12 Canva Features You Should Be Using Daily
If you create content for your business, here are 12 Canva features you should be using daily to design polished, professional graphics without wasting hours.
Welcome along, I’m Thea. After more than twelve years of using Canva, there are certain features I rely on constantly because they save me time, reduce faffing about, and make everything look instantly more polished.
Before we get into the twelve, though, there is one place every Canva user should start – whether you’re on the free plan or Canva Pro – and that’s your Brand Kit. Free users can store their three main brand colours, which is a great start, but Canva Pro users unlock the full kit and caboodle: logos, multiple colour palettes, fonts, graphics, and photos all stored neatly in one place.
If your Brand Kit isn’t set up properly, everything else becomes harder than it needs to be.
So now that we’ve got that sorted, let’s move on to the twelve Canva features I recommend to everyone.
1. Background Remover (Canva Pro)
There are a few free apps in Canva that can remove backgrounds from your images which technically do the job. However, none of them match the quality, speed, and reliability of Canva’s own Background Remover.
This is a Canva Pro feature, and in my experience it is worth the cost of upgrading for this tool alone.
You can use it to remove the background from your headshots, product photos, team images, or frankly anything else you want to turn into a clean cut-out. The result is an image that looks intentional and professional rather than cropped and slightly awkward.
I like to combine the Background Remover with Shadows…
2. Shadows in Canva
Adding shadows in Canva is an absolute must for me.
If it’s a full photo, I’ll usually go for a curved shadow.
For a YouTube thumbnail > Glow.
But the one I use most for just about everything is the simple drop shadow.
Don’t just leave the default. Adjust the blur, angle, distance, colour and intensity until it feels right.
I use shadows constantly to make content pop – photos, graphics, even to create that “sticker” effect with a white outline that lifts it off the page.
Flat is fine but I prefer depth.
FIND IT: Add your image or graphic > click Edit > scroll to the little football icon > choose your shadow and tweak the settings.
Done.
3. Image Upscale
Image Upscale is another Pro feature and one of my daily go-tos.
It’s brilliant for taking smaller or slightly blurry photos and making them bigger and clearer. You can upscale 2x, 4x, 8x or 16x — but honestly? I recommend sticking to 2x or maybe 4x. Very rarely do I go higher. Sometimes I’ll even do 2x twice instead.
Pro tip: be careful using Image Upscale on faces. It can subtly (or not so subtly) change your features, so I’d definitely stick to 2x there.
For logos, graphics, and older photos though? Absolute must. It’s such an easy way to sharpen things up and make your designs look more polished.
FIND IT: Add your image > click Edit > scroll down to > Apps to the little butterfly icon.
4. Mockups
Oh how I love Canva mockups.
This feature lets you see your designs come to life on real-world items — mugs, t-shirts, tote bags, walls, billboards, phones, tablets, laptops… the lot.
I use it constantly. I’ll pop my Totally Content logo onto merch, or drop screenshots of websites and social posts onto devices to make them look polished and “in the wild.”
It’s such an easy way to elevate your visuals and help clients (or yourself) actually see the end result.
Mockups are a daily must.
FIND IT: Add your image > click Edit > scroll down to > Apps to Mockups section and choose your scene.
BONUS TIP: You can also head straight to Canva Mockups and start designing there (which I totally recommend!)
5. Text Effects
Plain text is so 1995. In Canva, you can add shadows, outlines, hollow, neon, lift – the list goes on – with just a few clicks. But Curve? Curve was the feature. For years, it was the number one request in my workshops. The day Canva announced it was genuinely delightful.
Add your text box (pro tip: simply hit T on your keyboard) then click Effects at the top of your Canvas.
Shadow and Outline are my two most used, with Curve coming in third.
Once you start playing with text effects, there’s no going back.
FIND IT: Add text > click Effects in the top toolbar > choose your style and tweak the settings to suit your design.
6. Frames and Grids
Frames and Grids in Canva are essential. Every Canva session I’ve done for years, I say:
“Any time you see the cloud and the fields in Canva, three things can happen:
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It can become a solid colour
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It can hold a photograph
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It can hold a video”
Frames are shapes (circles, letters, funky outlines).
Grids are your structured but adjustible squares and rectangles.
I use them constantly for clean layouts and layered designs. With Grids, you can adjust spacing and sizing to suit your design – which makes everything look far more intentional and less “random drag and drop.”
Once you start using frames properly, your layouts level up instantly. The ones I use most are the circle frame (perfect for profile pics or your logo) and a mobile phone frame.
FIND IT: Go to Elements > search “Frames” or “Grids” > look for the cloud-and-fields icon > drag in and drop your image or video inside.
7. Tex and Line Spacing in Canva
Spacing is one of those tiny tweaks that makes a massive difference.
In Canva, you can adjust the spacing between letters and lines, and I do this all day long. Sometimes text needs more breathing room. Other times it needs tightened up. A few clicks and suddenly it looks intentional instead of accidental.
You can also anchor text (which I honestly never do), and now adjust kerning and ligatures for extra customisation. I rarely need that level of detail, but if you’re particular about typography, it’s there for you.
Small changes. Big polish.
FIND IT: Click your text box > look for the T with the two-sided arrow underneath > adjust letter spacing and line spacing to suit.
8. Visual Suite in Canva
The Visual Suite in Canva lets you mix Sheets, Docs, Slides, Videos and more — all in one file.
I genuinely think most people don’t even realise this exists.
Gone are the days of separate Story size, Square post, LinkedIn banner, YouTube header and so on. Now you can keep all your branded assets in one place. One file. One ecosystem. Glorious.
If you’re on Pro, you can resize right there.
If you’re not, you can simply add a new document with different dimensions and copy and paste between pages.
Simples.
FIND IT: Go to the last page of your document > click the drop-down arrow next to the + > choose from Sheet, Doc, Presentation, Whiteboard, Social Media, Video, Print, Website or More for custom size, email, upload and search.
9. Eraser – Magic and Pixel
Need to remove distractions fast? The Eraser tool is a game changer.
Whether it is something in the background or the foreground, Magic Eraser lets you brush over it and remove it. You can tidy messy backgrounds, remove random objects, or even erase unwanted text. It is a Canva Pro feature and incredibly useful.
There is also the Pixel Eraser. This removes parts of your design to create transparency. It is not a Pro feature. I rarely need it, but it can be handy depending on what you are doing.
If you clean up your images properly, your designs instantly look more polished.
FIND IT: Click on an image or graphic. If you see “Eraser” at the top, click it. If not, click Edit, go to Magic Studio, then select Magic Eraser.
10. Copy Style Button
Copy Style is one of my all-time favourite Canva tools.
Use what I call the “roller ball” to quickly match the look of any image, graphic or text. I use this all day, every day to keep my designs consistent.
It used to copy basic styles only. Now Canva has upgraded it to Copy Art Style, which means you can match illustration styles too. That is huge.
I love it for matching text styles across slides. It is also brilliant if I am designing a t-shirt with multiple icons and want them to look like they were created as a set. One click and suddenly everything feels cohesive.
It genuinely is a game changer.
FIND IT:
Click your element, then click the roller icon to copy and apply style.
Or right-click your element and choose Copy Style from the menu.
11. Gen QR – for QR Codes in Canva
Ever need a QR code? You can go to Apps and type “QR” and you will see a whole host of options. Canva has a basic built-in one, which is fine if you just want a simple black and white code.
But if I want something on brand, I use Gen QR.
It does everything I need. I can style it to match my colours, adjust the shapes, tweak the corners, and even add my logo to the centre. It looks intentional rather than “stuck on at the last minute.”
It is a smashing little app.
FIND IT: Apps > search “Gen QR”
12. Grouping & Positioning
I saved the best for last. Well, along with Canva’s Brand Kit, this is arguably one of the most important features inside of Canva.
Every time I demonstrate it, I say, with no exaggeration, “Grouping and Positioning will revolutionise your Canva.” And I mean it.
This is what keeps your designs aligned, consistent and professional.
To group elements, click one, hold Shift, and click the others. Or simply drag your mouse across everything you want grouped. Once grouped, hit Position and align your elements properly.
You can align left, centre, right, top, middle, bottom.
You can also hit Tidy Up if that is your vibe.
Without fail, someone always says, “You just saved me hours,” or “I wish I knew this last night.”
Most people try to align things by sight. Stop that immediately.
Under Position, you will also find the Layers tab. This lets you move elements forward or backward and access items hiding underneath others simply by dragging and dropping layers.
It’s incredibly helpful when many things in your design start overlapping.
Use these tools and your designs will look instantly more polished.
FIND IT: Select your elements > click Group in the top toolbar > then click Position to align or access Layers.
13. Lucky Bonus – Asset Sync aka Design to Image
Heading into my 13th year of Canva, it feels only right to give you a lucky bonus.
If you’ve ever downloaded a design only to immediately upload it back into Canva…stop.
The Asset Sync App cuts out the download–upload loop. It was called Design to Image, then it became Asset Sync and now it’s back to Design to Image.
Why do I love it so much? Instead of exporting your design and then re-uploading it, you can send it straight to your Uploads in one click. You can also turn your design into a PNG or JPG and drop it right back onto your existing page.
Seconds saved? Yes.
Minutes saved? Also yes.
Faffing reduced? Dramatically.
It’s one of those tiny workflow wins that adds up fast. The way I use it most is when I am designing say a t-shirt idea and I want to see it on a mockup. I no longer need to download, reupload and add to a mockup, I can do it just a few clicks! Love it!
FIND IT: Apps > Search “Design to Image”
Summing it Up
After 12 years of using Canva almost daily, these are some of the features I genuinely rely on. Not the trendy or flashy ones, but the practical tools that save time, reduce frustration, and quietly make everything look more intentional.
You don’t need to use every feature in Canva. You just need to use the right ones, consistently.
Master even half of these and your workflow will speed up, your designs will feel more aligned, and you’ll spend far less time “just nudging things about.”
Less chaos. More clarity. Fewer midnight meltdowns.
That’s my hope for you.
About Thea
Hey, if you’re new here, I’m Thea, Scotland’s first Canva Verified Expert. I help humans stop fighting Canva and start using it properly, so they can design faster, feel more confident, and stop hours of unnecessary faffing.
When I’m not teaching Canva, I’m usually deep in retro nostalgia, preserving VHS tapes, digitising cassettes, or crate-digging for records. Because yes, I turned that into a business too at Totally Content.
If you want practical, human Canva training without the fluff, let’s hop on a quick Canva Clarity Call to talk about it.
Try Canva Pro for FREE for 30 days here.
