Stories in Canva

Step 1

Create a 1080×1920 story

Find the "Instagram Story" design type in Canva or set a custom size of 1080×1920 pixels. Canva says stories should be exactly that, a 9:16 ratio, so the image is at its highest quality and nothing gets cut off. Meta's help for stories ads also recommends 1080×1920, with a minimum of 600×1067.

• •for a series, make one multi-page design: each page is a separate story;
• •save an empty page with guides as the base for future stories.

Step 2

Safe zones: where not to put text

A story fills the whole screen, and the interface covers part of the top and bottom: the account name, the reply field, buttons. For stories promoted as ads, Instagram suggests keeping about 14% at the top and 20% at the bottom free of text, logos and key elements. On a 1080×1920 canvas, that's roughly 270 pixels at the top and 385 at the bottom. It's a good guide for regular stories too.

• •headings, dates and prices go in the middle of the screen;
• •backgrounds and photos can run to the edge, text can't;
• •leave room for the stickers, polls or links you'll add in Instagram.

💡 Add two transparent panels over these zones in Canva and lock them. Delete them before downloading; while you work, they'll stop you from placing text in the wrong spot.

Step 3

One idea, big text

People tap through stories fast, so each gets a few seconds. One story, one idea: a big heading, little supporting text, one image. If you need to say more, split it into a series of 3–5 stories in one style: the same fonts, colors and heading position.

• •check contrast: WCAG requires at least 4.5:1 between normal text and background;
• •place text over a photo on a calm area or a semi-transparent panel;
• •on the last story in the series, say what to do next: follow a link, reply, come along.

Step 4

Add animation wisely

Select an element or the page and click Animate on the toolbar above the editor. The Page tab animates the whole page, Element the selected element, Text a text box. You can pick a speed (Slow, Medium, Fast) or set exact intro and outro durations. Magic Animate in the Page tab picks a style for the whole design in one click.

• •one animation in Canva lasts at most 10 seconds, and a design can have up to 50 created animations;
• •some animations and transitions are only on paid plans, marked with a Pro icon;
• •animate the key thing, a heading or a number, not everything at once: motion should lead the eye, not distract it.

💡 When reduce motion is on for a device, Canva reduces animations. Your story should still read without them.

Step 5

Download and publish

Download a static story as PNG or JPG, an animated one as MP4, via Share → Download. On the free plan, MP4 downloads go up to 1920×1080 pixels and 30 minutes; changing the quality from the default prompts an upgrade. GIFs on the free plan go up to 1 minute and 1280×720 pixels. You can't schedule stories through Canva because Instagram doesn't allow it, but you can share stories from the Canva mobile app if Instagram is installed on the same phone.

• •Canva sends JPG and MP4 files to Instagram, with videos from 3 to 60 seconds;
• •watch the series on your phone in a row before publishing.

💡 Before publishing, show the series in the community and ask something specific: on which story you'd swipe away, and whether everything reads in a second or two.