20 Best Canva Hacks (Step-By-Step Tips and Tricks for Canva)

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canva hacks

Canva users employ a smarter approach to their work rather than putting in excessive effort. Regardless of whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user of Canva, these 20 valuable Canva hacks will save you time and guarantee a smooth workflow.

List of Best Canva Hacks

Here is the list of best Canva hacks.

  1. Align text in the center
  2. Get rid of the video background
  3. Filter elements
  4. Choose a behind-the-scenes element
  5. New features and shapes
  6. Add gradient
  7. Make your text curve
  8. Draw on canva
  9. Use infographics and graphs
  10. Group or lock elements
  11. Quick create
  12. Add a background to your text
  13. Integrate Pexels and Pixabay for free photos
  14. Use shortcuts
  15. Create a hyperlink
  16. Secret codes for finding free elements
  17. New effect for photos
  18. Easily edit any PDF
  19. Template links allow you to sell Canva templates
  20. Embedded social site posts

Best 20 Canva Hacks in 2024

20 Canva hacks you need to know in 2024.

1. Align Text in the Center

align text in the center

This is one of the best Canva hacks for 2024. 

Hey, want to make sure your text in the design looks nice and centered? All you gotta do is grab the little handle on the text box and move it to the edges of your drawing area. If you want more boxes with the same font and size, just copy the first one and move it down. Easy-peasy! Then you can change the words inside each box. Have fun!

2. Get Rid of the Video Background

get rid of the video background

Hey there! We are sure you’ve heard about Canva’s cool feature that removes the background from images, right? But did you know they also have something similar for videos? Yep, it’s a video background remover! It works just like the image one, but it’s for videos instead. Pretty neat, huh?

Just do these things to use it:

  1. Pick a video part you want to work with.
  2. Go to the “Edit video” option.
  3. Click on “Remove background”. That’s it!

Well, you know what? This new thing they made is really cool, but it’s not always right. It might not work right now if you are working on a video with plenty of background activity.

But if the video background is just one color, like really simple, then it should work fine. Canva will probably make it even better in the future.

3. Filter Elements

filter elements

Instead of looking at all the pictures in Canva, just go to the side menu and tap the “Elements” option. Type in what you’re searching for and click on the “Filters”. You can choose the kind of picture you want by its format, color, how it’s placed, and if it moves or not. It’s like a special way to find exactly what you need!

4. Choose a Behind-The-Scenes Element

If you’ve ever made some cool designs using Canva, you might have observed that sometimes it is really hard to pick a picture or a box of words that are hiding behind something else.

Guess what? I’ve got some good news for you! There’s a super cool trick called a keyboard shortcut that can make things much easier!

So, imagine you have different layers stacked on top of each other. If you want to select a layer that’s hiding behind another one, you don’t have to worry. Tap the top layer while holding down the CTRL key. Then, tap again to choose the next one. Keep doing this until you find the layer you were searching for. It’s like playing a fun-clicking game!

Isn’t that awesome? Now you can quickly find and select the right layer without any trouble. Give it a try and see how handy this one of the Canva hacks can be!

5. New Features and Shapes

new features and shapes

Hey, guess what? Canva has made a cool new update! Now, when you’re using the editor, you can add shapes to your designs. And guess what’s even cooler? You can put text inside those shapes too! Isn’t that awesome? You can choose different fonts, sizes, and colors, just like before.

Canva lets you easily change the shapes! It’s super simple. Just tap the shape you wish to change, go to the top panel, find “Shape,” and pick a new shape. Voila! You’ve got a different shape in no time!

shape feature canva

If you want to put borders around your shapes, you can totally do that! Just pick the shape you want to change, click on the border style at the top, and decide how you want the border to look.

When you move your mouse over a line next to a shape, some special dots called “connection” dots will pop up! If you click and hold the line and then drop it onto one of those dots, it will connect the line to the shape. And you know what’s even cooler? If you want to connect the line to another shape, you can do the same thing at the other end!

6. Add Gradient

add gradient canva

Gradients make things look cool! When you use Canva, you can have fun with lots of different colors, make things see-through or not, and even make the colors go in different directions. It’s like a special way to make pictures look awesome!

So, first, you must go to the “Elements“. When you find “gradient“, click on the word “graphics” that you see next to it.

After you pick a gradient in Canva that you really like, you can change it even more. Just look at the top and find some little colored boxes. There should be three of them. You can play around with those boxes to make the gradient look even cooler.

7. Make Your Text Curve

make your text curve canva

If you wish to make your text look curvy in Canva, it’s super easy! First, choose the text you want to work with. Then, look for the Effects option at the top and give it a click. A bunch of cool text styles will pop up. Now, pick the Curve style, and you can make your text curve in a really cool way. There’s a slider below that you can move to change how curvy it looks. With a slide to the left, you can even make your text curve in the opposite direction! It’s like magic!

8. Draw On Canva

draw on canva

The next and one of the best Canva hacks is Draw on Canva

Canva just came out with their awesome new app called “Draw“! It’s super cool because you can actually draw pictures and designs that are already there or even start from scratch.

Okay, here’s how you can use it:

  1. First, look at the bottom of the side panel in the Canva editor and find the “More” button. When you see it, click on it. It will open up a menu. 
  2. In that menu, look for the “Draw” app and click. This will add it to your editor.
  3. Now, you can use a pen, a highlighter, or other drawing tools. 
  4. Next, pick the size, color, and transparency for your drawing tool. You can make it big or small, light or dark, and choose any color you like. 
  5. Once you’ve set everything up, it’s time to start drawing on Canva. Let your creativity flow! 
  6. When you’re done with your drawing, look at the top panel and click on “Done.” This will finish your drawing. And that’s it!

So, remember: Find “More“, click “Draw“, choose your tool and settings, draw on the canvas, click “Done“, and enjoy your creation!

9. Use Infographics and Graphs

use infographics and graphs

Canva is a cool tool that turns numbers and information into awesome pictures! You can make bar charts, line charts, and even pictures that look like little drawings.

To find all these amazing charts, just go to the “Elements” section and scroll down until you see “Charts.” Click on “See all”, and you’ll find hundreds of different chart styles to choose from!

It’s great because you can customize each chart. You can make them bigger or smaller, add percentages, change the number of things in the chart and how they’re spaced out, or even pick different colors to make them look super fancy!

10. Group or Lock Elements

group or lock elements

If you want to prevent some things from moving by accident, you can lock them. This way, they stay put, and you don’t mess things up when you’re working with them.

So, if you want to make something stay in one spot, here’s what you do: first, you have to pick it by clicking on it, and then look for the little lock symbol and click on it. That’s it! Oh, and if you want to lock more than one thing, just hold the shift key while choosing each thing and then click on the lock symbol. Easy peasy!

So, when you group things together, it’s like putting them in a special team. Once they’re in the group, if you pick one of them, all the other things in the group will be picked too. It’s kind of like they’re all friends, and they stick together.

11. Quick Create

quick create canva

If you want to make lots of cool designs in different shapes and sizes super easily, you should definitely try out Canva’s awesome “Quick Create” tool. It lets you create all sorts of amazing stuff with just a few clicks!

Follow these steps:

  1. First, pick where you want your cool designs to go, like on Facebook, Instagram, or in an email header.
  2. Next, type in the words you want to use.
  3. If you wish, add your favorite picture and your own special logo.
  4. Now, you get to choose from a few different design options. 
  5. Then, it’s time to pick the colors you want to use.
  6. Finally, click the finish button.

Here is a detailed guide:

12. Add a Background to Your Text

add a background to your text

Hey there, instead of putting a shape below your words to keep them separate from other stuff in the design, you can just make the text look really cool instead.

  1. First, click the text.
  2. Then, click “Effects.”
  3. Next, a bunch of cool choices will pop up, and one of them is called “Background.” Pick that one!

Now, get ready for the fun part. You’ll see some sliders that you can move around.

13. Integrate Pexels and Pixabay for Free Photos

integrate pexels and pixabay for free photos

Guess what? Canva has Pexels and Pixabay. This means you can actually get stock photos for free! Can you believe that? This was a surprise to us!

Follow the steps:

  1. Look at the side of the editor where all the options are. Click on “Apps.”
  2. Tap “Pixabay” or “Pexels.”
  3. Get the images you want for free!

14. Use Shortcuts

The shortcuts hack is one of the best Canva hacks that make things easier! To help you out, we’ve included a picture below that shows all the shortcuts you can use. Take a look!

ActionShortcut
Move up/downCMD/CTRL + [ (down) or CMD/CTRL + ] (up)
Font size (Increase/Decrease)CMD/CTRL + shift + > (increase)CMD/CTRL + shift + < (decrease)
Text boxT
Quick duplicateCMD/CTRL + D

Follow these steps:

  1. To make a hyperlink, just do this: press the “Control” on your keyboard and then press “C” to copy the text. 
  2. After that, find the “Link” icon and click on it. 

Finally, paste it by pressing “Control” and “V“. And voila! Your hyperlink is ready to go.

16. Secret Codes for Finding Free Elements

If you want to search for free elements, all you must do is type these special codes into the search bar:

  • Type “brand: BAAAAP7rQ8M” to find awesome freebies.
  • Type “brand: BAAMOuJH0Ec” for more cool free elements.
  • And if you want even more, type “brand: BADeGZOX6Sc“!

Isn’t that amazing? Now you can unlock lots of free stuff on Canva using these secret codes.

17. New Effect for Photos

auto focus canva

Canva just added some super cool photo effects! Now you can make the background of your pictures blurry while still keeping the main subject in focus. It’s really easy to do. Just follow these steps:

  1. Choose a picture you like. 
  2. Click on “Edit picture.”
  3. Look for “Auto Focus.” 
  4. Make the changes you want. 
  5. Click on “Apply.”
paint effects

You can turn a photo into a cool painting. It’s super easy! Just follow these steps:

  1. Pick a picture you like.
  2. Click on “Edit image.”
  3. Tap “Paint effects.
  4. Now, you get to select the type of paint effect you want. There are lots of options!
  5. You can make some changes to the effect you picked.
  6. Finally, click on “Apply” to see your photo magically transform into a beautiful painting!
shadow canva

You can now easily make photos look cooler in Canva by adding shadows!

  1. Choose a picture you like. 
  2. Click on “Edit picture.”
  3. Look for “Shadows” and put it in. 
  4. Select any shadow effect.
  5. Click on “Apply.”

That’s it! Have fun creating your own masterpieces with this Canva hack.

18. Easily Edit Any PDF

easily edit any pdf

You don’t have to use the original paper anymore to make any changes to your PDF. 

  1. Just go to your Canva home page. 
  2. Then, drag and drop the PDF onto the page, and it will upload by itself. 
  3. Once it’s open, moving, changing, and deleting parts are all possible.
easily edit any pdf

You can make cool templates and show them to your friends with one of these amazing Canva hacks. It’s really awesome!

So, how to create your own editable templates? Don’t worry; it’s super duper easy! Just follow some steps, and you’ll be a pro at it in no time!

  1. First, make a cool design that you want to use again and again.
  2. Make a folder named “template” for your Canva Pro design.
  3. Next, look for a button that says “Share“. Click on it, and look for a link that says “Template.” Click on that link, and share your awesome design with others!

20. Embedded Social Site Posts

embedded social site posts

You can embed social site posts, it’s super easy!

Just follow these steps:

  1. Look for the “Apps.”
  2. Search for “Embeds.
  3. Copy the web address (URL) of the social media post you want to use.
  4. Paste the link into Canva, and you’re all set!

Here is a detailed guide:

Visit: Canva

Conclusion

In conclusion, these top 20 Canva hacks of 2024 are game-changers for anyone seeking to create stunning designs effortlessly. 

From mastering advanced features to maximizing productivity, these Canva tips unlock the full potential. Embrace the power of Canva hacks and unleash your design process.