Make Reels On Instagram With photos on Canva 2023
Let’s walk through a complete workflow for creating IG reels on Canva. As mentioned, you should be able to get this process down to 20 minutes or so with some experience.
1) Select a base template
Create an account on Canva or Login to an existing account. Then, search for “instagram reels” and browse the existing templates.
Find the template that matches the overall feel of your brand. Don’t worry about the music, as we’ll be selecting the audio track within the Instagram app.
2) Select your images
Number of Images – Select around 20-30 images to use in the slideshow. Since the Reel is limited to 60 seconds, and you want to give each image at least 1.5 seconds, your absolute maximum should be 40 images.
Type of Images – To speed up your process, limit the images you select to certain types of images. The last thing you want to do is spend hours sifting through thousands of images. If you’re a wedding photographer, feel free to follow these general guidelines:
- 1-4 venue images (establishing shots)
- 2-4 bride prep images
- 2-4 groom prep images
- 2-4 first look images
- 5-10 couples session images
- 5-10 ceremony images
- 5-10 reception images
- Ending photo – night session photo or couple on the dance floor
- Your Logo
3) Upload Your Images to Canva
Optionally, you can order and rename your images prior to uploading if that speeds up your process. We use Adobe Bridge for this, but if you don’t have it, then it’s not absolutely necessary. You can just upload all of your selected images in Canva and go from there.
4) Create your lead photo
Use the fonts and animations within Canva to create your lead photo. For weddings, we typically use the strongest couples session photo from the day and overlay the couples’ names.
5) Add your photos
Add the photos with the following tips in mind:
- To make your photo take up the entire frame, right click and use “replace background”
- For landscape orientation photos, consider using a black background or a semi-transparent background (using the same photo). See the example below.
Consider using a semi-transparent background for your landscape orientation photos
6) Standardize your transitions
7) Login to the App and Download the Video
From here, you can either export and download your video to your desktop or you can log into your Canva app on your smartphone and download the video from there. We use the latter so that we don’t have to transfer the video from our desktop to our smartphone (to upload to Instagram). So creating the slideshow in Canva on desktop and downloading with the app is the fastest way to make reels on Instagram with photos.
8) Upload to Instagram Reels
Use the same process as we outlined above in the first section get to the Instagram Reels section. Then add the video clip that you created in Canva.
9) Add an Audio track
Find the right audio track based on your branding and your style. We prefer chill instrumental music for our brand such as lofi or acoustic remixes of popular songs. We typically avoid pop songs and songs with too many lyrics because we want these picture slideshows to be timeless and not too “dated.”
Tip: As you browse for songs, be sure to swipe left and save the good ones for future use. This will save you a ton of time in the future as you make more reels on Instagram with photos.
10) Publish! (Share)
After that, select your share settings and press the “share” button. If your audience doesn’t respond the way you’d hoped, make a few tweaks and try again with the next one. There is a chance that your audience is not used to the new format, and it might take a few tries for your Reels to start getting the engagement you’re looking for. If you would like, you can also reuse the video you created for your Youtube Shorts or Tiktok.
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