4 Canva Top Tips For Beginners

We want to share with you our Canva tips as we know a lot of our clients use Canva to create social media posts. Not everyone is a wiz at Photoshop or After Effects, it can be time consuming, whereas Canva is quick and efficient for getting posts out quickly.

Not only is Canva easy to use, it's also FREE!

We thought we’d put together our top tips to get the most out of your posts!

To start, we are looking at some of the most used keyboard shortcuts that over time will save you thousands of clicks! Open up a fresh canvas and get ready to save time!

Tip 1 – Shortcuts

Copy & Paste

If you are on a Mac you will use “Command ⌘” and if you are on Windows this would be the "Control" key.

To copy a layer or picture select it with your mouse and then press the “Command ⌘” or "Control" & “C” keys at the same time.

To paste the same layer or image press the “Command ⌘” or "Control" & “V” keys at the same time.

Undo‍

No matter how good of a designer you are you will always need to undo some changes! To undo a change in Canva hit the “Command ⌘” or "Control" & “Z” keys.

Textbox‍

Need a next textbox? Simply press the letter “T” on your keyboard, and just like that, you’ve got a fresh textbox ready for your content.

Shapes‍

Time to throw some shapes. Just like our last tip to add a text box, adding a rectangle or circle is just as easy.

To create a new rectangle on your design simply press “R” on your keyboard. Need a circle instead? You guessed it, press “C” and you’ll have a perfect circle to use in your design.

Tip 2 – Creating drop shadow text

If you want to create text with a shadow to help draw in people’s attention you can do so easily!

Let's start with a simple drop shadow. Write out the text in your chosen font, then select the text box. Next you need to select "effects". On a computer this is located in the top bar and on mobile it's located in the bottom bar.

Here you should see different styles that encorporate a drop shadow; "shadow", "lift", and "echo". Choose the style you prefer and here you can then adjust the settings to how you want it.

Another drop shadow requires a little more work. Write out the text you want in the font you are using. Then select the textbox and duplicate it. You will then need to change the colour of the text otherwise the effect won’t fully work.

Now you’ve duplicated the text and changed the colour you need to send it back behind the main text box. With the layers in the correct order all you need to do is position it slightly to the left or right of the main text you wish to show.

You will now have an eye catching drop shadow on your text!

Tip 3 – Cut The Background

Looking for images but finding it hard to get one without a background? This tip is just for you!

When searching for your image add “+ cutout:true” at the end of your search. Canva will then only show you related assets that have already had the background removed.

Tip 4 – Magic Recommendations

If you remember iTunes you’ll remember Apple’s Genius feature, did you know you can do the same with images you find and like?

In "elements" on the left tab, search for an image you want to use. Once you’ve found an image you like hover over it, click the 3 small dots in the top right of the image and click “See more like this”. It will generate a whole bunch of stickers similar to the one you like!

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Hopefully you can put our top canva tips to good use! Let us know if you have any that we’ve not mentioned!

Still need help with your social posts, or want some more professional posts? Don't hesitate to get in touch with our team!

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Tip 1 – Shortcuts

Tip 2 – Creating drop shadow text

Tip 3 – Cut The Background

Tip 4 – Magic Recommendations