Have you ever created a mind-blowing logo or design in Canva only to have your client email you back asking if you can send the design to them as a vector file?
Read this post to learn how to export your Canva logo to a vector file with this step-by-step tutorial for how to export from Canva to a vector file. Even beginners can use this Canva tutorial!
First, let’s establish what stage of panic you might be in staring at your Canva design right now…
And you are staring at your computer like…
A. What even is a vector file? Canva doesn’t allow that option.
or
B) I should have made this in Illustrator from the start…
If you find yourself in this situation, it is going to be okay. Say it with me: IT IS GOING TO BE OKAY!
Even if you created your design file in Canva but need to export the design as a vector file, you can still salvage your file AND make your client happy! (without having a complete breakdown or spending 2x the amount of time completely recreating your design).
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. I only suggest products I use and love.
Let’s Start With The Basics of Canva.
Canva is a great tool for creating quick and easy graphics that you can use on your website or social media platforms. With Canva, you can create a design without having any previous experience using Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, which can be a daunting skill to learn.
Even though Canva is a simpler design tool than using Illustrator, you can still create beautiful designs to make the world more aesthetically pleasing (which, let’s be real, we all know is our true goal in life as graphic designers).
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If you are not a trained graphic designer, Canva might be your jam. Canva’s drag-and-drop feature makes designing anything you need a breeze. Canvas also has many pre-made templates with tons of unique fonts, color palettes, and shapes to help get your creative juices flowing.
However, when it comes time to make changes in Canva or export Canva files into Adobe Illustrator for further editing, Canva does not allow you to export your file as an EPS or .ai file. Unfortunately, PNG files are not editable in Adobe Illustrator unless they are converted to a vector file.
Canvas’s PNG format has a pixelated appearance that looks good on websites but doesn’t work well in programs like Adobe Illustrator where the artwork needs to remain high quality throughout editing processes.
I hear you. Canva can be limiting in the different ways you can export your files, but don’t give up yet! There’s always a way around any difficulties we run into. A lot of designers just starting out do not know about Canva’s limitations on exporting as a vector file.
Canva is the best tool for creating quick and easy graphics, but Canvas’s PNG format can lose its high quality when exporting into Adobe Illustrator. Canva edits should be vectorized to maintain their original quality.
Please don’t feel hopeless or lost. You came to the right place, and we are going to teach you how to you can export files from Canva as vector files and designs!
Seasoned Graphic Designers Love/Hate (Hate/Hate?) Relationship with Canva.
Many seasoned designers are afraid to use Canva because they think there will be limitations on what types of files they can export their designs as.
Graphic designers also get hung up on the presumed limitations on their own originality and creativity – such as only being able to make logos and shapes from templates or only for social media platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook.
In this case, most graphic designers stick with the tried and true Adobe Illustrator. And there is no problem with that. There are some types of projects that I wouldn’t dare touch Canva for, but for basic graphic design needs such as social media content creation and PDF or eBook creation, Canva is a great tool!
What many people don’t know is that Canva’s workspace and user experience have been designed intentionally so that no matter which format you choose when you first create your Canva design file, you can still make changes to your file.
Canva features a resizing tool that allows you to resize any design at a moments’ notice with just one click.
Finally, you no longer need to waste all of those hours spent fussing over pixels and sizing at the beginning when the design was something basic like squares or circles.
➡️ TRY CANVA PRO FOR FREE ⬅️
Download Your Canva Designs as Vectors with SVG File Type
Canva just released a new update that allows Canva Pro users to download their files as an SVG. Canva Pro users now have the option to download your designs as SVGs, in addition to Canva’s previous PNG, JPEG, and PDF options. For me personally, Canva Pro is worth it for this one feature alone! Try Canva Pro for free for 30 days, here.
Save time by downloading all of your Canva files as SVG vector graphic design files so you can edit them in Adobe Illustrator. Canva Pro members, go to your Canva Files tab and click “Export” on the file you want to download as an SVG vector graphic design file.
What is an SVG?
An SVG (scalable vector graphic) is a file type that uses math to describe an image rather than using pixels, so it can be resized without losing any quality. This means your Canva designs will look great no matter how big or small you make them, making them perfect for use on the web or in print.
If you are not a Canva Pro member yet (definitely worth it!), here is how Canva explains their new update:
“When Canva Pro was first launched, we promised that your Canva subscription would continue to grow and evolve based on your needs—so you can create even more amazing designs without needing any additional tools. That’s why today I’m excited to announce Canva Pro members now have the option to download their Canva designs as SVGs.”
The great thing about Canva Pro is that it’s not just for professional designers. With Canva, anyone can create beautiful designs—from your grandma who wants to make a birthday card for her friends, to the startup founder who needs to design a website on a budget. So whether you’re a new Canva Pro member, or want to upgrade your account to be a Canva Pro member, you can now download Canva designs as SVGs.
Download Canva Designs As SVGs
What does this mean for designers? If you are already a Canva Pro user and use Canva to create your own graphics or templates that you then sell as an online course or download, you can now offer your customers the SVG file type in addition to Canva’s existing PNG, JPEG, and PDF options.
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If you are not a Canva Pro member yet, I highly recommend upgrading so that you can start downloading your designs as SVGs! Not only will this save you time when editing your designs in Adobe Illustrator, but it also means you can create even more amazing designs without needing any additional tools.
How to Export from Canva as Vector and SVG Step By Step
- Click the “Export” button at the top right of your window on a Canva design you would like to save as an SVG file.
- In the popup window that appears, select “SVG” in the dropdown menu and hit “Download.”
- Your Canva design will now be saved as an SVG vector graphic design file.
So now that you know how to export your Canva designs as vectors, what are you waiting for? Try it out for yourself and see the difference in quality!
Can I Export Canva Templates to SVG?
Yes, you can export Canva templates to SVG! Just follow the same steps above for Canva Pro users and follow the steps below for Canva Free users.
How to Export from Canva to SVG and Vector Files
- Click the “Export” button at the top right of your window on a Canva design you would like to save as an SVG file.
- In the popup window that appears, select “SVG” in the dropdown menu and hit “Download.”
- Your Canva design will now be saved as an SVG vector graphic design file.
You will follow the exact same steps as above because vector files and SVG files are interchangeable.
What is Canva Pro?
Canva Pro is a premium Canva account that gives you access to extra features like more templates, fonts, stickers, animations, and backgrounds—all with unlimited downloads. With Canva Pro you can also upload your own images and videos for use in your designs, and save Canva designs as PDFs, PNGs, JPEGs, and SVGs.
Can I Export to SVG without Canva Pro?
Yes, you can export to SVG without Canva Pro! You don’t need a Canva Pro account to export your designs as SVGs. If you are not chomping at the bit to upgrade your Canva account to a Canva Pro account, are still able to export your designs from Canva as vectors by following these steps.
How to Export from Canva to Illustrator:
Before I learned this trick, I thought to myself… am I supposed to sit here copying every single element that I used in Canva into a new Illustrator file instead of exporting my Canva design to a vector file?
NO WAY. That method would take way too long and defeat the purpose of using Canva as a timesaving tool in the first place.
If you want to download your design from Canva and still be able to make changes to the design later on, it may not work out so well with Canva’s PNG export format due to its pixelated, uneditable nature.
So, what do you do now?!
In order to save your Canva files as high-quality files after being exported from Canva into Adobe Illustrator, they must be saved as a vector file (.ai or Adobe Illustrator file).
How to Export from Canva to a Vector File:
- Save your Canva logo or design file as a PDF.
- Open your file in Adobe Illustrator.
- Once in Illustrator, first you need to to release all clipping masks. Select all on your artboard, and then release clipping masks. Click: Layer > Release Clipping Mask.
- Delete any background boxes (same color as your background) around your design.
- Make sure you have deleted all of the boxes by selecting everything on the artboard and then click: View > Outlines.
- Now, vectorize your artwork and text. You do this by selecting everything on your artboard again. Click: Type > Create Outlines.
- Export your file. Click: File > Save As > chose either a “.ai” file or a “.EPS” file, depending on your preference. Ensure that you click “Transparent” for your background.
What is a vector file?
Vector files are very important when sending and receiving files from graphics designers because without them printers will just print raster-based documents anyway which might affect their branding more than desired or needed (and who wants unwanted ink stains?).
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Understanding the difference between a vector file versus one created through traditional pixel design methods allows us better understand how our designs look once printed out by various devices like desktop computers as well as mobile phones/ tablets so it is crucial we know this information before submitting originals into production processes.
Vector images are different from raster images. A vector image uses a set number of points. In other words, if you want to print the picture at a larger size, it will stay crisp and clear because the points that make up the image will be bigger. Raster images use pixels to create an image so if they are printed on paper at a larger size than what they were designed for, they may look grainy and ugly.
In a raster file, you can see the image made of pixels. If you print this at a size that is bigger than it was designed to be, then the pixels will grow and make the image look grainy. This is not good if you want to print an Instagram photo in poster size.
Vector images can be resized without problems. Thank goodness! Vector files can be edited at any time without loss of quality because each shape is its own separate object instead of being made up of many pixels.
If you save your logo in a vector image, then it can be printed on a billboard or on a pen. Vector images are files that people use when they want to print something that will not change size no matter what.
What is an EPS File?
EPS stands for Encapsulated Postscript files. EPS files are used by Adobe Illustrator as a graphics format for vector images. You can export Adobe Illustrator files as EPS files and an EPS file can be opened in various other programs, rather than just Adobe Illustrator.
EPS files are a thing of the past. It served us well back in the day, but it’s long been overtaken by PDF and .ai files. EPS has almost no place in modern graphics workflows.
EPS files have been surpassed by PDF and AI-driven graphics workflows that can produce more high-quality output with less time spent on printing/laying paper or drawing pen strokes onto a screen – even for highly specialized tasks like sending lithographs to print shops via fax machine!
What is a .ai (Adobe Illustrator) file?
A .ai file is the native format for Adobe Illustrator. It contains all of the information required to create a vector graphic, including shapes, paths, text, and images. The .ai extension stands for “Adobe Illustrator.”So what are the benefits?
It can be used to create all sorts of artwork, from logos and icons to complicated illustrations. A .ai file extension, or ai for short, is a type of graphic design file that contains vector graphics.
Vector graphics are made up of points and lines.
These files tend to be more precise than other formats such as bitmap images (.jpgs). This precision makes them great for projects like logos that require precise details.
The benefit of using a .ai file in your design is that you are able to edit it on any computer with Adobe Creative Cloud installed without converting it into another type of file first. This means that there will be no loss of quality when you need to make changes or redraw portions of the image.
What is Adobe Illustrator? Is it an app?
Adobe Illustrator is a powerful software that allows you to create and edit your designs as vector graphics with ease.
Illustrator has many features to design anything from logos, flyers, or posters as well as more complex projects such as illustrations made out of various types on paper – hello illustration workflows!
What is Adobe Illustrator? Is it an app? Is it software? Do I have to be a trained graphic designer to use Adobe Illustrator?
If you’re a social media manager, Pinterest manager, or someone who has to design graphics for your blog posts, then you may have heard of Adobe Illustrator. Adobe Illustrator is a powerful software that allows you to create and edit your designs as vector graphics with ease.
Illustrator has many features to design anything from logos, flyers, or posters as well as more complex projects such as illustrations made out of various types on paper – hello illustration workflows!
Illustrator is capable of creating vector images that are highly scalable and can be used on websites and in presentations. It’s also a great tool for designers to use when they need to create logos without pixelation, aka vector files.
Viola! You Converted Your Canva Design into a Vector File!
Yay! *happy dance* You have successfully converted your first Canva logo or file into a vector file! This is going to be such a game-changer for you and your workflow. Now you can send your clients the final files as a vector (.ai) or EPS file in addition to .png files. Subscribe to my newsletter for all of my current tips and tricks about graphic design for social media marketing.
After reading this blog post, if you haven’t already, will you try out converting one of your designs from Canva into an Adobe Illustrator Vector File? Let me know below!
Related Posts:
- Canva Contributor vs. Canva Creator: What’s the Difference?
- 10 Best Fonts in Canva – Guide for Designers
- Serif vs Sans Serif Fonts – Help! What’s the Difference?
Free Resources:
- Pinterest Planning Template + Resources List
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