I have always had that creative side to me. When Adobe Photoshop became popular many years ago, I got interested in using it. I was amazed how Photoshop can repair old photos to make them new, add effects, remove the undesired parts, and many more. I got so far as learning how to use the Magic Wand tool. Adobe Photoshop is a powerful software but I must say that it is not very easy to use. Well, at least for non-design professionals like me. There are just so many tools that you would get dizzy just by looking at them. The program is huge so you need a pretty powerful computer to be able to run it. Beginners would be stumped and would not really know where to start. I know because that’s what happened to me. When I began, I actually just tinkered around and tried tools here and there. I became barely successful in editing my photos the way I want it. As I am not really a graphic designer and did not need to edit photos constantly, I bid Photoshop goodbye and uninstalled it from my PC.
And then came Canva. Canva is a free graphic-design tool website. It is a web-based app so there is no need to download anything, unlike Photoshop which is really heavy. When I learned about Canva and how to use it, I was captivated. Canva is extremely easy to use. I bet that anyone who uses it can easily come up with design masterpieces.
So how does Canva work? You first need to sign up for a free account. You can either automatically sign in with your Facebook account or Google account, or sign up with your email. I did not want to make it hard for myself so I signed in using Google. As soon as you sign in, you will just need to select what type of design you like to create. There are templates for social media posts, posters, flyers, documents, ads, infographics, and many more. When you select the design, you will be directed to the canvas which is in the Edit mode. The great thing about Canva is that it packed to the brim with beautiful templates. You do not need to start with a blank space unlike in Photoshop. I think this is a great way to spur creativity because there are so many ideas/options available and you just need to add your own personal touch. There are templates for layouts and fonts. There are plenty of choices for backgrounds as well as graphics. I guess the only downside with Canva, which I don’t really consider a big deal, is that the stock photos are not free. Well, to be fair, the images are only priced $1 (roughly P45) as of this writing. I think it’s a good price for the fantastic images they have. Also, Canva has so many things to offer that the least a user can do to support the creators is to buy images. But if you have no budget to buy the photos available in Canva, you can always use your own images or source it online. Pixabay has tons of free images.
What’s nice about Canva is the ease of use. Canva has a very simple interface. There are no complex editing tools to rack your brain over in figuring out the purpose. I simply love the drag-and-drop feature.
When I created my first Canva design, I felt like a superstar designer. Who knew that I could churn out such a beautiful design (in my opinion at least) in minutes? It probably would have taken me months to achieve the same things with Adobe Photoshop.
Canva is an excellent tool for anyone who would like to make great creations without the hassle. I made the tutorial below for those who want to get started in using it. Check it out and be a superstar graphic designer in a flash.
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