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How to Slice in Canva (Images & Text)

How to Slice in Canva

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How to Slice in Canva

To slice text and images in Canva, add text and choose a bold font or an image from ‘Photos.’ Use an element like a line or curve to slice text, and the ‘Slice’ app to slice images. Adjust the color or slice parameters to achieve the desired effect. Apply your changes to finalize the creative sliced design.

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Slicing is a design technique that adds a dash of dynamism to your text and images.

In this post, I will show you the steps on how to slice in Canva, both text and images.

The process is slightly different for both, but super simple. Here goes!

Let’s go over the 2 separate scenarios:

  • How to slice text in Canva
  • How to slice images in Canva

Watch the video below or read the whole post!

How to slice text in Canva

Add your text and pick a slicing element like a curve or line. Place it over the text where the slice should be, and adjust the color to match the background

1. Add the Text

Open your Canva project and click on “Add a text box” from the sidebar to create your text. Type the word you want to apply the sliced effect to, for example, “HELLO”.

To slice text in Canva first add some

I have added a heading text in this case, but you can just add a new text box as well.

2. Choose Font and Size

Select a bold font for your text to make the slice effect more visible. Adjust the font size to ensure your text is large enough to manipulate.

Choose font and size of the text to slice

3. Selecting the Element for Slicing

In the “Elements” section within Canva, search for an element like a line or curve that you can use to represent where the text will be sliced.

You can choose any element, but a line or curve works best. I have chosen an elegant curve in this example.

Search for the slicing element like a curve or line and add it

4. Apply the Slicing Element

Drag the element you’ve chosen over the text at the point where you want to slice.

Size and rotate it as needed to fit your design.

Pro Tip: 

Make sure it’s a graphic whose colors you can change. If you choose an image as a slicing element, you can change the image colors only in a limited way.

It may not give you the effect you need.

5. Adjust Colors if Needed

Change the color of the text or the slicing element to the background color to create a monotone slice effect.

To change the color, select the item and choose a new color from your brand kit or by inputting a hex code.

I have made the background and curve colors the same purple in this case, choosing from my brand kit. You can also click on ‘Document Colors’ to add a custom hex code.

Change colors of the slicing element

You can also choose a different color, but the effect will look very different. See the example below. A slicing element color different from the background doesn’t look like slicing, to be honest.

A slicing element color different from the background doesnt look like slicing

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If you like playing around with text effects, also check out my post on how to highlight text in Canva.

How to slice images in Canva

Add your desired image to your Canva design. Find the ‘Slice’ app, apply the effect, and adjust parameters like the number of slices and position.

Here is a detailed step-by-step process.

1. Select Your Image

Begin by adding the image you want to slice to your Canva project.

You can do this by searching in the ‘Photos’ section and dragging your selected image onto the canvas.

To slice images in Canva first add an image to the Canva design

2. Locate the Slice App

Search for the ‘Slice’ app under Apps.

Search for the Slice app under Canva Apps

Pro Tip:

Canva is a paid tool, but the Slice app is available in the free version as well.

Related: How much does Canva cost?

3. Apply the Slice App

Once you’ve found the ‘Slice’ app, click on it to apply it to your image. You may see a preview or need to click ‘Open’ to launch the slicing tool.

Open the Slice app

You will see a choice between the different types of slice effects:

  • Chipped
  • Sliced
  • Minced
  • Torn

Choose the effect within the Slice app

Select one that fits your design goals. At this point, you may need to experiment a little bit. Try different options to see which effect you need.

They are all quite close in terms of the effects, in my opinion, but there may be slight differences based on the image you are editing.

Besides, the effects also look different based on the exact parameters you choose, which brings me to the next point.

5. Adjust the Slicing Parameters

After you have selected a Slice option, you can adjust various parameters such as the number of slices, the offset, and the position to achieve the desired effect.

Adjust the slicing parameters

In this example, I chose ‘Sliced’ and adjusted the parameter sliders significantly to see the changes.

6. Apply the Changes

Once you are satisfied with the sliced look, click ‘Save’ to confirm the changes to your image.

Pro Tip: 

Of course, you can also skip the Slice tool and apply a curve or line to slice your image, just like for text. It really depends on the effect you want for your design. If you like adding effects to images, also check out my post on how to curve an image, how to rotate, and how to flip elements.

And there you have it—a step-by-step guide to slicing text and images in Canva that can elevate your designs to a professional level with just a few clicks.

Go ahead, experiment with slices, and let me know how it goes!

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Other Canva tutorials you may like: 

Other image editing tutorials you may like: 

FAQ: How to slice in Canva

Directly slicing cannot be animated, but you can creatively layer sliced elements and apply animation to each for a dynamic effect. Explore Canva’s animation options to add motion to your sliced designs.

Yes, you can undo a slice by using the “Undo” button or pressing CTRL + Z (CMD + Z on Mac). However, once the project is saved and exited, you cannot undo previous actions.

The slice effect is applied individually and cannot directly slice through a grouped set of elements. You would need to ungroup and apply the effect separately to each element.

The slice effect is designed for static images and text. For videos, consider using Canva’s video editing tools to achieve similar dynamic effects through cropping, layering, or animation.

Ensure your original images and text are of high resolution. When adjusting the slice effect, avoid scaling up elements to prevent pixelation. Always preview your design at 100% before printing.

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