How to Create Facebook Ad Images with Canva

How Canva Works!

Canva works on a simple drag and drop basis

You simply select elements to include in

your graphic from a vast library

(or upload your own) then drag and position them on your visual.

Canva’s Interface

There are two main elements to Canva:

Dashboard

The dashboard gives you access to your

designs

and allowing you to select a default

template to work from.

This is the first screen you see after logging to

the app:

Main work area

The tool’s main area where you actually

design your graphic has 3 key elements:

1. The library of graphics, shapes and templates you can use in your ad.

This is where you can find elements to include in

the ad, from simple shapes to graphics and even images from your

Facebook gallery.

2. Main canvas

That’s the main graphic canvas on which you

place various elements to make up image for

your ad.

3. Controls and Export Tools

These are options that help you export your image to use in ad (or

whatever other content you created it for).

Step 1. Sign up for Canva if you haven’t already.

In order to start using Canva, you’ll need to sign

up for an account.

But don’t worry, it costs nothing to do so

And in many cases, creating visuals is free too

And in many cases, creating visuals is free too

In Canva you pay only if you use paid graphics, you will then be charged when you decide to export your design

This means that you can experiment with different

paid elements and only pay for the one you want

To sign up for Canva, go to Canva.com

and register using one of the three methods: with your Google account, Facebook or email

Once done, you will see the dashboard we already

talked about.

Naturally since it’s your first time using the tool, it will have nothing in your designs history.

Step 2. Select ad image size

Canva gives you two options when it comes to setting up your graphic:

You can use a pre-defined template, or

Select custom size you prefer

Both options are located in the “Create a design” section at the top of the

dashboard

Using a Template

Canva features an impressive number of predefined templates to help create various graphics,

from blog posts to presentations,

flyers and a lot in between

And as you may have guessed, it also has a pre-

defined template for a Facebook ad image

To access it, click on the More button

on the list of templates:

The tool will open a catalogue of available

templates

Scroll down to the very last section – Ads and select Facebook Ad.

Canva will create a 1200 x 627px size image and also, open a library of available ad styles

Creating a Custom Size Image

To create a custom size image, go back to the

dashboard

and click on the “Use Custom

Dimensions” button in the upper right corner of

the templates library

Canva will overlay the screen with two boxes to

specify custom Width and Height for your

image:

Once you give the measurements, click Design

and the tool will set new image canvas to your

specification

Note that if you use a custom design, you have

no access to ad templates as when you

use a pre-defined template

Step 3. Adding elements to the ad

Canva’s library features a number of elements you can add to your visual:

Background colors and patterns,

Shapes, Frames, Text Illustrations, and of

course

All of them are located in the left side library

This is how the sidebar looks like when you use

a custom dimension:

Here’s how the sidebar looks like when you

choose the Facebook Ad template:

In this guide however I’ll show you how to add elements to a custom design

Layouts

Layouts are predefined templates to base your design on

If, for instance you want to create an image that features two columns,

one containing a picture, the other some graphic elements,

layouts could help you specify that division

To use a specific layout, simply click on it and Canva will add it to your design

Note that the two graphics in columns are for illustration purposes only.

To remove or edit them, click on that section of the visual and use the Inspector bar that will appear on screen.

The inspector bar works for every element you add to the design giving you access to various editing tools for that graphic

Here’s how it looks when you want to edit a column’s background color:

Text

As the name suggests this section contains various templates and settings for adding copy to your image

The top section contains the most basic text templates where all the stuff below the horizontal line are various templates you could use

Note the word FREE beside many of them, it denotes that you can use the template at no cost

As we’ve already discussed, Canva also offers paid elements

Just like with Layouts, to add a text template, just click on it and Canva will add it to your

In text tool it contains options to change the color of your copy, remove or copy it.

To edit the copy, click on the line of text you want to edit.

When you do, a second Inspector bar will appear giving you access to more editing tools, you’ll be able to change font, text size and color for that individual line.

Backgrounds

If you want to add a custom background to your ad, this is the section to use.

Background as the name suggests contains various colors, patterns and images you could use in your design.

To use a particular pattern or image as a background, simply click on it and Canva will add it to your design

Grids, Frames and Other Shapes

Lastly, if you click the search button in the sidebar (not the search box though),

you’ll gain access to libraries of various shapes, grids, frames and other graphic elements you could add to your design:

This library contains hundreds of elements that could help you enhance you ad design, including stock free photography.

To access them, click on Photos section:

Uploading Own Photos

Having access to a library of images is great but I bet you’ll mostly want to use own images in your ads

And Canva gives you two options to do that:

You can upload images directly from your hard drive, or

Connect Canva to your Facebook account and use your photos in the design

Step 4. Exporting the Ad

With your graphic done, it’s time to export it to use in the ad

The process is pretty simple

Simply click the Download button in the top right corner of the Canva’s interface and… you’re done.

Canva will export the graphic and it will download automatically to your hard drive

(unless you have a browser set to act differently but then you’ll know what it will do instead).

And …. that’s it.

I hope I was able to help you

Thank you!