How to insert paragraph separators to a hub?

Paragraph separators are just plain lines or designs or art, in the form of a line that is used to separate different sections or paragraphs while writing an article, to make it look attractive, readable and to separate one section from the other.

This hub has been written as a result of a request on a forum.

In this hub, I will be using the paragraph separator that you see on the right hand side. It is a simple image, with just a line. You can create this on any image editing software like paint, Photoshop, etc.

I will also include the steps in creating such an image using Paint. The operating system that I am working on is Windows 7. So the screenshots are those from a Windows 7 system. The steps will be almost similar for other versions of Windows too.

Note: I have looked up to see if there is a Mac equivalent Paint application. I see that there is an application called Paintbrush for Mac. If you do not have it on your system, you can download it from the Mac downloads area. Also, it looks like, that the new MacBooks come bundled with an application called GraphicConverter. Please check to see if you are able to get either one of these. They seem to have features very similar to the Paint application in Windows. If you are running Snow Leopard or earlier, you will have AppleWorks on your computer that has a good paint application.

As everyone who uses a computer that runs on Windows operating system will have the application Paint or MS Paint on their computer, I have shown here a method that you can use to create a paragraph separator that has just one line. You can go creative by designing separators of your choice using any application that you are flexible with.

If you do not wish to spend time creating one, you can download one that is readily available free to use, off the internet, after checking to see if the owner or author has given rights or permission for the image to be used.

If you wish to just look at the procedure for adding a paragraph separator or line breaker to a hub, please scroll down to Section 2, just below the red separator below.

Section 1

In order to create this image, you need to open Paint. Paint is an application that comes along with Windows operating system and should be available to use on all computers that run on Windows.

To open "Paint", click on the "Start" button on the task bar, then click on "All Programs"

Then click on "Accessories" on the list of Programs.

This will open up a list of all applications that are available in the "Accessories" section. Choose "Paint" from that list.

After you open "Paint", you now need to draw a line, save it as a picture, for you to use as a paragraph separator or a line breaker in your hubs.

While you are in Paint, choose the "pencil" tool.

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Then choose a size for the pencil. I chose the thickest one (4px). You can choose whichever size you require.

Then choose a colour for the pencil. It depends on what colour you want your paragraph separator to be.

Now draw the line. Press the "Left mouse" button and the "Shift" key together and draw the line, so that the line is straight. Draw it to the desired length.

Now we do not need the picture like this, as a big rectangular picture, with a line in the middle. We just need a narrow picture with just the line, to go in between the lines or paragraphs.

So now use the "rectangular selection tool."

Make a selection around the line, as narrow as possible.

Copy this selection (Ctrl + C)

Then open a New session of Paint. Paste it there (Ctrl + P)

Now save this picture with a name. I have named it "Paragraph_Separator"

Now, pull the handles at the edge of the Picture (Click and drag) and drag them till they are just the size of the line that you require. It is best to pull the corner handle and drag.

Please see pictures below, to better understand what I am trying to say.

Now this is exactly what we need. Save this picture in the desired location. It is best to save it in JPEG format.

Now if you open this picture, it will look like how it looks below. See screenshot below.

Please have a look at the size of the picture below. This is just for your information.

Section 2

Now we need to add this separator to the hubs. When editing a hub or when in editing mode, insert a photo capsule. See screenshot below.

Click on the "edit" button on the photo capsule

Click on "Choose File"

Choose the file that you need to add as a paragraph separator or line breaker. In this case, I have chosen the file "Paragraph_Separator" that I created with Paint.

Do not add any information like, "Name of source" or "Source URL" or "Caption" as these will appear at the bottom of the line and make it look cluttered. It will then not look like a paragraph separator, with all the captions below.

So, do not add any details and just click on "Save"

Now you can see that the line has been added in the photo capsule.

Finish editing, by clicking on the "Done Editing" button on top of the page. Your paragraph separator is ready.

See screenshot below.

I hope this has been of some use to you. Please feel free to ask for any clarification. The process above for creating a line with paint might seem complicated. If you have or know of any easier methods that you use, please feel free to share or advice, so that I can update the hub and everyone can benefit.

You can also crop out part of pictures as a thin line and use them as separators. They look attractive if used along with the theme of the hub. Please see samples to the right hand side.

Thank you for reading.

Comments

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on August 20, 2013:

Hi Radhikasree, thank you for stopping by. I am glad that you found this interesting and useful. Thank you for the votes and share.

Hope you are well. Have a good day :-)

Radhika Sreekanth from Mumbai,India on August 05, 2013:

Nice tutorial on paragraph separator. Thanks for sharing this good one. Voted up, useful and interesting. Shared too.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on August 04, 2013:

Hi Marlene, thank you. I am glad that this was helpful. Have a great week ahead!

Marlene Bertrand from USA on August 03, 2013:

I have seen the separators in hubs and wondered exactly how hubbers did it. I'm glad to know how to do this now. Thank you. Your instructions are excellent.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on August 02, 2013:

Hi Hlwar, thank you for stopping by. I am glad that this was helpful. In case you need to add decorative separators, use them very similar to how you use these lines. It will be just another picture of a decorative separator. Hope you find this useful. Have a great weekend!

hlwar on August 01, 2013:

I've thought about adding decorative separators but just... couldn't be bothered to play with the features, I guess. (-_-) So thank you for the informative hub! At least now I know how to do it, and the step-by-step pictorial is a helpful addition.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on June 06, 2013:

@docmo: Hi Mohan, thank you for reading and sharing. I am pleased that you found this a useful hub. Thank you for the wishes. Hope you are well and enjoying the Summer :-)

Mohan Kumar from UK on June 05, 2013:

What great, useful and easy to follow info here, Dahlia - this is a great hub for hub creation.... thank you. happy b'day btw. shared.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on June 01, 2013:

Hi passionate77, thank you. I am glad that this was useful for you. Have a good weekend.

passionate77 on June 01, 2013:

thnx for sharing livingsta, very nice hub, bookmarked it, thanks again for sharing nice info!

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 31, 2013:

Hi Wabash Annie, thank you. I am pleased that this was helpful for you. Have a good weekend!

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 31, 2013:

Hi Mary, thank you for reading. I am pleased that you like this. Separators do not count towards the number of photos, I mean they do not boost your photo count. It only gives a boost to the layout of the hub and makes it look neat. I have used cropped photos too as they go well with the theme of the hub. Thank you for stopping by. Thank you also for the votes and share. Have a good weekend :-)

wabash annie from Colorado Front Range on May 31, 2013:

What a useful hub! I've bookmarked it so that I can refer to it easily. Thanks much!

Mary Hyatt from Florida on May 31, 2013:

Great informational Hub! I had read somewhere when you are trying to "wake up" sleeping Hubs, to add some photos and that these separators would serve to boost your photo count. Is that correct?

I use cropped photos on Hubs, but I'm going to try to use Paint.

Voted UP and shared.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 21, 2013:

Hi KoffeeKlatch Gals, thank you for stopping by. I am glad that you found this useful. Thank you for the votes and the share. Have a great rest of the week!

Susan Hazelton from Northern New York on May 21, 2013:

This is great information. Your instructions are clea and concise, easy enough for anyone to understand and follow. I am saving, sharing, rating up, useful, interesting, and awesome.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 09, 2013:

Hi Peggy W, thank you. This is easy, and once you have created one, you can use it in all the hubs. Glad that you found this useful. Thank you so much for the votes and share. Have a good day!

Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on May 09, 2013:

This is great information to know. Thus far I have always used my program to shrink down the size of a photo. Will have to give your method a try. Up, useful and interesting votes and will share.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 09, 2013:

Hi iguidenetwork, thank you. I am pleased that you found this useful. Thank you for the votes. Have a good day!

iguidenetwork from Austin, TX on May 08, 2013:

Haven't actually inserted a line breaker or separator yet in my hubs, maybe I should try adding one to give my future hubs a little ooompphh.. thanks for your clear instructions. Up and useful. :)

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 07, 2013:

Hi Loksmi, thank you. I am glad this was useful to you. Have a great week ahead!

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 07, 2013:

Hi Pinto2011, Thank you. I am so pleased that you found this useful. Looking forward to see these on your hubs. Have a good evening.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 07, 2013:

Hi Sweetie1, I am glad that you found this helpful. Thank you for the share. Have a good evening.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 07, 2013:

Hi NMLady, thank you for the suggestion. Have a good day!

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 07, 2013:

Hi Nell, thank you for reading and I am pleased that you found this useful. Thank you so much for the votes and share. Have a good evening.

Subhas from New Delhi, India on May 06, 2013:

Very nice idea. I am really going to apply this in few of my hubs to make them more vibrant.

sweetie1 from India on May 06, 2013:

Livingsta, this is very good hub. Liked it and shairng it followers. I have always thought how some people can put those things in between paragraphs.. Thanks for sharing.

NMLady from New Mexico & Arizona on May 06, 2013:

OR open Publisher and go to borders..... insert at bottom of section.

Nell Rose from Buckinghamshire UK on May 06, 2013:

What great information, and so useful. I just tend to use google pics, and have no idea how to do it any other way, this is so useful, and very detailed, voted up and shared, nell

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Kathryn, I am so glad that this was useful for you. Have a great week ahead!

Kathryn from Windsor, Connecticut on May 06, 2013:

Thanks for sharing this with us, Livingsta, this is something I didn't know how to do. I will refer back to this at some point, and actually try it out!

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Blond Logic, thank you for stopping by. Have a great week ahead!

Mary Wickison from USA on May 06, 2013:

You are right, separators make a hub or page easier to read. They can be as simple or ornate as the authors desires. Wonderfully explained.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Mary615, thank you. You will definitely be able to do this. I am glad that you found this useful. You can even download free separators off the internet. Thank you for the votes and share. Have a great week ahead.

Mary Hyatt from Florida on May 06, 2013:

Thank you so much! I can only do a cropped photo as a divider, but I am anxious to try this method. Certainly seems simple enough....

Voted up and shared.

Matt from San Francisco Bay Area on May 06, 2013:

Testing comment post and edit issue mentioned here. https://hubpages.com/forum/topic/112243

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi StephSev108, thank you. I am pleased that this was helpful. Have a great week ahead.

Stephanie Marie Severson from Atlanta, GA on May 06, 2013:

Thank you...this is what I need!

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Suziecat7, thank you. I am glad that you found this useful. Have a great week ahead!

suziecat7 from Asheville, NC on May 06, 2013:

What a great Hub - thank you so much.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Angelo52, thank you. I am glad that you found this useful. Have a great week ahead.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Careermommy, you're welcome :-)

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi MountainManJake, yes true. I have mentioned that in the hub. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Have a great week ahead!

Angelo52 on May 06, 2013:

Very well put together article. Thanks for the information on putting dividers between sections in a hub. Thumbs up and sharing.

Tirralan Watkins from Los Angeles, CA on May 06, 2013:

livingsta, thank you for looking up this information for Mac's! I will try your suggestions and see what happens. Thank you again!

MountainManJake from Seattle on May 06, 2013:

That seems a bit extensive if you can just go to Google, type in dividers and pick which ever one you like.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Peachpurple, thank you. I am pleased that this was useful. Have a great weekend ahead!

peachy from Home Sweet Home on May 06, 2013:

thanks for the step by step photos. Very useful

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi SidKemp, thank you. I am glad this is useful. I have quickly checked the size of the picture and it comes up as

Pixel Dimensions:

Width - 433 Pixels

Height - 22 Pixels

Document Size:

Width - 11.46 Centimeters

Height - 0.58 Centimeters

Hope this helps. I will add the screenshot to the hub so that it will be useful to others too.

Have a great week ahead!

Sid Kemp from Boca Raton, Florida (near Miami and Palm Beach) on May 06, 2013:

Thanks, livingsta - creating separators is on my HubPages to do list for the week. What do you think are the best dimensions (horizontal width, height, and pixels / inch) for the image?

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Paul, thank you so much. I am glad this has been useful for you. I am really pleased. Have a great week ahead.

Paul Richard Kuehn from Udorn City, Thailand on May 06, 2013:

livingsta,

I often wondered how people got illustrative dividers between paragraphs. Now I should know how to do it with your great illustrated instructions. Thanks for sharing this knowledge! Voted up and sharing with followers.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi KawikaChann, thank you so much. I am glad you found this useful and interesting. Thank you for the votes. Have a great week ahead. Peace!

Dahlia

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Younghopes, thank you for stopping by. Yes they do look good and give a neat appearance to the hub. Have a great week ahead!

Kawika Chann from Northwest, Hawaii, Anykine place on May 06, 2013:

livingsta, very informative and useful. Step by step, and instructions, and great graphics to assist. Nicely done. Upvoted/useful/following. Peace. Kawi.

Shadaan Alam from India on May 06, 2013:

love these paragraph separators, i have used a few in some of my hubs, and they do look good

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Rumanasaiyed, thank you. I am pleased that this information was useful. Thank you for the votes.

Have a great week ahead!

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi tillsontitan, thank you so much. I am glad this has been useful and helpful. Thank you for the votes. Have a great week ahead!

Mary Craig from New York on May 06, 2013:

You did an excellent job...your illustrations make the directions easy to follow and I have a feeling we'll be seeing more 'separators' once this hub gets around!

Voted up and useful.

Rumana from Sharjah, UAE on May 06, 2013:

Very briefly explained. Thanks for such a useful information.

Voted up Useful!

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi ryanjhoe, thank you for reading. I am glad this is useful information. Have a great week ahead!

ryanjhoe from Somewhere over the rainbow on May 06, 2013:

Nice hub, well done. This is a very good information and useful for many hubbers. Thank you for sharing this!

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Prettynutjob30, thank you. I am glad you found this information useful. Thank you for the votes and share. Have a great week ahead!

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Writer Fox, thank you for stopping by. Yes I think it will benefit a few people. Have a great week ahead :-)

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Rajan, thank you for reading and I am glad this is useful. Thank you for the vote and share too. Have a great week ahead!

Mary from From the land of Chocolate Chips,and all other things sweet. on May 06, 2013:

This is some very useful information, voted up, more and shared.

Writer Fox from the wadi near the little river on May 06, 2013:

Thank you for taking the time to post this information. I'm sure it will be helpful to many.

Rajan Singh Jolly from From Mumbai, presently in Jalandhar, INDIA. on May 06, 2013:

Very interesting and pretty useful. I have used dividers in some hubs of mine but like Bill said, tend to forget to use them regularly.

Thanks for the lesson.

Voted up and shared.

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi FlourishAnyway, yes you can. It is very simple and you will like it. Thank you for passing by. Have a great week ahead! :-)

Dahlia Ambrose (author) from United Kingdom on May 06, 2013:

Hi Careermommy, thank you. I am glad that you found this helpful. I have looked up to see a Mac equivalent Paint application. I see that there is an application called Paintbrush for Mac. If you do not have it on your system, you can download it from the Mac downloads area. Also, it looks like, that the new MacBooks come bundled with this application called GraphicConverter. Please check to see if you are able to get either one of these. They seem to have features very similar to the Paint application in Windows. If you are running Snow Leopard or earlier, you will have AppleWorks on your computer that has a good paint application. I hope this has been of some help to you. Please feel free to ask for any clarifications. Have a great week ahead :-)