(Image from Deposit Photos)

You’ve seen all those Christmas cards with cute animals on them, and you think your pets are even cuter! Besides that, sending out personal, handmade Christmas cards is a really special touch that beats a bulk mailing of printed cards in which the only personal thing included is your signature. Let’s run through the simple process you’ll follow using free photo editing software, including the mysterious “png maker” which turns out to be perfectly straightforward after all!

First, Those Pet Pics!

Lining up pets in front of festive decor and getting a perfect shot may not be as easy as it sounds. Instead, go through pictures of pets and simply choose one in which your fur babies look great. Got a good selfie with your pet? That could be even better. Check out the image quality for good resolution too. You want crisp, clear images that are as close to professional as you can get them. It doesn’t matter what the background is. You’ll do the creative stuff to make it full of seasonal cheer.

Before you do anything else, add any of the basic edits you think you need to enhance the images you’ve chosen. You now have the basics you need to start your Christmas card design.

(Image from Deposit Photos)

Now for That Transparent PNG

Your transparent PNG file conversion will do a lot for you. You want the background to be completely see-through so that you can replace it with your festive colours, but you also want good image quality. PNG files are known for their “lossless” compression, so you keep all the details you want while getting rid of those you don’t want. Adobe, the makers of Photoshop, offer a really good free tool that you can use online, so don’t worry if you don’t have advanced photo editing software on your computer. You can just do it in the cloud.

Choose Your Background and Combine it With the PNG

You can turn just about any image you want into a background. Keep it personal by using a picture of your own Christmas tree at home, a stack of gifts, or some Christmas candles. If you can’t find what you want, you can choose free images to download. Now, it’s just a matter of combining the background with your transparent PNG and voila! Your pets look festive and ready to celebrate.

Add Your Text, And You’re Good to Go

Finally, you're ready to add your Merry Christmas message. Choose attractive fonts, but remember that sparkles and animations won’t work as well if you plan to print your Christmas cards. With your artwork done, it’s time to decide how to send out your greetings. Email and social media are easy options, but do consider using the post instead. After all, there’s something rather special about receiving something thoughtful and hand-made in the mail, and it makes the difference between a quick glance, and saving your card as a memory of a special Christmas. You also get to write your own personal message and sign off by hand - way more significant, somehow, than a typed message.

(Image from Deposit Photos)

A Combination of Tradition and Technology for a Merry Christmas

Making your own Christmas cards is a wonderful tradition. Adding pictures of your pets makes for something cute, and the fact that you digitally designed the artwork adds that touch of tech. What more could one want from a Christmas card? Your friends and relatives are sure to enjoy your heartwarming message, and your pets will be in for extra cuddles next time they come to visit.

(Image from Deposit Photos)