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May 26, 2017

Why I still use Canva even though I have Photoshop

If you’re looking for a graphic design program you’ve probably heard of Canva and Photoshop.

Canva is a free online tool you can use to create Pinterest images, sales promotion images for your Etsy shop, Instagram pictures etc. It’s ideal for basic things but I wouldn’t recommend it for more advanced graphic design. 

Photoshop is a paid software that you download and doesn’t require an internet connection to use. Most people are intimidated by Photoshop and it has a reputation for being complicated to use (I know I thought so when I first started using it!). However, once you get the hang of it, figure out which tools you actually need (I only use around 10% of them) and forget the rest, then Photoshop is quite easy to use. 

canva verus photoshop which program is better graphic design tutorial free trial paid how to use photoshop printables

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of these links I’ll receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) in exchange for referring you.

I use Photoshop for many things including:

  • Making printables
  • Printable labels
  • Seamless repeating patterns
  • Party banners / bunting 
  • Etsy shop banners & profile pictures (see this post on how to make an Etsy shop banner and this post if you want to learn how to make an Etsy shop profile pcicture/logo)
  • Catalogues (see this post for a step-by-step tutorial on how to make one)
  • Collage board/product collage – these are great for gift guides (for your online shop or if you’re a blogger), promoting other products from your shop if you have spare photos for your Etsy shop, mood boards, inspiration boards etc. (See this post for a step-by-step tutorial on how I use collage boards)

Related: 50 Things you can make using Photoshop 

So if I have Photoshop and can do all of those things, then why do I still use Canva?

Surely a paid software is better than a free online tool right?

Not necessarily, I use each program for different things. I use Canva for creating blog post images and Photoshop for the rest of my graphic design projects.

I initially set up my blog picture templates using Photoshop, but it took a long time to load and the files would become quite large. I’d also save the images at quality number 12 (the highest you can), and I’d continue to get an error in WordPress saying the images were too large to upload.

Canva must use a lower image quality resolution by default, because I can download the exact same image and upload it to my blog with no problems at all. Yes I could save the Photshop file at a lower image quality, but even then it would still say the file size was too large. Eventually, I got sick of compressing images (I used Compress JPG if you were wondering), and set up the same image templates in Canva.

Some of the main reasons I like Canva:

  • Canva is quick – it’s faster to load an image in Canva that it takes my computer to load a Photoshop file 

 

  • Doesn’t slow down my computer while using it. Photoshop is a large software program – hence everything will take longer to load on your computer (which is why I recommend getting as much RAM as you can – my laptop is 16GB RAM – or purchasing a laptop with an SSD drive)

 

 

  • Can share access to your designs with other people – so if you have a virtual assistant you can give them access to your Canva account and they can make your blog graphics and promotional images for you 

 

  • Pre made templates – there are many pre-made template for everything from making gift cards if you sell on Etsy, to blog post images, letterheads, ebook covers, Facebook covers etc.!

 

  • Free stock photos. I use the same image template for all my blog post that looks like this:

canva verus photoshop which program is better graphic design tutorial free trial paid how to use photoshop printables

Related: How I make my blog graphics (for Pinterest)

But if you prefer to use stock photos, they have plenty for free, and some that can be purchased for just $1. There are hundreds of stock photo websites (I did a roundup of 100 free and paid stock photo websites in this post), which can sometimes get overwhelming. Having stock photos to choose from directly within the Canva makes the design process quicker.

canva stock photo website resource free paid

  • Canva stores your templates for you online. No need to worry about using up space on your hard-drive – Canva keeps them all right there for you whenever you’re ready to come back and use them again

 

  • Photoshop is a powerful software and can do many things. Canva can only do limited things but there is some overlap between what both programs can do. For blog graphics I can use Photoshop or Canva. Canva loads faster, so it makes sense for me to use Canva for creating blog post images.

I use Canva for some things, however, it could never completely replace Photoshop. Here are the main reasons why:

Things photoshop can do that Canva can’t

  • Can use the Photoshop offline – no need for an Internet connection – once you download Photoshop  you can use it anytime

 

  • Can store templates and files on your own computer so you know that they’re truly yours. The templates you create using Canva are housed on Canva’s website 

 

  • With Photoshop you can make repeating patterns

 

  • If you want to use the same template and tweak the colors, you can store these in the layers menu in Photoshop and hide the layers (click the eye icon). It’s easier to compare different color-ways and sizes within the 1 template. To do this in Canva you’d need to create multiple copies, choose your color-ways for each and then flick back and forth between the tabs or take a screenshot to compare the difference designs

 

  • Duplicate layers between templates. You can’t copy design elements between different templates on Canva but you can in Photoshop. To do this, right click the layer you want to copy, select ‘duplicate’ then choose the template you want to copy it to

how to duplicate layers in photoshop copy how to use the layers menu beginner tutorials photoshop versus canva making printables

Overall, Photoshop is a graphic design program whereas Canva is mainly just an image editing program.

I would never use Canva for paid products such as printables, as I don’t think the image quality is as good as Photoshop.

I did a detailed comparison of Canva versus Photoshop in this post. 

Is canvas paid plan worth it?

Canva’s paid plan gives you the ‘magic resize’ function. It’s the only reason I use their paid plan.

With this button you can take a design you’ve already created, click a button to change the size to one of their pre-made templates e.g. If you’d created an Instagram post image and wanted to tweak it to suit your Facebook page, or change it’s dimensions to a custom size of your choice.

Magic resize tool

I can make a design at once size then click a button change the dimensions and it’ll automatically resize while maintaining the proportions of the design and without distorting text etc.

You can resize using Photoshop but it takes longer (if you did want to do this, left click press the shift key and click the bottom layer of your design in the layers menu, then press CtRL and t on your keyboard left click and drag your mouse onwards or outwards). If you enlarge in Photoshop it can sometimes blur the image and reduce the quality. I’ve resized a small design to a larger size in Canva and there’s been no reduction in image file quality.

To use the magic resize tool

  1. Create your design
  2. Go to file > magic resize

is canvas paid plan worth it magic resize feature tutorial best graphic design software tutorial canva versus photoshop picmonkey

 Tick the size you want to use from Canva’s templates pre-sized for Instagram Posts, Etsy shop banners etc., or, to choose your own dimensions go to ‘change dimensions’ (at the top of the menu)

magic resize tool canva tutorial is canvas paid plan worth it canva versus picmonkey versus photoshop graphic design blog images for pinterest

The program isn’t perfect and you do need to tweak the design elements to suit the new size, but it’s quicker than re-creating the design each time from scratch.

magic resize tool canva tutorial is canvas paid plan worth it canva versus picmonkey versus photoshop graphic design blog images for instagram

Some quick tweaks and it’s ready to post!

how to make instagram images in canva blog post magic resize tool canva versus photoshop graphic design

Canva offers a free 30 day trial of their paid plan if you want to try it out first.

Want to try out each software?

Some tutorials on Canva 

  • How to make business cards for free
  • How I make my blog graphics (for Pinterest)
  • How to make a monogram desktop wallpaper – you can also download the wallpaper from the free printables library which you can gain access to when you subscribe to the blog
  • How to make printable labels for FREE (using Canva)
  • How to add your own text to printable labels (plus FREE printable cleaning labels!)
  • How to make a personalised screensaver/computer or laptop wallpaper/desktop background 

Photoshop Tutorials

If you don’t have Photoshop, you can purchase and download it here (my affiliate link).

Some of the tutorials I’ve posted on how to use Photoshop:

  • How to create a new file in Photoshop and how to resize (without distorting!)
  • How to use the color tools in Photoshop
  • How to color match anything in Photoshop (step by step tutorial)
  • Photoshop for beginners: How to use the rotate tool in Photoshop 
  • How to make a planner bookmark (DIY Page Markers Tutorial)
  • How to change the colors of a pattern overlay in Photoshop
  • How to make a stripe pattern in Photoshop (video tutorial)

Related Posts:

  • Picmonkey versus Canva versus Photoshop versus Adobe Illustrator: Which one is best for graphic design?
  • How to download and install custom fonts on your computer 
  • How to keep track of blog post ideas on your phone (no paid app required)
  • How to set up ConvertKit and how to make a subscriber opt in image video tutorial
  • How to write and publish a blog post in 1 hour (plus a free printable blog post workflow checklist) 

This is not a sponsored post. I am not affiliated with either of these products. 

You may also be interested in...

  • How to make blog images for free (using Canva)How to make blog images for free (using Canva)
  • Picmonkey versus Canva versus Photoshop versus Adobe Illustrator: Which one is best for graphic design?Picmonkey versus Canva versus Photoshop versus Adobe Illustrator: Which one is best for graphic design?
  • How to use pattern overlays in CanvaHow to use pattern overlays in Canva
  • How to make pinnable graphics for your blog posts (step by step video tutorial)How to make pinnable graphics for your blog posts (step by step video tutorial)
  • 50 Things You Can Make Using Photoshop50 Things You Can Make Using Photoshop
  • Video Tutorial: How to make business cards without Photoshop and for FREE using CanvaVideo Tutorial: How to make business cards without Photoshop and for FREE using Canva

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Posted In: Blogging & Online Business, Canva, Graphic Design · Tagged: canva features, canva paid plan, canva versus photoshop, canva versus photoshop comparison, canva versus photoshop for making a collage, how to make a collage, how to make a pinnable image, how to make a recipe book in canva, how to make blog graphics, how to make blog graphics in photoshop, how to make blog post images, how to make blog post images in canva, is cana's paid plan worth it, pros and cons of canva, pros and cons of photoshop, should i pay for canva, tutorial on how to make blog graphics, tutorial on how to make pinterest images, why i use canva instead of photoshop, why i use photoshop instead of canva

Comments

  1. Shannon says

    May 30, 2017 at 23:43

    Good Read! I love Canva and have thought about getting photoshop so this was right up my alley

  2. paul says

    May 30, 2017 at 23:52

    yes canva is awesome

  3. Melissa says

    May 31, 2017 at 00:25

    Great information! I am one of those intimidated by Photoshop and sometimes use Canva but primarily PicMonkey. I’ll have to utilize Canva’s features more often 🙂

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