Create an Engaging Instagram Carousel Using Canva
TL;DR:
- Design your Instagram carousel in Canva with custom dimensions for a smooth visual flow
- Set the width at 1080 pixels per slide and choose between 1080 or 1350 pixels for height
- Use Canva's alignment guides for a polished look and overlapping elements to maintain viewer interest
- Split your completed design into individual slides, then upload them to Instagram
Instagram carousels work brilliantly for telling stories, sharing tips, or showcasing products. Instead of creating each slide separately, you can design the entire carousel as one long image in Canva and split it afterwards. This approach gives you much better control over the flow and consistency.
Setting Up Your Carousel Dimensions
The dimensions of your design are crucial for ensuring a visually seamless carousel. In Canva, set up a custom design size:
- Width: 1080 pixels multiplied by the number of slides you plan to include (e.g., 5 slides would require 5400 pixels)
- Height: Choose between 1080 pixels for standard posts or 1350 pixels for a more portrait-oriented layout
This method means you're designing one massive horizontal canvas that will later be chopped into individual slides.
Designing Your Instagram Carousel
When designing your carousel:
Use Canva's built-in guides to align your images and text accurately. These guides help ensure each slide looks professional when viewed individually.
Consider incorporating elements that overlap across slides. A continuous background, consistent colour scheme, or textual themes that connect each slide will keep your audience engaged from one slide to the next.
Think about the story you're telling. Each slide should flow naturally into the next, creating a reason for viewers to keep swiping.
Splitting and Uploading Steps
After completing your design:
- Download your large image file from Canva
- Use an image splitting tool to divide your big image into individual slides based on your dimension settings
- Upload these individual slides to Instagram in the correct order to form your carousel
FAQs
Can I create an Instagram carousel directly on Instagram without Canva?
Yes, you can select multiple images or videos when posting on Instagram to create a carousel without additional tools.
Can I prep Instagram carousels ahead of time using Canva?
While Canva supports post scheduling, currently it doesn't support direct carousel scheduling. You'll need to upload manually.
What's the maximum number of slides I can have in an Instagram carousel?
Instagram allows up to 10 slides per carousel post. Plan your design with this limit in mind to ensure it fits within platform constraints.
Jargon Buster
Canva: An online design tool that helps create various forms of visual content with ease.
Instagram Carousel: A single Instagram post featuring multiple images or videos that users can swipe through.
Dimensions: Refers to the width and height in pixels of an image or design area.
Wrap-up
Creating an Instagram carousel using Canva enhances viewer engagement through strategically designed sequences of images. Following the steps above, you can produce cohesive and interactive content that captures and retains audience attention. The key is thinking of your carousel as one flowing story rather than separate, disconnected slides.
Ready to take your design skills further? Join the Pixelhaze Academy for more advanced tutorials and hands-on training.