A while ago, I wrote a review on Canva, a free online photo editor. I know a lot of you Dinosaur Stew fans are always in the market for photo editing softwares, so when Nico at YMB asked me to write a review on YouZign, a new graphics editing software, I jumped on the chance. YouZign is similar to Canva or PicMonkey: it’s software-as-a-service (you don’t need to download or install anything on your computer). Here’s my review:
Pros
- Although limited, graphics are designed in-house and are vector based. You can change their colors in seconds.
- Integrated with Pixabay so you can add royalty-free photos to your artwork in a snap.
- Removing the background from a photo is super easy.
- Has a grid for alignment, vertically & horizontally center any element with a click .
- Easier & faster than Photoshop.
Cons
- Filters are nice but have limited function (can’t apply filter to just one element, have to apply it to the whole artwork).
- Adding text seems a little buggy and not the most user-friendly.
- Would like more graphics/patterns (hopefully in the future, as YouZign was just released).
- Not free.
YouZign has built-in size templates for a variety of types of graphics, so whether you’re making a Facebook cover image or a standard-sized business card, you’re covered. You can also make your own custom sized graphic. The people at YouZign seem really connected to the community and willing to listen to input, which is great. Personally, I like the interface better than other editing softwares I’ve tried. I never was confused or unable to find anything, which is a huge plus. The alignment features, integration with Pixabay, and the cut-out-photo-background-tool (I’m pretty sure that’s the technical name) made this software stand out for me. The graphics that have been built in-house by the YouZign team are awesome and I really wish they’d add more (since the program was just released this week, I’m hoping they’ll add some more resources in the near future). They’re clean and would be great for making modern yet professional graphics. If you’re looking for something more on the photo editing side (like, adding filters and retouching photograph), however, I don’t think you’ll find this robust enough.
Unfortunately, YouZign isn’t free, but there is a special on the website where you get a lifetime license for only $37. I’m cheap as H-E-double-hockey-sticks, y’all, and even I can justify spending that on graphics software, especially if I hated Photoshop and wanted to ditch it, no questions asked. (After the special is over, the regular price is $197/year, which is a little too spendy for me).
The Verdict: Overall, I thought this was a great little software and am looking forward to seeing how it grows. If you’re not satisfied with other editing softwares, aren’t looking for robust photo-editing capabilities, and don’t mind spending a little dinero, you might want to give it a try! See my video below for a walk-through.