In this post I will be comparing Canva vs Photoshop as a scrapbook design tool.
Let's face it, technology is now a part of our everyday lives. Embracing such technology into our memory keeping just makes sense. Phones take 99% of our photos and apps are at our fingertips. With multiple programs & apps out there; it's hard to know which one to use to get the results you want.
If you're reading this you may or may not be asking yourself "What is Canva?". Or maybe you've heard about Canva and are interested to learn more. And there are some of you who may already be familiar with Canva and want to explore the possibilities of this design tool further and how to use it for your memory keeping.
First, let's talk shop. Photoshop.
Most scrapbookers have heard of Photoshop (PS) which is extremely powerful design software that's used by many professional photographers and graphic designers. Photoshop Elements (PSE) is what you may call "beginners software" which is aimed at first-time photographers, creative editors and non-professionals. It was created in 1990 and belongs to the Adobe family of programs. Photoshop is paid software you download onto your computer that doesn't require an internet connection to use. There is now also a subscription based online option. It is also a very large software program which can take longer for files to load and file sizes can become quite large unless you compress images. The challenge with both of these Photoshop programs is the steep learning curve required to learn how to use them efficiently. Many scrapbookers give up in frustration because it's not user friendly. You can find classes & tutorials online to help learn the software and there are templates you can purchase that has most of the design work already done for you; just drop in your photo & add some text.
Cue the new kid. Canva.
Launched in 2013, Canva is a free online design & publishing tool with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere. Founded by Melanie Perkins as a high school yearbook idea; Fusion Books it has evolved into what we now call Canva. The FREE software is available to use online with apps available for laptop, tablet or phone in iOS & Android and does require an internet connect to use.
Here's my Canva story.
I guess you could say I've been an avid paper crafter/scrapbooker for almost 20 years now. Over this time my memory keeping style has evolved, likely yours has too. As my love for memory keeping grew, I was exploring new ways to create. Digital was becoming popular and I wanted to explore that more. I started with those robust "professional" design programs, but gosh, I knew there had to be a better way. My self taught page on CS3 took me ten hours!! (and many tears)
A few years later I tried digital again with PSE. I took classes this time and was pretty happy with the handful of digital layouts I created, but I always came back to paper, because it was just faster.
In 2017 I discovered Canva. And everything changed!!
I started using Canva at work; designing presentations and marketing materials. Then one say it just hit me! With everything I knew Canva could do, why wasn't I using it to make scrapbook pages? Yes, I guess you could call that a lightbulb moment.
Here's why I LOVE using Canva!
Canva is quick! It's fast to load photos & files.
Canva is easy to learn & user friendly. No more stress!
Everything is in one place. Photo & file organization in folders makes it easy to find exactly what I need.
Everything is stored in Canva. No need to worry about using up space on your hard drive.
I can use Canva on any device. Start on my computer, finish on my tablet.
Let's compare Canva vs Photoshop for Scrapbooking.
CANVA | PHOTOSHOP |
Easy to Learn | Steep Learning Curve |
Use on any device | Computer Only |
Internet Connection Needed | Use Offline |
Multi-page designs | Individual pages only |
Photo Editing Tools | Robust Photo Editor |
Photos & files stored right inside Canva's digital cloud | Sore photos & files on your own computer |
Connects directly to online storage: Google Drive, Dropbox and more | Transfer files from hard drive or online storage sites |
Library of images, templates & graphics | - - - |
Stay organized with folders | - - - |
Design Software for Everyone | Professional Design Tool |
Free + Pro* Options | Pay to use $$ |
Canva Pro* offers additional features for a low monthly fee.
Let's compare Canva account types.
CANVA FREE ACCOUNT | CANVA PRO ACCOUNT |
Free to use forever! | Free 30 Day Trial |
5 GB of Storage | Unlimited Storage |
2 Folders | Unlimited Folders |
1000's of Free Fonts | Exclusive Fonts + Upload your own Fonts |
Library of photos & elements | 75+ Million library of graphics; photos, elements, videos & audios files |
- - - | Magically Resize Designs with Custom Dimensions |
- - - | Background Remover |
- - - | Download .png files with Transparent Backgrounds |
- - - | Create Custom Color Pallets |
- - - | Schedule & Publish to Social Medio |
- - - | Save & Publish Templates |
- - - | Priority Account Support |
- - - | ...and more! See All Pro Features |
Want to learn more about using Canva for scrapbooking?
Canva really is the design tool of my dreams. Create with Canva is an easy to follow class I teach focused on using Canva for pocket scrapbooking & hybrid memory keeping. If you've ever struggled with Photoshop or a host of other programs or apps, this class was designed with you in mind!
START DESIGNING NOW