Adobe’s InDesign program uses several colors of highlight to call attention to potential technical issues with the document. Error highlights come in several different colors, such as pink, amber, and yellow. 

Yellow highlights in Indesign are used to note sections of the text where the Hyphenations and Justifications (H&J) settings have been changed or tampered with. The yellow highlights can be removed by changing the Hyphenation and Justification settings in the menu. 

If you’re just trying to get your document ready in the InDesign program, an unexpected highlight can be a hassle. Keep reading and you’ll learn exactly why this highlight occurs in InDesign documents and how to solve it.

Yellow Highlights in InDesign Indicate a Problem With Settings

When you see yellow highlights in an InDesign document you didn’t place yourself, this is the program’s way of telling you that the Hyphenation and Justification (H&J) settings have been changed for that section of text. (Source: Quora)

In Indesign, hyphenation and justification settings decide what words can be hyphenated and places in the text where the spacing is adjusted for justification. Justification of text denotes its alignment and placement on the page for publication. Text can be justified either left, right, or center. 

Why Are H&J Settings in InDesign Documents Important?

Hyphenation and justification settings in InDesign might not seem like a big deal, and definitely not important enough to call out with a highlight. However, these subtle formatting aspects can greatly impact the final look of a printed or digital document. Here’s a brief overview of the formatting issues that a yellow highlight in InDesign indicates: 

• Hyphenation: If you’re using justified text in an InDesign document, this can create large gaps between the words in the text if hyphenation isn’t set up. Formatting hyphenation allows the words in the text to be broken up syllabically at appropriate breaking points to improve the overall look of the document.
  
• Justification: In justified formatting, the text in a document is aligned with the left margin, but is spread across the page until it lies flush along both margins. This creates an even look to the document from either side. The problem with justified text is that it can create spacing issues with the text if hyphenation is not allowed. 

Justification can help a document look more even and visually pleasing, but if it isn’t used correctly it can cause big lines of empty space in your text. Toggling on auto-hyphenation in the text when you justify the alignment helps prevent this issue. (Source: TechWalla)

If you adjust the justification and hyphenation of your text in InDesign, it will note the change with yellow highlighter so you can check the spacing for yourself. 

Changing Justification and Hyphenation with Yellow Text

The InDesign user can use a yellow highlight to figure out where they want to adjust hyphenation and justification in the document if they aren’t happy with the spacing as it appears in the digital text. 

However, just because text is highlighted in yellow doesn’t necessarily mean that the text has to be changed in some way. This is just InDesign’s way of letting the user know that changes have been applied to the text. 

The only text highlight that needs to be addressed in an Indesign text is the pink highlight. This highlight indicates a missing font, and not replacing it will result in a default font that doesn’t match the user’s intended font. 

Will InDesign Alert With Text for Justification Issues? 

Unlike issues such as missing fonts, InDesign will not use a pop-up notification to let users know that the justification or hyphenation settings have been adjusted. The highlight is the only indication that the justification or hyphenation on the text has been changed. 

How to Fix Highlighted Yellow Text in InDesign

If you want to remove the yellow highlight on text in InDesign, you have to either change the H&J settings on Indesign or you have to adjust the text itself. When troubleshooting a yellow highlight issue in InDesign, the first thing you should try is making sure that the H&J notiication setting is clicked off. To toggle off this option in Preferences, perform the following (Source: Adobe): 

1. From the InDesign main menu, select Preferences. 
2. In the Preferences submenu, select Composition. 
3. In the Composition menu, find Hyphenation and Justification Violations. If the preference is turned on, click on the box to toggle it inactive. (Source: Imgur) 
4. Check the document. If the yellow highlight is a result of the H&J settings, turning them off should remove any yellow highlights. 

Have you turned off the H&J Violations settings and you’re still seeing a yellow highlight? There are a few other issues in InDesign that can lead to this problem. 

One alternative reason you might be seeing a yellow highlight is if the highlight is being pulled into the document during a cut-and-paste operation. To avoid copying over highlighted text, select “Paste Without Formatting” when adding the text. This prevents the highlight from being copied over along with the text. 

Highlights in InDesign Can Help with Formatting Corrections

While it’s possible to turn off the highlighting system in InDesign, it’s not the best option for users. The different colored highlights included in the program are designed to help the user quickly figure out and correct potential issues with the formatting of the document. Without these cues, users have to look much more carefully at their text while formatting and proofing. 

InDesign is a useful program for formatting documents and printable projects, but sometimes files don’t translate the way you want them to. Many InDesign users run into an issue where the colors in the InDesign program sometimes appear duller than colors in the original document. 

Changes in document color in InDesign are usually the result of changes in the Color Management menu of the program. Color changes can also result from displaying CMYK colors meant to print on a computer monitor with RGB settings. Colors can appear brighter by adjusting the RGB Color Mode.

It can be frustrating if InDesign displays a different color palette than you know you had in your imported file. However, there are a few solutions you can try that may help you get a better picture of what colors will print out in your final documents. Read on to learn more about color changes in InDesign and how you can prevent them. 

Color Conversion Issues in InDesign

When you use InDesign, you may run into a problem where the colors in your original file are not showing up correctly when you preview the same file in InDesign. This can result in colors that look dull and faded. 

This issue can occur with many different colors, but it is seen most prominently in blue tones. So what causes color conversion problems in InDesign files? 

Why Are Colors Faded in Indesign? 

Faded colors in InDesign files are usually the result of incorrect settings in either the Color Management or Transparency blend settings. Colors also may not display correctly if they are CMYK colors (colors in a file that are designed for printed media) versus RGB colors (colors in a file that are designed for on-screen digital viewing). 

If an image file is converted to CMYK before being exported, this can cause the image to look dull. The easiest way to avoid this problem is to keep your Adobe workflow in RGB color settings, but this isn’t always possible. Here are a few cases where you might need to use CMYK images in your file: 

• You need to match CMYK images in a swatch selection
• You need to work on grayscale images

There’s also a bug in 2019 and 2020 versions of InDesign where the Color Management settings are automatically set to off as the default setting. This can lead to color conversion issues if you’re not aware the option isn’t set up. Luckily, there are a few different methods you can use to try and solve this technical issue. 

Fixing InDesign Color Conversion Issues

If the colors in your InDesign files look duller than expected, there are several things you can try that might resolve the problem. Here are some potential solutions: 

• Adjust Color Management settings. From the main menu, select Edit and then select Color Settings. This should bring up the Color Settings dialog box. Once you check the Color Settings box, this should bring up several options for you to correct the color management in your files. (Source: PeachPit)
  
• Adjust Transparency Blend settings. From the main interface, select the Edit menu and then select Transparency Blend Space. This should give you two pop-up submenu options: Document CMYK and Document RGB. Switching the Transparency Blend setting from Document CMYK to Document RGB can fix your colors. (Source: PrintingForLess)

• Create a new page. If you’ve tried adjusting the color management and transparency settings on your InDesign setup and it’s not working, another workaround is to create a new page and copy the contents of the original page onto the new page before deleting the original. This can sometimes fix color conversion issues. (Source: InDesign User Voice)

These methods may or may not work depending on why your colors aren’t displaying correctly in your InDesign file. However, they’ll at least give you a jumping-off point for troubleshooting the problem. 

Should InDesign Users Stick to RGB Color Settings? 

If you research color conversion problems with InDesign, a community debate that frequently comes up is whether or not CMYK images should be used at all. 

Many users believe that RGB images should be the preferred file type for importing into InDesign. Not only does this make the end product more versatile (the file will display properly either digitally or in print) it prevents many of the conversion issues that lead to a dull or incorrect color conversion in the program. (Source: New Breed Plus)

InDesign Color Issues Can Usually Be Fixed

Problems with InDesign changing your colors can often be resolved by either adjusting your settings or changing the type of images you’re trying to import into the program. Knowing the difference between RGB and CMYK color settings can make a big difference when it comes to getting the color display you want in your documents. 

Art is an amazing skillset. It can be a form of creative expression, moneymaking, or just a way to get ideas down for something else. It can take the form of so many different skills, from drawing to writing all the way to sculpting and stitching. No matter what exists, someone out there will figure out how to make art with it. A popular medium in the modern era is digital art.

However, just because it’s popular doesn’t mean that it doesn’t come with its own quirks. Drawing digitally can at times feel incredibly weird, and sometimes that can be alarming. If it feels awkward to get that drawing cranked out on the screen, keep reading to find out a few reasons why.

1. It’s a New Skill

When it comes down to brass tacks, art of any kind is a skill. If drawing digitally is a new one, even if other mediums have been used previously, it can feel weird. There’s all this new tech and software to learn that it can be dizzying. A common issue is even to try and tackle too much when unaccustomed, which can result in frustration, loss of interest, or lots of confusion.

If drawing digitally is a new skill, remember to take lots of breaks and practice often. Chances are that after a while, it will get significantly easier and start feeling less awkward.

2. The Tablet is Screenless

Just about every digital artist can agree that screenless tablets are a nightmare to learn. It’s unnatural and awkward to be drawing down but looking up. There’s no watching the marks appear along where the stylus is going, it’s in a different place entirely. That awkwardness can take a long time to adjust to.

Here is a simple way to make it a little less awkward to draw with a screenless tablet:

1. Do the sketching phase of the drawing traditionally
2. Scan this sketch into the computer
3. Load it up to the program of choice
4. Put it on a separate layer, preferably on a slightly lower opacity so marks above can be seen easily
5. Use that as a baseline instead of trying to draw from the ground up with the screenless tablet
6. Hide or delete the layer when no longer needed

It can really help take drawings done with a screenless tablet up a notch just by using a ready sketch instead of trying to do the arguably hardest part of the drawing without looking at what’s happening.

3. Not Using a Tablet

A graphics tablet isn’t a requirement to drawing digitally. Plenty of digital artists draw using touchscreens, mice, or vector programs. However, this can end up being a bit more mechanical feeling and inorganic compared to just drawing on a piece of paper.

A specialized graphics tablet might not even be required either, as a fair number of artists use their favorite regular tablet loaded up with art software and a stylus just the same. In the end, not using a tablet at all might be part of the reason digital drawing feels so weird.

4. Another Medium is More Comfortable

Just because someone is an artist in one medium doesn’t mean that they are going to be experts in all mediums. That’s a pretty strong misconception for people who consider themselves to be unartistic. They assume that if someone is good at one thing, they’re good at everything close to that when it comes to art. However, if another medium such as traditional drawing, painting, sculpting, or even embroidery is more familiar to the artist themselves, doing anything else is going to feel weird.

It doesn’t matter how much practice has gone into getting good at digital drawing, what the final pieces look like, or even how much money has been spent to get those skills. It’s always going to be weird to do if something else is just more comfortable. There’s no shame in that at all either, it’s just a slightly more awkward skill to have in the stash. It might go away with even more practice, but it might also not. It just depends on how the artist’s preferences line up with what they’re doing.

5. There is an Error

Unfortunately, not even computers are perfect. Sometimes things go awry and there’s only so much that can be done about it. That is, if anything can be done. This simply means that sometimes the awkwardness of drawing digitally can be traced back to some sort of error from their device, the software, or a combination of the two.

Some of these errors might include:

• Calibration of device is off
• Stylus battery is going dead
• The software is having issues
• The connection between the devices is not stable
• Software might not be compatible with device(s)

Of course, there’s also what is known as a user error. This is just when the artist is trying to do something they’re not technically supposed to do, and it can cause issues down the line. In turn, this can cause the overall experience to feel weird and uncomfortable just because the artist is trying to do something that maybe they shouldn’t be.

Conclusion

Digital drawing is the use of digital software to produce drawings. This can be anything from the top-of-the-line subscription-based software to the little freeware thing built right into the device of choice. It’s an incredibly popular form of art in the modern day and age, but it can definitely feel weird at times.

This could be for a number of reasons. It might be a new, uncultivated skill, the equipment used might not be the absolute best, or there could even be a little bit of user error going on. Regardless of why, it is still a means of artistic expression that is worth the effort; awkwardness and all.

Making the jump from traditional drawing over to digital can really feel like starting over. Things that usually seem easy and come out well just look horrible. It can be frustrating, especially when there’s so many great digital artists out there.

It’s not uncommon for this issue to crop up and is actually rarer if it doesn’t. Keep reading to find out some reasons why drawing digitally seems to be worse than drawing traditionally on paper.

More Practice with Traditional Drawing

The jump from traditional art to digital is a popular and common one. However, it can be pretty startling to realize that just because drawing comes easily on paper, doesn’t mean that it is going to digitally as well. There’s a lot to learn when it comes to drawing in either medium; it could just be that the strong traditional skills are seriously outpacing the digital ones.

Most artists can agree that practice is everything. It doesn’t have to be every day practice for so long either, it just has to be practice. For some people, this practice might be more fruitful and take much less time to master, where others might have to have some more time to achieve the same results. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it can sometimes be discouraging to watch. Just remember the old adage: you are your own worst critic.

Trying to Use a Screenless Tablet Feels Unnatural

Chances are that when first trying out digital art, that expensive graphics tablet with all the bells and whistles isn’t going to be the first choice. No, most people go for the cheaper option. With that however usually comes the lack of a screen. This in turn requires some serious hand-eye coordination which traditional drawing doesn’t. The artist has to look up at a screen while drawing down on a tablet that they can’t see their marks appearing on.

Additionally, a piece of paper can be rotated where a tablet cannot. If it doesn’t have a screen, it has to sit in the same direction and the program has to do the turning. All this just leads to an unnatural feeling which will in turn cause the overall art to look a little wonkier.

Programs Have a Steep Learning Curve

Just about everyone can agree that learning new things is hard, but many seem to forget that might also include new programs or different ways of doing the same thing. It only gets harder with age too, which is often said but also often forgotten about. The same is true with learning how to draw digitally on that steep curve programs put forth.

Here are some ways to lessen that learning curve:

• Sketch on paper first and then scan in to use as the base
• Watch/read a lot of tutorials for the program of choice
• Try with line art first then gradually start adding in colors/effects as skills improve
• Use a screened tablet even if they aren’t an expensive dedicated graphics tablet
• Choose a drawing program rather than one with a bunch of extra features
• Take lessonsfrom someone, either personally or via a class

The most important part is to remember that art of any kind should be enjoyable to create. It also takes a very long time to build the skills necessary to make them work, so don’t be afraid to take tons of time to build them. Utilize the resources available when learning a new program, or shop around and find one that is more comfortable to use.

Digital Art Isn’t Tactile

If there’s one thing traditional art always has over digital, it’s the feeling of the thing. Not emotionally, but real, tactile feelings. The feeling of the paper, of the small indents caused by the drawing utensil, the eraser shavings bunching up, or the smoothness of the colored areas. Digital art is none of these, and instead is just a clunky chunk of parts.

One way to help ease this though is to tape a piece of paper over the screen. As long as it is thin enough the tablet can read the stylus’s input, it should be just enough to make it feel a little more normal. However, this usually only works with strictly graphics tablets, but it is worth a try on any kind.

Spatial Relationships are Different

There really is a significant difference in the spatial relationships of both digital and traditional art. For one, they’re taking place in two very different mediums. It can feel a bit less personal, and there’s always the ever-present Undo option tipping the scale. It’s a lot easier to get hung up on the little things when it only takes a couple of clicks at most to remove any offense, whereas in traditional art it’s a lot easier to just let it go as par for the course.

Secondly, the composition as a whole is significantly different. For traditional art, there are hard edges to the paper limiting just how far something can go, which makes it a little easier to contain and balance. Digital on the other hand has a whole slew of differences in space.

Such differences include:

• Ability to zoom
• Screen size
• Screen rotation
• Workable space
• Disconnect between tablet and screen size

All in all, the spatial relationships surrounding both traditional and digital drawing are different enough to be jarring for some people. Since everyone is different, that can be a significant hurdle for some when it could be nothing for someone else. This hurdle could easily be the cause of the artwork not looking as good as it could have been if done traditionally.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that digital drawing is a different skill and art style than traditional drawings on paper. Not everyone is going to be able to transfer these skills easily, but they do help to lessen the learning curve. Everyone is different, but the fact of the matter is that drawing in any media is a skill. Skills are things that need to be worked on with lots of practice in order to get good at it. So, if those digital pieces aren’t coming out as beautiful as imagined, it is likely just that the skill hasn’t been developed enough yet.

Adobe XD is a fantastic software for anyone doing anything, business or personal. Now, just like any other software, Adobe does have its issues and some of them can cause the entire application to crash or just not open again. 

Now, obviously, your Adobe crashing is a major issue because it could cause you to lose your work, miss a deadline, or simply spend way too long on one project. The great thing is, most issues have been fixed thanks to users who found solutions and posted about them, or Adobe’s great customer service team, who just wants the software to work well for everyone. 

1. Your File Is Saved On Adobe Cloud

There are several reports from users that they have discovered if they have an Adobe file saved on the Adobe cloud and you try to open it, your Adobe XD will crash frequently. While niether users nor the Adobe team has been able to figure out why this happens, there is a fix. 

If you simply save your adobe file on your desktop or any external storage device you should be able to open your file through Adobe XD with no issues. However, if this does not fix the crashing problem, it’s likely that this wasn’t the issue at all. 

(Source: Microsoft Answers, Adobe Help)

2. You Have Windows 10

When Windows10 connects with Adobe XD, for some reason Adobe XD ends up crashing at startup. While an update seems to have mostly fixed the issue, some people have still reported problems. 

Unfortunately, if you have already updated Windows 10 and Adobe XD and it’s still crashing, you have to work through the issue by trial and error. You could always contact Adobe’s customer service team to help walk you through a few things. 

This doesn’t mean that if you have windows 10 Adobe XD won’t work on it at all, these issues at seemingly random and most likely are contributed to a number of other variables that just haven’t been discovered yet. 

(Source: Adobe Community, Problem Me)

3. It Needs To Be Uninstalled and Reinstalled

Sometimes during the installation, or even when an application is run, the files can become corrupted or messed up and it will cause an inability for the software to run effectively or even run at all. 

In any case, if you are having issues with Adobe XD crashing, you should uninstall the software using the Adobe cleaner tool. This tool can clean up any files or issues with the software before it uninstalls it, this ensures when the software is installed again, it will have no issues. 

(Source: Microsoft Answers, Adobe Help)

4. You Don’t Have The Latest Update For Your Operating System

No matter your operating system, when you start up Adobe XD, it is only going to run effectively on the operating system it is prepared, or made for. So, when Adobe XD was created, it was created for certain versions of operating systems and the updates that come after. 

Once an operating system updates to a new version, Adobe will change with it as it’s necessary, adobe won’t wait to change until you have updated though. So, after an update or two, your adobe may not open because it is not compatible with the operating system version you have. 

(Source: Adobe Community, Problem Me)

5. Adobe Needs To Be Updated

Now, if you are slacking on updating your Adobe, you won’t be able to run it, much less open it after a while. Older versions of adobe are not going to handle working on newer versions of operating software.

Simply updating Adobe should fix any problems you have started dealing with. You can figure out if you need an update by following these steps:

1. Open or run Adobe or Acrobat
2. Choose Help > Check for updates
3. Follow the prompts that pop up and let the computer fully install the update

(Source: Microsoft Answers, Adobe Help)

6. You Need To Update File Permissions

Sometimes when Adobe is being installed certain permissions are missed or not allowed and this can cause an issue when it comes time to actually run and use the program. However, you can fix this yourself by following a few steps. 

1. Find your way to C:\Windows\System32
2. Search for msvcp140.dll > Right-click it > Properties
3. Select Security > Edit
4. Add > All Application Packages > Check Names
5. Locations > Your computer name > Ok
6. All Application Packages > Allow Read & Execute and Read
7. Apply > Ok > Ok

This process needs to be done for both, 

• C:\Windows\System32\msvcp140.dll 
• C:\Windows\System32\vcruntime140.dl

Once these files have permissions, you should have no issues getting your Adobe XD to run effectively. 

(Source: Microsoft Answers, Adobe Help)

7. Your Display Drivers Need To Be Restarted

Your display drivers can affect quite a lot of the software that needs to run on your computer, however, many people don’t ever think to restart them. So, if you have tried everything else and have yet to find a solution to your issues, you can always restart your display drivers following these steps:

1. Search for Display Drivers
2. Click on display adapters
3. Right-click every adapter and click disable device
4. Restart your computer
5. Find your display drivers again
6. Right-click on all drivers and click enable drivers
7. Then right-click and hit update drivers
8. Restart the computer one more time

Once your display drivers are restarted and updated, you should be able to run Adobe XD with no issues or crashes. 

(Source: Microsoft Answers, Adobe Help)

Final Thoughts About Adobe XD Crashing

Adobe has a fantastic customer service team that is more than willing to walk through the troubleshooting process with as many customers as they have. The best thing to do when you have an issue tells customer service so they can start trying to find a solution for the masses. 

However, if they don’t have a solution, your only other options are trial and error or scrolling through user recommendations on the Adobe community page. Either way, you are bound to find a solution or at least a temporary fix. 

Illustrator is a fantastic graphics design software and the images, designs, and logos you can create with it are mindblowing. It’s a favorite of many graphic designers, and even those who are designers by trade are starting to get involved with illustrators, it’s that good. As with any app or software, some hiccups or roadblocks can halt your hard work and make it difficult to get some things done. 

Packaging your file is a fantastic option Illustrator has, but a lot of users have reported it’s not been working as it should, therefore you can’t package your file the way you want. Unfortunately, these users have theories as to why things aren’t working, but only theories and possible solutions. While you may be able to figure out why you can’t package your problem, it may take a process of elimination, and quite some time. 

1. Illustrator Needs To Be Reset

While it seems too easy, sometimes a simple reset of the software can fix all your problems. If the software is running too many commands at once, or maybe it is simply stuck, you can close everything down, rest your computer to ensure the application is shut down, and then open it back up. 

Once it starts back up, open your file and try to package it again. Many users have reported success with this strategy, but if not, there are a few more options to try. 

(Source: Microsoft Docs, Adobe Help)

2. Saving To Google Drive

If you are attempting to save your package to a google drive or any other google option, you will most likely experience the error message that your package can’t be saved. There is some issue with trying to save a package file to a cloud or google based system that Illustrator has yet to fix. 

Most users have said that simply trying to save the package file to your desktop, or a USB, or another external storage system, can solve your issue. 

(Source: EE Help, User Voice Illustrator)

3. Not Enough Storage Space

No matter where you are trying to send or save your package file, if you are attempting to save it and you get an error message, it could very possibly be due to your storage space. If you do not have enough storage space you will usually receive an error message about being unable to package your file, instead of a limited storage warning. 

Thankfully, if you think this is the issue, it’s an easy fix. You can simply make room for your package file and try again. Whether it an external, internal, or cloud storage, just go through and delete a few things to make enough room for your file to be saved. 

(Source: EE Help, User Voice Illustrator)

4. Setting Conflicts

While most things you choose to do in Illustrator work together just fine if you try to package your file with certain settings, options, and graphic choices selected at the same time it can cause an error and your file won’t be packaged. 

Now, the unfortunate part of this is that it’s almost impossible to directly nail down the settings or options that are causing the issue. Most of the information you will find online about this particular error simply tells you the settings other users have had to change, but no way to figure it out on your own. 

Unfortunately, while this is an issue, Illustrator has yet to bring out a fix for it so you are by yourself in a loop of trial and error until you discover the issue. 

(Source: Microsoft Docs, Adobe Help)

5. Your File Isn’t Previously Saved

Thanks to some users, it has been recognized that you won’t be able to package your file if it has not been previously saved. Apparently, the illustrator has something similar to a safety net for your files and you have to have an entire file saved of what you are trying to package. 

If you don’t have a saved file, the package option will be greyed out and you won’t be able to even choose the option. 

(Source: EE Help, User Voice Illustrator)

6. You Are Using Paid Fonts, Without Paying

If you have selected a font that you need to pay for, even if you were just trying it out, and have forgotten to pay for it, Illustrator won’t let you package your file until the font has been purchased. You can either remove the font or purchase it before you try packaging your file again. 

(Source: Microsoft Docs, Adobe Help)

7. Your Current Images Have Copies In The Trash

Even if you have images that are embedded in your file, if their original copies are in the trash, you will not be able to package your file. You must either remove the images from your file or remove them from the trash before saving and trying again to package your file. 

(Source: EE Help, User Voice Illustrator)

Final Thoughts

While packaging your files is a fantastic option Illustrator gives you, many problems can pop up when trying to do this. However, thanks to the internet, we have many reasons why packaging could be an issue, and we have solutions that can fix it.

As you were working on your latest article or blog post, you suddenly realize you need that perfect photo. You opened up a few stock photo sites and WOW, your jaw dropped as you saw the cost! You want more then the free ones offer, but really, do stock photos need to cost this much?

Stock photos are so expensive because of the cost of the camera equipment, the using of casting models, editing the raw images, preparing the photos to be uploaded, and the fact the photographer is trying to make a living.

You had no idea of all the hands that went into your chosen stock photo? It’s easy to think they just all simply appear for your pleasure, keep reading to learn more about why stock photos are so expensive.

What makes stock photos expensive?

Even with all the free Stock Photo sites, better photos can be bought for a price. Here are the main reasons why stock photos are so expensive.

• Cost of Camera Equipment: Depending on the type of stock photo taken, from a postage stamp to a billboard the type of camera needed varies. Yes, you can use your phone, but sometimes a more modern camera is needed to do the best job. And it’s not just the type of camera, you also need to look at the mega pixels and the lens.
• Cost of the Casting Model: If someone is hired to pose in the picture, the model can cost anywhere from $75 to $100 an hour or up to $1000 a day if they are represented by an agency. That money comes from someone.
• Cost of Editing and Uploading: For each photo the editing time can range from 15 minutes to an hour on Each Photo. It might not have an exact dollar amount to it, but time costs money.
• Time in Making A Living: There was a range in the actual dollar figure for someone sending in stock photos, 25-45 cents per image per month depending on agencies, skill in key wording, and how original the photo is all makes its mark.

Those are just some of the costs involved in why stock photos are so expensive, however there has to be more to involved for the price to be that much.

Stock Photography is Not Just Snapping Any Old Picture

Okay, so if those are some of the costs, isn’t it still just snapping a picture? Anyone can do that, right? How much can really go into taking a picture that looks good, and can justify that price?

If it’s point and click, why are stock photos expensive?

The photographer puts in a lot of effort to get that perfect shot. They not only guide the model into the right pose, remind or encourage them to smile, or look soft, or look angry but not forced or fake. Not to smile too much or tilt their head just so…or maybe tilt their head the other way.

They might have to have them move in a certain way, position, reposition, and again cheer on the model to get that action shot and encourage them to hold the position to get that perfect shot. The photographer him or herself, may also have to crawl on the ground, climb a tree, stand above them or move their own bodies awkwardly into the right place to capture just the right moment.

What about weather conditions? They might stand in the hot sun, get soaked in the rain, freeze in the snow, or feel the fear during wild storms, all to capture a stock photo for you. They might get up before the sun and set up for that sunrise, stay out super late to get the sunset or that beautiful moon shot. They might wait in the woods or fields to catch the perfect image of that cute animal everyone wants to gush about.

They might climb crazy heights, jump out of aircrafts, head down tunnels or other crazy adventures just for you or I to have the stock photo that screams adventure.

Or take picture after picture to get just the right look, or just the right angle. However, it doesn’t end with the click of the camera. Don’t forget about the edit time, the perfecting and removing of imperfections on those photos. It all takes the time that we don’t take, even with our pictures.

They want perfection! They want to give you the look that is perfect for your article, blog post, story, or whatever you need it for.

Photographers Make A living With Stock Photos

One of the main reasons why Stock Photos are expensive is because the photographers want to make a living by doing what they enjoy doing.

 If you love taking pictures, why wouldn’t you try making money at it?

Here are some other money facts about the photographers and the work they do.

The range of what you can be paid is staggering. Some are paid very little, from $0.02 per month per photo. The pro’s make $0.05 to $0.25 per month per photo on some sites.

Looking at those numbers, you could be scratching your head and thinking, why would anyone want to do this? Not to mention if that’s all they are being paid, again why are stock photos so expensive?

That’s not the only pay scale. Some photographers are paid $0.10 to $2.24 per image for subscriptions based on purchases up to $99.50. And some stock photo agencies pay $0.32 per sale of royalty free licenses.

The bottom line is if the photographers for stock photos puts in the work and effort, they should be paid well for it. Stock photos come in different qualities, and styles and the variety of images available can suit different budgets.

Final Words

There is a number of Stock Photo sites to choose from these days. However, if you want that “next level” stock photo that catches your eye, but makes you frown due to how expensive it is, remember what went into it and the why it’s expensive. Look at the quality. Look at how you respond to it.

Is it worth the expense, now that you know why Stock photos are expensive? We think so, because it saves you the time and money it would cost to hire a professional photographer for each of your projects.

Customizing your Twitch channel is incredibly important if you are looking to raise engagement, views, and branch into monetization options. While Twitch generally makes it pretty simple to customize all image options on your page, there are issues that show up and they are usually difficult to pinpoint a cause or a solution. 

One of the biggest issues users have been reporting is their Twitch panels being blurry or pixelated. While this is a frustrating issue what is even more frustrating is the lack of a solution Twitch has offered. Most users are having to fix things using trial and error versus getting help from Twitch’s customer service. 

1. Your Panels Have Been Compressed By Twitch

There has been a glitch issue with Twitch that many users have reported, but yet no fix seems to be available from Twitch yet. For some reason, when some people upload their images for their panels, Twitch compresses the image and it ends up looking blurry or pixelated. 

You can always try changing to resolution or image type before uploading it again, however, not many users have reported success in this changing or fixing any of their issues. 

(Source: Levvel, Discuss Twitch)

2. Your Panel Source Has Been Altered 

Whatever source you are getting your image from, whether you made it yourself or it was uploaded from someone else, it’s possible the source had an issue when you saved it or uploaded it and you copied the issue along with it. 

The best solution to this issue is to go back to the source and ensure no issues are present, then save it again. Once you do this, you can upload the newest save file and see if this fixes your issue. 

(Source: Creatoko, Reddit)

3. Your Panel Was Blurry Before Your Added It To Twitch

When we are looking at something for a while, either we end up seeing all the things that are wrong, or we begin to overlook any issues and problems in the subject. If you have spent a long time working on your image for your Twitch panel, you may not even realize that it is slightly blurry when you save it. 

However, you will definitely notice it’s blurry when you upload it. The best thing to do in this situation is to go back to the original and check the resolution and just look over it. If you can fix the issue on the original you will most likely end up having no issues uploading it to twitch. 

(Source: Levvel, Discuss Twitch)

4. Your Panel Is Too High Quality

While you want your Twitch panel, and other images, to look the best they can look, you want the highest quality possible. However, Twitch can only handle images up to a certain quality and then it simply becomes blurry once it’s uploaded. 

The best way to fix this is to figure out if you are able to lower the quality at all before saving it and trying to upload it again. It may take a few times of trial and error but eventually, you will be able to find a quality that Twitch can handle and manage to upload with no issues. 

(Source: Levvel, Discuss Twitch)

5. Your Panel Is An Incorrect Sizing For Twitch

Twitch only allows images of certain sizes to ensure that your page doesn’t get bogged down with too much image data, and to stop their servers from crashing with too many large images. So, when you upload an image, it has to be a certain size for it to look the best. 

If you need to know what sizes are allowed, you can see below on the chart for any kind of image insertion. If you aren’t sure how large your image is but you are having problems, you could always make your image smaller and see if your issues are fixed. 

(Source: Creatoko, Reddit)

6. You Are Using The Wrong Image Type

Certain images that you upload to twitch have to be certain types of images while others can be any type of image as long as they aren’t too large. If your image isn’t uploading at all, or if it is blurry and pixelated when it does upload, you may have the wrong type of image. 

You can always change the file type or the image type and try the upload again to see if the issue has fixed itself. 

(Source: Creatoko, Reddit)

7. Your Picture Settings Are Wrong For The Section You Are Changing

Twitch has very specific specifications for what type of images are allowed for upload and what size. While you can have the image size correct, the type of file may be causing the issue or vice versa. The best way to avoid this issue or fix it is to ensure you are using the correct file type and size before uploading. 

Graphic Type	Image Size Recommendation	Max File Size	Image Type
Twitch Panel	320 x 300 Pixels	2.9MB	JPEG, PNG
Twitch Custom Emote	28 x 28, 56 x 56, and 112 x 112 pixels	25KB	PNG
Twitch Profile Banner	900 x 480 pixels	10MB	PNG, GIF, JPEG
Twitch Offline Banner	1920 x 1080 pixels	10 MB	PNG, GIF, JPEG
Twitch Profile Picture (Logo)	256 x 256 pixels	10MB	PNG, GIF, JPEG
Twitch Sub Badge	18 x 18, 36 x 36, and 72 x 72 pixels	25MB	PNG
Twitch VOD Thumbnail	1280 x 720 pixels	10MB	PNG, GIF, JPEG

(Source: Levvel, Discuss Twitch)

Final Thoughts

Your Twitch Banner is one of the first things someone sees when they visit your page so your banner will be the first impression of who you are as a streamer. This means your banner needs to be as good-looking and professional as it can be. 

While there are a few issues that can pop up with your banner, if it is blurry or pixelated, you can fix this in a few ways and they are all pretty simple and easy.

If you’re still having issues, consider trying Placeit’s Twitch templates. These are pre-made, customizable, templates formatted specifically for Twitch. You can find templates for banners, panels, overlays, emotes, overlays, and more.

Professional graphic artists and other creative minds are always looking for a way to share their freehand drawings online in the digital era. To this effect, Wacom is a company that offers a wide variety of products to help creators, such as styluses, pen displays, and pen tablets. The problem is that the platform frequently fails to launch. Why are Wacom drivers so bad?

Wacom drivers are so bad because the company releases many driver updates each year, and some of these updates fail to install properly. This can leave users in limbo between driver versions on some of their devices and unable to use their Wacom products.

Getting your Wacom drivers to function properly requires a little bit of work on the part of the user. You need to make sure that you are attuned to the driver update process on all of the devices with which you will use your Wacom products. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about Wacom drivers. 

Why Don’t Wacom Drivers Ever Seem To Work?

Wacom drivers fail at such a high rate largely because of the amount of driver updates released by the company.

For example, since the start of 2021, the company has released 6 driver updates for macOS.

While it is not uncommon for tech products to release frequent driver updates to fix hardware and software bugs, understand that Wacom products are not native to your device. Your device may not automatically download and install the latest Wacom driver update every time one is released.

As such, if the driver is not properly downloaded and installed, it could lead to compatibility issues that lead to the disheartening “No Device Connected” message when trying to launch Wacom.

Possible Causes of Wacom Drivers Not Working

There are several causes of your Wacom drivers not working.

You Missed the Latest Driver Update

This is the most straightforward and easy-to-fix cause of a bad Wacom driver.

If you missed or are simply ignoring (it can be easy to ignore update requests when it seems like you get them every day!) the latest update, it is possible that the old version contains bugs or has compatibility issues that are leaving it non-functional.

Be sure to check the Wacom site to see if you are current with the most recent driver download. 

The Driver Update Didn’t Install Properly

It is also possible that the driver downloaded but did not install properly on your computer.

Usually, you have to restart your device after performing a driver update in order for it to function.

You may also have to uninstall a previous version of Wacom before the new driver will work properly. Devices typically uninstall previous driver versions during an update but again, Wacom is not a native program to your device, so you may have to perform an uninstall manually in the settings. 

The Latest Update Isn’t Compatible With Another Driver On Your Device

The most problematic reason for Wacom driver failure is that it is not compatible with another driver update on your device.

If your Wacom software had been working but suddenly stops, it is possible that a recent update on your device is at the root of the issue.

Go into your device’s history and see when the last update occurred. If it happened around the time your Wacom product stopped working, try resetting your device to an earlier point (there is a list of dates for when updates were performed) and see if your Wacom starts working again.

What To Do If a Wacom Driver Doesn’t Work

If you are getting messages such as “No Device Connected” or “Your Device Is Not Responding,” try one of the following troubleshooting tips:

• Unplug and replug your Wacom device. If it still doesn’t work, try a different port.
• Restart your computer or tablet.
• Restart Wacom services. This blog offers an extremely helpful step-by-step guide for how to do this.
• Uninstall and reinstall the latest Wacom update.
• If all else fails, try reverting to an earlier Wacom version and see if it works for you.

The Bottom Line: Why Wacom Drivers Are So Bad

Although it can be a very useful tool for creators, there is no denying that driver issues result in inconsistent functionality for Wacom devices. 

Most of these issues stem from the sheer volume of updates the company puts out. As Wacom programs are not native to your device, there may be some issues in completing the driver update and ensuring compatibility with your other hardware and software.

Hopefully, the troubleshooting tips listed above can get you back to creating with Wacom.

Uploading an image for a Twitch emote should be easy, right? Well it seems sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t. One of the most common issues people run into is when they go to upload their image only to be met with an error that reads “Twitch emote isn’t square shaped.” So, what should you do if you’re having this issue?

If your Twitch emote won’t display your image because it isn’t square shaped, you simply need to use a free online image cropping service to square the image at 112 x 112 pixels.

If you would like to learn more about how you can make your image square and upload it as a Twitch emote, we’ve got you covered. In our guide below we will walk you through everything from how you make a Twitch emote square to software you can use to make a new one. So pop open your Twitch account and let’s bring your emote skills to the next level!

What Size Does Your Twitch Emote Have to Be?

The image for a Twitch emote needs to be a certain size and shape in order for it to work properly on the site. So what size and shape does your Twitch emote have to be?

The image for a Twitch emote must be squared and a 112×112 pixel image. If it fails to meet these requirements you will have to use software to square the image. 

In the next section we’ll jump into exactly how to do just that. By the time you’re done, you will have a perfectly squared image that is ready to go.

How Do You Make a Square Emote?

So if you do have an image that won’t work for your Twitch Emote because it isn’t squared then your number one priority should be figuring out how to square it. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered on that front. You’ll just need to have your image file and a free image cropping software. In this case we’ll be using Placeit’s free image cropper. 

Below we’ve created a step-by-step guide to help you take your image and square it so it will work as a Twitch Emote:

1. Keep Twitch’s upload page open: To have received the message “emote isn’t squared” you will have to have already had Twitch’s upload page open for images. Keep it open as you will soon be able to use it without getting the error message.
2. Open Placeit and upload your photo: Simply go to Placeit’s Free Online Image Cropper and click “Upload Your Image Here”.
3. Set the custom size to 112 x 112: Below your image is a box for Custom Size. Set the Custom Size to 112 x 112.
4. Zoom your image to fit: Use the zoom slider to zoom your image in and fit it into the squared area.
5. Download your image and try it on Twitch again: Click the blue Download button and scroll to the top of your Placeit page to see your download in the top right corner. When the download is ready, click “Click here to download” to download the image to your computer. Try uploading to Twitch again.

If you followed all of the steps correctly, your image should now be squared and ready to go for Twitch’s emote upload page. Feel free to bookmark this page if you ever forget this process in the future. 

What Other Software Can Help With Editing Twitch Emotes?

Now that you’re familiar with using Placeit, you may benefit from the Twitch templates they have to offer as well.

Placeit has both free and paid Twitch templates, and they are made to Emotes, overlays, profile photos, and more.

There are other softwares out there to help edit Twitch emotes, but they can come with hidden fees or they put their logo over your re-sized image. Placeit is easy to use, and totally free.

So Really, What Do You Do When a Twitch Emote Isn’t Square Shaped?

It’s not at all uncommon to get hit with the error that your image isn’t squared when you’re trying to upload it as an emote. Fortunately the solution is simple. 

You can import the image into a free online image cropping software like Placeit and simply download it as a square shape sized to 112 x 112 pixels. Once you’ve downloaded the newly cropped image it will be ready to upload! Best of luck!