[techtalk] GRAPHICS – Create Designs in “Bulk” in Canva

Wed Jul 31 12:22:13 PDT 2024

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Save time and create multiple images at once

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Webinars for You

NOTE: All webinars begin at 3 pm ET / 2 pm CT / 1 pm MT / 12 Noon PT and are one hour long.

·     August 7: [GRAPHICS] CANVA: A Beginner's Guide to Designing Graphics Like a Pro

·     August 21: [OFFICE] Unlocking the Power of Office 365 Web: Seamless Transition and Productivity

·     September 11: [WEB TOOLS] 3 Tools to Create Your Own Personal Scheduling System

·     September 25: [GRAPHICS] Make Your Own Animated Greeting Cards wiht Music and Voice

View Webinars and Register Here<https://opiayfbab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UuqaULP8PxEeWu0OKb3f6xTsV08bYdTHYZP5crE9rPQ9yv__5L8GE2UnCnZ2zCLYUAmPeOxVawHtD_GHv5jYYqnXDeGYHewku4-ztvjrTJODDPX4biM3lvOMrdBrPbbto1nUpPN18Rpqu0eCI0Uz5ZK8NNbvjagRQPpjD60C4WU=&c=oDHNq2wwAH3QkaPJN4PjcHWnEjqQQO1PAZLqea5l7a1TgxwG060Jgw==&ch=yYP2d_WEMG_sogyY0oueYsorlTIOjZNL6M_25eK1xgM-CPj-I2Q3Ag==>

GRAPHICS – Create Designs in "Bulk" in Canva

Advanced

Do you sometimes need to create a bunch of graphics that have a similar theme or message? You may find yourself copying the same design over and over and tweaking the text or image manually.

[A window in Canva displaying six different images with similar messages and different images.]
·     Maybe you have an upcoming event and want a variety of social media posts to promote it.

·     Or you're creating a flyer with the same picture, but in different languages.

·     Perhaps you want new business cards for 20 people in your organization. They have the same design but with different names/emails/phone numbers.

Well, there's an option in Canva that lets you create many graphics (up to 100) at once using the "Bulk Create" feature, saving you valuable time!

All you need to do is pick a template and use the Bulk Create app to copy in your text (or upload it from an Excel or CSV file). Canva will use a "merge" feature (similar to a mail merge in MS Word) to create individual designs based on your content. You can even select different images for each version!

Let's walk through the steps to show you how easy it is.

NOTICE: While Canva Bulk is only available in the Canva Pro version, Teams, and Desktop Canva for Education and Nonprofits, the Tech-Talk webinar next week (or catch the recording at any time), will touch upon this feature, along with how to get started and use a free Canva account.

[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/cf1c91fc-b537-490d-8305-bcca7a451883.gif]

Register Here

New to Canva?

Sign up to attend this newbie webinar:

CANVA: A Beginner’s Guide to Designing Graphics Like a Pro

Wednesday, August 7th

3 pm (ET)/12 pm (PT)

Use Bulk Create to Quickly Create Many Images

We'll use the following example to demonstrate the Bulk Create feature:

We need a variety of Facebook posts that all have a similar design – but with different text and background images for an upcoming Tech-Talk webinar.

STEP 1. Set Up Your Template and Open the Bulk Create App

Here's how:

1. Go to Create a Design and chose the type of graphic you want to create (e.g. poster, IG post, business card). Or you can search by the design category and find a template.

2. Add any text and/or graphics that you want to appear on ALL of the designs. For example, in our Facebook image example below, the name and date of the webinar will stay the same.

3. Add the placeholders for both text and images in your design you where you want the merged text and/or images to be added. TIP: If you've ever done a mail merge in a Word document, it's kind of the same. You set up the template with "fields" that you want to be filled with data from another source, usually a spreadsheet.

·     For text, add a regular Text box from the Text app in the left toolbar. In the example below, it shows as "Text to be Merged"

·     For images, go to Elements in the left toolbar and add a picture frame element. You know, the ones that have a background with a blue sky and green wavy hills (as in the picture below). Any images you choose to add in the bulk design process will appear in your design in the picture frame.

TIP: You can merge multiple elements in the same design. For example, you could have two text fields and one image. Or two images and no text.

We will connect the merged data in the design in Step 3 below.

[A screenshot of a graphic design editing software interface showing an instructional webinar poster in progress. The poster reads "WEBINAR: Canva®: A Beginner's Guide to Designing Graphics Like a Pro. AUGUST 7, 2024." There are placeholders labeled for image and text merging.]

[Screenshot of a user interface showing a sidebar and menu options. "Apps" is highlighted with a number 1 icon, a search bar with the query "bulk" is highlighted with a number 2 icon, and "Bulk create" under "Text" is highlighted with a number 3 icon.]
STEP 2. Find the Bulk App ... Enter Text and Images

Find the Bulk Create App

Now that you have your template set up,

1.  Go to the left side panel, scroll down and select Apps.
2.  Type "bulk" in the top Search bar.
3.  Click on the Bulk Create app to open it.

Enter Text and Images into the App

There are two ways to add your text (and/or images) to the design:
1.  Manually within the Bulk Create App
2.  By uploading an Excel or CSV file

First, we'll walk through the steps on how to add your text (and/or images) directly into the app.

Now that you have the Bulk Create app open, click the Enter data manually button in the bottom left panel.

·     A window will open that works like a spreadsheet.
·     You can delete the sample data by clicking Clear table in the bottom left corner.

[A table creation interface showing two cells filled with the letter "T". Options to add text, image, and data appear at the top, with buttons for "Clear table," "Cancel," and "Done" below.]

·     To add TEXT: Type or paste the data into the table rows. TIP: If you copy your text from a Word Doc or spreadsheet, just put the cursor in the first text cell and paste the text and it will be added to the rows in that column.

·     To add IMAGES: You can add pictures that you have UPLOADED to your Canva account by clicking the + button that appears when you hover over a cell. IMPORTANT: This means that the images need to have been uploaded by you, not images that Canva provides in the Image library.  By the way: If you are creating just a handful of different designs, you may want to merge only the text and then add images to each design page the "normal" way. See steps below for bulk upload if you're creating a lot of designs.

·     If you need to add more rows, just click inside the cell of the bottom row and another one will appear.

·     If you need to add more columns click the Add text or Add image buttons at the top of the window. TIP: You have one column for every merged field that you have.

·     In the top header row you will see "T Message" or "Image". These are holding places for column names. You can replace these with your own text. Be sure you name it something that matches to the field area in the Canva project that you're creating.

·     Click Done to proceed.

NOTE: For this example, we've added 5 different text rows and corresponding images to merge into the project.

[A data entry interface for adding data pairs of messages and images. The table lists various messages like "Grab Your Seat!" and "Register and Tell a Friend" paired with image references. Buttons for adding text, adding an image, and editing the table are visible.]

STEP 3. Connect the Data to the Design Elements

Now you need to tell Canva where you want the columns of data (text/images) to be merged to within your design template.

[A screenshot of a design interface with a dropdown menu open. The option "Connect data" is highlighted in the menu, indicated by a red rectangle. The design below the menu shows text, "WEBIN... CANVA: A Beginner's Guide to Designin... Like a Pro" and a date, "AUGUST 7, 2024".]
·     Within your DESIGN, select the text or image element you want to connect, right-click, select the three dots and choose Connect data from the menu.

·     In the window that opens, select the data field that has the text you want to merge into that area.

[A screenshot of a "Bulk create" section in a software interface. The "Apply data" step shows a list of five tasks, each with a checkbox, all checked. Below the list, there is a purple button labeled "Generate 5 designs.]
·     Repeat the step above until you've connected all merge columns.

·     Click Continue to proceed.

·     In the left Bulk Create panel you will see a summary of the Text fields that you are applying. Click the button that says: Generate[number]Designs if all looks good.

A new Canva project window will open with your individual merged files.

TIP: Depending on the size and length of text, you may need to make some modifications to each individual page based on the design.

[A screenshot of a webinar management interface showing five webinar events listed in a horizontal row. Each event has different cover images and titles, including "Grab Your Seat!" and "TODAY - Register Now to Attend." The interface has editing and navigation options.]

OPTION: Importing Content for BULK Create

[A spreadsheet with two columns labeled "Text" and "Images." The rows contain promotional phrases like "Grab Your Seat!" and "3 More Days Until We Start!" with colorful abstract images in the "Images" column.]

You can upload an Excel or CSV file with your text and images in it. NOTE: If you're working in Google Sheets, export the file as a .csv or .xlsx document type.

First, set up your spreadsheet ... be sure to include column headers and make sure each piece of data is in a separate cell.

TIP: You can add images to a row cell and then make them smaller so that your file is easier to view while you're working in it. See the picture to the right as an example.

·     With the Bulk Create app open, click the Upload data button in the bottom of the left panel. Select your CSV or Excel file and click Open.

·     Once uploaded, if your file has multiple sheets, select the specific sheet on your file. Adjust the range where to fetch the data if needed and click Continue.

·     Then follow Step #3 above to connect the data in the spreadsheet to the design and create the merged project.

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New to Canva?

Sign up to attend this newbie webinar:

CANVA: A Beginner’s Guide to Designing Graphics Like a Pro

Wednesday, August 7th

3 pm (ET)/12 pm (PT)

[A series of smooth, dark stones arranged in a line, half-submerged in calm, reflective water with a soft, gray background.]

Communication: Grammar

"Remember" vs "Don't Forget"

In the process of creating a poster for libraries to use with their patrons about Tech-Talk, it is important to remind users that knowing the Username would come in handy.

So I added, "Don't forget our library's Username!"

Then I realized that using the word "forget" instead of "remember" is not the best way to communicate. We're trying to motivate people so we don't want to leave the reader with a negative thought.

That's the opposite of what we want. We don't need the reader to linger on the word "forget".

It would be more effective to change the sentence to, "Remember our Username!"

So be on the lookout as you talk (or write) for times when you can flip from a negative to a positive statement. You may get better results!

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Cheers,
Darci Hanning, MLIS (she/her/hers)
Public Library Consultant / CE Coordinator
Continuing Education Resources: https://libguides.osl.state.or.us/conted
State Library of Oregon | Library Support and Development Services
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