How to Animate on Canva Mobile App The Pro Way

Creating fun designs on Canva has never been easier! 

Even if you don’t have access to a computer, Canva’s developers have come up with the idea of bringing the experience to a mobile application.

And, if you’ve been fascinated with animating presentations and creating GIFs on Canva’s web version, you’ll be thrilled to know you can still create them on your mobile.

But, first, let’s study how to animate on Canva’s mobile app.

 

How to Animate on Canva Mobile App

Whether you’re starting with a template or from a blank canvas, you first add elements, text, and photos to your design. Position them first before tapping on the Animate button on the toolbar. Select text or element animations to individually animate elements, or page animations if you want to animate the entire page.

 

Animating on Canva Mobile App: The Basics

Bringing life to your designs on Canva’s mobile app is almost similar to how you do it in the web version.

Of course, you’ll have to adjust working on a smaller screen and locate the right buttons to animate your Canva designs.

However, just like the web version of this graphic design tool, you can always start with a template.

 

Use of Templates

Step 1: After logging into your Canva account, you then create a new design file by tapping on the purple “+” button.

Then, select the “Custom size” option and encode what document size you’ll use. 

Or, if you have a specific use for that animated design, you can encode on the search bar what design file you’re making and select it.

If you have an existing design file, tap on the “Designs” button in the menu bar and scroll down to locate the file.

Once you find it, tap on the three-dot (ellipsis) icon and choose the “Edit Design” option. Or, you can directly tap on it.

Step 2: On the editor page, you’ll immediately see the animated template you’ve chosen. It already comes with animations, text, photos, and even background color.

So, with that, all you need to do is edit them. You can begin by editing the text by tapping on a particular text box once.

Then press on the “Edit” button and type whatever message you have in mind that suits the theme of your design. Once you’re done, tap outside of the text box to save the changes you’ve made.

Add photos and elements by tapping on “+” found at the lower left of the screen. Tap on the “Photos” and “Elements” tab respectfully on the toolbar.

You can even add animated graphics to your design by searching the “Stickers” menu in “Elements.”

If you plan on editing the background color, simply tap on the “Color” button on the editor toolbar. 

Scroll down until you find the perfect hue you’re looking for and tap on it.

Step 3: Now, begin animating your design.

To animate individually, tap on a design element (text or graphic) before heading to the editor toolbar at the bottom.

Swipe the toolbar to the right until you see the “Animate” button.

Tap on “Text Animations” if you’re animating a text, and “Element Animations” if you’re animating graphic elements.

Here’s the list of animations you can use for text:

• Block
• Typewriter
• Ascend
• Bounce
• Burst
• Roll
• Shift
• Skate
• Breathe
• Fade
• Pan
• Rise
• Tumble
• Stomp
• Drift
• Baseline
• Tectonic
• Neon
• Scrapbook
• Pop

Do take note that from “Stomp” downwards, you can only use them if you’re a Canva Pro user. 

On the other hand, here’s the list of “Element Animations” you can use for your graphic elements.

• Breathe
• Fade
• Pan
• Rise
• Tumble
• Stomp
• Drift
• Pop
• Neon
• Scrapbook
• Baseline
• Tectonic

Similar to “Text Animations,” “Stomp” up to “Tectonic” is available only for Canva Pro users.

You can tap on the animations one by one to see their effects on your text or element.

Step 4: Now, if you want to simply use a single animation for the entire page, tap on any part of the canvas and head over to the “Animate” button.

Step 5: Then, you’ll find the “Page Animations” available to your liking. 

They’re similar to the text and element animations, so just start tapping on the options available and see what suits your design.

Step 6: Tick the “Apply to all pages” option if you want to apply the same animation for all your pages before pressing the “x” button.

Step 7: View the preview of your newly animated design by tapping the “Play” icon.

Step 8: If you want to do some editing on the timing first, click on the “x” icon on the left side and tap on the stopwatch icon on the toolbar. Adjust the timing by dragging the slider.

Head back to the “Play” icon to watch the preview. 

Tap the “Download” icon and save your file as a GIF.

Pretty neat, right?

But, if you want a personalized animated Canva design without relying on templates, then continue reading below.

 

Starting from Scratch

Step 1: Create a new design file by tapping on the “+” icon on the home page. Select whether you’ll use a custom design or select a document size depending on the purpose of your design.

Step 2: On the editor page, you’ll see a blank canvas. Change the background color first by tapping on the rainbow-colored “Color” tile on the toolbar.

Select what hue you’ll use from the gallery that appears. 

Step 3: Once you’ve selected your background color, it’s time to add some text. Tap on the purple “+” icon again and swipe to the toolbar to the right until you see the “Text” menu.

Step 4: Select what font style you’d like to use. You can choose to have a generic text box or any of the font combinations featured and tap on it.

Step 5: Edit the text inside the text box by tapping on it once before pressing the “Edit” option on the toolbar below.

Type your message inside it. 

After typing the message, you can move the text box anywhere you want to place it.

Once you’re done, simply tap anywhere on the canvas or the back button of your keypad. 

Step 6: It’s now time to add elements. Tap on the “+” icon again and select “Elements” on the toolbar.

Step 7: Scroll down to search for the element you’re looking for. But, if you want a shortcut, simply type on the search bar what element you’re looking for in your design and press the magnifying glass icon.

Step 8: Select from the still graphics or the animated stickers available on the gallery. Tap the element to bring it to your canvas.

Adjust the placement of the elements and size accordingly.

Step 9: Add animations to your design by tapping on the “Animate” button on the toolbar. 

Step 10: Browse through the gallery of element and page animations available. Watch the preview of the animations on your design by tapping on them.

Again, if you want one animation style for all your pages, tick the “Apply to all pages” box before tapping on the “x” icon and go back to the editor page.

Step 11: Watch the preview by tapping on the “Play” icon. 

If you’re satisfied with the effects, just press the “Download” icon. 

If not, then head back and create the necessary adjustments with the timing, element, and text box placement.

 

Frequently Asked Questions about How to Animate on Canva Mobile App

 

Can you remove the preset animation of stickers?

Just like in Canva’s web version, there’s no way you can remove the preset animation of the stickers you’ve used. Since they’re preset, you cannot customize or even remove them.

 

If the template I’ve chosen comes with music, can I remove it?

You can remove any music that comes with the template you’ve selected for your design. Below your canvas, you can see the title of the music added to it. Tap on it, and press the trash can icon (Delete) to remove it. You can watch the preview of your animated design to ensure the music’s removed from it.

 

How do GIF and an MP4 differ?

GIF and MP4 are the 2 file types you can use if you’re planning to download a design with animations. With MP4, you can download animated designs with sound. With GIF, the animated design doesn’t come with sounds.

 

Can I use uploaded photos for the design I’m about to animate?

You can! Simply tap on the “+” icon, then swipe to the right until you see the “Uploads” option. You can scroll downwards to search for the image you’ll use from your gallery, or you can take advantage of the search bar function and narrow your search. 

 

Conclusion

There you have it! You finally know how to add animations to your Canva designs even if you’re on the go and can’t access a laptop or computer. 

All you need to have is some patience and lots of creativity when you’re using the mobile app to bring your brilliant designs to fruition.

So, if I were you, simply grab your mobile phone and begin designing on Canva mobile right now!