How to Create Animated Instagram Reels in Canva

Are you looking for a way to design Reels directly in Canva?

Do you feel overwhelmed with creating video content and are looking for an easier way to consistently post Reels?

Then this tutorial is for you! I’m showing you how you can make your Reels in Canva from start to finish, so all you need to do is upload to Instagram and publish.

Prefer watching video tutorials? Scroll down to find this blog post in video.

How can I create Instagram Reels that amaze my audience?

Reels are not a new feature on Instagram anymore – but they are here to stay, that’s for sure.

Can you still grow your Instagram account without Reels? Definitely.

But it’s getting harder since the algorithm started favoriting video content over static posts.

So whether you’ve already started posting Reels or if you’re completely new to videos – it can be worthwhile trying them out for your brand.

What Instagram Reels can do for your Brand

Reels are short and entertaining videos, and thus are perfect to introduce yourself and your brand to a new audience.

Since the Instagram algorithm pushes video content, this is an amazing chance to get your content in front of more eyeballs – and especially in front of potential clients.

Even if you’re not that into dancing and lip-syncing or if you feel these kind of videos don’t match your brand, there’s still a lot of opportunity in Reels.

Read our blog post if you’re in search for clever Reels ideas without showing your face or dancing.

Do I need to change what I normally share?

You don’t! You can still share your normal content, like posts, carousels and stories.

But maybe think about adding one or two Reels per week (or how often you’re posting) to the mix and see how your audience reacts to them.

Trial and error is key to success in this case!

Luckily, Canva makes it easy to create Reels and sync them to trending sounds, so you can incorporate Reels into your normal content creation routine without much effort.

This tutorial gives you an easy step-by-step process how to do it.

Don’t have Canva Pro? Try it for free for 45 Days

Canva’s trial period gives you complete access to all Pro features for more than a month, including all video editing features, pro animations and transitions.

While Canva normally only offers 30 days for free – we’ve got a special deal for you!

You can try Canva Pro for 45 (!) days through the link below. Hurry up, because this offer won’t last 👇

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If you then feel you don’t need all the premium features, you can cancel before your trial ends and actually get Canva Pro for free.

How you can make Instagram Reels with Canva

Creating Reels in Canva is actually pretty easy. And, if done right, it can save you a lot of time you’d otherwise spend fiddeling with filming and editing Reels in the Instagram app.

An easy way to create consistent Reels on Canva

Many people think of Canva as a graphic design tool only, but they’ve also added effective video editing features and animations lately.

Which allows you to create animated Reels that can be synced to trending audio, so you get a real chance of going viral on Instagram!

The shortcut to making consistent Reels is by using Canva templates.

We’ve got 100+ Reels Templates (plus trending audio) in our Template Membership. Check it out if you want to skip the hassle of trimming your clips in Instagram and create Reels in minutes with done-for-you templates 👇

Here is the Step-by-Step to creating a Reel in Canva

  1. Create a new design (search for “Instagram Reel”) or open a premade Reels template
  2. Research a trending audio you want to use and upload it to Canva (so you can sync your frames to the music later)
    Tip: Use Reels to MP3 to download sounds directly from Instagram
  3. In Canva, add the number of pages your Reels needs to match the audio (think of transitions and animation you want to use)
  4. Add images, graphics, text or video to the template
  5. Design your Reels cover (optional)
  6. Download the Reel with all pages as MP4 and the cover as PNG
  7. Publish to Instagram (don’t forget to add your audio!)

Watch the Video: Make Reels and Sync to Trending Audio in Canva

If you are more into video content, we’ve created a video tutorial from this blog post:

FAQ

How can I upload my own videos to Canva?

You can put together your reel with videos from your smartphone. Here’s how:

Film your video. Then go to the Canva app or Canva on your desktop. In the left hand bar you’ll see Uploads. Click the Upload Media button. From there, you can drag your video into the design and trim it to the correct length.

How do I find a trending audio and save it in my Instagram account?

There are different ways you can find the sounds on Instagram:

  1. Use the Instagram search, type in the name and go to the Audio tab
  2. If you have a business account and the search doesn’t find any audios, you’ll need to use another route: Open the audio link and fine one reel that uses this audio. Now in the Instagram app, navigate to the account and search for the right reel. From there you can add the audio to your saves.

What kind of video editing is available in Reels?

You can directly film and edit your Reels in Instagram. That’s one option. The other one is making your Reel in Canva, download it as a video and then publish to Instagram. Depending on which type of Reel you want to create, either option can be suitable for you.

Can I add music directly on Instagram if I don’t find a suitable track in Canva?

Yes! You can design your Reel in Canva (without music), and only later, when you publish it, search for a matching audio. If you want, you can also record your own audio in this step and add it as Originial Audio.

When I export the design in Canva, the gifs and memes don’t move anymore.

Make sure you export your design with all necessary pages ticked as an MP4.

Other Articles you might find helpful:

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