How to Change Background Image & Colors in Canva, by Pixel & Bracket on YouTube. 4 min 54 s.
- Video length
- 4 min 54 s
- Time to do it
- 5 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Open your design in Canva, or click Create a design and choose a size such as Instagram Post at 1080 x 1080 px.
Click an empty part of the page. The page edge turns purple and the toolbar shows a small colour tile for the background.
Click that colour tile in the top toolbar to open the colour picker.
Choose a colour from the palette, or click the plus button to type a hex code or pick one with the colour wheel.
For a two-colour blend, open the Gradient tab in the same panel, pick your colours and set the direction.
For a photo background, open the Photos or Uploads tab in the left sidebar and drag an image onto the page.
Right-click the image and choose Set image as background, or drag the corner handles until it covers the whole page.
Change other pages the same way by clicking each page thumbnail in the page panel, then setting its background.
Tips and common mistakes
Use an image at least 1920 x 1080 px so the background stays sharp on screens.
Canva crops a background photo from the centre, so check that faces and text are not cut off.
Place a semi-transparent shape over a busy photo so your text stays readable.
Changing the page background colour will not recolour the text or shapes already on it.
Questions
Can I use my own photo as a background?
Yes. Upload the file in the Uploads tab, drag it onto the page, then right-click it and choose Set image as background. A transparent PNG works the same way.
Why can't I see the background colour option?
You probably have a text box or shape selected instead of the page. Click an empty area of the page first, then look for the colour tile in the top toolbar.
Does the background change on every page at once?
No. Backgrounds apply page by page. To keep things consistent, set the first page, then copy that page and build the rest on top of it.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
