Note: As usual, no one’s paying me for this post, I just really like this service and have decided to share it with you. YOU’RE WELCOME!
Here’s a very common problem for me:
I like making internet and digital things.
Internet and digital things require images and design items.
I’m so not a designer and I take all my photos with my smartphone.
I know I’m not the only one. Have you ever tried to just put some basic text on a photo and make it look pretty? It’s really hard, and I’m pretty sure most of the people who do it well have a degree in graphic design and extensive Photoshop experience. But that is not me, my friends.
So I was intrigued when I started hearing about canva.com. They said it was easy and free and made for non-designers to make all kinds of digital design image items.
And it is.
It’s drag and drop, easy to find the features you want to use, and they have tutorials to help you get started. Amazing!
The only thing I don’t like about Canva is that it only works on certain browsers, and that does not include Internet Explorer, which seems a bit snobby to me. It does work very nicely on Google Chrome, but that means I can’t really do anything on my tablet. Hopefully they’ll make a change sometime soon.
The best way to learn it (besides their tutorials) is to check it out and browse around. And if you’re curious if it can really create good work- here’s a sampling of some items I’ve made using only Canva’s free features and my own photos.
Clockwise from upper left: If you hadn’t noticed, I made a slight change to my blog header using Canva. Last month I posted a quote from the movie Divergent and made it pretty. A recipe document I made to go along with a gift for my friend Keri’s bridal shower. A photo collage I made in just a minute for a project I’m working on for my friend who is a GYROTONIC trainer.
One of my favorite things about Canva is their photo grids- just pick one and drag and drop your own photos and it resizes them to fit the grid instantly. Super useful for when I need a quick collage of dance shots to send with my resume for potential teaching jobs.
And of course, putting text over images could not be easier!
Have you tried Canva?
sometimes she blogs 