How to Change the Color of Shapes in Canva

To change the color of a shape in Canva, first click on the shape to select it. The Color Palette will appear above the editor. Click the color tile for the shape, choose a new color from the color picker, and the selected shape will update with your chosen color. You can also use the eyedropper tool to sample colors.

Canva is a popular graphic design platform that makes it easy for anyone to create stunning designs, even without prior design experience.

With its simple drag-and-drop interface and huge library of templates, images, fonts, and design elements, you can quickly put together on-brand graphics for all your needs – social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, and more.

Introduction

One of the most basic but important tasks in Canva is changing the colors of shapes and elements in your designs. The ability to recolor shapes and elements allows you to match specific brand colors, create visual contrast, and convey meaning through color choice.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn multiple ways to change the fill color of shapes and elements in Canva to create eye-catching graphics that align with your brand style.

Selecting a Shape to Change the Color

The first step to changing a shape’s color in Canva is to select the specific shape or element you want to modify. Here’s how to do it:

• Click on the shape or element you want to recolor. This will select it and a highlighted bounding box will appear around it.
• You can also select multiple shapes at once by clicking and dragging your mouse across them. The bounding box will expand to contain all selected elements.
• On mobile, tap to select a shape. Tap and drag to multi-select.

Once you’ve selected the shapes you want to edit, you can move on to actually changing their fill color using the color options.

Using the Color Palette to Change Fill Color

With your shapes selected, the Color Palette will appear above the design editor, containing one or more color tiles depending on the number of colors in your selected element. Here’s how to use it:

• Click on the color tile corresponding to the part of the element you want to change. For example, if changing a two-toned shape from pink and blue to red and green, you would click the pink and blue tiles respectively.
• The selected tile will bring up the color picker, allowing you to choose a new color for that part of the shape.
• You can directly select a color from the variety of swatches in the palette.
• Or use the color wheel and brightness slider to pick a custom color not in the swatches.
• Click outside the color picker to close it and apply your selected color.
• The selected shapes will update with the new colors.

By clicking each color tile and choosing a new color, you can completely recolor complex multi-colored elements.

Using the Eyedropper to Sample Colors

The Eyedropper tool in Canva provides another quick way to select colors to apply to your shapes and elements. Here is how it works:

• Click the Eyedropper icon in the left side-bar and point to the one color in your canvas.
• Your mouse cursor will change to an eyedropper icon.
• Now click on any design element or part of an image that has the color you want to sample.
• The sampled color will automatically open up in the color picker, allowing you to use it as the new fill color for your selected shapes.
• This is useful when you want to quickly match colors between different design elements.

(Note: The Eyedropper is currently available in Canva’s web and desktop apps, but not the mobile apps.)

Changing Multiple Elements at Once

When multiple shapes or elements are selected together, changing the color of one will also apply the same new color to the other selected elements. Some tips:

• Use Shift-click to select multiple shapes spaced apart from each other.
• Click and drag around shapes to multi-select those within the selection box.
• After changing the color of one shape, all other selected shapes will also be updated with the same new color.
• This allows you to quickly recolor multiple elements without having to modify them one by one.

Using Color Palettes for On-Brand Graphics

For professional graphic designs, Canva lets you create reusable Color Palettes that contain your brand colors or other themes. This ensures visual consistency:

• Navigate to the Brand Kit and add your brand colors by hex code or color picker.
• Name each color after your brand style guide.
• Create multiple palettes for different purposes – seasonal schemes, product lines, etc.
• When designing, load up a palette to restrict your color choices to brand approved hues.
• Use palette colors as fill colors for shapes, text, and other elements.
• Change all instances of a brand color at once by updating its main color in your palette.

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Adding CMYK Colors in Canva

Advanced Color Options in Canva Pro

Canva’s premium Pro plan unlocks advanced color features for professionals:

• Add CMYK color equivalents for your brand colors.
• Get access to an expanded palette of 5000+ premium colors and gradients.
• Use the transparency slider for soft color overlays and gradients on shapes and images.
• Take advantage of color dropper that loads colors directly from photos.
• Export designs with transparency and colors intact for professional printing.

For pixel-perfect brand colors and flexibility with gradients, overlays and color picking, Canva Pro is worth the upgrade.

Adding New Shapes and Elements

In addition to changing the colors of existing elements, you may want to add new shapes and visual elements to your design in Canva. Here are some options:

• Click the Elements tab on the left sidebar to browse Canva’s extensive content library.
• Search for specific visual elements like shapes, lines, illustrations.
• Click on them onto the blank canvas to add them to your design.
• Customize by changing fill colors, transparency, and more.
• Resize, rotate, layer, and arrange added elements by dragging them across the design area.
• Right click and copy styles from existing objects to new additions.

Duplicating Existing Elements

Rather than adding new elements from scratch, you can also make copies of existing ones:

• Right click the element and choose Duplicate from the context menu.
• Or use the Ctrl+D (Win) / ⌘+D (Mac) shortcut to quickly duplicate selected objects.
• The duplicated element will be placed slightly offset from the original object.
• You can then recolor and modify the copy without affecting the original.

Deleting Elements

To remove any elements you don’t need:

• Click the element to select it, then press the Delete key.
• Right click and choose Delete from the context menu.
• Use the eraser delete icon from the toolbar.
• Clear multiple objects quickly by using Shift-click to multi-select and then deleting.

Removing unnecessary elements helps declutter your design and draw focus to the key shapes and colors.

How do I change the color of a shape outline in Canva?

To change the color of a shape outline in Canva, follow these steps:

1. Select the shape you want to modify.
2. Click on the “Border Styles” icon located in the top toolbar. It looks like a square with a pencil icon.
3. By default, there is no border applied. To add a border, click on the square icon with a color fill inside it. This will give your shape a border, and you can see a default dark color applied.
4. To change the color of the border, click on the color swatch that appears after selecting the border style. You can then choose the desired color from the color palette or enter a specific color code.
5. You can also adjust the thickness or weight of the border by clicking on the border style icon again and changing the weight as needed.
6. Click outside the shape to apply the changes.

That’s it! You’ve successfully changed the color of a shape outline in Canva.

How do I fill a shape with Color in Canva?

In Canva, filling a shape with color is a simple process. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Access the Frame: First, select the frame you want to fill with color. You can do this by clicking on the frame you’ve added to your design.
2. Choose a Color: On the editor’s toolbar above, you will see a rainbow color tile. Click on it to bring up a palette of suggested colors. You can select any of these suggested colors to fill your frame.
3. Customize Color: If you have a specific color in mind, you can click on the “+ rainbow color tile” to access a wider color selection. You can pick a new color from this expanded palette or even use gradients to achieve a unique color fill.
4. Undo and Redo: If you make a mistake or want to change the color after filling the frame, you can use the “Undo” feature by clicking “Undo” above the editor. You can then select a new color and proceed.

By following these steps, you can easily fill a shape with color in Canva, allowing you to create eye-catching and visually appealing designs. Canva’s user-friendly interface makes it accessible for both beginners and experienced designers to bring their creative ideas to life.

How do I fill a shape with color in Canva?

In Canva, filling a shape with color is a straightforward process. Here are the steps to fill a shape with color:

1. Select Your Shape: Start by selecting the shape you want to fill with color. Canva offers a wide variety of shapes to choose from.
2. Open the Color Palette: Once your shape is selected, look for the “Fill” option, often represented by a color palette icon.
3. Choose a Color: Click on the color palette icon to access the color options. You can select a color from the default color palette, use a custom color by entering a hex code, or choose a color from your brand’s color palette if you’ve previously defined it in Canva.
4. Apply the Color: After choosing your desired color, simply click on it, and the shape will be filled with the selected color.
5. Adjust Transparency (Optional): If you want to make the color partially transparent, you can adjust the transparency or opacity of the shape using the provided slider.

That’s it! Your shape is now filled with the color of your choice in Canva, allowing you to create visually appealing designs effortlessly.

Conclusion

The ability to change colors, add new elements, duplicate objects, and delete unwanted items are some of the fundamental building blocks that allow you to create fantastic designs in Canva. Experiment with different color variations, gradients, and arrangements until your graphics pop with vibrancy and align perfectly with your brand style.

With these handy tips and tricks, you’ll be able to customize all the shapes, elements and colors in your Canva designs quickly and easily. So go ahead, unleash your inner artist and create some visual magic!

wheel and other tools to customize colors and match your brand style guide.

FAQs

How can I quickly change the colors of multiple shapes at once in Canva?

You can rapidly recolor multiple shapes together in Canva by:

• Click and drag to select all the shapes you want to modify together.
• In the Color Palette above the editor, change the color of one of the selected shapes.
• All other selected shapes will automatically be updated to match the new color.
• This allows you to quickly batch edit the colors of multiple objects at the same time.

Last modified: October 16, 2023