How t o Us e Ca n va :

A St ep -by-St ep Ba s ics Tu t or ia l
 Vis it w w w .ca n va .com
• Click “Sign up for free”
• Enter email address and create your account to login
 Ca n va Fr ee Accou n t Vs . Pr o Accou n t
CANVA FREE CANVA Pro Account (paid)
• Free to sign-up • Paid Account
• Includes over 250,000 free templates • Unlimited access to premium templates and 100+ million
• Can use many Canva features and tools stock photos, graphics, videos and more
• Limits the available photos and graphics you • Access to all Canva features and tools
can use • $119.99/year for one person
• Free 30-day trial available

PRO Features are marked by a crown.

CANVA For Non-Profits
• Canva offers a free PRO account to 501(c)(3)s
• If approved, you can add up to 50 members to
your account Avoid using these features with a free
• Apply for free with your EIN: account as they will show with a
https://www.canva.com/nfp-signup watermark or will not allow you to
save.

Today we will be going over the FREE features of Canva.

 You r Ca n va Hom ep a ge
Once logged in, you will now arrive at your Canva homepage.
Here you will see:
• Suggested Template Designs by Canva

• Recent Designs created by you

• Learn tab: Canva has a lot of tips and tricks

for creating designs. They also have short,
easy to follow videos that go deeper into
creating designs.

• Templates: Browse the different types of

templates Canva offers here.
 Ca n va Tem p la t es

Canva Templates Useful to MOWW Companions:

• Newsletter • Certificate
• Photo Collages • Calendar
• Video Collages • Presentations
• Facebook Post • Logos
• Facebook Cover Photo • Brochures
• LinkedIn Post • Infographic
• LinkedIn Cover Photo • Business Cards
• Flyer
• Invitation …and many more!
 You r Ca n va Hom ep a ge

In addition to choosing a template from the

Template tab, you can also search templates
by using the search bar on your Canva
Homepage.

The search bar is the easiest way to use

Canva.

Type in the template you are looking for

Examples:
• Newsletter
• Facebook Post
• Veterans Day Facebook Post
• Patriotic Flyer
 Cr ea t e a Bla n k Des ign
1. We will create a blank design to cover the Canva Basics.

• When creating a blank design, you choose the size of your

design.
• Once editing your design, you could still choose to add a
template on the Design Homepage (we will show this on a later
slide).

2. To start a blank design, click “Create a design” on the top

right of your Canva homepage.

3. Click to choose the size of your document.

 Des ign Hom ep a ge

You will arrive here.

This is your Design Homepage.

On this page you will create your

design using features in the black
toolbar on the left.

The next few slides will cover what

is under each icon in this tool bar.
Des ign Hom ep a ge
NAME

Before we start designing,

ADD let’s decode useful tools on
this page.
Name your Design.
• Type in a name for your design.
• When you download this document
from Canva, it will save as the name
entered here.

Add a Page
• Click the plus sign to the far right to
add another page to your design.

Delete a Page
• Choose the trash can icon above the
page you want to delete.

Duplicate a Page
• Duplicate a specific page by clicking
the icon to the left of the trash can.
 Des ign Hom ep a ge

Undo Button
U R S • To undo an action, click the back
N
D
E
D
A
V
arrow in the menu bar.
O O E • You can also undo an action by
hitting CTRL and Z at the same time
on your keyboard.

Redo Button
• If you accidently removed
something, hit the “redo” button to
redo the action.
• You can also redo an action by hitting
CTRL and Y at the same time on your
keyboard.

Saving Changes as you work

• Canva will automatically save
changes to your project as you work.
• You can also click the icon at the top
to save your changes.
Des ign Hom ep a ge
COPY
• To copy an item, select the object
then hit CTRL and C at the same
time on your keyboard.

CUT
• To cut an item, select the object
then hit CTRL and X at the same
time on your keyboard.

PASTE
• To paste an item, select the object
then hit CTRL and V at the same
time on your keyboard.

Select multiple objects at once by clicking on the

objects while holding down the SHIFT key.
Ca n va Ba s ics – DESIGN TAB

DESIGN - USE THIS TAB TO ADD A TEMPLATE.

• When creating a blank design, you have

already picked your desired design size.

• The DESIGN tab will show suggested

templates that fit the size of your design.

• Suggested templates will appear

here.

**If choosing a template, pick one WITHOUT A

CROWN SYMBOL in the corner. These are PRO
features and will not work on a free account.
DESIGN TAB – Br ow s e Tem p la t es

Browse Designs-

To search for a template, type in a few key

words relative to your design into the search
bar.

EXAMPLES:
• Veteran’s Day
• Community Event
• Meeting
• Holiday
• Calendar
• Announcement, Reminder

If you’d like to create your design from

scratch and not using a premade template,
ignore the “Design” Tab.
Ad d a Ba ck gr ou n d t o you r Des ign
ADD OR CHANGE THE BACKGROUND
OF YOUR DESIGN AT ANY TIME.
Add/Change background COLOR
1. Click on the background space.

2. A color box will appear next to the

word “Position” (above your
design.)

3. Choose a background color.

Add/Change background IMAGE

1. Select the image from your
uploads, or search Canva’s stock
library
2. Click to add the photo to your
design.
3. Right click the photo and select
“replace background”
4. Double click the background photo
to adjust its position if needed
ELEMENTS TAB

ELEMENTS

Use this tab to add-

• Photos
• Graphics
• Videos
• Stickers
• Shapes and Lines
• Charts
Elem en t s Ta b – Ad d PHOTOS
ADD A PHOTO FROM CANVA’S STOCK LIBRARY

1. Type in what you are looking for.

• Examples: American Flag, Veteran, Contact
Us, megaphone, tree, - ANYTHING!

2. Select to view “Photo” search results.

3. Select the item you’d like to add to your design.

4. Once chosen, you can-

• Flip your element to change its direction
• Adjust the transparency of your image
• Resize: Drag from corners of photo
• Crop: Drag from long edges of photo

5. To set a photo as the background, right click on

the photo and select “Set as image
background”.
• Double click the photo to adjust its crop
position.

**Be sure to choose elements WITHOUT A CROWN

SYMBOL in the corner. These are PRO features and
will show a watermark on free accounts.
Elem en t s Ta b - Ad d GRAPHICS
ADD GRAPHICS FROM CANVA’S STOCK LIBRARY

1. Graphics is a catchall for Canva’s icons,

illustrations, stickers, and more.

2. Click on Elements. Type in what you are looking

for.
• Examples: Patriotic, Flag banner, Veteran,
Announcement, Contact Us, Patriotic, Flower
–ANYTHING!

3. Click to view “graphics” search results.

4. Select the item you’d like to add to your design.

5. Once chosen, you can change the colors of your

graphics to suit your design.

6. Same with photos, you can crop or resize your

element. You can also flip your element to change
its direction and adjust its transparency.

**Be sure to choose elements WITHOUT A CROWN

SYMBOL in the corner. These are PRO features and
will show a watermark on free accounts.
Ad d Elem en t s - LINES
ADDING LINES FROM CANVA’S LIBRARY

1. Click on the Elements tab.

2. Scroll down to select “Shapes”.

Click “See all”.

3. Add in Line.

4. Once added, you can adjust the line’s-

• Color
• Direction
• Length
• Weight
• Endpoints
Elem en t s Ta b - Ad d SHAPES

1. Click the “Elements” tab on the

left side in the black panel.

2. Scroll down to select “Shapes”

3. Add in shape.
• Select the Shape.
• Adjust size and change the fill color
of the shape.
• Add an outline to the shape if
needed.
• Shapes come with preformatted
text boxes inside.
• Type your text into the shape.
• Or, add a text box on top of shape
to meet your design needs.
TEXT TAB – Ad d Text
ADDING TEXT TO YOUR DESIGN

1. Click the “T” Text icon to the far left on

the black panel.

2. Click “Add a text box”.

3. Once selected, you can customize the

font, size, and color.

Font Drop Down Menu

Canva has many fonts to choose from. On the font
drop down menu you will see the following items in
this order-
• Document Fonts: Fonts already used in this
template or design
• Recommended Fonts
• Recently Used Fonts by you
• All Canva Fonts in alphabetical order

You can also use the search bar in the Text tab to
search fonts.
Example, search: “Handwriting”
Text Ta b - Ad d Fon t Com bin a t ion s

• Also on the Text tab, you

will find “Font
Combinations”.

• These are a more fun text

option and are great for
social media posts or flyers.

• Click to add these to your

design.

• Customize with your own

text, colors, and font.
Res ize Text Boxes

• Resize a text box AND

automatically adjust the font
size by dragging the CORNERS
of a text box.

• Resize a text box WITHOUT

changing the font size by
dragging the SIDES of a box.
Ed it Text Sp a cin g

Use the spacing tool to

change increase or
decrease spacing
between letters and lines.
Up loa d You r Ow n Med ia
Upload your own photos and images into a
design.

1. Click the “UPLOAD” icon on the left side

of the black panel.

2. Here you will see all previous uploads on

your Canva account.

3. Click “Upload Files” to add your own

(a box to view files on your computer will appear)

4. Once uploaded, click to the file to add to

your design.

5. Resize the image by dragging the

corners.
Crop the image by dragging the sides.

6. Add your image anywhere. You can also

drag your image onto an existing one to
replace the current one.
Align & La yer Elem en t s a n d Text
Clean Up Your Design.

ALIGN ELEMENTS-
1. Align elements or text relative to each
other.
2. CLICK on the items you would like to
align while holding down the SHIFT key.
3. Right click, then select “Align Elements”.

ALIGN TO PAGE-
1. Align one or more elements or text
relative to the page.
2. CLICK on the items you would like to
align while holding down the SHIFT key.
3. Right Click then select, “Align to Page”.

LAYER-
1. Choose the layer position of any element
or text box.
2. Right click on the item then select
“Layer”.
Dow n loa d You r Des ign

Download and Save to Your Computer!

1. Click “Share” on the top right hand

corner.

2. Select “Download”

3. Choose your file type-

• Canva has options to download your
file as an image or document.
• Their drop-down menu explains each
file type and suggests which type you
should download.

4. Click Download.

5. Your file will download onto your

computer.
St a r t a New Des ign

To start a new design,

Go back to your Canva Homepage.

1. From the design page, click “Home”.

 New s let t er Tem p la t es
1. Type in “Newsletter” into the search bar.

2. Search results will show a variety of

Newsletter Templates.

To see only FREE results-

• Click the “All Filters Button”
• Scroll down and select “Free” then
“Apply”

3. Choose a template design you like.

• Templates are completely

customizable.

• You can edit all elements of a design

including colors, pictures, text, and
layout.
 New s let t er Tem p la t es

1. Select a design by clicking on

the one you like.

• Once you click on a template,

this page will appear.

2. Click “Customize this

template”.
Gr ou p in g Text Or Im a ges Toget h er
• Most templates will have text or images
already “grouped” together.

• All grouped elements will move

together as one.

• This is helpful for moving elements

around or resizing.

To Ungroup, click on the item

and select “ungroup”.

To Group items, CLICK on

each element you would like
to group while also holding
down the SHIFT key on your
keyboard.

*You can also right click on

an element to see options for
grouping or ungrouping.
Ch a n gin g Exis t in g Text a n d Fon t s

1. Click on the font or text

you would like to change.

2. If needed, ungroup the

element to make it easier to
work with.

3. Replace the text with your

own.

4. Highlight the text you

want to change.

5. Choose a font from the

dropdown menu.

6. Choose a color.
Cu s t om ize An yt h in g on a Tem p la t e!

1. Use the tools you learned

in the beginning of this
PowerPoint to customize
any aspect of a template.

2. You can change

• Images
• Text and text boxes
• Backgrounds
• Colors
• Number of Pages
• Anything!
Us e Ca n va Object s in MS Pu blis h er

You may choose to use Canva

in addition to MS Publisher.

Take advantage of the free

stock photos and graphics in
Canva to use on the
documents you create in MS
Publisher.

1. Create a blank design

2. Browse or search for the
image you desire under
the “Elements” Tab.
3. Save the design.
4. Add design/image to your
MS Publisher document.
Qu ick Socia l Med ia Pos t

Let’s make an easy

Veteran’s Day post.
Let ’s Ma k e a Vid eo Colla ge

In this video see

how to-

• Add your own

videos to a post

• Trim Videos
 THANK YOU!
I h op e t h is t u t or ia l w a s h elp fu l.
This tutorial only covered the basics of using Canva.

• Canva has a ton of tools and I invite you to experiment with them all.

• Canva offers a free “Design School” which features a variety of short,

easy to follow, how-to-videos for new users.

• Check out the Design School with this link -

https://www.canva.com/designschool/

• Or simply Google “Canva Design School”