Canva

Creating a Facebook Post

Creating a Facebook post

Do you need to create social media images for work, school, or for your personal life?
We’ll show you how to use Canva, a free online graphic design tool, to quickly create
eye-catching images for your social media posts.

If you own a business, professional-looking images can help you attract more customers.
The common saying, "a picture tells a thousand words," applies well to social media.
Studies have shown that images get more engagement.

However, creating images that your audience will like takes time and money. Paying a
graphic designer may not be in your budget, and learning to create your own original
designs may not be practical.

With Canva, no graphic design experience is needed. You'll get ready-made designs that
can be quickly customized to your needs. Canva's templates, like the one below, do most
of the design work for you, so you can focus on cra!ing and sharing your message.

In this lesson, we'll show you how to customize a Canva template to meet your needs by
following these steps:
 1 Choose a template: Browse or search Canva's templates to find one that
fits your message.

2 Replace the photo: Upload a photo, or choose from Canva's stock images.

3 Customize the text: Change the headings and body text to match your
message.

A!er completing this lesson, you'll feel more confident about creating your own social
media images.

Watch the video below to learn how to create a Facebook post in Canva.

Canva: Creating a Facebook Post

Getting started with Canva

Let's begin by going to canva.com and creating a free account. You have the option to
sign up with your Google or Facebook account, or set up an account using your email
address.
Although most of Canva's features are free, they do have a paid version called Canva Pro.
We found that the free version works great for most users, so we suggest sticking with it
while you're getting started.

A!er you sign up, Canva may encourage you to share your credit card
information to sign up for a free 30-day trial. If you decide to do it, be aware
that you will be automatically charged a monthly fee a!er the trial is over.

Choosing a template
Canva's templates do most of the design work for you. We'll give you some tips for
narrowing your search, so you can find a template that only needs a few changes.

In our example, we'd like to promote a school bake sale on Facebook. So we'll choose
Facebook Post on the homepage.

You can scroll through the templates or use the search bar to help narrow down your
choices. You can type one or more keywords into the search bar.

Here are some search ideas:

 ▶ Color: Choose one or more preferred colors.

▶ Occasion: Search for an event type such as a sale or birthday.

▶ Photo Content: Find a template that already has a photo of your chosen
topic such as dogs or flowers.

We're selling cupcakes at the bake sale, so we'll type in cupcakes to see which templates
already include photos of cupcakes.

Think about which template would make your audience stop scrolling through Facebook
to look at your post. In this case, we're searching for one that will appeal to kids and
families.

Then just click the template to begin.

Now that we’ve found a great template, let’s make a few changes to customize it. Since
Canva’s templates are already attractive and easy to read, we won’t change much.

Finding a new photo

Changing the photo is a good way to customize your image. If you have a business, you
may want to include a photo of your products or location. Or you might want to search
Canva's stock images for one that best matches your message.

Here you have some options:

▶ Upload your own photo: Click Uploads to import a file from your computer
or from a site like unsplash.com. Canva will store the photos here for future
use.

▶ Select a Canva stock image: Click Photos and type one or more keywords
into the search bar to find free and paid photos.

This template has a photo with a Canva watermark, which means it's a paid photo. You
have the option to replace the photo with a free one, or pay for the image. Typically,
images cost one dollar each. Since we're focused on using the free version of Canva,
we'll replace it with a free one. We'll remove the photo by clicking the trash icon at the
top of the page.
Then, we'll use the search feature to find a free one. To see more free images in your
search, it's best to type a single keyword in the search bar. We'll type cupcakes.

Once you find one you like, you can click it to add it to the template.
Resizing the photo
Although we're changing the photo, we can keep the design by placing it in the same
spot. You can resize the photo by dragging the corner or side handles.
Depending on how you size it, it might also crop the image to fit. You can make further
adjustments by clicking Crop on the menu bar.

Then you can move the image around in the frame until you like what you see.
Then click Done.

Reordering elements
When changing the photo, you may need to adjust some design elements. For example,
in the template, the photo was behind the white rectangle, but now it's in front. Luckily,
we can fix that by adjusting the ordering.
 BEECHTOWNCUPCAKES

WE'RE
HAVINGA
BAKESALE!
Getupto30%off!Visitusatthe
SprinklesEventsTent!

We can fix that by going up to Position on the menu bar and clicking Backward.

This will change the ordering so the photo is behind the white rectangle.
Customizing the text
Now it's time to change the text to share your message.

Let’s change the title first. We’ll just highlight the text and type some new text. If your
text doesn't fit, don't worry.
You can adjust the font size until the text fits. In the menu bar, you can choose from the
preset options, or feel free to type in any value. In this case, we'll type 45.
We’ll go ahead and change the text above and below the title. We want to let people
know who’s hosting the sale and why we’re raising money.

If you have little more to say, feel free to add it. In this case, we have a little space below
this text to let people know when the bake sale will happen. Since many people view
social media posts on their phones, it's best to keep it brief so it will be easy to read.

When you're done, take a minute to look at it to make sure that everything looks correct.
If you can, have someone else check it too.

Publishing the post

When you’re happy with your project, you can either publish it directly to Facebook or
you can download it. In this case, we'll download it, and then we can upload it to
Facebook later.
Next, you can choose your preferred file type. A PNG file is the recommended file type,
so we suggest sticking with that. Finally, click Download again.

Later on if you’d like to edit your design or use it as a template to create a new one, you
can find it by clicking All your designs on the homepage.
Now that you know how to create a social media image in Canva, you’re ready to start on
your own project. We encourage you to check out the homepage and experiment with
creating di!erent types of images.

Lesson 2: Creating a Twitter Quote Post

Creating a Twitter quote post

If you run a small business, you may have heard how important it is to be active on social
media. According to a Sprout Social report, "77% of consumers said they were more
likely to buy from a brand they follow on social media over one they do not."

But how do you gain followers on social media and convert them to customers?

Creating images for your social media marketing is a great place to start. Research
shows that posts with images create more engagement.

You can create these images quickly and e!iciently with Canva, a free online graphic
design tool. Canva's templates, like the one below, do most of the design work for you,
so you can focus on cra"ing and sharing your messages.
With Canva, you can create batches of professional images to keep your social media
accounts active and help build your customer base.

This lesson will focus on creating posts for Twitter. We'll show you how to create a quote
post using the following steps:

1 Choose a quote: Browse the internet to find a quote to suit your audience.

2 Choose a template: Search Canva's quote post templates to find one that
fits your quote.

3 Customize the text: Type your quote and the source's name into the text
boxes.

4 Replace the photo: Upload a photo or choose from Canva's stock images.

5 Reuse the template: Replace the quote with a fun fact and choose a new
image.

Watch the video below to learn how to create a Twitter quote post in Canva.
Canva: Creating a Twitter Quote Post

Getting started with Canva

Let's begin by going to canva.com and creating a free account. You have the option to
sign up with your Google or Facebook account, or set up an account using your email
address. For more details about getting started with Canva, check out our Creating a
Facebook Post lesson.

A"er you sign up, Canva may encourage you to share your credit card
information to sign up for a free 30-day trial. If you decide to do it, be aware
that you will be automatically charged a monthly fee a"er the trial is over.

Choosing a quote
One way to connect with your followers is to share quotes. It gives you a chance to share
knowledge from experts, to entertain, to tug heartstrings, and inspire your followers. We
suggest choosing quotes that sound fresh and sincere, and avoiding overused quotes.

You can find quotes about a variety of topics at brainyquote.com. For help with
choosing quotes, check out this article from Social Media Today.

In our example, we want to create social media content for a business selling dog treats.
We want to tap into the emotional connection that owners share with their dogs. We'll
choose this quote by the author Edith Wharton:

"My little dog—a heartbeat at my feet."

Some quotes are protected by copyright. You may want to read about social
media copyright issues and check out our Copyright and Fair Use lesson.

Choosing a template
Canva has thousands of templates. We'll show you how to narrow down your choices to
find the template that best meets your needs.

We’ll start by choosing Twitter Post on the homepage.

Canva has conveniently created di!erent categories of Twitter templates for events,
announcements, and more. Since we're creating a quote post, we'll click Quote Twitter
Post to narrow our search.
Think about which template best suits your quote. In our case, we want to pair our
message with a dog photo, so a side-by-side template will work best. It will give the
photo and message equal emphasis.

Then just click the template to get started.

Now that we have a template we like, we'll make a few changes to customize it.

Customizing the text

Let’s start by changing the message. Just select it and begin typing your quote. Below it,
we’ll add the author’s name.

Depending on how much text you have, you may want to change the font size. Since this
is a short quote, we can increase the font size a bit. We’ll just click the text box and go up
to the menu bar to change it. In this case, we'll use 36.
You may also need to adjust the alignment. The text box is centered horizontally, but it's
a bit too high vertically.

Although you can use the mouse to click and drag the text box, we suggest using the
arrow keys. It's more precise, and it allows you to keep the horizontal centering exactly
the same. Just keep pressing the down arrow until it looks centered vertically. To move it
more quickly, you can hold down the Shi" key and press an arrow key .
Finding a new photo
Now that we have our message, let’s pair it with a photo that really tells the quote’s
story.

You have some options for photos:

▶ Upload your own photo: Click Uploads to import a file from your computer
or from a site like unsplash.com. Canva will store the photos here for future
use.

▶ Select a Canva stock image: Click Photos and type one or more keywords
into the search bar to find free and paid photos.

For our example, we'll use a free Canva stock image.

First, we’ll remove the current photo by selecting it and then clicking the trash icon at
the top of the page. In this case, there are two options, which is because this template
includes something called a grid. A grid is a Canva feature that sets the size of the image
and makes it easier to position a new photo in the same spot. So we'll keep the grid and
click Delete image.
A"er the image is deleted, you'll see the grid on the right side of the template.

Now we'll use the search bar to look for dog photos to see if we can find one that
matches the quote.

When you find one you like, you can drag the photo over the grid until it snaps into
place.
Finally, we’ll take a moment to check it to make sure everything looks good.

Now if you only need to create one image, you could stop here and post it to Twitter. But
you may want to create more images. Since we have the design exactly where we want
it, we’re in a good place to create more images without much e!ort.

Creating a new post with the template

To get started on your new image, click the Copy page icon above the image.
This will create a copy, and then you can just replace the image and text to create
another Twitter post. For this example, we'll share a fun fact about dogs.

Since we found this fact in an article, we’ll mention the source in the author text box.
Then later, when we post it to social media, we may even want to link to the article in the
text of our post.

If you’re ready to create more images, feel free to repeat the process. You can reuse the
template to share stats, facts, questions, and more. Quickly creating batches of images
will allow you to devote more time to gathering interesting content to share.
Publishing the posts
When you’re happy with your designs, you can publish directly to Twitter or download
your images. We suggest downloading the images because it gives you more flexibility to
choose when to post each image. So we'll click Download, and then we can upload it to
Twitter later.

Before downloading, we’ll choose a file type.

We’ll go with a PNG file because it’s the recommended format. Then we can click
Download again.
Once you’ve created your images, you probably don’t want to post them all at once.
Instead, you can start mixing these types of marketing posts with posts about your
products and business. You may be able to get a few weeks or months out of these
images even though it took you a short time to make them.

Regularly posting a variety of content will pay o! as it helps you to build your customer
base over time.

Now that you know how to create quality images in Canva, we encourage you to start
creating your own marketing posts in Canva.

Lesson 3: Creating a YouTube Banner

Creating a YouTube banner

Are you starting a new YouTube channel and need some help to design your channel’s
homepage? A great design for your banner, also known as channel art, can give your
page a polished and professional look, and entice viewers to check out your content.

If you're new to graphic design and YouTube, we're here to help you. We'll show you how
to use Canva, a free online graphic design tool, to create your design. Canva's templates
can be customized to fit your needs and are sized to fit YouTube's dimensions.

Watch the video below to learn how to create a YouTube banner in Canva.
Canva: Creating A YouTube Banner

One challenge with YouTube banners is creating a design that works for all devices. With
70% of YouTube views on mobile, it’s important to size your image to look good on a
phone.

The YouTube Channel Art template helps you lay out your design for di!erent devices.
Depending on the type of device, YouTube crops the image. On a TV, it will show the
whole image, but on other devices it will crop out most of the image and just show the
middle area. Later in this lesson, we'll show you how to use this template to make sure
all the important information is within this safe area.

Getting started with Canva

Let's begin by going to canva.com and creating a free account. For more information
about creating a Canva account, check out our Creating a Facebook Post lesson.
Canva's YouTube templates have a variety of layouts and are suited for di!erent topics.
We'll help you narrow down your choices to find one that both fits your channel's
personality, and has a layout that works for di!erent devices.

In our example, we want to create an image for a baking channel to get people excited
about watching our weekly videos about making doughnuts.

We’ll start by choosing YouTube Channel Art on the homepage.

Choosing a template
Canva has created di!erent categories of templates for di!erent channel topics
including travel, beauty, and music. You can browse through these, or you can use the
search bar to type one or more keywords. This could be a topic, such as food, or even a
color. In our case, we'll look for a yellow template.
You’ll see a variety of template designs. This one has all the important elements in the
center, so it will look great on a smartphone. And the solid background will eliminate any
issues with cropping out images or graphics.

Customizing the text

Now that we have a design that we like, we’ll just make a few changes to customize it.

Let’s start by changing the text. We’ll change the title to the name of our channel. Then
we can let people know a little bit about our channel.

Finding a new image

Now it’s time to find an image to fit our message. We’ll select the old image and click the
trash icon in the menu bar to make way for a new image.
At this point, you could upload your logo or another image. For this example, we’ll use
one of Canva’s vector graphics by clicking Elements. We'll search for images of red
donuts.

You’ll see both free and paid images. Paid images are marked with a price or a crown.
These images usually cost one dollar each. However, we've found that there are many
free images to choose from, so we'll focus on those.

Once you find one you like, you can click it to add it to the design.
Resizing the photo
If the image is too large or too small, you can drag the corner or side handles to resize
it. In this case, we'll size it down.

Then we'll position it in the same place as the previous image.

Checking the layout with the YouTube template
We want to make sure our design will look good on YouTube, so now it’s time to upload
the YouTube Channel Art template and place it over our design.

You can find the template on this Google Support page: Create or edit channel art.
Scroll down to the YouTube banner template and size guidelines. Then click the drop-
down arrow and click Channel Art Templates to download it.

The template is in a zip file. You'll need to unzip or extract it before you can use it in
Canva. The procedure will vary depending on whether you're on a PC or a Mac.

Now let’s return to Canva to upload it and check it against our design. Click Uploads,
then select Upload an image or video.
Navigate to the Channel Art Templates folder and then open the PNG file.

Now we can lay this YouTube template over our design by dragging the template over
the edge of the Canva template. It should snap into place so that it fits the whole
canvas.

If the YouTube template is making it hard to see the banner design, you can change the
transparency. In the menu bar, we’ll click the transparency icon. And then we can bring
it down until our image shows through.
We'll check that the text and image fit in the center area. If it doesn't, you can make
some adjustments now. When you're done, you can delete the YouTube template by
clicking the Delete key on your keyboard.

Publishing on YouTube
When you’re ready to publish your design on YouTube, you can click Download in the
menu bar.

Next, we'll set the file type to PNG and then click the Download button.
Finally, let’s go to your YouTube page. Make sure you’re signed in to your Google
account, and then choose Your Channel.

Next, click Customize Channel.

Here you can add or edit your channel art. If it's your first time creating a banner for your
page, you'll see Add channel art in the banner space.
Then we can drag and drop the file from the Downloads folder.

YouTube will show you a preview of your design on TV, mobile, and desktop. If it’s not
fitting quite right, you have the option to Adjust the crop right here in YouTube.
Since everything looks good, we’ll click Select to add it to the page.

Now you have a head start on a great YouTube channel. We encourage you to get started
on your own channel art design that will show your channel’s personality and get people
excited about your video content.

Lesson 4: Creating a Flyer

Creating a Flyer
Do you want to promote an upcoming event? Whether it’s for a business or personal
event, creating and printing a flyer can help catch people's attention—especially if
you're targeting a small local audience.

There are many online options for designing and printing flyers. One option is Canva, a
free online graphic design tool that allows you to choose from a variety of flyer
templates. Canva does most of the design work for you, so you can focus on cra"ing and
 sharing your message.

A"er finishing your flyer design, you have options to print your flyer with Canva, or
download it to print with another company or at home.

In this lesson, we'll show you how to customize a Canva flyer template, and look at
options for printing them.

Watch the video below to learn how to create a flyer in Canva.

Canva: Creating a Flyer

Getting started with Canva
Let's begin by going to canva.com and creating a free account. For more details about
getting started with Canva, check out our Creating a Facebook Post lesson.

Choosing a template
Canva has flyers with a variety of styles to suit any event. In this case, we’d like to create
a flyer for an open house for a veterinarian’s o!ice. Click the Flyer to begin.

You can try searching by various keywords. In this case, health gave us some good
template options. Then, just click the template to get started.
Some templates include designs for both sides of the page, but we’ll keep it simple and
just use the front side.

Customizing the text

Now it’s time to tailor the flyer template to suit your audience. Let’s start by changing
the title. We’ll go ahead and change Clinic to Veterinary, and we’ll keep the Open
House part.

If the text doesn’t fit, we can decrease the font size or change the font to something
narrower. In our case, we’ll choose a new font by highlighting the title text, and then
opening the font menu.
Browse or use the search bar to narrow your choices. You may need to try out a few fonts
before finding the one that works best with the rest of the text. In this example, we'll
choose Bebas Neue.

Now the title fits much better in the text box.

Next, let’s personalize the text and graphic at the top. The blue text, chiropractic clinic,
is hard to read, so we'll increase the font size to 14.

Then, we'll change the text to the the name of our business.

Next, continue working through the template to edit the text for your specific event.

Replacing the image

You have the option to upload your own image or logo, or you can use one of Canva's
images.
First, select the old image and click the trash icon in the menu bar. If you just want to
delete the graphic and keep the text, you can click Delete Element.

Then you can go to Elements to search for a new one. We’ll try looking for a paw print.
We'll focus on finding a style that matches the flyer. The color is less important because
Canva actually gives you the option to change the color for many of these graphics. Click
the graphic to add it to the design.

If you see a color box in the menu bar, you can click it to change the color of the
graphic.
We’ll choose one of the Document Colors so that it matches the template.

Now you can resize it and position it in the same spot as the previous image, and you
can keep adjusting it until it looks right.

Printing the flyers

When you've completed your flyer design, you have three options for printing:

▶ Print the flyers on your home printer.

▶ Pay Canva to professionally print them for you.

▶ Download your design and send it to a third party professional printing

service such as Vistaprint or Next Day Flyers.

Printing it on a home printer will use a lot of ink and the colors will likely not look as
good. If you want to go with this option, you may want to convert your design to a simple
black and white flyer and delete any large color blocks.

Although professional printing can be a little expensive, you’re going to get better
results. You can click Print Flyers to look at a few of the options Canva gives you for
finalizing your design for printing.

Then, click Print Flyers again in the drop-down menu.

Keep in mind that you’ll see a similar process with other printing services. Canva will
have you choose the type of paper, the finish, and the number of copies. Be aware that
the colors on the screen will be a bit di!erent when printed out, so we suggest ordering a
single copy to make sure you like the colors before printing a large order.

Next, Canva will have you check the layout to make sure everything will look good when
printed. This includes checking the edges of the design to make sure nothing will be le"
out or cut o!.

You'll see a dotted line around the edge of the flyer. The space between this line and the
edge of the page is where the flyers will be cut down to size.
For graphics that go up to the dotted line, like the gradient below, we want to move it
beyond the dotted line to ensure that there’s no white space between the graphic and
the edge of the paper when the flyer is cut.

Next, Canva will also have you check what they call the Danger Zone. Anything that
appears in the red area has the risk of being cut o!, so you may need to adjust your text
and graphics.
If you go with a di!erent printing service, you’ll have similar options, but they may have
di!erent names. For example, Vistaprint uses the term Safety Line instead of Danger
Zone, but it’s basically the same thing.

Once you're done checking your flyer, you can pay for flyers. Although Canva makes it
convenient to print your flyers, you many want to shop around to di!erent printing
services to find one that fits your budget.

Now that you know how to create flyers in Canva and have options for printing them, we
hope you’ll start on your own design and get people excited about your next event.