For all those graphic designers and creative people who love to create artwork, or have a job designing posters, they can learn a few quick tips on how to remove background in Canva app from this article.

As we all know, Canva is one of the most popular and powerful tools which we all use to edit, create or design any kind of graphical representation. Canva just boosts productivity and improves the overall look and design of your project. People from all communities use Canva be it on YouTube, websites, businesses or for personal projects.

Canva offers a wide variety of tools to play with while editing your images. One such powerful tool that is provided by Canva is the ability to remove the background from an image. With the help of Canva, you can layer one image over another and more.

However, the ability to remove the background from an image in Canva is only available for Canva Pro users or for users who have logged into Canva using an enterprise account. But, Canva free users also get 5 free attempts which they can use to remove the background of an image. But that’s it, if you want more, then you will have to either get the Canva Pro or you can also start a 30-day free trial.

Removing the Background of an Image

When you are creating your art, there are certain scenarios where you might want to layer an image over another image or design element.

Or you might want to merge two images using a different background, or if you want to create a thumbnail that can stand out, layering images with backgrounds can be a helpful tool, but the result can be a bit unprofessional.

In some cases, you might not be able to layer an image at all. In such types of situations, Canva is there to cover for you, and it can make it extremely easy to remove the background of an image with just a single click.

Just follow through the tutorial below, to know how you can remove the image background using Canva.

1. Open the canva app, and then add the image from which you want to remove the background with a single click.
2. Next, select the photo element. Once the photo is selected, a blue outline will appear around it, showing the part that will be kept.
3. Go to the toolbar that appears at the top of the screen on the design page. Make sure that the image is selected, and click on the Effects option from the left corner.
4. The effects panel will appear on the left side of the screen. You can click on the Background Remover button located at the top.
5. It should take a couple of seconds and the background should be removed from the images. Although Canva does a good job in removing the background and cutting out the foreground almost perfectly, there are chances that AI might miss it, so Canva also gives an option to manually adjust it.
6. Notice the two brushes- erase and Restore, that appeared in the left panel. You can use the Erase brush to erase the parts of the background that Canva might have missed.
   While you can use the Restore brush to restore the part of the image that Canva might have thought was a background and was trying to remove. All you need to do is select the particular brush and then drag it along the parts of the image that you want to erase or restore.

Some Tips to Use Background Remover

You can use the background remover in a lot of different ways instead of just placing logos or cropping unnecessary elements from the background of your image. Try experimenting with the background remover feature, you might end up creating an unexpected masterpiece.

Canva also provides options like getting the images with the background blurred out, gradient backgrounds and images with different shapes or other photos. Not to mention the out-of-bounds effect is just the chef’s kiss.

Layering Photos Over Other Photos and Shapes

One of the most common ways to use the background remover tool is by using the layer feature. On Canva, you can create some aesthetically pleasing designs and looks simply by p-placing the photos on top of other photos or shapes or both.

Once you have removed the background from the image, you can add the image you want to layer it over. Then, all you need to do is resize the image as changing its size at a later stage of editing would be difficult.

Right-click over the image and simply select Send to the Back option, so that the image with the removed background is on top of it. This concept is very simple yet intuitive, all it does is layer various different images and elements.

Then the user can send the elements to the back depending on how and where the position should be according to your design preference.

The two images will appear as a whole, and people won’t be able to notice the layering.

If you want to add a shape or an object to the image, just go to the Elements option from the toolbar and then add the shape of the object that you want to add to the design.

You can also arrange the position of the shapes on your design template. Once you have arranged it, right-click it and then click on Send backwards again. This sends it back from the image with the removed background, but it allows us to keep it on top of the previous image. So, if you instead click on the Send to back it will make it the very last layer.

Finally, group all of your elements in the end.

Blurring Background

Using the background remover tool, you can also blur the background of any photo. We must appreciate Canva for providing such a neat trick that can process your requests in minutes.

All you need to do is just add the image you want to blur the background for your design and then resize and position it according to your needs.

Next, you can click on the Duplicate button located at the right corner of the element-specific toolbar, and make sure that the image is selected beforehand.

Now, drag and place the copy away from the first image, and make sure that you are able to drag it back to your design. In case the image is readily available to you, which is possible if you have uploaded the image to the library and you can add it back whenever you want to.

However, if you have resized the first image, then the duplicating prevents the hassle of getting the dimensions right with the copy option.

So, select the first image and then click on the Adjust option from the toolbar positioned at the top of the screen.

A new panel will open at the left of the window, which will allow you to do adjustments to the image. You need to go to the Blur option and then drag the slider to a value of your choice.

Next, you need to go back to the duplicate image that we have kept aside initially and drag it back onto the first image. Ensure that they are aligned perfectly. Go to the effects panel and then click on the background remover button, make sure that the duplicate image is selected while performing the task.

That’s it, you have successfully blurred the background of your image, and the result should be in front of you with a blurred background. Lastly, select both images and then click on the group button so you can move them as a single unit.

Adding a Fading Gradient to the Background

Another fun yet powerful tool that Canva has is the option to add a fading gradient background effect. We all love gradient finishes in our arts, and this tool just helps in making your art and images more lovable by adding the gradient fading effect in the background of the images.

Experimenting a bit and customizing the image accordingly, using the gradient effect and background remover, you can just enhance your images a lot. To start with, you need to first add the image to an empty design page and then adjust its position and size.

Similar to the above steps, you can either duplicate your image and drag it away for later use or add it later, it is totally up to you.

Head to the Elements section from the toolbar of the Canva app, and then search for Gradients in the search box. From the search results, look for a purple-coloured gradient effect that is fading away to a dark grey colour, and click on it.

If you aren’t able to find it then you can search again by typing gradient that fades to transparency. Once you have found it, add it to your design.

In case you want to add the gradient effect on the right side of the image, then you will have to flip the element. So, to flip it, select the element and then click on the Flip option from the toolbar which is at the top of the screen and select Flip Horizontal from the options that appear.

You don’t need to flip the image if you want to fade the photo from right to left only. In the below guide, we will be adding the fading effect from left to right so hang on with us to learn more about the gradient effect.

The effect also allows users to change the colour from purple to any other colour of their choice, so if you want to change the colour of the fading effect you can do that as well.

Click on the Purple Square from the toolbar and then select the new colour from the colour picker. We will be using white colour. We will be leaving the second square as it is, as we need to keep it transparent.

Make sure to resize the gradient element, so that it is of the same height as your image. Next, you need to place it on the right side of the image. This needs to be done so that some part of the gradient element overlaps with the photo but not all of it.

Now, you have to click on the Duplicate option in order to be able to create the duplicate of your gradient and then move the duplicate slightly to the left of the previous element.

You need to duplicate the element a few more times and each time, make sure to place the copy slightly to the left of the image. This will create the gradual gradient effect that we are used to. You can keep on repeating the step to duplicate your image until you are satisfied with the gradient effect.

That’s it, the fading effect will gradually take all over the photo and not just the background. Don’t worry, just proceed by selecting your original photo and then click on the duplicate icon.

Lastly, place the copy exactly above the original image. Then, click on the option that says Background remover it should be located in the Effects panel.

Your photo now has a fading gradient effect in the background while the main subject is still in focus. Finally, select all of the elements of your design and then group them together.

Creating an Out-of-Bounds Effect

Another powerful tool or you can call it a feature of Canva is the ability to create an out-of-bounds effect. It is an effect in which a part of an image appears to be emerging from the rest of the image and then pops out from the frame.

Well, Canva might not have a direct method to achieve this, but surely it does have some tricks through which you can achieve similar results. However, you would need to use the background remover feature for the same.

To create an out-of-bounds effect on your design, you will have to use the frame element from Canva. The frame element in Canva can be used to crop images to a certain shape and size. So, if you want to crop your image and make it into a rectangular shape, then you can use the rectangle frame.

Below is a quick guide to get that out-of-bounds effect on Canva.

1. Just, add the image to your design and then head to Elements located on the left toolbar. Inside the elements scroll down to Frames and click on “See All”.
2. You can choose different Frames from a wide variety of frames offered by Canva. In this guide, we are using a circular frame, so our image will be in a circle shape. Click on the frame shape and it should add it to your design.
3. Select the photo and then drag it onto the frame element so that it is added to the frame.
   
4. You can also drag the corners and resize the frames and images both as per your need.
   
5. Now, you need to resize the image within the limits of the frame. You can double-click the image and you should see the resizer tool. You need to click and drag on the white circular dots to resize the image.
6. You also have to resize the photo so that the part of the photo that you want it to pop out of the frame is out of the frame, this is in respect to the requirements.
7. Next, you have to add another copy of the photo as we are trying to create the out-of-bounds effect for the design page. So, before placing the image on top of the frame, make sure to select the frame and then click on the Lock icon. This will ensure that the second photo doesn’t replace the photo in the frame.
8. The second photo needs to be placed on top of the frame and ensure that it is perfectly aligned with the photo inside the frame. For better help, you can decrease the transparency temporarily for easy alignments and adjustments with the photo underneath.
   
9. If you wish to change the transparency of an element or layer, you can click on the Transparency icon from the toolbar which is at the top of the screen. After the photo is perfectly aligned, you can change the transparency back to 100, so that it is 100% opaque.
   
10. Finally, select the photo on top and then remove its background. That’s it, you have a photo with an out-of-bounds effect. Lastly, don’t forget to group all of the elements together for your ease.

So, this was an extensive tutorial as well as a guide to removing the background of a photo and adding some creative effects and transitions to your design inside the Canva app. If you are a professional Canva app user, make sure to try these and let us know how it goes.