How to Use Canva: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students, Teachers, and Professionals

Have you ever been irritated by design apps that weren’t simple or didn’t meet your needs?

Canva fixes both problems, making it one of the most user-friendly design tools.

So, if you want to get into designing but have yet to be intimidated by the learning curve of software like Photoshop or Illustrator, Canva is the ideal place to start.

You don’t need to be a graphic design expert to do professional designs with Canva, and its clever layout and preset images make it a breeze.

Have you ever wondered how to use Canva?

In this beginner’s Canva guide, you’ll learn how to use Canva easily and all the tips, tricks, and shortcuts you need to know to become a Canva pro.

What is Canva?

Canva is a simple design platform used by students, teachers, businesses, organizations, and even professionals to generate outstanding, professional-quality graphic designs.

This online design tool has many useful features, including a drag-and-drop design tool and a massive library of over 1 million photos, graphics, and fonts.

Anyone and everyone now has access to Canva, a user-friendly and dependable design tool that makes it simple to turn a concept into a great design, whether in print or online.

Canva is a tool to make professional-looking designs for nearly any purpose.

Also Read: What is Canva Online Design Tool?

Examples of content you can make with Canva is 

• Infographic Design for a Blog Post
• Premium Fonts and Custom Text
• Resizer for images
• Add text to your photographs
• Maker of speech bubbles
• Photo Enhancer 8,000 Templates Image
• Transparency Tool
• Blurred photo

Now, let’s dive into knowing how to use Canva. I will walk you through the steps to create unique designs like a pro!

How to Use Canva Design Tool?

Create a free account on the Canva homepage. You can use your email, Gmail, or Facebook to do so.

After you’ve made your account, you may instantly begin creating. Don’t be intimidated by Canva; there’s a lot you can do with it.

Step 2: Navigating the Canva Dashboard

To navigate the dashboard, you can use the main navigation menu at the top of the page, which includes options for creating a new design, accessing your methods, accessing your account settings, and selecting from existing templates.

The left sidebar allows you to access different sections, like templates, projects, brands, Content Planners, etc.

Step 3: Select Canva Templates

You can make so many in Canva, for example, posts for social media, banners for blogs, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

It’s usually advisable to start with a Canva template rather than designing your design from scratch.

Canva, as shown in the image above, has a large number of preformatted templates.

You may generate photos preformatted to meet the optimal size of an Instagram story, Facebook post, Twitter post, Pinterest graphic, and more under the social media category!

For the demonstration, we will take up how to use Canva to create a new social media post.

You must know the post’s size and dimensions to avoid losing the content.

Let’s dive into the step-by-step guide on how to use Canva.

Step 4: Search Social Media

Following that, you’ll notice a variety of categories on the left side of the Canva page. Choose any of the templates as per your preference.

Pro Design Tip 1 – Use a colour scheme: Choosing a colour scheme for your design can help create a cohesive and polished look. You can use a pre-existing colour scheme or create your own.

Step 4: Select Blank Pages or Edit Pre-designed Template

On the left of your screen, when you select social media posts, you’ll see a blank canvas with multiple design themes. Select the template icon from the menu:

Step 5: Add Background and Elements

Step 6: Edit Elements

Canva has the advantage of editing the elements at our convenience, which is why the interface comprises pre-designed templates.

Group Elements in Canva

Grouping objects/ elements in any photo-editing tool is a great way to work on multiple items.

Step 7: Group Selection

To group multiple elements, drag your cursor over the desired items and select ‘Group Selection’ from the submenu that appears when they’re highlighted in blue or black colour, respectively.

The selection will create an outlined border around the selected object(s).

Pro design Tip 2 – Shortcut to Group the Elements: Use the “Ctrl+G” shortcut to group and “Ctrl+Shift+G” ungroup elements in Canva.

For a detailed guide, Check out how to use Canva to group elements.

Step 8: Adjust the Elements of Your Design

The drawback, however, is that all the selected boxes will be inaccessible if they’re inside one another—you’ll need to ungroup them by clicking anywhere outside their boundaries or de-selected everything before trying again with another selection box/object area pairings!

But be sure which elements should appear front and forward simultaneously and which parts should appear back and forward.

Pro Design Tip 3 – To make your design look more attractive and ensure the elements are in place, use the Align and Position tool in Canva

How To Use Canva to Add Fonts to Your Designs?

Adding custom fonts can give your designs a unique look and feel you can’t get with the default fonts included in Canva.

Step 9: Add Text Box

When you want to add a text box, select the text option on the side menu and click add a text box.

Pro Design Tip 4 – Use typography effectively: Typography can significantly impact the overall look of your design. Be sure to choose a legible and appropriate font for the message you are trying to convey.

You can also upload your fonts if you want. Check out how to use Canva to add fonts.

How To Use Canva To Draw?

In this session, beginners, let’s learn how to use Canva to draw like Adobe Illustrator.

Step 10: Select the Canva Draw Tool

• To access the ‘Draw app’, go to the left menu and select the ‘More’ option. 
• Scroll to the end of the list to find the ‘Draw Beta’ option. 
• Clicking on this will add the ‘Draw app’ to your menu options.

Step 11: Choose your Brush Type, Size and by Clicking on Options on the Sidebar

Here is the step-by-step guide on how to use Canva to draw.

If you choose the ‘Draw‘ option, several brushes will display, which you can use to enhance your images.

As an example, we’ll use the ‘Pen Stroke’ brush. ‘Erase,’ ‘Transparency’, and ‘Colors’ are other possibilities.

How to Use Canva to Remove Background?

Let’s add an image of Sorav Jain to this template.

The transparent background removal tool on Canva makes this easy for anyone who wants their images taken off without having Photoshop or other design programs handy!

To use this feature for your design, you need a pro account.

Step 12: Upload your Image

Click on the Uploads option in your menu and select whether to upload an image or video. Then, pick which file you want from your device for this task!

Pro Design Tip 5 – You can use remove.bg website remove the background from the image, if you don’t have a Pro account.bg to .

Step 13: Add the Image to Your Canva Template, then Click Edit Image

Now click on the image you uploaded into Canva, which will add the image to your design template.

Step 14: Make Any Adjustments If Necessary

With the background removed, you can see your image perfectly. 

Here is the step-by-step guide on how to use Canva to remove the background.

Step 15: The Final Outcome

The final output will be like this.

Pro Design Tip 6 – Keep it simple: A clean and simple design can be more effective than a cluttered and busy one.

Pro Design Tip 7 – Use Canva pre-made templates to quickly save time and create content.

Why is Canva Popular Among Bloggers and Content Creators?

• Canva provides users, whether they are newbie designers or expert graphic artists, with a simple yet powerful online design tool that allows them to quickly and effortlessly transform any concept into robust, attractive designs and graphics. 
• It is a perfect design tool and content creation platform for inexperienced graphic designers.
• Companies and organizations can learn how to use Canva to solve a common problem that affects content marketing efforts: delivering consistently compelling explicit material. 
• Canva provides customers the tools and features to produce fantastic, appealing, and relevant content.
• Users may create documents and graphics from scratch using Canva’s powerful drag-and-drop editor with many photos, fonts, and templates. 
• Users can also develop unique designs and templates incorporating parts of their brand and business. Canva lets customers maintain uniformity of themes across papers by providing easy-to-edit templates and designs.
• Templates, documents, and layouts may all be set up to allow others to edit and make modifications. Users can also comment on each other’s work, which improves communication and teamwork.
• You can go right with Canva’s user-friendly tools, over a million images and fonts, and a free package.

Canva Pro vs. Free Version

Do you know you can earn passive income through Canva?

Want to learn how to use Canva to earn passive income? Are you ready to start selling Canva designs? Are you prepared to make money from your Canva templates as a passive income? If that’s the case, I encourage you to enrol in this “Canva Mastery online course.” to become an expert in Canva designing.

This course covers everything from using Canva for beginners to becoming a professional Canva expert.

It covers everything from researching popular products to building high-demand templates, creating stunning product listing photos, writing a descriptive product description, pricing templates, creating a shop, and optimizing SEO. Making posts for social media, and how to create videos in Canva, and much more to know.

What are you waiting for? Sign up now to become a Canva expert!!!

Conclusion

Canva is a potent tool for creating stunning designs with its user-friendly interface, pre-made templates, and drag-and-drop features.

It’s no wonder Canva is one of the most popular tools for graphic design.

With this guide, you can now use Canva to create stunning designs for any occasion. So what are you waiting for? Get started with Canva and create something unique today!

Frequently Asked Questions on Canva

1. How do I get started with Canva?

A. To start with Canva, visit their website and sign up for a free account. Once logged in, you can explore the various design templates and categories available. Choose a template, customize it with text, images, and colours, and save or download your design.

2. What are the key features and tools in Canva?

A. Canva offers a range of features and tools to enhance your design experience. Some key features include drag-and-drop functionality, a vast library of images and illustrations, text editing options, filters and effects, and the ability to collaborate on designs.

3. Can I upload my images to use in Canva?

A. Yes, you can easily upload your images to Canva. Click on the “Uploads” tab, select the image you want to use from your computer, and you can check your Canva library. You can drag and drop the image onto your design canvas from there.

4. Can I create designs for specific platforms and dimensions?

A. Absolutely! Canva provides pre-set dimensions for various platforms such as social media, presentations, and posters. You can choose the appropriate sizes for your desired platform, and Canva will ensure your design fits perfectly.

5. How can I save or download my designs in Canva?

A. Once you’ve completed your design, click the “Download” button and choose the file format you prefer, such as JPEG or PNG. Canva also offers the option to save your designs in the cloud, allowing you to access them from anywhere and collaborate with others.