DIY Photo Christmas Cards on a Dime

I love the look of photo Christmas cards.  I always have so much fun searching the photo printing websites for the perfect one and waiting anxiously for them to arrive.  I found the perfect card that I couldn't wait to order.  Unfortunately the design I fell in love with was going to cost over $2.00 per card for the forty cards I needed. Sigh....

I searched a bunch of printing companies for a more affordable option, but I just couldn't find another design that I could really fall for.  Finally, I gave up and fiddled with the idea of just printing photos and making my own cards.  While looking into this option, I realized that I could have 5x7's printed for as little as $0.18 per photo!  Music to my ears!

So this year, I created my own photo cards that are original, beautiful, and affordable! And you can create your own too!  And no need for pricey photo-editing software!  In this tutorial, I will show you how to use Microsoft PowerPoint to create beautiful photo Christmas cards in twelve steps!

Keep in mind that different versions of PowerPoint will have slightly different settings or button locations, but all the basic functions will be the same no matter which version you are using.  I used Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 version… because, again, we have a shoestring budget and definitely don’t have the newest and greatest technology at our fingertips.  But the good news is this: You don’t always need the newest and greatest!  You can use what you have and create a masterpiece! 

12 Easy Steps to Create Your Photo Christmas Card:

Step One- Strike a pose and then download your picture to your computer.  Save it in your pictures folder on your computer

Step Two- Open Microsoft PowerPoint.

Step Three- Delete any pre-existing text boxes that may be on the slide.

Step Four- Insert your Picture: 

1. Select the “Insert” tab

2. Click “Picture” to add a picture from a file on your computer.

Step Five- Select Picture from Computer File

Select the picture from your My Pictures file and click “Insert”.  The picture should now be inserted into your PowerPoint slide.

Step Six- Explore the Picture Format Tab:   

Select the picture by clicking on it and then click the “Format” tab.  The tools available in this tab allow you to edit and change your photo.  Take a few moments to explore the options available.  I have highlighted the ones that I used below. 

Step Seven- Edit your Photo: 

Once you feel comfortable with the options available to you in the Format Tab, you can begin editing your photo.  I slightly cropped the edges of my photo and changed the color to a sepia tone.  I also slightly adjusted the contrast to make the twinkle lights in the background “pop”. At this point, my photo looks like this 

Now that the photo is edited, it is time to start creating the card.  This is where your creativity will kick in!  There is so much that you can do depending on the type of card you want.  In this tutorial, I am going to explain the process I used to create my photo card, but please know that the possibilities are endless when it comes to creating your card!

Step Eight- Add Text: 

To add text to your photo, Select the Insert tab and then click on “Text Box” and drag your cursor to create the text box.    

Type your text and then select the size, color and type of front.  For my card, I used four different text boxes. 

Step Nine- Create Layers:

To layer text boxes (or any other item for that matter) right click on the item, and a then select “Bring to Front” from the menu options.   

Step Ten- Group Everything Together: 

Once you have your card created and all the finishing touches made, you will want to group all the items together.  Hold down the control key as you right click on all the text boxes and the picture itself.   

Once all the items on the card are highlighted, let go of the control key and right click on the picture.  Select “Group” and then “Group” again.  Now that all the items are grouped, you will be able to move and re-size the picture and text as one whole piece.

Step Eleven- Size the photo: 

Right click on the photo.  Select “Size and Position”. 

Set the height and width of the picture to a standard printing size such as 4x6 or 5x7.  I set mine to 5x7 for printing purposes. 

Step Twelve- Save the picture: 

Now it is time to save your picture to you My Pictures file on your computer.  Right click on the photo and select “Save As Picture”.   

Select the file you wish to save your photo to.  Name the file.  From the “Save As Type” drop-down menu, select JPEG.  Click Save.

Your photo is now saved as a picture on your computer an you can upload it to any photo printing site.  I used Walmart.com for mine and had them printed as 5x7’s.  I had 40 cards printed for a total cost of only $23!

Merry Christmas and Happy Creating!