Textual content masking is likely one of the most eye-catching and artistic design methods you should use in Canva.
It includes putting a picture or sample contained in the letters of a phrase or phrase, giving your design a visually wealthy and layered look. This methodology is extremely standard in skilled design instruments like Photoshop, however the excellent news is—you are able to do it proper inside Canva with just a few easy methods.
When you’ve ever seen textual content full of gorgeous landscapes, summary textures, or product pictures and puzzled how did they try this? — you are in the correct place.
On this step-by-step information, I’ll stroll you thru completely different strategies to create a textual content masks in Canva—from utilizing body letters to layering methods.
Let’s get began.
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What’s a Textual content Masks in Canva?
A textual content masks is a inventive design method the place a picture, sample, or video is displayed inside the form of letters. As an alternative of including a picture subsequent to or behind your textual content, the picture turns into a part of the textual content itself. This transforms a easy phrase right into a dynamic visible factor that immediately captures consideration.
In Canva, a textual content masks isn’t a built-in characteristic in the identical approach it’s in some skilled software program like Photoshop. Nevertheless, Canva affords intelligent workarounds—particularly by the usage of letter frames and layering methods—that make it simple to realize the identical impact, even for learners.
Let’s break it down:
- A daily textual content design makes use of font coloration, dimension, spacing, and possibly some results like shadow or define.
- A textual content masks design, then again, makes use of precise pictures or textures to “fill” every letter. Think about the phrase TRAVEL with seashore scenes inside every letter—it is a textual content masks in motion.
Canva permits this impact by its Frames characteristic discovered within the “Components” part. Every letter is handled as a person picture body, and you may drag and drop any picture into it. You can too regulate every body independently—making it supreme for personalizing every a part of the phrase.
Textual content masks are particularly helpful for:
- Title graphics
- Posters and flyers
- Social media content material
- Weblog headers
- Portfolio branding
With the flexibleness of Canva, you’ll be able to take this system additional by combining it with animations, shadows, overlays, and shapes.
Now that you realize what a textual content masks is, let’s discover why you need to begin utilizing it in your designs.
Why Use Textual content Masking in Canva Designs?
Textual content masking isn’t nearly wanting stylish—it’s about telling a narrative by your typography. I began utilizing textual content masks once I was designing a Pinterest pin for one in all my ebooks.
As an alternative of utilizing plain textual content, I inserted a photograph of an open e-book into the phrase “READ.” The outcome? It popped off the web page and immediately obtained extra engagement than my earlier posts. That’s once I realized how highly effective this straightforward method might be.
Right here’s why textual content masking is such a game-changer in Canva:
1. It Grabs On the spot Consideration
In a world filled with scrolls and swipes, you want visuals that cease individuals of their tracks. A well-done textual content masks is sort of a mini billboard—it’s daring, creative, and visually partaking.
2. It Provides Visible Depth
Textual content masks add layers to your design. As an alternative of flat, lifeless textual content, you now have a multidimensional impact the place the viewer can see texture, mild, and context inside your phrases.
3. It Feels Skilled
Regardless that you’re utilizing Canva (which many individuals affiliate with beginner-level design), a textual content masks offers your design a cultured and complex edge. I’ve had shoppers ask, “Did you do that in Photoshop?” Nope—simply good outdated Canva!
When you’re creating content material for social media, digital merchandise, and even printed flyers, utilizing textual content masking can elevate your designs immediately. Now that you realize the “why,” let’s transfer into the “how.”
Subsequent up, I’ll present you the best way to create a textual content masks utilizing one of the crucial beginner-friendly strategies—utilizing letter frames in Canva.
Additionally learn: Best interactive ebook creator.
Making a Textual content Masks in Canva Utilizing Frames
That is my absolute favourite methodology and the one I exploit most frequently—particularly once I desire a daring, polished look with image-filled textual content. Canva’s letter frames make this course of extremely simple as soon as you realize the place to search out them.
Right here’s an entire, beginner-friendly information to making a textual content masks utilizing frames in Canva:
Step 1: Open a New Design
Head over to Canva, log in, and create a brand new design (e.g., Instagram submit, A4, Pinterest pin—something works).
For this tutorial, I’ve chosen Instagram as my design.

Step 2: Seek for Letter Frames
Go to the “Components” tab on the left. Within the search bar, kind “letter frames” or just kind every letter adopted by “body” (e.g., A body, B body, C body).
Within the under screenshot, you’ll be able to see that I’ve clicked on the Components tab and looked for the time period – letter frames, and press the Enter key.

As you press the Enter key, Canva show outcomes like – Frames, Graphics, Photographs, and so forth.
Now, click on on See all beneath Frames.

Now, you may see frames of various letters of English alphabet (see the under screenshot). Utilizing these letters, we are going to attempt to create a textual content masks in Canva design.
Step 3: Prepare the Frames to Kind a Phrase
Add every letter individually and place them aspect by aspect to spell your required phrase (e.g., LOVE, TRAVEL, SALE).
For this tutorial, I’m going to insert the phrase – TRAVEL in my design and thereafter, I’ll add a picture associated to my chosen phrase, Journey to every body letter one after the other.
Within the under screenshot, you’ll be able to see that I’ve added the body letters, TRAVEL, to my design.

Within the subsequent step, I’ll add a picture to those body letters.
Step 4: Add or Select Pictures
You may add your personal images or use Canva’s library. I usually use landscapes, textures, or merchandise that match the theme. For instance, once I created a promo picture for a journey weblog, I crammed every letter of “WANDER” with a unique scenic view.
For this tutorial, I’ll seek for a picture associated to the phrase – Journey, within the Components tab. I’ll once more click on on the Components tab and enter search phrases like Journey, Vacationer Locations, Well-known Locations, Switzerland, and so forth. and press the Enter key.

Now, click on on See all choice beneath Photographs and scroll by these pictures till you discover the one that you simply like so as to add as a textual content masks to your body letters.

As soon as you discover the picture that you simply wish to use to create textual content masks, simply click on on it and drag it on to the primary body letter
Step 5: Drag & Drop Pictures into Every Body
On this step, you may want to tug every picture onto the body letter—it can routinely clip into place. You may double-click every letter to regulate picture placement contained in the body.
On this instance (see the under screenshot), I’ve dragged the picture to the primary body letter – T. And, I’ll repeat this course of for every of the letters – R, A, V, E and L.

Under, you’ll be able to see that I’ve dropped the photographs to every of the letter frames.

Subsequent step on this tutorial will not be necessary however you’ll be able to observe it to make your design extra interesting and presentable to your viewers.
Step 6: Align and Resize
Use the place software to evenly house letters and align them correctly. Resize the entire phrase if wanted.

Subsequent step can also be fully elective – altering the background of your design. You may fashion the background as the best way you need utilizing the Components tab.
Step 7: Model the Background
Add a complementary background—plain, gradient, or textured. This enhances distinction and makes your textual content masks stand out.
That is it, that is how one can create textual content masks in Canva following the easy steps talked about above.
Bonus Suggestions
- Select high-contrast pictures so the small print present clearly inside every letter.
- Maintain your background easy to let the textual content masks shine.
- Add a drop shadow behind the letter frames to present them extra depth.
Canva Free vs Professional: Do You Want Professional for Textual content Masks?
One of the vital widespread questions I get—particularly from new Canva customers—is whether or not you want a Professional account to create textual content masks.
The excellent news? You don’t want Canva Professional to create fundamental textual content masking results. However… having Professional does unlock some highly effective extras that may elevate your design sport.
I began with Canva Free and created a number of masked textual content designs utilizing letter frames and layering. It labored effectively for fundamental initiatives like social media posts and digital freebies.
However once I began designing extra complicated layouts—like animated promos and branded ebooks—I ultimately upgraded to Professional. And truthfully, it was a game-changer.
Let’s break down what every model affords:
What You Can Do with Canva Free
When you’re simply beginning out or creating designs often, Canva free account is greater than sufficient to grasp the core methods we’ve lined on this information.
What You Get with Canva Professional
- Entry to premium pictures and textures (nice for masks designs)
- Use of the Background Remover software (good for putting remoted topics inside textual content)
- Model Package to use constant fonts and colours
- Magic Resize to shortly adapt your masked designs to different codecs
- Extra superior animations for video textual content masks
- Entry to Professional-only templates with pre-masked textual content layouts
I discovered the Background Remover particularly useful once I needed to position an individual’s face inside textual content with out the background muddle. It helped me create cleaner, extra skilled visuals that felt customized and sharp.
Often Requested Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Which fonts work greatest for textual content masking?
Reply. Daring, thick fonts are supreme as a result of they permit extra of the picture to indicate by. Strive Anton, League Spartan, Impression, Bebas Neue, or Norwester. Keep away from skinny, cursive, or serif fonts for masking with pictures.
Q2. Can I animate a textual content masks in Canva?
Reply. Completely! As soon as your textual content masks is full, group your components and use Canva’s Animate characteristic so as to add entrance results like Rise, Pan, or Pop. You may export as MP4 or GIF for social media and video use.
Q3. Can I apply gradient results inside masked textual content?
Reply. Circuitously inside letter frames—however you’ll be able to layer a gradient picture into every letter for the same impact. Or, use a clear gradient overlay throughout your masked phrase to simulate the look.
This fall. Can I exploit Canva Free for all of this?
Reply. Sure—for probably the most half. Letter frames, fundamental photograph uploads, and layering methods all work in Canva Free. Canva Professional merely provides extras like background remover, premium templates, model kits, and superior animations.
Wrapping Up
Textual content masking in Canva may look like a elaborate design method reserved for professionals—however as you’ve now seen, it’s 100% achievable, even for learners.
Whether or not you are designing social media content material, product covers, enterprise flyers, advertising advertisements, or weblog headers, textual content masks can provide your designs that “wow” issue that captures consideration immediately.
Get began with Canva utilizing the hyperlink under.
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