Stroke Customization: Adding Strokes To Shapes In Canva

Canva is a free online design program that allows users to create marketing graphics and other visual content with ease. One of the many features that Canva offers is the ability to add a stroke or outline to shapes, images, and text. This simple effect can be used to create a professional and polished look for your designs. In this article, we will explore the steps to add a stroke to a shape in Canva, as well as some creative ways to utilise this feature to enhance your visual content. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced designer, Canva provides a user-friendly platform to bring your creative ideas to life.

-'outline'-feature'>Outline a shape using the 'Shadows' > 'Outline' feature

Yes, you can put a stroke on a shape in Canva. To outline a shape, follow these steps:

Step 1: Select the Shape

Choose the shape you want to outline and click on it to ensure it is selected. This will make the editing options accessible.

Step 2: Access the Editing Menu

With your shape selected, click on "Edit photo" in the upper toolbar to access the editing features. This will open up the Edit Photo panel, where you can make adjustments to your shape.

Step 3: Open the Shadows Effect

In the editing menu, select the "Shadows" option to reveal the different shadow types you can apply. This will open up a range of options to customise your shadow effect.

Step 4: Select the Outline Effect

From the "Shadows" menu, choose the "Outline" effect. This will create a shadow that traces the borders of your shape, resulting in a standout silhouette effect.

Step 5: Adjust the Outline Settings

Once you have selected the Outline effect, you can customise it further to fit your desired outcome. Adjust the following settings to fine-tune your outline:

• Size: Determine how thick or thin you want the outline to be.
• Blur Amount: Adjust the blur effect to create either a solid outline or a soft glow.
• Angle: Set the angle to control where the outline is offset from the image.
• Distance: Create a drop shadow effect by varying the thickness of the outline around the shape. Set this to zero for a uniform outline.
• Colour: Change the colour of the outline to match or contrast with your design.
• Intensity: Control the opacity of the outline, deciding whether elements behind the outline will be visible.

By following these steps and adjusting the settings, you can effectively outline a shape using the Shadows > Outline feature in Canva. This will allow you to add a stroke to your shape and customise it according to your design needs.

Adjust the colour and size of the stroke

Yes, you can put a stroke on a shape in Canva. To do this, search for 'borders' in the Elements tab and select the border you want to use. You can then adjust the colour and size of the stroke.

To change the colour of your stroke, simply click on it to select it and then click on the colour tile in the editor toolbar. This will allow you to choose from a range of colours to find the one that best suits your design. You can also adjust the transparency of your stroke to make it more subtle and help it blend seamlessly into your design.

To resize your stroke, click on it to select it and then drag any of the white circle handles on the edges in or out to make it larger or smaller. This can be a great way to create emphasis or visual harmony in your design. For example, you could resize a rectangle to create emphasis under a title and match the colour of the stroke to the text colour.

You can also adjust the thickness and offset of your stroke for a more customised look. To do this, use the thickness and offset sliders in the Effects feature of your Canva toolbar. Drag the thickness slider to the left for a thinner stroke and to the right for a thicker one. The offset slider will allow you to adjust the amount of space between the stroke and the text or shape.

By adjusting the colour, size, thickness and offset of your stroke, you can create unique and professional-looking designs that suit your style and brand. So feel free to experiment and get creative with your strokes in Canva!

Create a border around a section of text using the Alt + Shift + B shortcut

Yes, you can put a stroke on a shape in Canva. In fact, the platform offers several ways to creatively use shapes in your designs, including framing your content with a border, resizing a shape to create emphasis, filling in gaps in letters, highlighting numbers, and layering shapes.

Now, to create a border around a section of text, simply use the Alt + Shift + B shortcut on your keyboard. This shortcut will add a solid line around the selected text, allowing you to create a visually appealing frame that focuses attention on that specific section. This is especially useful when you want to highlight important information or create a unique text box.

Once you've added the border, you can further customize it by adjusting its size. To increase the border width, use the shortcut Option + Shift + Equal (Alt + Shift + Equal on Windows), and to decrease it, use Option + Shift + Minus (Alt + Shift + Minus on Windows). These shortcuts give you precise control over the thickness of your border, ensuring it complements your design perfectly.

Additionally, you can also experiment with different colours for your border to create visual harmony or contrast within your design. Remember, the versatility of shapes in Canva allows you to enhance the overall appearance of your creations and emphasize specific elements, such as text or numbers.

Use the 'Effects' feature to apply the 'Splice' outline text effect

Canva is a free online design program that allows users to create marketing graphics with simple drag-and-drop functionality. It has recently rolled out its text effects feature, which can be used to change the appearance of your text.

To apply the Splice outline text effect, follow these steps:

• Open a new design space: You can create a new design or select an existing graphic. For this example, we will use a custom size of 500 x 500 px.
• Add text: Click the "Text" button or simply type "T" to add a text box. Type your desired text, and adjust the font size and style as needed.
• Apply the Splice effect: With your text selected, click the "Effects" option in the toolbar. On the left panel, you will see the different effects divided into two categories: Style Effects and Shape Effects. Click on "Splice" under Style Effects. This will apply the default Splice settings to your text.
• Make adjustments: You can now customize your outlined text according to your preferences.

• Thickness: Drag the slider left or right to adjust the thickness of the outline.
• Offset: Change the offset to adjust the distance between the outline and the text.
• Direction: Modify the direction setting to change the direction of the shadow text behind the outline.
• Color: Use the color buttons to change the inside and outline colors of your text.

• Apply additional adjustments (optional): You can further refine your outlined text by making additional adjustments, such as changing the text to uppercase or lowercase, adjusting letter spacing, or playing with different fonts and colors.
• Export your design: If you want to export your outlined text as a logo with a transparent background, you will need to be signed up for the Canva Pro plan. Ensure that you remove any background image or color, set the background to white if necessary, and select "PNG" as the file type. Check the "Transparent background" option before downloading your design.

By following these steps, you can easily apply the Splice outline text effect in Canva and create eye-catching designs for your brand or social media presence.

Adjust the thickness, offset, colour, and direction of your outlined text

To adjust the thickness, offset, colour, and direction of your outlined text in Canva, follow these steps:

Thickness

To change the thickness of your outlined text, use the size slider. Dragging the slider to the left will make the outline thinner, while dragging it to the right will make it thicker. The default thickness setting is 50, but you can adjust it anywhere between 0 and 100.

Offset

The offset setting determines how much the outline is offset from the text. A higher offset value will create a more pronounced outline effect. The default offset setting is 50, but you can adjust the slider anywhere between 0 and 100. For a standard 'Outline' effect with no offset, set the value to 0.

Colour

To change the colour of your outlined text, click on the colour swatch and select your desired colour from the colour panel. You can change both the inside colour of the text and the outline colour. It is recommended to use a lighter colour for the inside of the text and a darker variation for the outline.

Direction

The direction setting for the outline is set to -45 by default. You can experiment with different direction values to see what works best for your particular design style.

In addition to these adjustments, you can also make changes to the text itself, such as uppercase or lowercase letters, letter spacing, and alignment. Play around with these settings until you achieve your desired look.

Frequently asked questions