Shortcuts for Customizing Our Templates in Canva

Scroll down to discover quick, easy ways to make our templates uniquely yours. Whether you’re updating brand colors, adding client photos, or replacing studio images, these Canva shortcuts will help you customize faster and give your content a polished, personal touch.

⏱️ Quick Edits

• Replace [Brand Name] with your city or studio name using Find and Replace text.
• Change all colors or fonts in your design with a single click.
• Update the background photo with one of your branding images or a local shot that represents your business
• Lighten or darken your background using the transparency feature for better contrast.
• Easily access your brand’s colors and fonts by creating a Brand Kit (available with Canva Pro).
• Remove the background of an image using Canva Pro or a free background removal tool or app before uploading it to Canva.

📸 How To Update the Photos in Your Template

To upload your own photos (client shots, workouts, or studio images):

Step 1: Click “Uploads” in the left toolbar, then select “Upload Files” to add your photos.

Step 2: Drag and drop your uploaded images into the design to replace the placeholders and make the template your own.

🖼️ How to Replace the Background Photo with your Branding Photo

Step 1: Upload Your Image

Click Uploads on the left sidebar in Canva.
Select Upload Files to add your image.

Step 2: Replace the Background

Drag and drop your uploaded photo onto the existing background to replace it.

Step 3: Make Adjustments to Your Photo

• Adjust Brightness: Use the Transparency slider to make your photo brighter or darker.
• Reposition Image: Click and drag your background photo to adjust its placement until it looks balanced within your design.

📍 How to Replace the Background Photo with One of Your Gym/Brand

Step 1: Locate a Photo of Your Local Area or Training Location

In Canva’s Elements tab, search for your city, neighborhood, or training location.
If you’re in a smaller town that doesn’t appear in search, try looking up your state or a nearby landmark instead.
Choose scenic or fitness-inspired photos that capture the feel of your area—like a beach for outdoor bootcamps, mountains for trail runs, or urban skylines for city workouts.
If you can’t find a photo in Canva, use one from your phone’s camera roll or visit Unsplash.com or Pexels.com for free high-quality images.

Step 2: Upload Your Image

Click Uploads on the left sidebar in Canva.
Select Upload Files to add your chosen image.

Step 3: Replace the Background

Drag and drop your uploaded photo onto the existing background in your design.

Step 4: Make Adjustments to Your Photo

• Adjust Brightness: Use the Transparency slider to make your photo lighter or darker.
• Reposition Image: Click and drag your background photo to adjust its placement until it fits your design perfectly.

📸 What to Post if You Don’t Have New Photos

Right now, Instagram users are drawn to authentic, in-the-moment content rather than polished stock photos. Camera roll images — even quick behind-the-scenes shots of workouts, client progress, or daily studio life — tend to perform especially well.

How to Find Great Photos in Your Camera Roll

1. Search Your Photos App
Use your phone’s built-in search feature to uncover hidden gems from past sessions.

• On iPhone: Open the Photos app and tap the Search icon (magnifying glass) in the top right corner.
• On Android: Open the Gallery app and tap the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner.

2. Try Specific Keywords
Search for words like workout, gym, run, training, meal, stretch, coach, squat, park, or studio. You might be surprised by how much post-worthy content you’ve already captured.

3. Tap Into Free Photo Libraries
Browse crowdsourced image sites like dupephotos.com for supplemental content. Just make sure to avoid images that clearly show other people’s faces unless you have their permission.

Photo Ideas to Capture While You’re Out and About

Next time you’re out training or in the studio, look for quick photo moments like:

• Post-workout meals or shakes
• Your studio or workout space
• A client mid-rep or showing progress
• High-fives or team moments from class
• Scenic training routes or local views
• Outdoor workouts or runs
• Close-ups of equipment or setups
• Recovery or stretching moments
• Local fitness events or pop-ups
• Live snapshots from workshops or classes

💡 Pro Tip: Create a “Social Media” album on your phone and save photos as you take them. This makes it easy to keep a steady supply of fresh, authentic content ready to post anytime.

🌟 How to Make Your Photo Brighter or Darker

Step One: Click the background photo, then click the Transparency icon (checkerboard icon in the top toolbar).

Step Two: Click and drag the slider to increase or decrease the transparency.

Note: TST designs are defaulted to a black background color to improve readability of elements & text.

📷 How to Screenshot or Save a Client or Venue Photo

Step One: Navigate to the post or page that includes the photo you’d like to use.

To Screenshot:

• On Mac: Press Shift + Command + 3 to capture the entire screen, or Shift + Command + 4 to select a specific area.
• On PC: Press the Print Screen (PrtScn) key, or Windows key + PrtScn to automatically save the screenshot to your designated folder.

To Save or Download:

• Right-click on the image you’d like to save and select “Save Image.” The file will appear in your Downloads folder.

Always ask for permission before featuring a client or venue photo in your post, and give credit by tagging appropriately.

➡️ How to Adjust the Positioning of Your Background Photo

Double-click the background photo to begin editing.

Click and drag the photo left, right, up, or down to reposition it.

Click and drag the corners of the photo to resize it as needed.

If text is covering important parts of the image:

• Move the text to a different area.
• Reduce the text size.
• Adjust the position of your photo for better balance.
  

🔎 How to Use Find & Replace Text

Quickly update placeholder text such as “[Trainer Name]” or “[Gym Name]” throughout your template in just a few clicks.

Step One: On the top toolbar, click “File” > “Find and Replace Text” (or use the keyboard shortcut Command + F).

Step Two: Type the placeholder you want to replace (for example, “[Trainer Name]”) and enter your own information.

Step Three: Click “Replace” or “Replace All” to apply the update across your entire design.

🔀 How to Move Pages Around in Your Design

Step One: Click the four-square grid icon located at the bottom right of your design window to open the page overview.

Step Two: Click and drag the page you want to move into your preferred position within the layout.

🎨 How to Change the Colors in a Template

Step One: Click on any element (text, background, shape, etc.) that you want to recolor.

Step Two: A color box will appear in the top toolbar.

Step Three: Click the color box, then choose your brand color or enter your hex code manually.

💡 Tip: After selecting your new color, click “Change All” to instantly apply it to every matching color in your design.

🔠 How to Change the Fonts in a Template

Step One: Click on any text box to select it.

Step Two: In the top toolbar, click the font name to open the font menu.

Step Three: Choose your preferred font from the list, or upload your own (available for Canva Pro users only).

Step Four: Adjust the font size, weight, and spacing to fit your design style.

💡 Tip: After selecting your font, click “Change All” to apply it to every matching text element in your design.

Note: Some fonts in our templates are custom or licensed specifically for The Social Trainer and can’t be transferred or used outside of these templates.

If you’d like to use one of these fonts elsewhere, search for the font name online and purchase your own license. (Keep in mind — you’ll need Canva Pro to upload fonts!)

😍 How to Add Emojis to a Template

If you’ve ever added emojis directly in Canva and noticed they look cartoonish or distorted when downloaded, here’s how to fix it. Uploading emojis as images ensures they appear consistent across all devices.

Step One: Go to Emojipedia.org and search for the emoji(s) you want to use.

Step Two: Click on the emoji, then select “Emoji Designs.” Right-click the emoji and choose “Save Image As…” Name your file and click Save.

Step Three: Upload your saved emoji image to Canva and place it in your design where you want it.

Optional: Create a dedicated Emoji Folder in Canva to keep your emoji images organized and easy to find for future projects.

💼 How to Add Your Brand Kit

⭐️ Canva Pro Feature ⭐️

Easily access your brand’s fonts, colors, and logos by setting up a Brand Kit in Canva.

Step One: From your Canva Home dashboard, navigate to the main menu.

Step Two: Click Brand → Brand Kit in the left-hand sidebar.

Step Three: Upload your logos, select your brand fonts, and enter your brand colors using their hex codes to keep your designs consistent and on-brand.

🔼 How to Upload a New Font into Canva

⭐️ Canva Pro Feature ⭐️

After you’ve purchased and downloaded your desired font, you can easily upload it into Canva to use across all your designs.

Step One: From the left toolbar, click Brand → Brand Kits → Add New.

Step Two: Under the Fonts section, select Add New → Upload a Font.

Once uploaded, your new font will appear in your Brand Kit and be ready to use in any design.

❌ How to Remove the Background in Canva

⭐️ Canva Pro Feature ⭐️

Step One: Upload your image into your Canva design.

Step Two: With the image selected, click Edit Image in the top toolbar.

Step Three: Choose BG Remover to instantly remove the background and create a clean, professional look.

👉 How to Remove the Background (Free)

Don’t have Canva Pro? No problem — you can remove image backgrounds for free using remove.bg.

Step One: Click the blue “Upload Image” button and select the photo you want to edit.

Step Two: Once the background is removed, use the Erase or Restore tools to make any fine adjustments.

Step Three: When you’re happy with the result, click Download to save your new image and upload it to Canva.

🖊️ How to Add an Outline to Your Image

Step One: Click on the image you want to add an outline to.

Step Two: In the top toolbar, click Edit Image → Shadows → Outline.

Step Three: Scroll down to adjust the color and size of the outline until it fits your design style.

🎉 How to Pull Other Designs Into Your Current Design

If you’d like to import a page from another design into your current Canva project, follow these steps:

Step One: Go to Projects and click “See All” to view your previous designs.

Step Two: Select the design you want to pull pages from.

Step Three: Choose the specific page you’d like to insert, or select “Apply All Pages” to import the entire design into your current project.

✅ How to Change the Style of Your Design Using Another Template

Step One: In your Canva design, click “Design” on the left toolbar and browse for a template you like.

Step Two: Hover over the template and click the three dots in the top-right corner.

Step Three: Select “Apply Style Only.” This will instantly update your design’s fonts and colors to match the chosen template’s style.