In this post today, I’m back with another Canva tutorial or Canva tips & tricks video to help you discover some of the most recent exciting Canva updates as a couple of new features.
If you already know Canva and want to use it more effectively, you are in for a treat because we have some very fresh news and some hidden gems that you probably haven’t heard of!
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1. Remove the video background
This latest Canva update is mind-blowing! Do you know you can remove backgrounds from any image in Canva and it is like the favorite feature for everyone?
Well, now you can do the same thing with videos! Yes, we can now do it with one click and it’s amazing!
Find any video from the library or upload yours, then select it, and just as with an image you’d click Edit Image here, now you choose Edit Video.
Now imagine all the different things you can do with it! First of all, with the Canva video editor, you can use different animated green screen elements from the Library and use them as overlays on your videos.
If you are feeling a bit funkier and want to extend your personal brand a little, you can create gifs or animations of yourself to use within your designs.
It is also a cool option if you’re creating a Reel in Canva and want to replicate the green screen effect that we know so well from Instagram or TikTok.
Or you can just use your clip and switch up the background for something completely different. So many great possibilities from this one update!
2. PDF Editing
Another exciting update that Canva released is the PDF editor.
This is the feature we had in beta for a while but now we have access to the fully developed function. You can simply upload your PDF from the homepage and Canva is going to, again, work its magic to break it down into separate editable elements.
So say you have a flat PDF meaning a PDF that has not been saved with the layers retained.
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You can click Create a Design here on the homepage, click Import File, and choose PDF.
Canva is going to create a new project for you and identify all the different text boxes, images, and graphics so that you can edit them freely.
Instead of a flat document, I now have a fully editable design and that is a game changer in my opinion.
When I first talked about the beta version of the Canva PDF editor, I said that it is not always perfect and that it doesn’t get a lot of things right.
Well, that is now much much improved.
You can now change the font of the headline at the top and can make an image bigger or smaller. You can move any object because it has been perfectly identified as an element by Canva. It is new and really cool that you can now treat it as an editable element just like some of the ones in the Canva library and change the colors to whatever you want.
It even divided the colors for the body of the arrow or the shaft, right?, (the dashed lines), and the point of the arrow.
How cool is that!
I’m so happy that it’s now a full release because before, I would not be able to grab the numbers from behind the text box.
It wouldn’t be identified correctly by Canva.
But now, easy peasy, I can just grab them, change the color, and move them around, so cool!
Of course, editing the PDFs is the most exciting part of this new update, but I want to mention the other possibilities that this editor gives us.
So often, we have to merge PDF files, reorder the pages, and move something from one page to the other, and now all of this is possible within Canva.
I can import two PDFs, go to the thumbnail view, and literally copy over entire pages of the document to the next one!
If you just want one page, can do that too and easily download the PDF with the current page option.
We no longer need to use Adobe Acrobat Pro or look for free online editors like Smallpdf to be able to do all of those things!
Not to mention, you can now use your existing PDFs and transform them into presentations or social media designs, and if you have gone through the process of rebranding, you will be able to apply your new brand guidelines to your PDF easily.
3. New shapes features
Another wonderful Canva update is the new shape features.
You probably know that we have always had access to a variety of generic shapes within the Canva editor.
You had your standard circle and rectangle, and triangle, but you couldn’t do much with them other than stretching them out in different directions or changing their color.
Now, we have a whole new layer of editing available with these simple shapes!
First of all, you can see straight away a text bar flashing within the shape meaning we can start typing and it is going to act like a text box.
The top panel has been updated with new functions and the text options are readily available for you.
But the Shape button is at the very beginning.
When you click on it, change the rectangle into any other one from the shapes library which is very handy ESPECIALLY when you include text there.
First of all, you can add a border and choose anything from a plain line, through dashed lines, all the way to the dotted effect.
Of course, you can then adjust the border weight with the slider right here and now for what’s my favorite shape update – the corner rounding.
I love this feature, it definitely makes my life easier not having to search for specific elements to achieve this look.
It is so simple and it has the power to really transform the shapes you’re using.
When you think about it, if your brand is a bit more organic in feel, and you don’t use many harsh lines, this feature is going to help you a ton.
When I use the corner rounding, it just completely transforms the shape so that is definitely a much-needed update from Canva.
4. Canva Whiteboards
Canva added a new era of Whiteboards. We are getting more options to actively collaborate in Canva as teams!
The new feature is called Whiteboards and it is the perfect tool to brainstorm, plan, work on projects, collaborate during meetings, and basically, anything you do with a big whiteboard in a group of people in real life.
There are already so many templates for you to use from the library to inspire you and help you use this new feature.
You have a remote meetings whiteboard, project
journey templates, voting boards, diagrams,
mood boards, mindmaps, and even games, it’s actually quite incredible how many options we get so early after the launch of this new option.
I highly recommend you scroll through this extended library of templates to see what may work for you personally and within your workflow.
When you choose a whiteboard template to work on or actually create a blank one (because you can do that too), you are taken to a whiteboard editor and this is a part of its magic.
It kind of is infinite. I mean, technically it isn’t, when you zoom out, you’ll see there is a limit, but from a practical standpoint, you would be pressed to try and use up all that space.
When you zoom in, you can see how close you can get too specific elements which give you almost tunnel vision but I’ll get back to it in a moment.
Now, this new nearly-infinite editor for whiteboards reminds me of a cool software I used to use
a ton as a student and then later on as well which is called Prezi.
It is a tool that for me revolutionized the way we looked at presentations at the time when PowerPoint was the name of the game and you’d look at boring slides all the time.
Just like now in Canva, you could literally build your whole presentation on an interactive backdrop and build slides from zoomed-in or zoomed-out snippets.
There were transition animations when you moved from slide to slide, very cool. Let me know in the comments if you remember or ever used Prezi, I’d be super curious to know if it is a well-known tool!
I used to love it so much so it was great to see a similar concept in Canva now, albeit used for a slightly different purpose.
In the editor, within our Elements tab in the left panel, you’ll notice some new, whiteboard-specific categories like sticky notes, stickers, or whiteboard graphics, and the regular library is available to you too.
Now when you look at this particular template and it’s similar to many others, you see that they’ve prepared a bunch of different elements for you and your team to use.
You can literally duplicate a sticky note from here and add it to a specific board, just like any of the connectors or stickers.
There is also the mode called Quick Flow which allows you to do all of these things even quicker so let’s say I have a new strength to add to this column.
You can do it to all the other elements too like this big one right here. If you don’t like it or don’t need it, you simply right-click on any element and select disable Quick Flow.
If you ever need more space anywhere, you can easily stretch an element just like you would in a regular Canva editor.
With each of the elements, you and your team members can add comments anywhere they want to it makes for an even more collaborative workspace.
Another thing I want to mention is that you have the timer at the bottom so that you can time each member of the whiteboard and make sure everyone gets enough time.
You can also time your sessions, it is so useful, a really nice touch for team collaboration.
Whiteboards save within your projects like a regular design would and when you are done
collaborating, you can export the finished whiteboard as a pdf or a jpg, or even as a video if you’ve used any animated or video elements.
I’ll be honest, even without a team, the Whiteboard feature is really interesting to me and when I first saw it, I was definitely inspired by all the possibilities so I’m curious what you think about it!
5. Canva Websites
I have included websites in the first video on Canva Tips & Tricks but now we’re getting something even better!
With the official launch of the full Canva Websites feature, we can now turn PDFs, documents
or presentations into simple, responsive Websites and it is the responsiveness that seems to
really has been improved – we’re getting device previews now.
We previously had no options with our own domains, but now we can purchase a branded domain from within Canva or use a domain we ourselves own.
Although a simple Canva website cannot really replace a fully fleshed-out, professional website to represent your brand well online, I think this new update is fantastic for a variety of simple applications.
The biggest upside?
No coding or previous experience with websites is required!
You can create your own media kit, a simple landing page, or a press release.
If you are looking for a job, this can be a website slash resume to showcase your experience, you can use it to create resources for your clients or even a personalized dashboard for them.
As an artist or a designer, this can be a great way to build and be able to quickly update your own portfolio.
If you create websites for clients, this feature allows you to share mockups with them and work out the finer details before you build the official website elsewhere.
I’ve previously shared a tutorial on how to create a link in bio through Canva for your Instagram link and there are really plenty of different ways you can use Canva Websites in your business and life.
The great thing about this new Canva update is that we now have access to hundreds of templates and that we can create using all the lovely elements, photos, and videos from the Canva Library.
Another amazing feature is that we can keep the website private by adding a password or choosing to hide it from search engines, which, again, works brilliantly if you are creating something for a client.
And of course, no website would give you a good overview of your visitors if it didn’t provide you with analytics so Canva took care of it too.
You’ll get access to Website Insights which can help you to track views, clicks, and engagement on our new page.
6. Text to Image App
It is text-to-image, not text-to-speech or any stimilar combination that we already know and use.
With this new feature within the Canva editor, you can generate new ideas from a simple description.
You need an image for an upcoming post and you have a rough idea of what it should include.
When you click more in the left panel, you can see the new Text to Image tab and when you select it, it allows you to type a simple sentence to then create an image for me within seconds.
Sounds pretty cool, right?
Canva generates any image that it feels will look best but you can also choose a drawing, a photo, a 3D image, a pattern, or concept art.
Now, granted, this feature is brand new and it’s still very much in the beta stage but just like with PDFs, I expect it to get much much better.
It can be used to create unique images that may surpass the need for stock images in the future.
It is also a great way to stir your own imagination and help you come up with new ideas for your designs.
I’m very curious to see where Canva takes this new feature!
7. Quick Create
If you are on multiple platforms, you’ll know how hard it is to create posts for each and every one of them and make sure they’re all the right size and vibe.
Sure, you can design one post and then use the Resize button if you are a Pro user.
The downside is that you have to do it each time and adjust accordingly.
If you’ve created a post for Instagram, you want to repurpose it for Pinterest and that is going to be much more vertical so it is going to move the elements around then you want a visual for Twitter, and that is a completely different size too, so you adjust again… In short, it’s not effortless.
Well, as usual, Canva decided to deliver! With the Quick Create update, we now have
the possibility to, well, quickly create a bunch of posts from the same template with a few clicks.
If you have ever used Tailwind for Pinterest, you’ll know they had a similar option and
it was so helpful to creators on the platform that they could produce a lot of similar Pins all at once.
Now if you want to try the Quick Create feature in Canva, it is slightly hidden and not so obvious.
You’ll need to go to the social media tab on the home page right beneath the big search bar and you’ll find it as the first option here.
When are in this new type of editor, allows you to speed-design a square Instagram post and a vertical story, a Facebook post, and a cover which is helpful if, for example, you are planning a new campaign, a Twitter post, a Pinterest Pin, a LinkedIn Post, and an email header because let’s not forget, among all the social media portals, it’s always crucial to have a platform that you yourself own so I love that it is there!
Once you select which placements you want, you can add your primary and secondary text, and add an image, and a logo. Then, you will be able to choose the style from the library of templates.
I feel like at the moment the selection is slightly limited compared to what we are used to seeing in the Canva library, but the update is fairly new so I expect it to be expanded in the future.
I hope at least!
And now for the absolute banger, we always want our designs to keep with our overall brand image, we need to keep a consistent look and that is where our trustee Brand Kit comes into play.
You can now select your own color palette or choose something from the additional ones suggested by Canva and you can apply your own fonts.
I always emphasize it, this is what really sets apart a newbie from a more professional creator, you always want to make sure you’re keeping a consistent brand image and that’s
Why this part is so important?
If you keep on clicking on the palettes, the colors are going to shuffle and you will see a lot more variety so that you end up with a well-matched design.
When you are done, you just click finish, wait for Canva to do its magic and voila, you can now download a whole pack of your new designs, ready to be uploaded across all platforms.
How cool is that!
One honorable mention that I want to include here that has not yet launched is Canva Docs.
They have been announced at the Canva Create conference and it looks like it is going to be another very exciting addition to the platform.
Going beyond the boundaries of the classic documents, we’ll be able to combine rich text, various media from the library as well as some new data visualizations like new graphs, charts, checklists, and tables plus it seems that we are getting Insights within this new feature too.
8. Canva Docs
Canva has announced a new tool called Canva Docs. You can use their beta version right away or create a wishlist in your Canva account. With Canva Docs, you can create professional-looking documents no matter where you come from. The online editor lets you easily design documents with text, images, graphics, and charts. There are no complicated layouts or templates — just the power of design. Because your designs run on the Canva platform, they can be shared across devices, including the ones in your pocket.
Go there to the new Canva docs and create a Wishlist.
9. Presentation
Want to create a stunning presentation for your next meeting? Another big update is the presentation tool. Canva’s presentation design software makes it easy. Simply pick your images, use the easy-to-use templates, and customize the layout to suit your audience. You can even upload your logo and text. Create amazing presentations that will impress you. Plus, you’ll be able to share them across social media platforms.
Canva’s visual presentation tool is designed to help you create professional-looking presentations on your PC or Mac. The presentations are created with full HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript support, making them responsive and cross-browser compatible. These presentations are editable using a simple drag-and-drop interface and can be customized in any way you want.
Conclusion
So, Have you discovered something new and exciting today? Jump to the comment section quickly and let me know which update is your favorite!
Now, if you want more great tips, check out the first installment of the Canva Tips & Tricks, and for more quick Canva tutorials, subscribe to our newsletter.
