Canva is a tool with infinite possibilities! I recently discovered while doing Canva Pro review that how much you can actually do with this simple graphic design tool!
TodayâÃÂÃÂs article is about
** Canva Tips and Tricks where IâÃÂÃÂll be sharing 35+ interesting Canva tips and hacks to help you get the most out of Canva and design better graphics quickly and effortlessly!
Mind you, some of these hacks willyour mind! I was most impressed to know that you can live stream through Canva!
*Want to know how to do that? Well, letâÃÂÃÂs dive right into our article then!*
- From Where I learned About Canva Tips
- Tip 1: Using Pexels & Pixabay Inside Canva
- Tip 2: Select Element Behind âÃÂàLayer Hack
- Tip 3: Use Canva Frames to Display Mockups or Create Collages
- Tip 4: Useful Canva Shortcuts to Save Time
- Tip 5: Upload Images Quickly Using Drag and Drop Upload
- Tip 6: Group Different Elements Together
- Tip 7: Use Smart Mockups and bring your products to life!
- Tip 8: Move Elements Around the Editor with Ease
- Tip 9: Lock Elements in their Place
- Tip 10: Quickly Filter Search Results
- Tip 11: Add a QR Code to your Designs
- Tip 12: Customize Colors of Vector Art
- Tip 13: Use Tidy Up for Even Spacing
- Tip 14: Add Clickable Links in PDFs
- Tip 15: Animate your Design âÃÂàCanva Animation
- Tip 16: Search for Templates from the Home Page
- Tip 17: Live Stream through Canva
- Tip 18: Create Websites through Canva
- Tip 19: Copy Style of an Element
- Tip 20: View Similar Design Elements
- Tip 21: Use Canva Screen Recorder to record your Presentations
- Tip 22: Add a Gradient in the Background
- Tip 23: Canva Curved text and Effects
- Tip 24: Directly Use an Image on Canva
- Tip 25: Use CanvaâÃÂÃÂs Brand Kit to streamline your designs
- Tip 26: Leave Comments while collaborating
- Tip 27: Adjust Text Position Using Rulers
- Tip 28: Use Canva Logo Maker to Create Awesome Logos for your Brand
- Tip 29: Easily Erase Backgrounds using Canva Background Remover Tool
- Tip 30: Use CanvaâÃÂÃÂs Magic Resize Tool to Optimize Your Posts
- Tip 31: Create the Highlight Effect for YouTube Thumbnail
- Tip 32: Use Canva Graph Maker to Design Beautiful Graphs and Charts
- Tip 33: Save your designs as templates
- Tip 34: Use CanvaâÃÂÃÂs Color Palette Generator to Create Attractive Color Combinations
- Tip 35: Get Color Palette Ideas and Font Combinations
- Tip 36: Use Pre-Designed Color and Font Combinations
- Tip 37: Using the Color Eyedropper Tool
- Tip 38: Import and Edit PDF Files
- Tip 39: Blurring the Background of an Image
- Tip 40: Text Masking with Alphabet Frames
- Tip 41: Converting Photos into Paintings
- Conclusion
## From Where I learned About Canva Tips
I recently reviewed Canva Pro on my YouTube channel and Blog. So for that review I extensively used Canva and learned about the shortcuts and secret tips to use Canva efficiently
Canva is not the only design tool that IâÃÂÃÂve used. IâÃÂÃÂve active paid plans of Pixelied and Crello as well. IâÃÂÃÂve also reviewed Pixelied and Crello in detail and by Canva is the biggest design tool on internet right now
To effectively use Canva, you should know the tips IâÃÂÃÂm about to tell you. These are MUST learn Canva tips
In this article IâÃÂÃÂm sharing all Canva tips & tricks that IâÃÂÃÂve learned. Majority of them will work with Canva free version
## Tip 1: Using Pexels & Pixabay Inside Canva
This tip is for the Canva Free plan users. If youâÃÂÃÂve used online designing tools, you must know that the free stock photo collection of Canva is not as impressive as
*Pixelied* *or * *Crello.*
But why should that stop you from creating striking designs?
Canva integrates the
**Pexels** and **Pixabay** libraries inside its editor, so you can get access to a better photo collection and a large variety of stock images!
Step 1: Go over to the Canva Editor and click on the âÃÂÃÂMoreâÃÂàoption from the left sidebar
Step 2: Under Integrations, choose Pexels or Pixabay library and search for your favourite images
## Tip 2: Select Element Behind âÃÂàLayer Hack
DonâÃÂÃÂt youit when you have multiple layers in your design, but tweaking a single element ends up disturbing all the others?
*I feel your pain! *
Well, hereâÃÂÃÂs a very simple keyboard shortcut to select one layer at a time
Step 1: Press Ctrl+click or Cmd+click to select the first layer on the page
Step 2: Keep on clicking till you reach the layer you wish to edit. Now you can edit the selected layer without worrying about disturbing the others
*I also find this trick quite helpful for finding the hidden elements in my designs.*
## Tip 3: Use Canva Frames to Display Mockups or Create Collages
**Canva Frames** is an amazing feature to add beautiful frames around your designs, create photo collages, grids, cutouts of different shapes, and even photo mockups!
Step 1: Under the Elements tab, type in Frames in the search bar
Step 2: Select a frame/grid/mockup of your choice
Step 3: Drag and drop any image within it and double-click to re-adjust it
Mockups are very useful for creating advertisements or promotional marketing stuff! If you specifically need a tool to design mockups, check out
my detailed video on Placeit**
## Tip 4: Useful Canva Shortcuts to Save Time
Canva makes your designing experience even more smooth and effective by supporting lots of handy keyboard shortcuts
Function Key
Add a Text Box |T|
Add a Circle |C|
Add a Line |L|
Add a Rectangle |R|
Zoom in/out |Ctrl/Cmd +or Ctrl/Cmd + Scroll|
Duplicate an element |Ctrl/Cmd + D|
Crop an image |Ctrl/Cmd + drag to resize|
Apart from that Canva does have many more shortcuts that can be found on Canva website. They have created a beautiful shortcuts infographic
## Tip 5: Upload Images Quickly Using Drag and Drop Upload
Nobody has got time to select and upload images one by one onto the Canva Editor. Choose the smart way!
Select an image from your device and just drag it onto the Canva editor. It will be automatically uploaded!
I found CanvaâÃÂÃÂs drag and drop upload to be very smooth and quick as compared to other editors like
Crello**
## Tip 6: Group Different Elements Together
How do you move a particular set of elements without disturbing the spacing and arrangement of the whole design?
This is possible by using the
**Grouping feature
Step 1: Hold the Shift key and select all the elements you want to move
Step 2: Click on the Group button
Alternatively, you can also use the keyboard shortcut:
**Grouping** : (Select elements) + Ctrl/Cmd + G. **Ungrouping Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + G. *I found this feature quite useful while working on complex designs consisting of multiple layers and dozens of elements!*
## Tip 7: Use Smart Mockups and bring your products to life!
If you are into designing printed products, apparel, technology, clothing line, books or anything similar, Canva integrates with
**SmartMockups** to bring your work to life!
Step 1: Design your image and click on the three dots in the right corner
Step 2: Under the Share tab, youâÃÂÃÂll find the Smart Mockups option
Step 3: Sign Up on SmartMockups with your email id
Now, you can view your books, T-shirts, your websites, and other products printed on real-life objects! ItâÃÂÃÂs an outstanding feature to test-run your products before actually getting the designs printed!
## Tip 8: Move Elements Around the Editor with Ease
Need absolute precision while shifting various elements in your design? HereâÃÂÃÂs a trick. Use arrow keys to shift them by one unit
Alternately, to roughly adjust elements on your design, use Shift + arrow keys to move them by ten units
## Tip 9: Lock Elements in their Place
While working with lots of elements, itâÃÂÃÂs tough to select them individually,
*especially when there are layers too!*
An easy option would be locking the completed designs in their place
Step 1: Select the finalized elements and group them together
Step 2: Click on the Lock icon
Now, whatever you do with the other elements on the page wonâÃÂÃÂt affect the locked elements. They will continue to stay in their position until unlocked
## Tip 10: Quickly Filter Search Results
If you have a Canva Pro subscription, why would you want to use the freely available assets at all, right?
While searching for images, elements, videos, etc you can a Filter icon beside the search bar
Using it, you can filter your results by âÃÂÃÂProâÃÂàto only view the premium images
Additionally, you can also filter by
- Color
- Type of animation
- Orientation (Square, Vertical, Horizontal, etc)
## Tip 11: Add a QR Code to your Designs
CanvaâÃÂÃÂs URL Generator is extremely helpful while designing business cards, or marketing materials to promote your app, website, or brand
Step 1: Go to the âÃÂÃÂMoreâÃÂàoption from the left sidebar
Step 2: Select the QR code Generator under Apps and Integrations
Step 3: Add the URL to your blog, website, company, or your app
Your link will be converted into a QR code that people can scan it through their mobile phones
## Tip 12: Customize Colors of Vector Art
Do you know that itâÃÂÃÂs possible to change colors of your vector elements on Canva?
Whenever you select any vector element, the header bar displays all the colors that it is made up of
Click on the color you wish to edit and choose a different one of your choice!
## Tip 13: Use Tidy Up for Even Spacing
*Have lots of elements scattered across your page? Manually aligning them is too old-fashioned! *
Instead, try the
**Tidy-Up** feature!
Step 1: Select the elements you wish to align and click on Position
Step 2: Choose a direction to align âÃÂÃÂ
- Left, right, or center
- Middle, bottom, or top
Step 3: Now, use the âÃÂÃÂTidy UpâÃÂàfeature to apply an equal spacing between your elements and create a pleasing graphic!
## Tip 14: Add Clickable Links in PDFs
Adding hyperlinks within your ebooks and documents is easier than ever with Canva. Just follow this simple process
Step 1: Choose the text you wish to add a link on
Step 2: Click on the hyperlink icon on the top right
Step 3: Type in the URL to an external website
And youâÃÂÃÂre done! Now, when you export your design in PDF format, the link would work
*However, the only downside is that hyperlinks only work with PDFs. They wonâÃÂÃÂt work on JPG, PNG, or other file formats. *
## Tip 15: Animate your Design âÃÂàCanva Animation
Canva also has 6 different animation effects in the free version, and 13 effects in the Pro plan that you can use to make your designs even more attractive!
As soon as you add any design element on a blank page, you will find the animate button on the top left. Use it to create moving elements!
## Tip 16: Search for Templates from the Home Page
We all choose our design format first and then move on to selecting templates, right? But do you know that the format of your design might limit the search results?
*The perfect marketing template youâÃÂÃÂre looking for might not be available in the Instagram story format!*
Therefore, you should search for templates from the home page to have a wide variety of options to select from. Later, you can resize it according to the format you want to use it on
## Tip 17: Live Stream through Canva
Sounds unbelievable? I was stunned too! But you can actually start a live stream through Canva
Step 1: Click on the Present option available under the âÃÂÃÂRecommendedâÃÂàtab
Step 2: Select the Standard Presentation mode. YouâÃÂÃÂll find a tiny live stream button on the bottom
Step 3: Start a new session and copy the invitation link
Step 4: Send this link to people and start live streaming!
The best part is that your audience doesnâÃÂÃÂt need an app or account to access your live stream. They can directly ask questions from their browsers
So, if you are an instructor, you can use this function of Canva to conduct webinars, Question and Answer sessions, etc
## Tip 18: Create Websites through Canva
Oh, yes. You heard it right. It is possible to create a basic website with Canva
Select any design templates from the website templates available under Business templates
Now, edit the text, colors, images, elements, etc as per your requirements and add your URL on the page
While downloading, you get lots of options to publish as a website. When you click on Publish, your website is created through Canva
This is great for creating landing pages or portfolio sites that donâÃÂÃÂt need to be updated regularly
The only problem is that you cannot change the Canva URL. However, you can use link shortener tools to hide the Canva links
## Tip 19: Copy Style of an Element
While designing, if you have multiple texts or elements on the page and you wish to streamline them, then you can use Copy style
Copy style button helps you copy the font size, typeface, transparency, color, filter, and effects of one element and paste it on the other
If you wish to copy elements or an entire group from one design to another, you can copy and paste them on the desired location! It even copies hyperlinks and all applied effects!
## Tip 20: View Similar Design Elements
If you find an element attractive, and want to search for more similar elements, you can do so by clicking on the Information button above
Then, you can either search similar Elements through the keywords used, or click on the âÃÂÃÂSee more like thisâÃÂàbutton
You can also view the designs by a specific designer by clicking on âÃÂÃÂView more by designerâÃÂÃÂ
## Tip 21: Use Canva Screen Recorder to record your Presentations
Yes! Canva has an in-built screen-recorder! If you are a student, a teacher, or a business professional, you will find it convenient to record your presentations on Canva
Step 1: Select âÃÂÃÂPresent and RecordâÃÂàfrom the Recommended Tab
Step 2: Click on âÃÂÃÂGo to the Recording StudioâÃÂÃÂ
Step 3: Adjust your mic and camera settings and start recording!
You can also add relevant notes to be displayed on your screen while presenting. When you download or share a link to your recorded presentation, the notes would be hidden
Recently, they have also introduced âÃÂÃÂAudio-only talking presentationsâÃÂÃÂ, so you can simply record your voice along with the presentation!
*P.S. You can even record your own videos in Canva from the Uploads tab now. Go check it out! *
## Tip 22: Add a Gradient in the Background
Canva doesnâÃÂÃÂt provide the Gradient effect under its Backgrounds tab. But that doesnâÃÂÃÂt mean we cannot add one!
Step 1: Search for the gradient box in the Elements tab
Step 2: Cover your entire design with the box
Step 3: Now, customize the colors
YouâÃÂÃÂll see the gradient effect on your background!
## Tip 23: Canva Curved text and Effects
Click on a text on your design. Select âÃÂÃÂEffectsâÃÂàYou will find different effects you can apply on your text like shadows, hollow, echo, curve, neon, glitch effect, etc
Under Shadows, you can edit the color, direction, offset, blur, and transparency of the shadow. I find it great for creating 3D effects
Under the Curve effect, you can vary the degree of curve on a slider bar. ItâÃÂÃÂs helpful for designing logos
## Tip 24: Directly Use an Image on Canva
You donâÃÂÃÂt need to download an image and then upload it on Canva to use it. Simply copy any image from the Internet, and paste it on the Editor!
## Tip 25: Use CanvaâÃÂÃÂs Brand Kit to streamline your designs
If you have your own brand, then Brand Kits feature would be beneficial for you. ItâÃÂÃÂs a pro plan feature but you can access it in free version too with some limitations
Step 1: Head over to the Brand Kit tab from the left sidebar on the home page
Step 2: Add your brand colors and logo
Step 3: Choose fonts from CanvaâÃÂÃÂs Font Library or add custom Brand fonts
Now, while designing social media posts, you can simply click on the Brand kit to align the design as per your brand identity
*If you want to learn basic graphic design skills, check out Canva tutorials on* *Canva Design School.*
## Tip 26: Leave Comments while collaborating
If you have a team of designers collaborating on a design, you can leave comments for them through the bubble icon available beside the canvas
You can also tag your teammates in the comments
## Tip 27: Adjust Text Position Using Rulers
To precisely position all your elements, you can make use of the âÃÂÃÂShow RulersâÃÂàoption available under the File tab
The measurement unit is pixels by default. But you can change it to cm, mm, or inches from the Resize button
For additional convenience. You can also enable the guides and drag them on the Canvas
## Tip 28: Use Canva Logo Maker to Create Awesome Logos for your Brand
Canva has loads of templates for designing professional looking logos. You can find them under the
**Business Templates** category on the Home page
Select one of your choice, add a few tweaks, and youâÃÂÃÂre done with your logo within minutes!
## Tip 29: Easily Erase Backgrounds using Canva Background Remover Tool
I loved using this tool! It is available with the Canva Pro plan and helps you remove the background from any image with a single click!
You will find this tool under the
**Effects** tab after selecting your image
## Tip 30: Use CanvaâÃÂÃÂs Magic Resize Tool to Optimize Your Posts
If you are a social media creator or manager, the Magic Resize tool of Canva Pro will let you optimize a single design for all social media platforms!
Step 1: After finishing your design, click on the Resize button on the header bar
Step 2: Enter a design format or enter custom dimensions
Step 3: Click Resize, and your design will be optimized according to your chosen format!
## Tip 31: Create the Highlight Effect for YouTube Thumbnail
Ever wondered how YouTubers add that cool stroke effect on their thumbnails? You can do that within seconds through Canva!
Step 1: Choose an image for your thumbnail
Step 2: Use the Background Remover tool to remove the background image
Step 2: Create another copy of this image and apply Duotone on it from the Image effects tab
Step 3: Set the shadows and highlights both to
Step 4: Finally, change the background color and adjust the images
The highlight effect is done!
## Tip 32: Use Canva Graph Maker to Design Beautiful Graphs and Charts
Yes, Canva is a goldmine of surprising features! Need infographics, graphs, or charts for your blog post? You can create them within seconds!
Step 1: Go to Canva Graph Maker
Step 2: Enter your document title and click on âÃÂÃÂCreate my Graph Now.âÃÂÃÂ
Step 3: Choose one from 25 different kinds of graphs. Select your favourite template and start editing!
You will find a variety of beautiful graph templates including bar graphs, line graphs, mind maps, pie charts, comparison charts, concept maps, flowcharts, and a lot more!
## Tip 33: Save your designs as templates
If you need to work on the same design frequently, you can save them as templates to easily access later
Step 1: After completing your design, select the âÃÂÃÂTemplateâÃÂàoption from under the Share tab
Step 2: Choose a folder where you wish to save it
## Tip 34: Use CanvaâÃÂÃÂs Color Palette Generator to Create Attractive Color Combinations
Go to CanvaâÃÂÃÂs Color Palette Generator and upload an image of your choice
You will get the dominant colors used in that image, along with their hex codes. This is great if you wish to design your home, or your website from a color palette
## Tip 35: Get Color Palette Ideas and Font Combinations
If you want ideas for different color palettes, you can just visit CanvaâÃÂÃÂs Color Palettes, add any keyword, and find lots of different templates to choose from
You can also use CanvaâÃÂÃÂs Color Wheel, which is an interactive tool, to decide different color combinations and either export them or create a graphic with them
Additionally, Canva Font Combinations can help youl find great font pairing recommendations, so you can give it a try!
## Tip 36: Use Pre-Designed Color and Font Combinations
Confused with pairing different colors and fonts together? Try the Styles tab in Canva
It has pre- designed palettes that offer attractive color combinations for your design. Colors and fonts can be applied with a single click
## Tip 37: Using the Color Eyedropper Tool
You donâÃÂÃÂt need to download any extensions to pick colors anymore! With the eyedropper tool of Canva Pro, itâÃÂÃÂs easier than ever to select any color on your design and use it somewhere else
HereâÃÂÃÂs how you can do it
**Step 1: **Click the color palette icon on the element of your choice. **Step 2 On the Document Colors tab, click on âÃÂÃÂAdd a new colorâÃÂÃÂ. **Step 3 Beside the Hex code, youâÃÂÃÂll find the Eyedropper tool. Click on it and select any color from the screen
## Tip 38: Import and Edit PDF Files
Do you know that you can import your PDF files in the Canva editor? And not just that, once the PDF file is imported, you can make as many edits to it as you want! LetâÃÂÃÂs see how you can do that
**Step 1 On the Canva home page, click on âÃÂÃÂCreate a new designâÃÂàand select the âÃÂÃÂImport fileâÃÂàoption. **Step 2 Import your PDF file. ItâÃÂÃÂll open up in the Canva editor and now you can edit it easily
## Tip 39: Blurring the Background of an Image
Blurring the background of any image is a cakewalk with the Canva Pro version. All you need to do is:
**Step 1 Create two copies of the image that you wish to blur in the background. **Step 2 Use the Background Remover tool on the first image and use the blur effect on the second one. **Step 3 Now place the first image over the second one. You have applied the blur effect successfully!
## Tip 40: Text Masking with Alphabet Frames
Want to create a unique and highly engaging design? Text Masking is one of the best ways to do that! You can mask your letter frames in Canva with this simple process
**Step 1: **Select the letter frames of your choice from the Canva Elements tab by searching for âÃÂÃÂFramesâÃÂÃÂ. Then arrange them according to your choice. **Step 2: **Drag and drop videos or photos within them. For example, here, I have used the floral themed videos on my frames
## Tip 41: Converting Photos into Paintings
Yes, with Canva, you can easily transform your images into a painting. LetâÃÂÃÂs see how to do it
**Step 1 Upload an image on the Canva editor and click on Edit image. **Step 2: **Choose the âÃÂà**Prisma effect from the list. Try out all the 10 variations of the painting styles and select the one that you like best. This effect will add a punch of creativity to your boring pictures!
## Conclusion
With this, we have reached the end of our article. I hope this article helped you discover some new Canva hacks and shortcuts
I hope this helps you use Canva more effectively from now onwards! If youâÃÂÃÂre interested in discovering more about it, you can
*check out my detailed Canva Pro Review.*
If you enjoyed reading, and wish to stay updated with more such interesting content, you can subscribe to my
**Newsletter IâÃÂÃÂll make sure to provide you informative content regularly!
Anyway, this is
**Kripesh** signing off! Take care, guys. IâÃÂÃÂll be back with another article soon. ðÃÂÃÂÃÂ