You’ve nailed the Canva basics—now discover how Canva automation and some of the more advanced tricks can help you produce top-quality designs with less effort. With a few clever hacks, you can streamline your workflow, automate repetitive tasks, and take your designs to the next level.
Consistency and speed don’t have to compromise quality. Learn how Canva’s automation tools and design shortcuts can help you achieve this with ease.
Canva Automation Hacks with Zapier & Make.com
Canva automation really comes to life when using automation tools like Zapier and Make.com. The native integrations on these platforms allow you to create workflows and scale your Canva content production pipeline.
Let's look at some examples:
Zapier Automations
- Save Designs to Google Drive - Automatically save completed Canva designs to Google Drive for easy access.
- Notify Team on Slack - Send a Slack notification when a new design is published in Canva.
- Log Design Data to Google Sheets - Record design details like name, link, and date in Google Sheets.
Make.com Automations
- Upload Designs to WordPress: Automatically upload Canva designs to the WordPress media library.
- Create PDFs and Save to Dropbox: Export Canva designs as PDFs and store them in Dropbox.
- Trigger Canva Templates with Google Forms: Populate Canva templates with data from Google Forms submissions.
Bulk Create Videos & Graphics
Canva’s Bulk Create tool is an automation powerhouse and allows you to generate hundreds of customized videos and graphics effortlessly. By combining your templates with data from spreadsheets, CSV files, or other sources, you can automate the process of creating unique content variations in minutes—perfect for social media campaigns, short-form videos, marketing materials, or personalized designs at scale.
Some examples of what you can create:
- Generate certificates, Christmas cards, invitations, or business cards in seconds.
- Turn spreadsheet rows into 100s of short-form social media videos and carousel posts
- Use Canva Bulk Maker to integrate spreadsheets for text placeholders
- Automate social media posts with Canva’s Content Planner, and much more
Top Canva Automation Extensions
| Tool | Description | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Canva Automator | Automates repetitive Canva tasks like text updates and alignment adjustments to save time. | Batch text updates, automatic alignment, and improved design consistency. |
| Canva Automate Maker | Integrates spreadsheets into Canva to create multiple designs quickly and efficiently. | CSV-based bulk creation, real-time design previews, and streamlined text/image replacement. |
| Canvamatic | Simplifies design workflow by automating repetitive tasks. | Generates multiple designs from CSV data using variables. Supports any number of variables |
Canva Magic Studio Hacks
Magic Studio is your AI-powered design assistant in Canva, built to automate and simplify your creative process. From generating text and videos to resizing designs and enhancing images, Magic Studio combines all the powerful tools—like Magic Write, Magic Resize, and Magic Eraser—into one powrful graphic editing experience. It’s like having a personal designer and editor on call, helping you create and adapt content effortlessly. Let's look at these tools below.
Magic Write
Magic Write uses AI to create professional and on-brand content effortlessly. Whether it’s blog introductions, product descriptions, or social captions, you input a few keywords, and the tool drafts high-quality text, saving you from writer’s block.
The Hack: Skip the extra costs and limitations of other tools like having the Gemini chatbot inside Google Docs. With Canva Docs and Magic Write (powered by OpenAI), you can draft, edit, and finalize professional documents using AI for free as part of your Canva Pro subscription. Whether it’s brainstorming blog outlines, generating marketing copy, or polishing reports, everything happens in one seamless, visually integrated platform—without the need for costly add-ons.
Magic Design
With Magic Design, you can generate high-quality, on-brand templates and presentations from a brief description or uploaded media. For example, enter "holiday sale flyer," and Canva provides tailored designs ready for customization.
The Hack: Upload a high-performing post or video, and let Magic Design create platform-specific formats (e.g., Instagram stories, YouTube thumbnails, LinkedIn banners). This extends the life of your content with minimal effort.
Text to Image | Text to Video
This feature transforms text descriptions into AI-generated visuals or videos. Describe your idea, like "a modern office workspace with collaborative teams," and Canva creates video or image content for websites, ads, or social media.
The Hack: Use the AI avatar generator feature in Canva (powered by Heygen) to create training or onboarding videos in over 40 languages. Input your script, and the tool transforms it into a dynamic, localized video presentation, making global employee onboarding seamless and cost-effective.
Magic Resize
Magic Resize is perfect for adapting designs to multiple platforms. In one click, create resized versions of your best performing content for Instagram, Facebook, or presentations while maintaining quality and consistency.
The Hack: Design one piece of content and use Magic Resize to instantly adjust it for all your platforms—Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more. With just one click, you’ll have perfectly formatted designs ready to post everywhere, saving you hours of manual resizing.
Magic Media
Magic Media enables fast creation of tailored images or videos for your content needs. Generate assets like product images or videos that align perfectly with your branding.
The Hack: Describe a concept or process (e.g., “how to recycle plastics”), and Magic Media generates a short, animated video that you can use for informative posts or product demonstrations on your website or social media channels.
Magic Expand
Use Magic Expand to extend images seamlessly in any direction, filling missing details while preserving consistency. Perfect for transforming photos into banners or headers.
The Hack: Transform a single photo into a multi-slide Instagram carousel by extending it horizontally. Maintain a coherent story with perfectly connected visuals across each slide.
Magic Grab
This tool isolates objects in photos, letting you reposition or resize them without affecting the background. Ideal for adjusting layouts or adapting images for different designs.
The Hack: for e-commerce brands, use Magic Grab to move logos, adjust packaging, and create multiple background options or product placements. This makes it easy to showcase your products in different styles and layouts, perfect for enhancing the product details page (PDP) on your website.
Magic Edit
Magic Edit allows you to modify parts of an image with a simple brush. Change colors, add objects, or make specific adjustments quickly and intuitively.
The Hack: Use Magic Edit to add furniture, decor, or outdoor elements to property photos, creating visually appealing staged images for real estate listings without costly physical staging.
Magic Eraser
Remove unwanted elements in photos with Magic Eraser. Brush over distractions like background clutter or photobombers for clean and professional visuals.
The Hack: Quickly remove distracting objects or clutter from product images to create clean, professional visuals that draw attention to your product, perfect for online stores.
Background Remover
Background Remover isolates subjects with a single click, creating transparent PNGs perfect for product listings, ads, or marketing materials.
The Hack: Use Background Remover to isolate your product and create clean, transparent PNG files. Then, combine your product with AI-generated backdrops (Canva can also create these for you in Magic Studio) to place it in various scenes—like a cozy living room, a stylish office, or a bustling café. This allows you to easily create multiple "lifestyle photos" that showcase your product in real-world settings, perfect for boosting engagement and sales.
Magic Animate
Magic Animate provides instant animations for text and objects, making designs more dynamic and engaging. Use it for presentations, ads, or social posts.
The Hack: Take your designs and turn them into fun, animated explainer videos, or interesting science videos (like @OddAnimalSpecimens) with just a few clicks using Magic Animate. Use it for creating short-form videos for TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts—great for showing off products, sharing how-to tips, or telling your brand’s story. You can even use these videos as ads to grab attention and keep people watching. It’s an easy way to make your content stand out! Repurpose them for social media ads for organic looking ads that drive traffic and conversions on your website or app.
Magic Morph
Transform text or shapes with Magic Morph. This tool creates unique animations or reshapes objects seamlessly, adding creativity and flair to your designs.
The Hack: Use Magic Morph to transform your branding into seamless patterns or textured backgrounds for product packaging. Take it a step further by creating custom patterns for major e-commerce events like Christmas, Black Friday, or Valentine’s Day. Add festive touches like ornaments for Christmas or bold sale graphics for Black Friday. It’s a simple way to make your packages stand out and create a memorable unboxing experience during key shopping seasons.
Free vs. Paid Automation Features in Canva
Canva offers a range of powerful automation features, but many are exclusive to Pro and Enterprise plans. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you’re missing in the Free plan, if automating Canva is what you're after.
AI-Powered Canva Features
| Feature | Free Plan | Pro Plan | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dream Lab | - | Yes | Yes |
| Magic Design | - | Yes | Yes |
| Magic Write with Brand Voice | - | Yes | Yes |
| Magic Media - Text to Image and Graphics | - | Yes | Yes |
| Magic Media - Text to Video | - | Yes | Yes |
| Magic Morph | - | Yes | Yes |
| Magic Resize | - | Yes | Yes |
| Translate | - | Yes | Yes |
| Magic Animate | - | Yes | Yes |
| Magic Edit | - | Yes | Yes |
| Magic Eraser | - | Yes | Yes |
| Magic Grab | - | Yes | Yes |
| Magic Expand | - | Yes | Yes |
| Mockups | - | Yes | Yes |
| Photo and Video Background Remover | - | Yes | Yes |
| Beat Sync | - | Yes | Yes |
| Highlights | - | Yes | Yes |
| Enhance Voice | - | Yes | Yes |
Key Highlights:
- All AI-powered tools, including Magic Resize, Magic Write, and Dream Lab, are only available on Pro and above plans.
- These features streamline design workflows and automate tasks like resizing, text generation, and media creation.
Additional Automation Features Limited to Paid Plans
| Feature | Free Plan | Pro Plan | Enterprise Plan |
| Social Media Scheduling | - | Yes | Yes |
| Approval Workflows | - | - | Yes |
| API Integrations | - | - | Yes |
| Brand Kits | 1 Kit | 1000 Kits | 1000 Kits |
| Cloud Storage | 5GB | 1TB | 1TB |
What You’re Missing:
- Free Plan: Ideal for basic design needs but lacks advanced automation and time-saving tools.
- Pro Plan: Unlocks tools like AI features, Magic Resize, and scheduling.
- Enterprise Plan: Adds API integrations, approval workflows, and security enhancements.
If automation and scalability are your priorities, upgrading to Pro or Enterprise is essential to access Canva’s full potential and being able to truly automate Canva.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Customize Size in Canva?
Canva makes it easy to customize sizes. Simply use the "Resize" button, where you can input custom dimensions or choose from preset sizes. This ensures your designs are perfect for any platform.
How to Change Aspect Ratio in Canva?
To change the aspect ratio, use the "Resize" tool to select a different size or platform preset. Once resized, adjust the elements in your design to maintain balance and style.
How to Convert Canva to PDF?
You can easily save your Canva designs to PDF. This is a native export format, so there is no conversion needed. Click "Share," select "Download," and choose PDF as the file type to save your design in high-quality format. Simple as that.
How to Convert Canva to PowerPoint?
Canva allows you to export designs as PowerPoint files. Go to "Share," select "Download," and choose the PPTX format. This ensures your design is ready for use in PowerPoint.
How to Convert Canva to Google Slides?
Export your Canva design as a PowerPoint file, then upload it to Google Slides. This is an efficient way to collaborate and share your work online.
How to Make a QR Code in Canva?
Canva’s QR Code Generator tool lets you create interactive designs. Under the "Apps" tab, select the QR Code Generator, input your desired URL, and drag the code into your design.
How to Create an Ebook in Canva?
To create an ebook, start with an A4 template in Canva. Customize with text, visuals, and links, then export as a PDF for professional and shareable results.
How to Make Infographics in Canva?
Infographics are simple to create in Canva. Choose a template, add charts, icons, and text, and use branding tools to ensure consistency. Perfect for presenting data visually.
Conclusion
Using Canva's built-in tools can help automate and scale your graphics and video production pipelines. With these Canva automation tricks, you’ll not only save time but also unlock new levels of creativity and efficiency. Whether you’re bulk-creating holiday cards or automating your social media strategy, combining Canva with other automation tools is the ticket to doing more in less time.
With 20+ years in eCommerce and a proven history of scaling a 7-figure business, I know how to transform challenges into opportunities for growth. As the former Head of E-commerce for a European food tech company, I managed 14 e-shops across Europe and South Africa. Now, I specialise in helping professionals like you unlock the potential of AI automation for your business.
Over 1,800 students have already enrolled in my online courses to master these skills. Whether you’re looking for hands-on AI automation services or want to upskill with my courses, I’m here to help. Connect with me on LinkedIn to discuss your needs or join my programs to start building smarter, more scalable systems today!