How to Download Pics & Elements from Canva — Easy Peezy!

As everyone already knows, almost all the things we do are already in digital format. With that said, even designing logos and other creative pieces can now also be done online.

In relation to that, you don’t need to be a graphic artist or a design expert for you to start creating your own stunning designs.

You simply need to have a good internet connection, a creative mind, and an account in one of the coolest and user-friendly creative app in the world – Canva!

So, if you’re still a newbie in using Canva, you might want to know the basic ins and outs of this application. 

How do you create designs or images from it? Is there a way for you to download your designs into your device in high resolution?

Hold your horses there, as this article you’re about to read is going to answer all those queries you have. 

So, shall we get started?

 

How to Download Pictures & Elements from Canva?

To make your own design in Canva, you need to set the template size first by clicking the “Create a Design” button on the upper right corner of your screen. Once there, input the design dimensions by clicking the “Custom Size” button on the succeeding dropdown menu. After which, proceed with selecting the images or elements you’ll use for your project. If you’re satisfied with your design, then click the “Download” button on the upper right corner of the toolbar. Another dropdown menu will then allow you to choose what file type and size you’d want to download your image in. You can also choose what pages to download if you’ve got many designs in the same project file. 

 

The Basics of Creating and Downloading Pictures and Elements in Canva

Now that you want to use Canva for creating the hippest digital designs, the first thing that you need to do is familiarize how to use the app.

After all, you can’t create stunning projects if you don’t know the ins and outs of the tool, right?

So, we’ll divide this topic into three sections so you’ll have a better view of how to go about the entire process afterward.

 

How to Create Designs using Pictures 

Step 1: Click the “Create a design” button on the upper right corner of the Home page. 

Step 2: From the dropdown menu, tap on the “Custom Size” button at the bottom and input the dimensions of your project.

Step 3: Once done with inputting the project size, the previously grayed out “Create new design” button will be highlighted. Tap on it so you’ll be redirected to a blank template.

Step 4: Change the file name in Canva’s main taskbar. Simply click on the box on the left side of the “Share” tab and input the name you’d like to give to your project.

Step 5: Choose a photo or image you’d like to use for your design by heading over to the left side Canva menu and click on “Photos.”

 

Step 6: Click and drag the photo you’ve chosen to the blank template. Right-click on the said image and select the “Set image as background” option. 

Step 7: If you need to make adjustments, simply double-click on the picture and drag the part you’d like to appear in the grid boxes.

Step 8: Tap on the “Done” option at the upper left of the toolbar. 

 

Using Elements for Your Design

Alternatively, you can also use elements in the Canva gallery for your design in mind. 

But, not to worry, as there are only a few differences with the process compared when using images from Canva’s photo gallery.

Step 1: Click the “Create a design” button on the upper right corner of the Home page. 

Step 2: Tap on the “Custom Size” button at the bottom and input the dimensions of your project.

Step 3: Once done with inputting the project size, the previously grayed out “Create new design” button will be highlighted. Tap on it so you’ll be redirected to a blank template.

Step 4: Change the file name in Canva’s main taskbar. Simply click on the box on the left side of the “Share” tab and input the name you’d like to give to your project.

Step 5: Choose an element you’d like to use for your project by heading over the “Elements” tab on the left side menu of your Canva screen.

Step 6: Click and drag the element you’d like to use to the blank template. Make the appropriate positional adjustments by tapping and dragging the said element where you want to place it.

Step 7: Tap on the “Done” option at the upper left of the toolbar. 

 

Downloading Pictures and Elements to your Device

After the arduous process (which I don’t think so) of creating your first design with Canva, it’s now time to save your work on your device.

But how? Continue reading below to find out.

Step 1: Click on the “Download” button on the upper right-hand corner of the Canva toolbar.

Step 2: If you want to download a simple picture of your design, you can opt to click on “PNG” or “JPG” from the dropdown menu that appears.

Step 3: Adjust the image’s size and quality afterward by dragging the corresponding sliders either to the right or the left side. 

Step 4: Once done with making your choices, tap the “Download” button on the bottom part of the dropdown menu.

Step 5: If you have several pages in your project, you can opt to download single photos only. Simply click on the “Select pages” button, and tick the corresponding boxes of the pages you’d like to download from the dropdown menu.

Step 6: You can also download all the pages of your project by selecting the “All pages” option from the menu.

Step 7: Once done, click on the “Download” button to start the process. A gradient box will then appear for you to track the progress of the downloading process.

Step 8: If you’re planning to download a single element, follow the first step as when you’re downloading a photo. The only difference is you’d need to keep the file type as “PNG” so you can download the said element with a transparent background.

Step 9: Make sure to tick the “Transparent background” box after the “Size” adjuster to download the element without any background.

 

Can You Download Elements if You Only have the Free Account?

As you can see above the entire process of creating and downloading images and elements in Canva isn’t as complicated as it seems. 

You only need to click a few buttons for you to toggle with the choices and create adjustments as necessary.

However, while everyone can create designs in the app, there are certain limitations that Free Canva users cannot enjoy.

And, among the list of these certain restrictions, the first on the list is your inability to download elements with a transparent background.

This feature’s only reserved for Canva users with the Pro version of the account.

Not only that, you can only download elements with a transparent background if you’re using the “PNG” file. 

If you want to use the “JPG’ file, you’ll see that the “Transparent background” option won’t pop out from the choices in the dropdown menu.

 

Can You Download Premium Images and Elements if You Only have the Free Account?

As mentioned in the previous section, there are restrictions on the features you can avail of if you’re only using the Free version of Canva.

Aside from not being able to download elements with a transparent background, you won’t be able to download an unwatermarked version of the photo.

But, don’t get me wrong here. You can still download the image. But, instead of a “Download” button, it will be replaced with the “Pay and Download” button instead.

If you’ve got some money to spare and you’d like to download the design with the premium elements in it, then go ahead and click that button. You only need to connect a payment option so you can proceed with the download.

You can also use Canva credits to pay for the Premium photo or element you’d like to download.

However, if you simply want to use your design for sample purposes, you can still download it. 

Right below the “Pay and Download” button, you’ll find a fine, hyperlinked text beneath it that allows you to download a draft of your design. 

There’s just a small catch to it.

Instead of a stunning and clear image of your design, the draft will appear with the Canva watermark splashed across the entire design.

But, if the Canva watermark really bothers you, you’d need to pay for the Premium elements and images you’ve used in your design.

So, are you now ready to save and download your Canva designs on your device? Whether it’s a PC, a laptop, or even a cellular phone, you can still enjoy this Canva feature hassle-free.

Just learn where to activate those features, and you’re good to go.