Video 05-03-01: Adobe Spark Family History Card (8:46)

Adobe Spark Project 1—Card

Adobe Spark is a free graphic design app you can use in a web browser or on your mobile devices.

If you have a subscription plan with Adobe, log in with your Adobe ID and password. If you don’t have a subscription choose one of the other options. Here I’ve chosen Sign up with email.

You’ll need to set up your account and choose whether or not to receive the Adobe Spark Newsletter. Once you're signed up take a minute to browse the thumbnails to get inspired.

Here are popular projects people want to do, social media projects, grow your business, teach and study, champion your cause, promote your brand, organize an event, make it personal, or you can start from scratch and create your own graphic, web page and video.

We'll start with a graphic—this card right here. We’ll make a 5x7 card that features a heritage photo and we’ll use it to tell a story about the person or people in the photo.

Adobe Spark Editor

Here we are in the Spark editor. Let’s take a look at the interface first starting with the bar across the top.

Sp Post stands for Spark Post. Post just means a graphic as apposed to a web page or a video. You can name your post and it will be saved in your Projects. Let’s call this 1953 Sisters.

Here are the Undo and Redo buttons, so if I move the Border slider to resize the photo, I can click Undo to get back to the prior setting.

When you’re done with your card or graphic you can click Share to share on social media or by email and you can click Download to download a jpeg version of it.

We’re currently in the Layout view but you can click on Resize and choose a custom size for a specific use, such as a social media post, or make your own custom size.

I'll go back to the Layout view and click on some of the suggested options at the top just so you can see what this can look like. That’s kind of fun there.

For my photo, though, I'm want a two-section grid view. I can click the shuffle icon to place the photo on the top or on the bottom, and I'll choose top for the photo.

Now I'm going to play around with the design. You can move the Border slider to adjust the size of the border.

Click on any part of the design to select it so you can adjust it. I’ll click on the light blue background to select it and drag it down to make it smaller.

I’ll click on the type and move it out of the way.

Then I’ll click on the graphic and delete it by clicking on the trash can above the card.

Next I want to replace the photo with my photo. Click on the photo to select it. Hover over the photo icon above the card and it will say Replace. Click and you’ll be given the option to use a royalty free photo on any topic you enter into the search field, but I want to use my own photo.

To do that hover over ADD, choose photo, and click on Upload photo. Choose a photo from your computer or mobile device.

Usually the photo replaces what was selected, but occasionally, like this time, it won’t go in the right spot. Yes, you can try to exchange the photos, but let me show you an easier way to deal with that if it happens.

Click Undo. Then click on the photo and click on the trash icon. Choose Delete photo, not Delete section. I only want to delete the photo.

Now I can select the top section and add a new photo to it using the same steps: Add—Photo—Upload Photo. And there it is in the right spot.

Click on the photo and then you can click and drag the Scale slider if you want to change the scale. I’m going to leave it right there and click off the photo to deselect it.

Next we’ll work with the colors. Click on the background and color options will appear on the right. Let’s try a dark gray.

Click on the lower section and choose a color. Here are some suggested colors and I’ll choose this one. Now I’ve got my card pretty much done except for the type.

Double click on the type and enter a title. I’ll highlight this and enter SISTERS AND FRIENDS and click DONE.

Click and drag on any of the type corners to resize it. Click and drag inside to reposition it. You’ll see a dashed line when you’re right in the center. Click on the background to deselect.

To add another text block choose Add and click on Text. I’ve copied some text to my click board, so I’ll paste it in here and click Done.

On the right I can change the font, so I’ll use Futura PT Medium, and that makes the the type a lot smaller.

Click and drag on an outline handle to resize and fit into the space. Let’s move this one up a little…and move this one up also.

In any block of type you can change the color of one or more words. Click on the type block to select it and over on the right click Secondary. Adobe Spark will choose the word and the color for the secondary type but you can choose a new color. I’ll choose a light gray.

I actually want the word FRIENDS to be light gray so I’ll click on that to make it gray.

If I want to change the word SISTERS back to white I can click on it to revert to the primary color. And then I’ll click away to deselect.

When you're done click on Share to share it on Social Media and also be sure to download it to your computer or mobile device so you can have a copy for yourself.

This is a great way to share family information and stories in bite-sized pieces and in a memorable way—and remember, that's part of our goal—to share family history in fun ways that the entire family can enjoy.

Adobe Spark automatically saves your work as you go along and makes it available across your devices, so even though I created this on my computer, I can access it on my mobile phone or tablet.

Click on Projects in the upper left to see this and any other projects you’ve created.

Here’s my 1953 Sisters card.

Hover over a project to get an edit icon. Click on the dots to get other options, such as duplicating it to create another family history card using this template.

So I encourage you to try this out. Of course, if you know how to use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements you can create something similar, but with Adobe Spark you don't have to know how to use Photoshop to create a beautiful family history graphic that will delight your family!

Here's another card I made with Adobe Spark of Charlie and Me when we were dating, and another one of Charlie with our first child. Once you get the hang of it they're so fast and easy to do!

Fonts: Bebas Neue and Futura PT Medium