How to customize your snapcode

One of the features I decided to add to my new blog design is my Snapchat snapcode. That’s the thing you scan to add a fellow snapchatter within a matter of seconds as well as that thing that usually has an awkwardly moving GIF of people pulling faces. As much as I like the colour yellow, Snapchat’s garish hue doesn’t go with my blog design and I can imagine it may not go well with yours either. Here are a few slightly lengthy but simple steps that you can follow to download, edit and customize your snapcode:

 

STEP ONE
Using your desktop, go to Snapchat (here) and log into your account

STEP TWO
Once you are logged in, you will see a screen like the one below. Clicking on “Download my snapcode” will take you to a page where you can download a ZIP file containing the PNG and SVG formats of your snapcode.

STEP THREE
Once you have downloaded your snapcode, expand the file as you would to with any ZIP file. Before I did this, though, I moved it to the folder where I keep the site’s admin and social media documents.

STEP FOUR
In the snapcode folder, you will also find the Snapcode Guidelines that contain the do’s and dont’s of customizing your snapcode.

STEP FIVE
Using Pixlr Editor (available here), open the snapcode PNG file from your computer and select the wand tool from the toolbar.

STEP 6 – Changing the colour of your snapcode
Use the wand tool and select the yellow. You will see a dashed lines that identify the selected area. Then select your colour at the bottom of the toolbar on the left. If you know the colour code (#) of the shade that you would like, you can input using this colour toolbar window. Finally, select the paint pot and fill in over the coloured area (you can view these three steps in the gallery below).

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STEP SEVEN – Inserting your own image
If you like the look of the white ghost in your snapcode, go on and save your image as a PNG file and upload it your blog. If you want to add text to your white ghost make sure that it stays within its black outline.

1. Using the wand tool, select the white part of the ghost.
2. Hover over the ghost and you should see a pair of scissors.
3. Using the delete or backspace button, cut the white part away. You should be left with a checkered white and grey background.
4. Select the image you wish to have in the ghost: Layer > Open image as layer
5. Move the image behind the snapcode: Layer > Move layer down.
6. Adjust the framing of the image if necessary. Here, I framed it so that it would fit the curve of my eyebrow.
7. Use the lasso tool, under move tool, and draw around the corners where the image is poking out (NB: lasso-ing over the snapcode will not effect it at all as you are working on a different layer). Cut away where it is needed.

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STEP EIGHT – Adding text
You can always add your Snapchat username inside the ghost outline for good measure, if for some reason the code isn’t working. Once you are finished customizing your snapcode, don’t forget to save it as a PNG file.

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I’d really appreciate any feedback with regard to the content and layout of this post as this is the first time I’m covering anything tech related. If you have anymore questions or comments about Snapchat and other social media platforms, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact me directly!