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QR Codes are showing up everywhere from posters, to shop windows, to the backs of business cards. How do you create a QR Code? Lockergnome guest screencaster Matthew Sabia shows you how to create and use a QR code in this screencast.

Matt came up with the idea for this video after seeing a question Justin posed on Lockergnome, asking if we agree with a particular statement. Instead of having any text, the message simply showed a huge QR code, which many people have no clue how to read.

QR codes have many uses. For instance, you can create a QR code on your desktop with information inside of it that you may need on your phone. Take a snapshot of that code with your mobile device using an app created for this purpose and the information is automatically transferred.

If you head over to miniQR, you can quickly create a QR code of your very own! Enter the information you wish to code into the little bar at the top, and click the “submit” button. Voila! You will then be able to save your QR code as a PDF or DOC file, or copy the direct link to Twitter, Facebook and more.

Thanks, Matt, for another excellent screencast.

Create Your Own QR Codes

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There are many different ways that you can copy a URL from a browser on your desktop (or laptop!) onto your mobile device. I’ve tried several of them, and finally have found what I feel is the easiest method of all. Google Chrome has an extension called “QR Relay” which is free to use. It will create a QR code from any web page which you can then scan into your phone using a corresponding application. On the iPhone, I happen to use quiQR.

Once the QR Relay extension is installed, you’ll notice a small button on the right side of your web pages. Click that whenever you need to copy a browser URL to place on your phone. A QR code box will automatically be generated. Once it is, I open the quiQR app on my iPhone and hold it still with the camera pointing at the new QR code on the webpage. It scans it in fairly quickly, and opens up the URL in question. Pretty awesome, eh?

There’s more than one reason I chose to use this exact app on my iPhone. I can create a QR code from pretty much anything – including a text message or block of text. For instance, I could place my shipping address and business phone number into a QR code. This way, should my phone ever be lost the QR code could be scanned to reveal the place to send the phone back to. That is, of course, if the person who found my phone cared to make sure it found its way back home.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YUJAHP_0Bp0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YUJAHP_0Bp0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

How to Copy a URL from a Browser to a Mobile Device

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You can’t tell it, but all the dots and such on my computer screen says live.pirillo.com! You wouldn’t be able to detect that with your own eyes, unless you’re skilled at reading barcodes. Luckily there is software available to help you interpret images like that.

If you’re wanting to turn some text into a QR code for yourself, just head over to QR-Code Generator. You can input any URL or text and turn it into a QR code with the click of a button!

Also, if you’re looking for a free QR code reader, download the Kaywa Reader. Put this onto your phone, and then be able to access information on any product with the click of a button. Take a picture of any QR code with your phone (with the software installed, of course!). Kaywa Reader will give you all the information behind that supposed “gibberish” that you might need.

Last – but not least – you can also check out invx to help generate a QR code for free. The idea is the same as with the above site. Input your text and click a button!

You never know when you might need something like this. QR codes are found everywhere out in the “real” world, and in print.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ciGoPVlo-0E"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ciGoPVlo-0E" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

How to Create QR Codes and Barcodes