---
title: 'Canva Tutorial for Beginners 2026: How to Start Using Canva Step by Step'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=gh05AgJGgHU'
video_id: 'gh05AgJGgHU'
date: 2026-07-23
duration_sec: 872
channel: 'Happily Designing'
---

# Canva Tutorial for Beginners 2026: How to Start Using Canva Step by Step

> Source: [Canva Tutorial for Beginners 2026: How to Start Using Canva Step by Step](https://youtube.com/watch?v=gh05AgJGgHU)

## Summary

This video provides a comprehensive, step-by-step walkthrough for beginners on how to use Canva. It covers starting a new project, navigating the interface, using the editor, exploring templates and elements, and understanding the differences between free and pro features. The tutorial aims to build confidence in creating designs from scratch.

### Key Points

- **Introduction to Canva for Beginners** [00:01] — The video is a step-by-step walkthrough to help beginners feel confident using Canva, covering navigation, editor use, and content types.
- **Main Menu Overview** [00:14] — The left sidebar includes options like Create, Home, Projects, Templates, Brand, and Canva AI. Canva AI is a paid feature.
- **Three Types of Content** [00:44] — The middle section shows three types: Your Before (likely a typo for 'Your Brand'), Templates (pre-designed by users), and Canva AI (AI-generated designs).
- **Template Categories** [01:13] — Templates include presentations, posters, resumes, emails, logos, flyers, Facebook posts, invitations, Instagram stories/posts, and more. Pro templates are marked with a Canva Pro icon.
- **Creating a Custom Design** [01:58] — Under Create Design, options include presentations, social media, photo editor, printables, whiteboards, website, email, and custom size. Custom size requires width, height, and units (PX, IN, MM, CM).
- **Editor Interface Overview** [02:39] — The editor includes options like Templates, Elements, Text, Brand, Uploads, and Tools. Tools include Select, Draw, Shapes, Lines, Sticky Notes, Text, and Tables.
- **Audio and Templates** [03:21] — Audio section has paid and free tracks. Templates can be applied to the canvas; some are free, some paid.
- **Editing Elements: Delete and Duplicate** [04:03] — Right-click options include Delete Image (removes image only) and Delete Frame (removes the entire frame). Duplicate creates a copy of the element.
- **Undo and Page Management** [04:30] — Undo button reverses changes. Duplicate Page copies the entire page; Add Page creates a blank page.
- **Background Colors and Gradients** [04:56] — Background options include solid colors and gradients. Clicking a color applies it in real-time.
- **Elements: Shapes and Graphics** [05:36] — Elements include Shapes, Graphics, Animation, Photos, Videos, Audio, and Famous. Shapes can be resized and customized with color, stroke, and transparency.
- **Text Options** [06:59] — Text options include Add Text Box, Brand Font, Headline, Subheading, and Font Combinations. Text can be edited, resized, aligned, and positioned.
- **Graphics and Animations** [08:07] — Graphics include Magic Recommendations, Featured, and Gradients. Animations include arrows, word animations, food, shapes, and emoji animations.
- **Photos and Videos** [09:16] — Photos can be searched (e.g., 'sunrise') and applied. Videos also available, mostly paid but some free.
- **Frames and Devices** [10:13] — Frames include basic shapes, film photos, Polaroid, movie frames, and device frames (e.g., iPad). Dragging a photo onto a frame automatically fits it inside.
- **Grouping and Ungrouping Elements** [11:25] — Elements can be grouped or ungrouped. Ungrouping allows separate manipulation; grouping moves them as one.
- **Sharing and Downloading** [12:50] — Share options include email, link access control, download (JPEG, PNG, PDF), print, public view, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Download settings include file type, scale, quality, and page selection.

### Conclusion

The tutorial successfully guides beginners through Canva's basic features, from navigation to creating and exporting a design. It emphasizes practical steps to build confidence in using the tool.

## Transcript

Canva, this is going to be a super easy step-by-step walk-through to help you feel confident right from the start. We'll cover how to start a new project, how to navigate, how to use the Canva editor, and explore the different types
of content available in Canva's library. I'll also explain the difference between version, so you can understand what features are included in each and decide we're inside Canva. Once you're in Canva, you'll see the main menu on the
left side. Here, you'll see options like create, home, projects, templates, brand, and Canva AI. The icons you see here, like Canva AI, are available in the paid version of Canva. These are not available in the free version.
After this, you'll see three types of icons in the middle section. Your before. Templates are the pre-designed templates already available in Canva, created and posted by other users. And then there's
Canva AI, where you can tell Canva AI what kind of design you want, and using AI, you can create that design. So, let's go to the template section. In templates, you'll find a huge variety of templates. If you look in explore
templates, you'll find a template for presentations. You'll find templates for posters, resumes, emails, logos, flyers, Facebook posts, invitations, landscape, video, Instagram stories, and Instagram posts.
If you want, you can click on any of these and choose a template. The icon you see here is the Canva Pro icon, which means this is only available in the Pro version. If you're not on the Pro version, you
can't use this. You can only use the free version Canva templates. For example, this. And now, moving back to the create option, when we click on create, a new option pops up. Inside create design, all of
these things are included. For example, presentations, social media, photo editor, printables, whiteboards, website, email, and there's also a custom size option, for example. If you want to create a custom size, you enter
the width here, the height here, and then select the units from here. PX stands for pixels, IN is inches, MM is for millimeters, and CM is for centimeters. After entering the values here, click on
create design, and your blank canvas will be ready. Let's create a new design with 1,000 by 1,000 pixels.
file. For example, let's name it new design. a lot of options. For example, templates, elements, text, brand,
uploads, and tools. In tools, you'll see a variety of different tools. For example, select tool, draw tool, shapes, lines, sticky notes, text, and tables.
After that, you'll see projects. In projects, all the different projects you create are kept in one folder, and that's what we call projects. available in your Canva that you can use.
After that, comes audio. In audio, there are paid version tracks where you can get or even generate paid audio tracks, and you can also find free audio tracks. Now, let's go back, click on templates, and you'll see templates of different
designs here. If we click here, this template will be transferred here. These are already designed templates that are available in Canva's library. Some are free, and some are paid. This version is free, so when you click on
it, you'll see a lot of options here. Ask Canva, you can ask Canva's AI, and you can also comment here. If you click on duplicate, it will create a duplicate. If you click on delete, it will be deleted. For example,
delete image and delete frame. Delete frame means this whole frame, and delete image means just this image. So, if we click on delete image, only the image will be deleted. And this green outline that you see here in a square shape,
Whenever you drag and drop something, it'll fit into this frame. If you go here, you'll see the undo button. For example, if you accidentally deleted something or made some changes that you want to reverse, you can click on this
and it'll bring it back. Now, this is duplicate. If you want to duplicate the same thing, just click on this and it will be duplicated. So, if you notice, this is called duplicate page. If you click on it, the same page
will be created again. If you want to create a new page without any elements, just click on add page and you'll get a blank page. After the blank page appears, these are your background colors. If you click
here, you'll get different background colors. Here, you'll find solid background colors. If you click on them, you'll see real-time changes. If you click here, you'll get even more options which you can use to try out various
background colors. For example, this, this, and this. If you click here, it'll go back to the main menu, and if you scroll down, you'll see different gradient colors. If you click on this, you'll get all kinds of different
gradient colors. For example, let me try this one. This one and this one. These are called gradient colors. Moving back, now we'll understand this menu one by one. So, first, let's go to
When we go to elements, you'll see categories like shapes, graphics, categories like shapes, graphics, animation, photos, videos, audio, and famous. So, if you click on shapes, you'll have different kinds of shapes
available. You just need to click and that shape will appear here. When you click on this shape, you'll see four circles here. If you click and drag these circles, the size of the shape will increase.
When you click on this shape, you'll see quite a few options here as well. In So, you can change the color of the shape here. For example, I'll use this color. After that comes stroke style. If you want to add a border, you have four
types of borders available. When you click on this, your border will appear and this is the weight of the border, meaning how thick you want the border to After that, if you click here, you'll get a dashed border. Similarly, this one
and this one. Then, if you want to change the border color, you can click here and change the stroke color from here. For example, if I click here and pick any color from these, your stroke color will change.
All right. Next is transparency. If you click on transparency, your shape will become transparent. You can increase or decrease the intensity as much as you want and control its transparency. Moving back to this menu, when you click
on text, you get a lot of options. Add text box, your brand font, you can also use your own fonts, add headline, add subheading. If you go back, you'll find
font combinations here. In font combinations, there are different types of fonts and different combinations for various times. If you click on this, for example, I click on this, when you double click, you'll get access
to edit it and you can change it from here. here to increase or decrease it and you can align it as well. Right now, the
lines you see on the screen are called alignment lines. If you align left, it will line up with this. If you align right, it will automatically line up with that. And if you center it, it will center your text.
You can also click here on position. On position, you can click align to page. If you want to align the text to the top, click here. To align left, click here. To center align, click here. And to align to the middle, click here.
Now, let's move on to elements. In elements, as I showed you, there are shapes. After that, graphics. In graphics, you get a lot of different types of graphics. For example, you have magic recommendation.
Magic recommendation appears based on your history. Based on the different Canva, it makes recommendations accordingly. In featured, it recommends the featured graphics from Canva. And in gradient,
there are different types of gradients. When you click on one, the gradient will be applied here. If you go back, you'll see animations. You'll find different kinds of animations. For example, if you look, you'll get separate animations for
arrows, word animations, food animations, shapes animations, and emoji If I click on word animation, you'll get different kinds of animated words. For example, if you click on this, you'll see it animated here. You can resize it,
and if you place it on top, it will keep animating. Social media icons that you can use. After this, there are icons. You'll find many types of icons. These are line drawn icons. There are also animated
icons as well as static icons. Next is photos. If you want to use photos in your design, you can check out magic recommendations here or look under trending. Otherwise, you can also go here and search. For example, if I
search for sunrise, it will show me different sunrise backgrounds. And this option is for Canva Pro plan, and these are for Canva free plan. If I click here and then use it, I can increase or decrease its size.
Just like going back from photos to videos, you have the option to add videos as well. If you click on video, you'll find different types of videos. For example, if I type sunrise again, I'll get sunrise videos, too. However,
most of them are paid versions, but you do get some free ones as well. So, for example, this one is free. If you click on it, your video will appear here. All right. Now, moving back from videos to audio and frames, frames are an
important part. But before that, we'll create a new page. Click on add page, then set its background to white by clicking here, and then we'll go to frames. Now, we'll use a frame. There are many types of basic frames.
If you look here, you'll see basic frames in different shapes. After that, if you want to browse by category, there are also frames related to film photos. Here, you'll find Polaroid photo frames, movie photo frames, and more. Now, let's
go back and look at devices. For example, if you want to place a design inside a device, you'll find those device frames here. If I click on this, I get an iPad frame. Now, how do we place our design inside this frame? Let
me show you. We'll need to go back, so I click on photos, and then I search, for example, book. After that, I click on this photo. Right now, it's outside the frame, but when I click and drag it, it automatically fits inside the frame.
Now, if I want to resize it, I'll double-click, and then I'll get the option to resize it. I can adjust it as needed. Once I'm done here, I'll click on done, and it will fit inside the frame like this. Now, I just need to
whole thing. For example, I'll arrange this here. I'll click on the text combination, for example, this one, and I'll arrange it here. I'll also change its text. For example,
double-click on this and write Vigital. Double-click on this and write Products. So, now I have my text combination. Right now, it looks cluttered. So, I'll click on it and ungroup it. To ungroup, you need to click here, and it will be
divided into two separate parts. Once it's divided into two parts, you can drag and drop them separately, resize them, and arrange them however you like. Now, I'll click on both of these side by side, and then I'll group them together.
Now, they will move as a single entity. Now, if I want to change their color, I'll click on this, then go to A and select the text color options. From here, I can drag and drop to change the color with different options. For
example, if I go with this one, this is the color now, and I'll arrange it with this. Holding shift, I'll press this and then this, and I'll arrange both of them as well. Now, if I want to group these two as well, I'll go here and click on
group. This has now become a single entity. Now, if I click here and want to change the background, then I I have to go here to background color and choose a background. For example, if I choose
this one, now this is the background color. If I want to choose a gradient, I have to click on this one, and I'll get the gradient, which I don't like. So, If we consider that our design is now
created, then we'll go to share. After going to share, you'll see a lot of options. For example, you can enter someone's email ID here and share this design with them, control their access level, only you can access, anyone with
the link can access, all right? After that, you can click on download from here. You can get it printed through Canva, you can give it a public view, and you can share it on WhatsApp. You can also share this design on Instagram.
So, for this design, we'll go to download. After going to download, you'll also see a lot of options. In file type, you can use JPEG, you can download it in PNG format, you can choose PDF standard or PDF print. And
when you want to select one of these, for example, if we select JPG, after that, you can increase its scale, meaning you can increase its size, you can improve its quality, and then from select pages, you can choose which page
you want to download. For example, if we want to download the current page, this one, this is the current page, then it will automatically select this page. And from here, you just have to click on download. When your download starts, it
will show up here and you can see it. Your design has been downloaded. I hope helped you understand the basics and feel more confident using Canva. to like the video and subscribe for more simple, practical design tutorials.
Thank you for watching and I'll see you in the next one.