Intermediate
40 mins
Teacher/Student led
+65 XP
What you need:
Chromebook/Laptop/PC
Canva account (school email)

Editing Images with Canva, Part 2: Layers, Export and the Honest Edit

Students layer text over their image, export it in the right format, then judge their own edits against whether the result still represents what was there.

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    1 - Start ~3 mins

    Illustration for StartOpen the image you cropped, resized and adjusted last lesson.

    Today you will finish it and export it, which means saving it as a file you can use, and then you will think about the question below.

    Missed Part 1, or your design did not save?

    Open this finished Part 1 design, then right-click it and choose Save image as. In Canva, click Create, then Custom size, and make a design 800 wide and 600 high. Click Uploads, then Upload files, pick the picture you saved, and drag it onto your canvas.

    Today’s question

    Which of your edits are fair, and which one could mislead somebody, making them believe something that is not true?

    2 - What Layering Means ~5 mins

    Each thing you add sits on its own layer, and the order of the layers decides what is in front.

    LayerTypically holds
    TopText, so nothing covers it
    MiddleA shape behind the text, to make it readable
    BottomThe background image
    Why it matters

    Each layer stays separate, so you can move or delete one without changing the others.

    3 - Hands-on: Text Over Your Image ~12 mins

    Now add a line of text over your image and make it easy to read. Usually that means putting a shape behind it.

    4 - Hands-on: Export It Properly ~8 mins

    The file format you choose decides what your saved file can do, so look at the table first.

    FormatUse it for
    PNGHigher quality, and the only one that keeps a transparent background.
    JPGSmaller files, fine for photographs going online.

    5 - Your Turn: the Honest Edit ~10 mins

    Look back at your own design and list every change you made: the crop, the resize, the filter, the brightness and contrast, and the text you added. Then you will judge them.

    AskAbout which edit?
    Does this still accurately represent what was actually there?
    Could somebody seeing only my version believe something untrue?
    Did I use anyone else’s image, and have I credited it?

    Write your answers in Enter Your Work at the bottom of this step. The questions are already there.

    Before you finish, check

    Name one edit of yours that is clearly fair and say why, and one that could mislead somebody and say how. If none of your edits could mislead anyone, describe an edit you could have made to this image that would have misled people.

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