactivity option that appears above it. There are 4 types of interactivity:
Tooltips: Tooltips are used to show small amounts of content, and they appear when the cursor passes over the element; they are deactivated when the cursor is moved to another area. We recommend texts of less than 300 characters in the tooltips for optimal viewing.
Windows: Windows are appropriate for filling with more content than tooltips. Even so, avoid large amounts of text in windows and tooltips. They are activated when the viewer clicks on the element and are deactivated when the window is closed by clicking on the x.
Go to page: this feature allows you to navigate between pages through different elements. It’s a feature made especially for use in guides, microsites, games, etc.
Links. You also have the opportunity to link your creation with an external link.
Now you’re ready to create interactive images that leave your audience stunned. Start bringing your content to life!