As we all know, smartphones have come a long way
when we talk about taking pictures.
So how can you get these pictures into Canva?
First thing you have to know a high resolution picture
is essential to a great design.
Because of this, many people choose stock photos when creating their designs.
These are high quality photos that have been taken
and produced by photographers
and are available for license and use in multiple creative ways.
Canva's image library offers over 1 million high quality images.
It also includes music and video files.
All free and ready to be used for commercial and non-commercial work.
You can select the one that best suits your design
by going to the Photos tab and typing in some keywords
to narrow your search.
Sometimes you might rather use your own pictures.
This is great if you want your design to have specific,
unique imagery or you just love shooting photos.
After shooting your photos, it is a good practice to store them in a safe place.
You can upload them to Canva by going to the Uploads tab
or even create folders to keep everything
well-organized in the Folders tab.
Once you have selected the picture you'd like to use,
you can easily change its size, position, and orientation.
For example, if you want to resize it, click on any of the
white circle handlers in the corners then
drag in to make the image smaller or out to make it bigger.
You can also flip your image horizontally or vertically.
For this, you have to select flip from the toolbar above the editor.
Select Flip horizontal to flip it right side left
or Flip vertical to flip it upside down.
Now, if you want to rotate your picture, click and hold
the rotating arrows that will show up outside the border of your image
and drag left or right to rotate.
You might also want to crop your image.
Cropping allows you to change your image dimensions.
And it is a great resource to draw the viewer's attention to the focal point.
You want to crop your image, click crop on the toolbar above the editor
or double-click on the image, then click and drag the crop handles on the corners.
When you're happy with results, click Done.
But then, what if you want your image to have a particular shape?
Crop your images into shapes by using frames.
Framing helps you create a sense of balance and make your shoots more aesthetically pleasing.
Canva has lots of frame options. Let's see how to use them.
First, go to the Elements tab from the editor side panel
then scroll to the Frame section and click on See all
to load all the options available.
Click on a frame to add it to your design.
Finally, drag and drop your image inside the frame.
It will automatically take its shape.
You can resize the frame using any of the white circle handlers in the corner.
Want to change the image's position inside the frame?
Click on Crop on the toolbar or double-click on the image.
Now, you'll be able to adjust your image position by
clicking and dragging the image
or even change its size with the white circle handles.
Doesn't it often happen to you that your eyes
are drawn to a particular point when looking at a photo?
This has a very simple explanation.
The rule of thirds divides your frame into a 3 x 3 grid
with 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines intersecting at 4r points.
The important elements in a scene are often positioned
along those lines or at the points where they meet.
Let's take a look at the Crop tool again.
Double-click on your image or select it and click Crop on the toolbar
resize or move your image. Can you see the 3x3 grid?
Make sure your main subject is in one of the cross-sections
to apply the rule of thirds and create a visually interesting image.
Another great option to apply the rule of thirds is
by adding your own guides to the design.
For this, click File from the menu above the Editor
and click Show Rules or shift R and Show Guides or Crtl+;
rulers showing dimensions in pixels will appear on the top
and the sides of your design.
Click on the vertical ruler and drag onto your design to create a vertical guide.
Click on the top horizontal ruler and drag onto your design to create a horizontal guide.
You can use 2 vertical and 2 horizontal guides to create a 3x3 guide.
Now that you've learned the basics.
It's your time to apply it when you're taking pictures.
There are still many more resources to help you make your photographic creations even better.
Stay tuned.