How To Highlight Text In Canva With 4 Easy Ways
In this blog post, you will learn more about how to highlight text in Canva. There’s no need for you to have a Pro Canva account. You can do these in the free version.
How to Highlight Text in Canva
In this example, I will show you how to highlight the word “HIGHLIGHT” in this design below:
Method 1: How to Highlight Text Without Drawing Anything
In this example, you will learn to use the graphics available in Canva to highlight your text. No, you don’t have to draw anything!
Step 1: Search For Graphic
First, select the Elements button on the left side menu. A dropdown panel appears. Type in the word “highlight” in the search bar at the top of the dropdown panel.
Step 2: Select A Highlight Effect
You will see a huge range of graphics that look like effects created when you use a real highlighter. But this also includes stock photos that are not what you want right now.
Select the tab that says “Graphics” and you will only see the highlight effects while the stock photos will not be shown.
Step 3: Highlight Your Text
Next, select a highlighter graphic that you desire. Click on it once and it will appear on your artwork.
Adjust the size and colors to your liking. You can crop it, flip it and even animate it.
Once you are satisfied, click on the Position button on the right-hand side of the top bar. Click Backward on the drop-down menu.
Or you can right-click on your cursor and select “Send Backward” in the dropdown menu. Or use the keyboard shortcut ⌘[.+
You will see your text visible and the shape is repositioned at the back of your text.
Use the same steps to try different highlight effects if you like!
Method 2: Highlight One Whole Text Box in Canva
In this example, you will learn how to highlight one text that is in one text box. You can also use these same steps to highlight many words in one text box.
Step 1: Select Your Text
The first step in highlighting a specific text of your design in Canva is to click on the Text tool on the left side menu.
Then type in the text you want to highlight in one text box. Browse and apply your preferred font type to your text from the text options in the top menu.
Step 2: Select Effects
Click on the text box to select it and select the Effects button. You will now see a range of styles pop up in the left-hand menu.
Step 3: Highlight Your Text
Next, select the style that says “Background”. You will see a rounded box appear as a background for your selected text.
Step 4: Adjust Highlight Settings
When you click on the Background button, a settings menu will appear below the range of effects.
You can adjust the roundness, spread, transparency, and color of the background effect of the text box by altering the default settings.
The default color is black while the default value for the roundness is 50, the spread is 50 and transparency is 100. I believe they are measured in percentage % although it’s not mentioned.
In this example, I want to reduce the roundness and I do this by sliding the toggle toward the left to make the corners of the background smaller.
I also find that the highlighted area is too wide, it would look better if I toggle the spread down to 26 instead.
Leave the transparency at 100 to keep it bold and striking.
Then, the color should be adjusted to shine from the main background. I chose yellow to brighten it up.
There are other color choices, but if you don’t see your preferred color, click on the plus (+) icon under the heading “Document Colors”. Then, key in the hex code of your preferred color.
Next, adjust your text styles as you deem fit for your design.
This is a great way to highlight your text because the text layer moves with the highlighted area.
But in this method, take note that there is no way to adjust the height of the highlight or background color of the text without adjusting the width.
You can adjust the size of the background as a whole only, changing both the height and width together.
You will have to create your artwork with enough space for the background color around the text.
Method 3: Filling a Shape with Text
If you wish to have some flexibility to customize the size of your text box highlight, one way is to fill a shape with text.
In this way, you can control the height and width of the shape around the text. This can’t be done if you use the Background function in the Effects section.
Here’s how you do it:
Step 1: Select a Shape
First, go to the left-hand menu and select the Elements button.
Under Lines and Shapes, look for a square with sharp corners or rounded corners, or any shape you desire for your highlighted area. In this example, I will select the square with sharp corners.
Click the square shape and it appears on your design right away.
Anytime you wish to change the square to another shape like a square with rounded corners or a circle, you can do that.
Select your current square, and select the Shape button on the top menu bar. A range of shapes appears on the left side of your design.
Click on any shape you desire and your original shape changes to the one selected.
Step 3: Add Text to Shape
Once your shape appears on the design canvas, you will see a text cursor blinking in the box. This means it’s ready for you to type some text into the shape.
If you don’t see it, double-click on the shape and it will appear. Next, type out the word you desire.
Adjust the style of your text by trying out different font styles, and selecting font size and color from the font menu.
Step 4: Adjust Shape
With your text highlighted, you can adjust the size of the shape by dragging the handles on the top, bottom, and sides of the shape.
If you don’t have much space around your text, you can make the highlighted area smaller, narrower or shorter. You can also make it bigger, depending on your purpose and design.
Method 4: Highlight Part of a Text Box in Canva
The second method shows you how you can highlight part of a text box. Sometimes you have a string of words that were typed out in one text box at one go.
Instead of highlighting all the text in that one text box, you only want to highlight one word out of the string of words in one text box.
In this case, you may not want to use the method of highlighting the text box with the Effects function, because you will have to break them up into individual text boxes to use it.
And this can be a real chore, especially if you have many words in one text box.
In the example below, I will show you how to create a background that makes a text look highlighted manually from scratch.
Step 1: Select a Shape
The first step is to go to the left-hand menu and select the Elements button.
Under Lines and Shapes, look for a square with sharp corners or rounded corners, or any shape you desire for your highlighted area. Click on any of the shapes and it appears on your design right away.
Step 2: Adjust Color of Shape
With your preferred shape, click on it and drag it over the text you’d like to highlight. Next is to change the default color to one that works best with your design. In this example, I’d like to change it to yellow.
To change the shape color, select the shape, go to the top menu bar and click on the square-colored box next to the Shape button. A range of colored squares appears on the left side. Click on the color that you desire and your shape will change to the one selected.
Step 3: Position to Highlight Text
Next, position the shape to the back of your text. Click on the Position button on the right-hand side of the top bar. Click Backward on the drop-down menu.
Or you can right-click on your cursor and select Send Backward in the dropdown menu. Or use the keyboard shortcut ⌘[.
You will see your text visible and the shape is repositioned at the back of your text.
Adjust the size of your highlight by dragging the handles on the top, bottom, and sides of the shape.
Final Thoughts: Highlighting Text
I hope you found this tutorial useful. Canva is an easy-to-use graphic design tool and there isn’t one way to highlight text.
The most important thing is to decide what it means by highlighting text to you. Then, use the appropriate method to highlight your text.
