6 Things You Probably Didn’t Realize You Can Do With Canva
If you’re on the hunt for aPhotoshop alternativethat’s ideal for individuals with little to no design experience, then you’ve probably come across Canva. This simple and arguably more user-friendly platform can help you with all sorts of design projects you may have in mind, as it comes complete with intuitive editing tools and an extensive library of customizable templates. This makes Canva the perfect tool for projects as simple as an announcement poster and as complex as a multi-page product brochure. The best part is that it won’t overwhelm you with a myriad of buttons and unfamiliar terminologies, unlike other editing software.
However, if you think creating and editing designs are all Canva is capable of, think again. The app has a whole world of features not many know about. So, if you want to make the most out of your Canva experience, we’ve compiled a list of six of the things you probably didn’t know you could do on the platform.
Edit a PDF
Schedule social media post
With Canva’s user-friendly interface, it has become a go-to tool for small business owners or vloggers who need social media content but aren’t designers themselves. However, there’s more to Canva than just making the posts itself — it also lets you schedule them on various social media platforms if you’re a Pro user—no need for extra scheduling tools. Canva’s Content Planner, found right in the app, can do the job for you. It works with a variety of channels, including Facebook pages and groups, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn pages and profiles, and even Slack. Follow these steps to access and use this tool:
Generate QR codes
If you’re making a Canva design with a QR code, say to share your cafe’s Wi-Fi or a link to your social media platforms, your first instinct is probably to visit a third-party QR code generator website. Sure, they can create your QR code in a jiffy, but it’s pretty inconvenient to switch to a new tab, download the QR code image, upload it to Canva, and finally drag and drop it into your design. An easy way to go about this is to just use Canva’s built-in QR code generator. Follow these steps to use it:
Hold a live presentation
One of the best things about Canva is that it not only lets you create presentations with ease but also comes with features that help you present the slides right within Canva. This means you no longer have to download the presentation and use a third-party platform to present what you made. you’re able to do all that and more without having to leave Canva. Among these presentation features is Canva Live, which allows your audience to interact with you and send you questions anonymously in real-time.
To use Canva Live for your next presentation, here’s what you need to do:
Once your audience joins the session, they can send in their questions, which will then pop up in your presenter window. To show a question on-screen, go to the Canva Live tab in the presenter window and click on the comment. Click on it again to hide it. To wrap up the live session, press the “End session” button in the Canva Live tab.
Translate content
When working on a design requiring multilingual content, you normally rely ontranslation appsor websites like Google Translate and ChatGPT to translate your text. However, Canva actually offers a more convenient alternative with its built-in translator tool. The Translate app supports over 100 languages, including widely spoken ones like Spanish, French, and Arabic, and regional languages like Bhojpuri and Cebuano. One of the great advantages of using this feature is that it keeps your text’s original font style, size, and other elements intact, so you won’t have to worry about messing up your design. Here’s how you can access and use this tool in Canva:
You should see your translated content on your design after a few moments. There are, however, some limitations to using Translate. For free account users, there’s a cap of up to 50 pages. For those with a subscription, the limit is set at 500 pages per billing month.
Create a color palette
Unless you’re working with a brand with predefined colors, thinking of a color palette is arguably one of the toughest parts of creating a design. Fortunately, Canva can help you in that regard. It comes complete with a Colors section featuring four nifty tools:
Here’s a quick guide to using these tools:
