Canva is one of the most popular design tools for creating everything from flyers and business cards to interactive presentations. It’s pretty user-friendly even for those who don’t have any design experience, but if you want to level up your Canva experience, consider these tips and tricks.
Use “Tidy Up” to create perfect spacing
If you’ve ever tried to manually align multiple images, text boxes, or other design elements so they’re evenly spaced, only to have them off by a tiny margin with each adjustment, the “Tidy up” tool is the solution to your problem. With this feature, you can group elements, and Canva will automatically snap them into place so you don’t have to shift them pixel by pixel. Select three or more elements in your design, click Position in the toolbar, and choose Tidy Up. You’ll also find a bunch of other alignment and spacing options on this menu.
Upload a CSV with “Bulk Create” to generate templated content
For designs that need to be replicated with unique information—such as matching business cards for different employees or localized marketing flyers with a consistent design—use the Bulk Create tool to generate and fill in a template instead of manually editing each individual file. Bulk Create pulls data from an Excel or CSV file (or a compatible data app, like Google Analytics) and matches it to form fields on your design. You can use Canva’s AI match or drag and drop data fields manually, then preview and generate the design.
Search graphics by artist or collection to create a cohesive visual effect
If you find an image or graphic that you like, you can filter your search to see more assets from that same artist, so all of the illustrations in your design look cohesive. This is especially useful if you are creating a manual, guide, or series of social media posts that you want to keep visually consistent. Hover over the visual element and tap the three dots, then select View more by or See more like this. You can also star the artist to easily find them again.
Generate a color palette from an image to keep design consistent
If you’re basing your design around a photo or image, you don’t have to trial-and-error your way to finding the right colors for other elements. Canva has a free custom color palette generator that analyzes uploaded images and creates four-color combinations, complete with names and hex codes. You can apply the palette to a Canva design or save it for future use. If you already have a photo in your design, select the photo, click the color swatch, and look for Photo colors on the toolbar to see the palette.
Use “Copy Style” to quickly apply changes across elements and pages
Once you settle on the style and format of text and elements in your design, use “Copy Style” to apply them across the board without needing to manually select each individual setting, such as background colors, font styles and sizes, text colors, and alignment. Select the element or text you want to copy, then click the paint roller icon in the floating toolbar and choose the element or text you want to copy the formatting into. Canva also has a “Style Match” tool that uses AI to match the visual style of existing elements.
Use “Lock Position Only” locking to freeze layouts for collaboration
If you have multiple team members working on the same Canva file but don’t want anyone to accidentally move or resize elements while editing text, you can lock only certain elements in place while still allowing the content itself to be changed. Select the element you want to lock—such as a text box, image, or graphic—and select Lock position only. Collaborators can edit text or unlocked elements without affecting those parts that are locked.
Turn on “Grids” to automatically create margins and spacing
Canva’s Grids feature divides your design into compartments, such as rows or columns, which you can use to place and align images, videos, color fills, or other elements with consistent, even spacing. Grids can also be used to easily crop images or retain custom filters and effects even if images are swapped out. You can also change the spacing between grid cells to create consistent margins. Grid layouts can be found under Elements > Browse. This is especially useful for collages, vision boards, and visual storytelling.
Download your design as a PDF to keep links clickable
If a URL is written out on your Canva design, viewers can copy and paste it to visit the website. If you want to add a hyperlink and ensure it remains clickable, you’ll need to download your file as a PDF and share it in that format. No other file types support clickable hyperlinks (and social media platforms strip links out of PDFs as well). Go to Share > Download > PDF to save your design with clickable links.
Link a Hovercode account to get free custom dynamic QR codes
Canva has a built-in QR code generator that allows you to drop custom codes into your design using your existing color palette. By default, these QR codes are static, meaning the link is permanently fixed, and you’d have to swap out the QR code and distribute the new design if you wanted to make changes. Dynamic codes use a redirect link that can be updated and also track scan data, such as click counts and location. If you add the Hovercode app to Canva (search “Dynamic QR Codes” under the Apps tab) and link a Hovercode account, you can have up to 10 dynamic QR codes available at once for free. After that, you can upgrade to a paid Hovercode tier.
Start a “Canva Live” session to get audience feedback during your presentation
When using Canva to present to a group, you can start a Live session to have audience members ask questions and leave comments as well as upvote feedback from other participants. Simply select Present > Present full screen or Presenter view > Present and click Canva Live > Start new session. This will generate an 8-digit code, which audience members can enter at canva.live to join the session. Audience chat messages and questions will show in the Presenter window.