Scenify is a free and open source online graphics creator that you can use. The UI and set of features that it comes with are very similar, and you can also think of it as a decent alternative to Canva and Visme. You can use it to create graphics for social media, presentation, email header, and other. It also supports custom size for graphics and you can export what you create here in PNG format.
Scenify comes with built support for free stock photos and illustrations. It even has some ready-made templates for graphics that you can just edit and use. It comes with fonts and elements that you can just insert into your post in a click. The workspace is very interactive and simple to use. However, for now it lacks many things such as layer toggling, but it does support pushing elements backward or outward on the main editor.
The entire source code of Scenify is on GitHub, and you can host it on your own server as well. It uses Pixabay for stock images and Iconscout for other elements such as illustrations. In the coming updates, there is a plan for adding animation tools as well, such as in Canva. For now, it is hosted on the developer website, but if you want, then you can install it locally using the instructions in it GitHub Readme.
Free Open Source Alternative to Canva and Visme: Scenify
You can go ahead and use the online version of Scenify here. The main UI is very simple and for now there is no sign up or registration either. You simply start by specifying the size of the graphic you want to create. You can choose any of the available options, or you can also start with custom dimensions.
After you are on the editor, you can start creating your graphic. All the tools are in the left sidebar. Insert elements and photos from the left side in the editor. You can also search for them and when you see the element you need, just click on it to add it to the editor.
Similarly, you can search and insert illustrations in your design. However, for now, you cannot add custom images by uploading to your PC. But I hope they add that option in the coming updates.
You can use different fonts in your design and customize that as well. All the options to format the font are on the top side of the editor. From there, you can choose font size, color, position, transparency, and more.
All the elements that you add in your design can be pushed inward or outward. The layered approach can be useful but layer toggling is not fully supported yet. Other than that, you can lock an element and clone it.
After you are done with the design, you can simply export it. The Download button is at the top right side and use that to export your design in PNG format. And this is the only export format available now and I hope in that later days, they add JPG and PDF export options as well.
Closing words:
For an open source project that aims to compete with established tools like Canva, I must say Scenify is a very nice options. It is safe to say that it offers 70% functionality of Canva for now and in the coming days there will be more features. After that, you can use it for personal as well commercial use and even install it on your organization’s server. This way, you will own your data and if you are programmer then you can add new feature to it by yourself.
