Today, I thought I would share with you how I make graphics for my hyperlocal blog. I’m of the opinion that graphics, and photos and bright colors attract attention like bees to honey. I try to do that with with hyperlocal web site, Monroe Scoop, Monroe, NC. I do not have any formal training in graphics or art. I design what looks good to me. If I’m satisfied, that’s all I can do.

I work 99% from my Mac for all of my video and graphics. I have a MacBookPro 17″ and I use a program that is part of the Apple iWork Suite of programs called Keynote. I’m using iWork 08 but there is a newer version now available, Apple iWork ‘09.

In my opinion, Keynote is sort of like Power Point on steroids. I”m not a PowerPoint user, but there is no way it can be as powerful and user friendly as Keynote. I have found Keynote to possible be the most useful application on my Mac. To say I love it, would be an understatement.

I have not made a screencast like below in a long, long time. I’m going to show you some of the steps I do using Keynote to create graphics for my hyperlocal blog. If you work primarily on a Windows PC, this screen cast will not help you. If you own a Mac and you are not using Keynote, this screen cast should open your eyes to the wonderful possibilities for design using Keynote. What you will observe in this screencast is just the tip of the iceberg for Apple Keynote. It does so many wonderful things. You can even make movies, but I’ll cover some of those details in a future post. I hope you enjoy it. If you have not added the Apple iWork Suite of software to your Mac, you should do so right away. It’s incredible what this user-friendly powerful software can do.