As photographers, we pour SO much time into emailing clients, problem solving, sending out pricing, and so on. I wanted to help diminish the amount of time you spend in your inbox so you can work on scaling your business and your photography instead, so I created a number of customizable templates made to send to clients (COMING SOON!).
By using my Canva templates, you can create beautiful guides, giving your client a seamless, professional experience from inquiry to gallery delivery. Here are a few tips you can use to get the perfect look for your template!
Changing Colours
Colours can be easily changed in Canva for the writing, the background, the photo frames, and icons. To do so, click the object that you want to change, and click the square at the top left that shows the current colour. You'll be able to customize the colour on the left with other colours used frequently in the document, select colours from your image uploads, or choose a new colour.
Changing Text
To change the font, click on the text that you want to change to highlight it, then choose your font of choice from the top left side of the screen, as circled below. You can search certain fonts or styles, such as "handwriting".
To change the text, double click the text box, delete the text and write your own copy. Make sure there's a blinking cursor before you hit delete, or the whole text box will be deleted. Don't worry if you accidentally delete something- you can hit the 'undo' arrow at the top left corner of the page.
Adding Images
To add your own images, click the "Uploads" section on the left of your screen, and drag your image from your computer into that section. From there, you can drag your image anywhere on the document, such as within the frame, identifiable by the cartoon art of the green hills and blue sky.
All your uploaded images will be viewable on the left side of your screen.
Linking Objects
You can link an object to an external website website, such as your instagram. To do so, select the object that you would like link, and click the link icon that appears at the right of your document editing toolbar. If you can't see it, you might have to click the "..." for more options and then select it. From there, enter your website address- for example, as seen below, I linked my Instagram by entering "instagram.com/ceciliabilton".
When the guide is viewed as a PDF, the linked object can be clicked and the link will be followed.
If you'd like to link your email, enter the link as sendto:youremail@domain.com. For example, I would type "mailto:cbiltonphotography@gmail.com" to a box and text to create a button that directs the client to an open email.
Changing Icons
If you want to change an icon or add other symbols, click the "elements" option on the left side of your screen and type in whatever you're looking for. For example, you can search up social media icons, stylized image frames, shapes, and sooooo much more. You can try searching key words or themes, like "boho" to find cute elements to decorate your document.
Bear in mind that there are a TON of free symbols, but the symbols with the crown icon beside them require payment or a premium account.
Deleting Objects
To delete anything, simply highlight the object and hit the trash can icon at the top right of your toolbar. If you don't highlight an object, clicking the trash can icon will delete the page.
Exporting
When you're ready to export your document, hit the download button at the top right corner, make sure you have it set to "PDF" and "All Pages", then click "Download". You have the option to export in different formats, but PDF is recommended for the best guide viewing experience.
Downloading Single Pages
If you just want to download one page, instead of downloading the whole document (such as when you just want to download one image for a reel cover), click the download icon at the top left of the page and go to "select pages" (as seen in the image above). You can select which page you want to download.
And there you have it! Now you can customize a template in Canva. Let me know if you have any questions- you can get in touch with me via email at cbiltonphotography@gmail.com or on Instagram at instagram.com/ceciliabilton.
xo,
Cecilia