Canva Presentations: How to Create and Share Them
Canva may not be your first thought for creating a presentation. However, this popular web-based design tool offers a robust slideshow feature set. We’ll walk through how to create a Canva presentation, present it to your audience, and share it using a variety of methods.
Create a Canva Presentation
If you’ve never made a presentation with Canva, don’t worry. This online graphic design application goes beyond creating images and crafting infographics. Canva makes it super easy to create and set up a presentation for your audience.
On the Canva home page, select Presentations below the Search bar. Then, choose a slideshow size or Canva presentation template to get started.
Note : If you’re using Canva Docs , you can also convert your document to a presentation by selecting Convert at the top. Follow the prompts, and you’ll see your presentation open in the Canva editor.
Once in the Canva editor, use the menu on the left side to add slide elements. You can select or drag items like shapes, images, or text boxes onto your slides.
You can also edit or remove a slide element by selecting it and using the tools that display near the item or in the top toolbar. For example, you can change the style of text or transparency of an image.
Be sure to check out the full set of Canva presentation tools in the editor. You can add animations, insert slide transitions, use the grid view to rearrange presentation slides, and more.
Set Up the Presentation
After you tap your creativity to make an attractive and informative presentation, you can add notes, clock your speaking time, and adjust the slide durations.
Add Presenter Notes
To add presenter notes to a slide, select Notes in the bottom toolbar. Then, type your note in the panel that displays on the left. You can then move to your other slides and add notes the same way.
When you finish, deselect Notes in the toolbar.
Use the Timer
If you’d like to time your presentation, you can use the built-in countdown Timer feature. Select Timer in the bottom toolbar to display the timer. By default, the timer is set for five minutes, but you can change this using the plus and minus buttons.
Press the Play button to start the countdown, the Pause button to temporarily stop the timer, and the Reset button to restart the timer.
To close the Timer, deselect Timer in the toolbar.
Set the Slide Duration
Maybe you’re using Autoplay (described below) and would like to display particular slides for a longer or shorter time. You can adjust the slide duration for each or all slides in two different ways in Canva.
Use the Duration Slider
Expand the bottom section by selecting the Show Pages arrow. Then, choose Duration on the left to see the default timing for each slide.
Select a slide thumbnail (page) and hover your cursor over the left or right side of it to display the duration slider. Then, drag the slider in or out to shorten or lengthen the duration.
When you finish, deselect Duration in the toolbar and optionally use the Hide Pages arrow to minimize the bottom section.
Use the Timing Feature
Another way to change the duration of a slide is by using the Timing option at the top of the editor. Select a slide to see its duration and choose the current timing to enter a new duration, or use the slider to adjust it.
You can also turn on the toggle to apply the new duration to all pages (slides) in the presentation.
To close the Timing tool, deselect it in the top toolbar.
Show a Canva Presentation
The great thing about creating a presentation in Canva is that you can present from it as well. If you prefer not to download and present using a different application, you have a few options to show your slideshow directly from Canva.
When you’re ready to present or practice your presentation, select Present on the top right. You’ll then see the options below.
Present in Full Screen Mode
Choose the Present full screen option to enter presentation mode. You’ll see your presentation consume your entire screen and have controls at the bottom.
Use the arrows on the left to move through the slides and the controls on the right to zoom, interact, use shortcuts, or exit full-screen mode.
Use Presenter View
To see your notes and controls on one screen with your presentation on another for your audience, choose Presenter view .
Your screen shows the time, a count-up timer, and other controls for a countdown, AutoPlay, and the font size for your notes.
You can drag the other screen wherever needed for your audience to view.
Present and Record
Maybe you want to incorporate your smiling face into your presentation. For this, pick the Present and record option to record yourself live as the presentation plays. You can then share the whole presentation as if you’re in the same room.
Note : This feature is currently only available when using the Google Chrome web browser.
You’ll see your face appear in a circle on the bottom left of the presentation. You can use the Pause and End recording buttons at the top to control the recording as well as see your presenter notes.
When you finish, you’ll see a link that you can copy and have the option to download the recorded presentation immediately.
Use Autoplay
Like Autoplay for a PowerPoint presentation, this is one more way to present a slideshow using Canva. With Autoplay, you can start the presentation and let it play on its own. This is ideal for kiosk presentations or when you are unable to present yourself.
When you choose Autoplay , the presentation begins and moves through each slide using the Durations you set (explained earlier). You can also manually control the presentation if needed using the same tools as the Present Full Screen option.
Share a Canva Presentation
Along with or instead of actually presenting a slideshow with Canva, you can share it in a variety of ways. Whether you want to collaborate with your team, download the file to your device, or pop the presentation up on social media, Canva has you covered.
Select Share in the top right corner and then choose one of the following ways to share.
Collaborate With Others
Maybe you want to work on the final presentation with a team member or coworker. You can grant access to others and provide them with a collaboration link.
Enter the people, groups, teams, or email addresses in the People with access field. Then, open the Collaboration link drop-down menu and pick Anyone with link to provide access.
Download a Presentation
If you’d like to save your presentation to your device or download it as a Microsoft PowerPoint file, this is easy too.
Select Download and use the File type drop-down to pick PDF, PPTX, GIF, PNG, or another format.
You can then choose to flatten the PDF, include notes, or download only certain pages (slides).
Share on Social Media
Want to post your presentation directly to Facebook, Instagram, or another social media network? Select Share on social , choose the location, and follow the subsequent prompts to sign in and set up the social media post.
More Sharing Options
If you don’t see the sharing avenue you want, don’t despair because there are even more. Select More at the bottom of the Share menu.
You’ll then see sections for Share, Social, Save, Messaging, Design, and More Options giving you a ton of sharing methods. As examples, you can obtain a public link, send it to your phone, get an embed code for your blog, upload it to Dropbox or Google Drive, send it to Slack or WhatsApp, and more.
Will You Create a Presentation in Canva?
Now that you know the basics, are you going to use Canva for your next presentation? If so, let us know what you think of the tools and features. For doing even more, check out how to blur a face in a photo using Canva .
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Sandy Writtenhouse is a freelance technology writer and former Project, Department, and Program Manager. She turned her education, job experience, and love of technology into a full-time writing career. With all sorts of gadgets in her home and her hands, she seeks to help others make life easier through technology. Read Sandy's Full Bio
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How to Create Presentations in Canva
Parth Shah is an evergreen freelance writer covering how-tos, app guides, comparisons, listicles, and troubleshooting guides on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and smart TV platforms. He has over five years of experience and has covered 1,500+ articles on GuidingTech and Android Police. In his free time, you will see him binge-watching Netflix shows, reading books, and traveling.
Afam has been a content writer with Guiding Tech Media since August 2023. However, his experience in tech writing dates back to 2018, when he worked as a freelance writer for Make Tech Easier. Over the years, he has grown a reputation for publishing quality guides, reviews, tips, and explainer articles. His work is featured on top websites, including Technical Ustad, Windows Report, and Next of Windows. He has training as a Microsoft Certified Professional and has covered more Microsoft-related guides on these platforms.
- You can easily customize templates, add graphics, and animate slides without needing extensive design skills.
- Canva’s collaboration features allow for real-time editing and sharing of presentations.
- Canva provides various export options, including PDF, PPTX, MP4, and image formats.
How to Create Canva Presentations
To create Canva presentations, you must follow a few steps. We break them down into the headings below.
Pick Up an Aspect Ratio and Template
Pick a relevant aspect ratio for your presentation. If it’s a traditional PPT, go with a 16:9 aspect ratio. If you plan to show your PPT on mobile, use the 9:16 aspect ratio. Tablet users can start with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Canva also offers some ready-to-use templates to get started. We highly recommend starting with a template to save some time.
Step 1: On the left pane, click Templates .
Step 2: Choose a template from the options or search for one using the search field.
Step 3: Click Customize this template once satisfied with your choice.
Note: You can filter templates via style, theme, feature, and color. For example, you can check company, marketing, corporate, marketing, school, and other templates. Under templates, you also find an option to create instant presentations. You can enter a prompt and check Canva’s suggestions to get started.
Customize a Page With Editing Features
Once you select a template, you can add all pages to your presentations and customize other pages.
Step 1: To select a page for customization, click on it at the bottom of the interface.
Step 2: At the bottom of the interface, click the three-dot icon for a page and select any of the available options.
Step 3: When you click on a page, Canva lets you change every aspect of the template with different text styles, filters, and image editing tools. You can change color, tweak transparency, copy style, and more.
We suggest editing tools to customize your Canva presentation and add personal touches.
Add Graphics, Stickers, and Images
Your presentation will not seem attractive without graphics, stickers, images, and videos. Unlike Google Slides or PowerPoint, you don’t need to import media files to Canva to complete your slides. You can easily add relevant elements from the sidebar.
Step 1: Open a slide in your Canva presentation.
Step 2: Select Elements from the sidebar. You can add graphics, icons, stickers, tables, videos, and more.
Step 3: You can explore the AI image generator and turn your creative ideas into images and videos with a single click.
You can add simple descriptions and even turn generated images into videos. Canva also offers a long list of graphics packs in several categories. The possibilities are endless here. It’s up to you to make a compelling slide using useful tools.
Tweak Page Animation
Once you create a page, tweak its animation to smoothly transition between pages.
Step 1: Select a slide in Canva.
Step 2: Click Animate at the top.
Step 3: Check Basic , Exaggerate , Photo Movement , and other animation types from the left sidebar.
You can also tweak the animation intensity, which is great.
Add Presenter Notes
Do you plan to present your Canva PPT on a video conference? You can add notes to each slide so they appear during the Presenter view (more on that later).
Step 1: When you create a PPT, select a slide and hit Notes at the bottom.
Step 2: Enter the notes you want to remember or discuss during a video meeting.
Collaborate and Edit in Real Time
Like Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint, Canva lets you share and edit a presentation in real-time. You can take your colleagues’ input and create a share-worthy presentation quickly.
Step 1: When you are done making changes to your presentation, click Share at the top.
Step 2: Enter people, groups, or your team. Expand the collaboration link menu and select Anyone with the link .
Step 3: Expand the permission menu and select Can edit .
You can also share a link with view or comment-only permission. Select the Copy link and share it with your co-workers.
Enable Presenter View or Download and Share Your Presentation
Presenter view is a thoughtful touch from Canva to give presentations over a Google Meet or Teams call.
Step 1: Open a presentation in Canva and select Present at the top.
Step 2: Click Presenter View and check two windows opening up on your computer.
One window shows your presentation with notes open on the sidebar. Another window displays the current slide you are sharing with others over a call.
As expected, Canva offers several options for sharing and exporting your presentation. When you complete your presentation, click Share in the top-right corner and expand Download .
You can convert a presentation to PDF, PPTX (Microsoft PowerPoint compatible), MP4, JPG, PNG and SVG formats. Check our dedicated post if you wish to print your Canva presentation .
1. Can you customize a PowerPoint presentation (.PPTX) in Canva?
Yes, you can customize a PowerPoint presentation (PPTX) in Canva. You will need to upload the presentation, edit it, customize your slides, and then download it.
2. Can you edit a Canva presentation in the Microsoft PowerPoint?
Yes, you can edit a Canva presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint. You will need to download it from Canva, open it in Microsoft PowerPoint, edit the presentation, and save your changes.
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Last updated on 27 August, 2024
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How to Use Canva Presentations
Make visually appealing presentations that'll stand out among others using Canva.
Canva, a graphic design platform, is gaining a lot of traction as a design tool. Its basic premise – it’s just as easy to use for non-designers. You don’t need to be an expert in graphic designing to use Canva, and that is one of the main reasons behind its popularity.
With design becoming one of the hottest commodities for just about every field, Canva makes it accessible to everyone. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a marketer, influencer, or a blogger, you can use Canva to make fetching content for social media, posters, graphics, design your own business cards even. If you’ve got even a little eye for design, Canva can help you cut down on the costs of hiring professional designers.
But did you know you can also use it to make just as engaging and stimulating presentations? Whether you want to make presentations for a professional environment or personal use (like a birthday surprise), Canva Presentations have got you covered. Let’s dive right into it!
Getting Started
Canva offers a web app you can immediately start using on your desktop without having to download anything. Unfortunately, the web app is your only option as there is no desktop app. So you need an internet connection to work with Canva as it stores all your work on its servers.
Canva also has a mobile app for iPhone and Android, which you can use on the go. But when getting started, using the web app is the best course of action.
Go to canva.com and create a free account. Click the ‘Sign Up’ button to create a new account.
You can sign up with your Google account, Facebook account, or your email address.
Canva has a freemium structure, so you can use it for free with limited features or get a Pro or Enterprise subscription for complete access. It also offers a 30-day free trial to its Pro features, so you can try it out before deciding whether you want to convert to a paid user.
Now, from the Canva home page, click the ‘Presentations’ button under the Design anything banner. If you can’t find the option, you can also search for ‘Presentation’ from the search bar.
There are plenty of size options to choose from when creating a presentation. Let’s stick with the standard size ‘1920 x 1080 px’ here.
One of the things that makes Canva so easy to use for everyone is the sheer number of templates. The assortment of templates in existence ensures that you’ll find something to match your needs. But if not, you can also start with a blank slate and create your presentation from scratch.
For this guide, we are selecting a template for the presentation. Before selecting a template, you can see what it has to offer by clicking the three-dot menu and selecting ‘Preview this template’.
Click ‘Use this template’ to select the template if you like it or go back and select another.
Editing the Presentation
The template will load into the editing interface. Canva has an eerily easy editing interface. Let’s navigate the interface first. Below the slide is the thumbnail view where you can see all the slides in thumbnails side by side.
To turn off the thumbnail view, click the on/ off toggle (arrow).
Click the grid view button to switch views.
The grid view is helpful when there are a lot of slides in your presentation. Using grid view, you can get an overview of them all. You can also rearrange the slides by dragging and dropping slides into a new position. Click the ‘Grid View’ button again to switch back.
Click the ‘Notes’ option to add notes to the presentation that you can use for reference while presenting.
The name of the presentation can be edited from the top-most toolbar.
Now, on the left is the toolbar that houses all the tools for editing the design elements in the presentation.
When you’re using a template, almost all of the elements can be selected and edited. You can delete an element, change color, font (for text). To select an element, hover over it. The part of that element will be highlighted in blue. Click it to select it.
Another toolbar will appear above the slide with editing options specific to the element you have selected. Depending on the element, you can change it’s color, font, font size.
When you click the color option, a palette for document colors will appear above, followed by available default colors. For free users, only limited color options are available. If you have a Brand Kit (available only for Canva Pro users), that palette will also appear here.
Click on the ‘Elements’ option on the left toolbar to add elements like photos, videos, graphics, audio, charts, etc. to your presentation.
To add photos, videos, or audio from your computer, click the ‘Uploads’ button. Then, click the ‘Upload media’ button to select content. Any media you previously uploaded will also be available here.
You can also add animations to individual elements or the entire page. Select an element and click the ‘Animate’ button.
‘Element animations’ will open. To switch to page animations, click the ‘Page Animations’ tab.
Presenting your Presentation
Once your presentation is complete comes the main part – presenting it. Canva offers a lot of options for your finished presentation. You can present it right from Canva or publish or download it for various platforms.
To publish it elsewhere or download it, click the ‘three-dot’ menu on the top-right corner.
A list of options will appear. You can download it onto your computer, or as a PowerPoint presentation, share a link to the presentation, publish it as a website, embed it on your website, and much more. You can also record it while presenting with a voiceover.
To present straight from Canva, click the ‘Present’ button.
Click the drop-down menu below ‘Type’ and select how you want to present it.
There are three options to choose from: ‘Standard’ – where you present at your own pace, ‘Autoplay’ – where the presentation advances automatically, and ‘Presenter View’ – where you can view your notes and upcoming slides, but the rest of the people cannot. Presenter View is best used when you’re presenting on a projector.
After selecting the type, click the ‘Present’ button.
Bonus Tips for your Presentation
While presenting the presentation on Canva, you can add special effects to enhance the performance with some keyboard shortcuts. All you need to do is press the associated key with each effect to bring it into action. Press the same key to stop it. You can also press multiple keys to add 2 or more special effects. With these effects, your presentation is bound to stand out to your audience and be memorable.
Drumroll : Add a drumroll before a slide by pressing the key ‘D’ before a big reveal.
Confetti : Add a shower of confetti to celebrate something with the key ‘C’ .
Countdown : Add a countdown from ‘1-9’ by pressing one of the keys.
Quiet : Bring a 🤫 emoji to screen to hush your audience with the ‘Q’ key.
Bubbles : Press down the ‘O’ key to bring bubbles on the screen.
Blur : Build tension and add drama to the atmosphere by blurring the screen with the key ‘B’.
Presentations are a huge part of professional life, whether you’re presenting to your clients, doing a webinar, promoting your brand, to name a few. With Canva, you can make presentations that’ll leave a long-lasting impact but won’t take long to make.
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