Canva is a popular online design tool used to create logo graphics, presentations, posters, social media posts, infographics, and many more creative projects. It has drag-and-drop functionality, which makes it easy to use, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced designer.
Canva offers you many templates that make your design process easier. You can also add text, images, icons, and shapes to your designs. The free version of Canva has many features, but if you want advanced features and more design options, you can also subscribe to Canva Pro.
What is Canva?
Canva is an online design platform that allows users to easily design their creative ideas. This tool is specially made for people who are not experts in design, but still need to create high-quality visuals.
Canva Features
- Templates: Canva has a lot of pre-designed templates, in which you just have to add your content. These templates are in different categories, such as:
- Social Media Posts (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)
- Presentations
- Flyers, Posters, Brochures
- Infographics
- Business Cards
- Invitations and many more!
- Drag-and-Drop Interface: Canva’s interface is quite simple and user-friendly. You can drag and drop any elements you want (text, images, icons, shapes, etc.) into your design.
- Text and Fonts: Canva offers you a wide variety of fonts and text styles that allow you to personalize your design.
- Images and Elements: Canva has millions of images, icons, shapes, illustrations, and vectors available. You can use them to make your designs more creative and professional.
- Custom Dimensions: If you want to customize the size of your design, you can easily set the dimensions of your design.
- Collaboration: In Canva, you can collaborate on your designs with team members. You can share designs and give feedback in real-time.
- Animations and Effects: In Canva, you can animate your designs. If you’re creating social media posts, presentations, or video content, using animation effects can be quite interesting.
- Brand Kit: If you’re creating designs for your business, with Canva Pro you can store your brand’s color schemes, logos, and fonts in a “Brand Kit” so that every design remains consistent.
- File Exports: With Canva, you can export your designs in PNG, JPG, PDF, MP4 and even GIF format.
- Print Services: Canva also provides you with print services. You can order your designs to be printed directly (like business cards, posters, etc.).
Canva Download
- App Store Click Here
- Google Play Store Click Here
Versions of Canva
- Free Version: The free version of Canva is also quite powerful. In this, you get basic templates, images and tools.
- Canva Pro: With Canva Pro subscription, you get advanced features, such as:
- Premium Templates and Elements: Pro users get exclusive templates and images.
- Background Remover: You can easily remove the background of images.
- Brand Kit: You can organize your brand’s colors, fonts, and logos.
- Unlimited Folders: You can create unlimited folders to organize designs.
- More Storage: You get more storage, which is helpful for your large design files.
- Canva for Enterprise: This is for large businesses and teams, which have more collaboration and advanced features.
How to Use Canva?
- To create a free account, please visit Canva’s website at canva.com.
- Choose a Template: Select a template for your project, such as social media post, presentation, flyer, etc.
- Customize Design: Customize the template. You can adjust the text, images, colors and fonts as per your choice.
- Download or Share: When the design is ready, you can download it or share it directly on social media.
What is Canva used for?
- Personal Use: Social media posts, birthday invitations, photo collages, etc.
- Business Use: Marketing materials, business cards, brochures, presentations, etc.
- Education: Teachers and students use Canva for creating educational materials, presentations, worksheets, etc.
- Non-profits: NGOs can create posters, social media graphics, etc. for their campaigns.
- Freelancers & Designers: Creative professionals can create designs for their clients. Alternatives to Canva:
- Adobe Spark: Adobe’s simple design tool.
- Crello: Design tool similar to Canva.
- PicMonkey: Graphic design and photo editing tool.
- Visme: Visual content creation tool, especially for infographics.
YouTube Thumbnail is a small image that represents your video when people search on YouTube or watch suggested videos. This image is the first impression of your video, so it must be attractive and eye-catching. You should use thumbnail to show the content of your video, so people click on that video.
YouTube Thumbnail from Canva
- High Quality Image: The resolution of the thumbnail should be high (min 1280×720 pixels). The image must be distinct and well-defined.
- Simple and Clean Design: The thumbnail should be simple. Avoid overly cluttered or complex images.
- Bold Text: If you are using text, the text should be bold and readable. Choose a font that is easily visible, especially for mobile users.
- Contrasting Colors: Use bright and contrasting colors in the thumbnail. These attract the attention of the viewers.
- Face Expressions: If possible, put your face in the thumbnail. Facial expressions, such as excitement, surprise, or curiosity, encourage people to click.
- Keep it Relevant: The content of the thumbnail should be relevant to the video. If you’re discussing a topic in the video, include a visual related to that topic in the thumbnail.
- Brand Consistency: If your channel has a specific style or theme, maintain that, such as using a consistent color scheme, font, and logo.
- Avoid Overcrowding: Don’t overcrowd the thumbnail with too many elements. There should be one or two focal points so viewers can easily understand what the video is about.
How to make YouTube Thumbnail from Canva?
- Open Canva: Go to Canva and login to your account.
- Select YouTube Thumbnail Template: You get pre-designed templates in Canva. Search “YouTube Thumbnail” in the search bar and choose the template from there.
- Customize the design: Customize the template according to the topic of your video. You can add text, images, icons, and graphics.
- Add Text: Add bold and readable text that can tell the viewers what the video is about.
- Images and Icons: Add a screenshot of your video or any relevant image. You can use Canva’s built-in image library or upload your own image.
- Download: Once the design is complete, click the “Download” button and save the image in PNG or JPG format. Best Size for YouTube Thumbnail:
- Resolution: 1280×720 pixels
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- File Size: should be less than 2MB
- Format: JPG, PNG, or GIF
Example
If you are making a cooking video, then in the thumbnail you should show a clear and appealing image of your cooking dish, write bold text above it (like “Easy Pizza Recipe”), and also include your face, if you want to show your excitement.
Conclusion
YouTube thumbnail gives the first impression of your video, so its design should be attractive and relevant. You can easily create eye-catching thumbnails using tools like Canva, which will help you increase your views.
Canva is a very versatile and user-friendly tool that allows anyone to create high-quality designs, whether they are a beginner or a professional designer. You can use it for personal, business, and educational purposes.