2 Easy Ways To Make A Custom Frame In Canva

There are various ways to use frames in Canva, but can you make your own in Canva? This article will show you the best ways on how to make a custom frame in Canva, so let’s dive in.

can you create a custom frame in canva?

You can make a custom frame in Canva with 3rd-party tools so long you have the right format to work with.

But you can’t make a custom frame in Canva with just a click of a button or do it like how you would with the Magic Wand or Magic Eraser tool in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

If you wish to know how to create a frame in Canva, you will have to either do it in a few steps or use other apps on top of Canva.

How To Make A Custom Frame In Canva?

The easiest way to make a custom frame in Canva is to download a Canva graphic as a PDF, open the PDF in a Word Document, and fill it with a picture. Then export it as a PDF and import it back to Canva. Select the image inside the frame and delete it.

Now you have a custom frame format where you can drag any image to fill the inside area of your object, leaving the surrounding area transparent.

For the best ways and a detailed step-by-step guide on how to make a custom frame in Canva, check out more here:

Method 1: Convert With Word Doc

In this method, you can select an object or graphic from Canva’s extensive range and convert it to a frame format with the help of Microsoft Word Document.

This is useful when Canva doesn’t have the frame you want but has the graphic for you to make a custom frame in Canva. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Download Graphic As A PDF

The first step is to choose the graphic you want to turn into a frame in Canva by selecting the Elements button on the left menu. In the slide-out panel, go to the Graphics section and select See All.

A range of graphics will appear. You can select any of the non-animated graphics. In this example, I’ve typed in the word “fire” in the Search bar.

Various types of fire graphics will appear, and I have selected this fire graphic as a frame (see below). I’m unable to find anything like this in the Frames section, so I have to use this graphic to convert it to a frame format.

Once you are ready with your graphic, download it as a PDF by clicking the Share button on the top right-hand corner of the Canva app.

Then, select Download in the drop-down panel.

Under File Type, select PDF Standard, and click the Download button.

A dialog box opens up for you to name your PDF file and save it in a file location on your desktop. Click the Save button.

Step 2: Add Placeholder Image

Next, open your Word Document app, go to the top menu bar, and select File > Open.

Then, select your PDF file saved from the previous step and click the Open button.

Don’t drag the PDF file into Word Document as it will not be in the right format and won’t be compatible to be converted into a frame.

Next, inside Word Document, select your Canva graphic by clicking on it once, then, select Shape Format in the Word Document menu.

Then, go to Shape Fill and select the arrow pointing downwards. Then, select Picture.

Select any image from your desktop into the graphic. It doesn’t matter which image you choose so long it is either a JPEG or PNG file format. This image is just a placeholder inside the graphic which will be removed later.

Once you’ve selected it, click the Insert button to insert your image into your graphic.

Next, it’s time to export your graphic with the placeholder image as PDF by going to the top menu and selecting File > Save As.

In the dialog box, go to the File Format section and select PDF. Then, click the Save button.

Step 3: Create Custom Frame In Canva

Open your Canva design page and upload your PDF by either dragging it to your page or selecting Uploads and clicking the Upload Files button to select your file.

Once your PDF file is uploaded, select the Projects button on the left menu. You will see your PDF file in the Designs section.

Select your PDF file by clicking on it once.

You will now see your graphic with the placeholder image appear on your Canva page.

Next, click on your graphic once, this will select the placeholder image. Hit the delete button or select the trash can icon and click the Delete Image. Your placeholder image now disappears.

You will now see the default Canva placeholder image inside your graphic.

You have created your very own custom frame in Canva, and you can drag and drop any image into your frame.

Method 2: Masking With Mac Preview

In this method, you create the frame design inside Canva and use Mac Preview to remove the inside area of your design so that it becomes transparent while the area outside the design is opaque.

This creates a mask so that when you use the frame, anything outside the frame is covered by the opaque area. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Download Custom Graphic

Create your custom graphic in Canva. In this example, I’ve taken a flame graphic to be placed with a star graphic. Both graphics were taken from Canva’s selection of graphic elements.

Both graphics are individual items arranged in such a way to look like they are merged as one graphic. I merely adjust their colors to be the same, but they are in fact two different objects put together.

Select the Share button on the top right-hand corner of the Canva app. Then select the Download option.

Under File Type, select PNG, and click the Download button.

A dialog box opens up for you to name your PNG file and save it in a file location on your desktop. Click the Save button.

Step 2: Create Alpha

Go to the PNG file that you’ve saved in your desktop folder. Right-click on the file and select Open With > Preview.

Select the Show Markup Toolbar button on the top right-hand side of the Preview window.

A row of options will appear above your graphic.

Next, select the Instant Alpha tool on the left side of the options bar.

Then, click and drag the Instant Alpha tool on the background of your graphic so that only the background is selected. You will start to see marching ants or dotted lines around the edge of the file and graphic. This means only the background is selected.

Then, go to the top menu bar and select Edit > Invert Selection. This is to allow the marching ants or dotted lines to change their selection to all of the graphic elements instead of the background.

Hit the Delete key on the keyboard to remove the fill color in the graphic.

Next, go to the top bar menu and click File > Save to save your file.

This action will replace your previous PNG file with the latest one that has the inside area of the graphic removed. In other words, you now have a file where the graphic itself is made transparent while the background is opaque.

Step 3: Upload To Canva

Open up your Canva design page and drag in the graphic you’ve just edited in Preview .

If you want to use any photo from Canva, click on the Photos button on the left side menu and select an image on the slide-out panel.

Then, position the image behind your graphic by selecting the Position button on the top menu.

In the Arrange tab, select To Back.

You will now see your image with your graphic as the custom frame in Canva.

Custom Frame In Canva FAQs

Next, open up Word Document and open the PDF file with Word Document. Select Shape Format from the menu and select the drop-down arrow in Shape Fill. Select Picture, then pick any image you have on your desktop to fill your custom frame.

Save your file in Word Document as a PDF and import it to your Canva account. Select the image inside the frame and delete it. You now have a custom image frame in Canva.

Next, in the Shapes section, select any template shape for it to appear on your Canva design page. Then, select another shape to add to your first shape. You can add as many shapes as you want to your Canva page.

Once done, arrange your selected shapes such that they are connected together in any way you like. Make sure their colors are the same so that they look like they are part of one object.

To complete the custom shape, select all individual shapes by clicking and dragging the cursor over them and selecting Group to keep them together.

In the Shapes section, select the square shape by clicking on it once. It will appear on your Canva page. Next, select any corner of the square and drag it around. This action changes the shape of the square into various custom rectangular sizes.

Browse and select one of the frame shape templates given in Canva by clicking on any of them once. Or search for the shape you want in the Frames search bar then click on it. The shape with a placeholder image of a cloud, sky, and land will appear on your Canva page.

Next, select the Photos button on the left menu. Browse or search for the image you’d like to appear in the shape. Click on the image and drag it at the same time to your frame shape on your Canva page.

You will see the image magically masking itself into the shape with anything outside of the shape being clipped away.

Browse the variety of Canva frame templates you see in the panel. Then, click on the one you want once and it will appear on your Canva page. Next, select the Photos button on the left menu.

Browse and select any of the images in the panel. Click on the image and drag it over to the frame on your Canva page. As you see the image fading out, release the cursor to drop the image into the frame.

You can also learn more about how to make your own custom frame in Canva if you can’t find what you are looking for in the Frames section.

Final Thoughts On Custom Frame Canva

Now that you know how to make a custom frame in Canva, the next step is to explore how to change Canva frame size. There are simple ways to do this.

There’s no need to spend more time and money investing in complicated apps unless you need way more functions than Canva can provide.