FULL CANVA TUTORIAL 2024 | How To Use Canva For BEGINNERS!

Education

Introduction

Introduction

Today, I'm sharing an updated in-depth Canva tutorial for beginners. You'll learn everything there is to know to start creating your own designs, whether for graphics or short videos for Instagram, YouTube, other social media platforms, blogs, or websites. Canva has incredible tools and functions, and you can use it for free. Once you finish this tutorial, you'll know how easy it is to design with Canva. Ready? Let's do this!

Hi, my lovely people, it's Natalia, and welcome back to my channel—a channel where I help you create better content and grow on social media. This is an update that no one expected but everyone needs. In today's comprehensive Canva tutorial, I'll show you how to create designs from scratch and create video content and animated graphics. Since many things have changed in Canva, I've decided it's time to get you confident with all the amazing functionalities it offers to empower you to design yourself. One thing stays the same: it's still super easy to use and very intuitive.

If at any point you feel like this tutorial is too slow or too fast for you, make sure to click the settings icon and adjust the playback speed. I try my best to make it accessible to everyone, but it's not easy to cater to all learning styles. That's my tip here. And if you can’t watch the whole video at once or just want to learn a particular thing, I've created chapters for you along with timestamps in the description box, so feel free to jump to whichever segment you like.

Also, a quick announcement: I'm working on a more tailored Canva course for beginners that will teach specific skills in Canva for social media and business so you can create designs that people love. Make sure you don't miss it and sign up on the waitlist through the link in the description.

Getting Started

Canva has a browser version, a desktop app, and Android, iOS, other phone, and tablet apps, making it usable on any device. Today, I'm using the browser version, so I'll go to canva.com, but you can use my link which you can find here on the screen and in the description box. It will give you a free Canva Pro account for 45 days, which is two whole weeks more than you'd normally get to test out all the fun features. Brilliant. We're in the browser on canva.com on the Canva homepage.

Setting Up Your Account

First, set up your account by signing up with the purple button in the top right corner. You can start with an email or use Apple, Google, Facebook, etc., but I'll start with email. Enter your email, name, and a verification code. Choose your purpose—let’s say small business—and create a team if needed, but we’ll skip that for now.

Exploring the Homepage

The Canva homepage has a lot happening. At the top panel, you have:

  • Design Spotlight - different functionalities, options like print, marketing.
  • Business Solutions - content creation, brand management.
  • Education - for teachers and schools.
  • Plans and Pricing - explanation.
  • Learn - additional information.

There's also an open app button, account settings, notifications, and the left panel showing account type, team members, home button, Magic Studio, Project Panel, Templates, Brand, Apps, Content Planner, Trash, and the search bar.

The search bar is AI-powered, helping you design by finding templates and creating them using keywords. For example, a “yoga studio Instagram post.” Below, different sections appear such as “For You,” “Docs,” “Whiteboards,” “Presentations,” “Social Media,” “Videos,” “Printing,” and “More,” each with its own templates.

Creating a Design

You can create a design through various methods:

  1. Using the “Create a Design” button: Search for a format or custom size it.
  2. Starting with your media: Import an image or video to start.
  3. Using Templates: Browse suggested formats or use the template panel.

Within the editor, you'll take a quick tour through adding and customizing templates, photos, elements, text boxes, projects, apps, and more.

The Utilities Panel

After adding an element (like a photo), explore the utilities panel at the top for editing. Use options like:

  • Edit Photo: Effects, adjustments, cropping.
  • Position: Aligning, centering.
  • Transparency: Adjusting opacity.
  • Lock: Preventing changes.
  • Border Style: Adding borders, changing corner rounding.
  • Text Options: Adding text, changing fonts, aligning, adding effects.

Animating and Downloading

Animations can be added by going to the “Animate” button and creating animations for each element or the entire page. When downloading, use various file formats such as JPEG, PNG, PDF, or MP4. For videos, edit using clips from Canva's library or your own and utilize trimming, transitions, splitting, adding effects, and more to create dynamic content.

Canva Pro vs. Free

Canva Pro offers additional features like the brand kit, background remover, Magic Switch for translating and resizing designs, and content planner for scheduling posts.

Conclusion

Explore the Learn tab for more tutorials and courses and sign up for my tailored Canva course for beginners. Subscribe to my channel for more helpful tutorials.

Keyword

  • Canva tutorial
  • Setting up Canva account
  • Canva homepage
  • Create a design with Canva
  • Utilities panel
  • Animating and downloading
  • Canva Pro vs. Free

FAQ

1. How do I set up a Canva account? You can set up a Canva account by clicking the purple signup button on the top right corner of canva.com. Enter your email, name, and verification code. You can also sign up using Apple, Google, or Facebook.

2. What are the key sections on the Canva homepage? The Canva homepage features the top panel (Design Spotlight, Business Solutions, Education, Plans and Pricing, Learn), an open app button, account settings, notifications, and a left panel (account type, team members, home button, Magic Studio, Project Panel, Templates, Brand, Apps, Content Planner, Trash, and the search bar).

3. How can I create a design on Canva? You can create a design by using the “Create a Design” button, starting with your media, or utilizing Canva’s vast library of templates. Within the editor, you can further customize using various tools and elements.

4. What are some essential tools in Canva’s utilities panel? Key tools include Edit Photo (effects, adjustments, cropping), Position (aligning, centering), Transparency (opacity), Lock (preventing changes), Border Style (borders, corner rounding), and Text Options (adding text, changing fonts, effects).

5. What are some features available with Canva Pro? Canva Pro includes features like the brand kit, background remover, Magic Switch for translating and resizing designs, and content planner for scheduling posts. The Pro version also offers more premium stock photos, videos, audio, and graphics.