How To Sharpen Images & Pictures in Canva In 8 Easy Steps

Oh no! Your photo’s blurry! Now you’ll never be able to create a good design out of it…

Oops! Do you think such a situation is completely hopeless?

Well, if you’re a Canva user, you can still salvage that blurry picture and turn it into a magnificent work of art.

If I’ve piqued your interest, then better find out how exactly you can sharpen blurry images in Canva.

 

How to Sharpen Pictures & Images in Canva

To sharpen pictures & images in Canva, click the photo or element you’d like to use and drag it into the blank canvas. Tap on the said image or element until the “Adjust” tab appears on the toolbar. Click “Adjust,” search for the “Blur” slider and drag it to the left to increase its sharpness.

 

Detailed Guide in Sharpening Pictures & Images in Canva

Sharpening your images & pictures in Canva has never been easier.

So, if you’re raring to find out how sharpening Canva pictures works, better keep reading.

Step 1: Create a new design on Canva by clicking on the purple “Create New Design” button on the home page.

Step 2: On the left side Canva menu, choose a picture you’d like to use for your design. Click on the “Photos” tab for images.

 

Step 3: Drag and drop the picture you’ve chosen onto the blank canvas. Position the said element accordingly.

Step 4: If you want the picture to become a background image, right-click on it until a dropdown menu appears. Select “Set image as background” to stretch the photo to the document’s size.

Step 5: Click on the picture once again and select the “Adjust” option on the toolbar that appears.

Step 6: On the left-side menu that appears, head over to the “Blur” option.

Step 7: Click the white dot at the center of the blur slider and drag it to the left to sharpen the features of the image.

Step 8: Once you’re satisfied with the image’s sharpness, return to your project and add more design elements to it.

Easy peasy, right?

Unfortunately, this does only work for pictures & images that you uploaded by yourself and for photos that you find in the Canva photo library.

It does not work for graphics that you find in the Canva Elements tab. These kinds of graphics can, unfortunately, not be sharpened (and also not blurred).

 

Sharpening in Canva and Design: Fun Applications

Now that you’ve unlocked the secret behind sharpening an image in Canva, you shouldn’t simply use that feature to save your blurry camera shots.

Canva didn’t put such a nifty feature if it only serves that purpose.

You can use this feature to highlight your design’s foreground and background.

Umm, wait a minute. What’s a foreground and a background?

In simple terms, foreground refers to the part of the design that’s closest to the viewer. In short, it’s the picture or element at the front.

Background, on the other hand, is the overall scenario behind the subject. Simply put, it’s the image behind the foreground.

If you’re now clarified what these two terms mean, let’s get back to the main topic.

You can use this nifty feature to highlight the foreground you’ve chosen. All you need to do is click on the image you’ve set as a background and blur it accordingly.

Once you achieved the blurring effect on your background photo, choose another image from the “Photos” tab. Click and drag the said image once you’ve selected what you’ll use.

If the picture you picked also has a background to it, remove it with Canva’s nifty background remover tool.

To activate such a cool feature, click on the said image until the white toolbar appears. Head over to the “Effects” tab and click “Background Remover” in the side menu that appears.

Wait for Canva to work its magic on the photo (at least 5-10 seconds) until its background’s removed.

Once Canva removed the background, reposition and adjust the picture’s size accordingly.

After which, make your foreground stick out a little bit more by sharpening it.

Simply head over to the “Adjust” tab and drag the “Blur” slider to the left.

Now, you have another technique to use for your designs, especially when creating YouTube thumbnails.