Top Canva Pro Tips and Hacks to Take Your Designs to the Next Level
Elevate your designs with these Canva Pro tips and hacks. Discover how to create stunning graphics for branding, marketing materials, and social media that will captivate your audience. Upgrade to Canva Pro to unlock a whole new world of design possibilities.
Introduction
Canva Pro offers a plethora of features that can help you create professional designs for your business, marketing materials, and social media content. In this article, we will explore some of the lesser-known tips and hacks that can take your designs to the next level. Let's dive in!
Keyboard Shortcuts
Speed up your design process by using Canva Pro's keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts allow you to quickly perform actions such as duplicating elements, resizing objects, and aligning text without having to navigate through menus.
Open Canva and start a new design or open an existing one.
Familiarize yourself with the keyboard shortcuts by going to the "Keyboard Shortcuts" section in the Canva help center.
To access the shortcuts while working on a design, hold down the "ctrl" (Windows) or "command" (Mac) key and a list of shortcuts will appear on the screen.
To use a shortcut, press the corresponding key while holding down the "ctrl" or "command" key.
Some useful keyboard shortcuts include:
"ctrl/command" + "z" to undo your last action
"ctrl/command" + "y" to redo your last action
"ctrl/command" + "c" to copy an element
"ctrl/command" + "v" to paste an element
"ctrl/command" + "a" to select all elements on the canvas
"ctrl/command" + "d" to duplicate an element
"ctrl/command" + "+" to zoom in
"ctrl/command" + "-" to zoom out
"ctrl/command" + "0" to reset the zoom level
"ctrl/command" + "s" to save your design
Practice using the keyboard shortcuts to streamline your workflow and save time.
Using keyboard shortcuts in Canva can help you work more efficiently and quickly navigate through the design process. By practicing and incorporating these shortcuts into your workflow, you can take your designs to the next level.
Customize Templates
Take advantage of the wide variety of templates available in Canva Pro by customizing them to match your brand. Change the colors, fonts, and images to create a unique design that reflects your business.
Our favorite Email Marketing Templates. An example of the variety of templates available to edit, customize and personalize.
Open Canva and select a template: First, open Canva in your browser and select a template from the library that matches the type of design you want to create.
Customize the layout: Once you've selected a template, you can begin customizing the layout to fit your needs. You can add or remove elements, change the size and position of elements, and adjust the color and font of text.
Replace the images: Canva's templates come with pre-selected images, but you can easily replace them with your own. Simply select the image you want to replace, click on "Replace" in the toolbar, and choose the new image you want to use.
Add your own text: Canva's templates also come with pre-written text, but you can easily add your own text by selecting the text box and typing in your own content. You can change the font, size, color, and style of your text using the text editing tools in the toolbar.
Save your design: Once you're happy with your design, click on the "Download" button in the top-right corner of the screen to save your design. You can choose to download your design as a PNG, JPEG, or PDF file.
Share your design: You can also share your design directly from Canva by clicking on the "Share" button in the top-right corner of the screen. You can share your design via email, social media, or by copying the link to your design.
That's it! With these simple steps, you can customize Canva's templates to create stunning designs that are tailored to your needs.
Design Grids
Use Canva's design grids to create clean and organized designs. Grids help you arrange elements in a visually appealing way, making it easier for your audience to process the information.
Open Canva: Log in to your Canva account and create a new design or open an existing one.
Select the "Grids" option: On the left-hand side of the screen, you'll see a toolbar with different options. Click on the "Grids" option, which is the second one from the top.
Choose a grid: Canva offers a variety of grid options that you can use to structure your design. Scroll through the options and choose one that works for your project.
Customize the grid: Once you've selected a grid, you can customize it to suit your needs. To adjust the size of the grid, click and drag the edges. You can also change the number of rows and columns by clicking on the grid and selecting the "Adjust grid" option.
Add elements: With your grid in place, you can start adding elements to your design. Use the grid as a guide to help you place elements in the right position.
Adjust elements: If you need to adjust the position or size of an element, simply click and drag it to where you want it. You can also use the alignment tools in Canva to help you position elements precisely.
Save and export: Once you're happy with your design, save it and export it in the format you need.
Customizing grids in Canva can help you create clean, well-organized designs quickly and easily. Experiment with different grid options to see what works best for your project.
Custom Color Palettes
Maintain a consistent brand look by creating custom color palettes in Canva Pro. This feature allows you to save your brand colors for easy access, ensuring that your designs always look cohesive.
To customize color palettes in Canva, you can follow these steps:
Open the Canva editor and choose the design you want to work on.
Click on the “Colors” tab on the left-hand side of the screen.
Click on the “+” sign to add a new color palette.
Use the color wheel or enter specific color codes to choose the colors you want to include in your palette.
Once you have selected all of the colors you want, click “Create” to save your new palette.
To use your custom color palette, click on the “Colors” tab again and select the palette you just created.
You can also edit or delete existing color palettes by clicking on the three dots next to the palette and selecting the appropriate option. Custom color palettes can be a useful tool for creating consistent branding across all of your designs in Canva.
Transparency Tool
Create unique overlay effects by using Canva's transparency tool. This feature allows you to adjust the opacity of elements, giving your designs a layered look.
To use the transparency tool in Canva, you can follow these steps:
Open your design in Canva and select the element you want to make transparent.
Click on the "Effects" button in the toolbar.
Click on the "Transparency" option.
Use the slider to adjust the transparency of the element. You can also manually enter a percentage value in the text box.
Click outside the "Transparency" menu to apply the changes.
Note that the transparency tool works best on elements with solid colors or backgrounds. If your element has a lot of texture or pattern, the transparency effect may not be as noticeable.
Magic Resize
Quickly create different sizes of designs with Canva Pro's magic resize feature. This tool allows you to easily adapt your designs for various platforms, saving you time and effort.
The Magic Resize feature in Canva allows you to quickly resize your design to various preset dimensions, making it easier to create multiple versions of your design for different platforms. Here's how to use it:
Select the design you want to resize and click on the "Resize" button in the top right corner of the screen.
Choose the preset dimensions you want to resize your design to. You can select from a range of options, including social media posts, presentations, and print formats.
Select the pages you want to resize. You can choose to resize all pages or specific pages.
Click on the "Magic Resize" button.
Canva will create a new design with your selected dimensions and resize your original design to fit the new dimensions.
Check the new design to make sure everything looks the way you want it to. You may need to make some adjustments to ensure that the resized design still looks good.
Using the Magic Resize feature can save you time and effort when creating multiple versions of your designs for different platforms.
Background Remover
Easily remove the background from images using Canva Pro's background remover tool. This feature is perfect for creating clean, professional-looking designs without the need for complex editing software.
The background remover tool in Canva allows you to remove the background of an image and replace it with a transparent or solid color background. Here's how to use it:
Open Canva and create a new design or open an existing one.
Upload the image you want to remove the background from by clicking on "Uploads" on the left-hand side of the screen and then selecting the image from your computer.
Once the image is uploaded, select it and click on the "Effects" button on the toolbar above the image.
Scroll down until you find the "Background Remover" effect and click on it.
Canva will automatically remove the background from the image and show it on a transparent background.
You can now download the image with a transparent background or add a new background by clicking on "Background" on the toolbar above the image and selecting a solid color or a new image to use as the background.
Note that the quality of the background removal will depend on the complexity of the image and the contrast between the object and the background. For best results, use high-contrast images with clear edges.
Content Planner
Plan out your social media posts and designs with Canva Pro's content planner. This feature allows you to schedule your content in advance, ensuring that your social media presence remains consistent and engaging.
Canva's Content Planner is a tool that allows you to plan and schedule your social media content within Canva. Here's how to use it:
Open Canva and click on "Content Planner" on the left sidebar.
Select the social media platform that you want to schedule content for. You can choose from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Click on the "Create Post" button to start creating your post. You can choose from a range of pre-designed templates, or create your own post from scratch.
Once you've designed your post, you can add it to your content calendar. Simply click on the date that you want to schedule the post for, and select the time that you want it to go live.
You can also add captions and hashtags to your post, and even tag other users if you want to.
Once you're happy with your scheduled post, click on the "Schedule" button to confirm it. Your post will now be added to your content calendar and will be automatically published at the designated time.
You can view all of your scheduled posts in the "Content Calendar" tab, where you can edit or delete them if needed.
That's it! Canva's Content Planner is a great way to streamline your social media assets and presence.
Animation Feature
Create eye-catching animated designs with Canva Pro's animation feature. Add movement to your graphics to capture your audience's attention and make your content stand out.
Collaboration Tools
Utilize Canva Pro's collaboration tools to work with team members or clients on designs. Share your work, leave comments, and make edits in real-time to streamline the design process and ensure everyone is on the same page.
By leveraging these Canva Pro tips and hacks, you can elevate your designs and create stunning visual content that resonates with your audience. Don't forget to upgrade to Canva Pro to unlock all the features and tools that will help you take your designs to the next level. Happy designing!
