How to Invert Colors on Canva: Step-by-Step Guide [2024]

How to Invert Colors on Canva? Inverting colors on Canva is a great way to create eye-catching designs and graphics. It allows you to quickly generate color palettes that complement or contrast your original design. This simple editing trick can add visual interest and make elements pop. Follow this straightforward guide to learn how to invert colors on Canva in just a few clicks.

Overview of Inverting Colors

Inverting colors refers to switching the colors in a graphic or image to their opposite on the color wheel. For example, inverting red yields its complement – green. Inverting a color image will produce a negative or inverted version of the original. This color edit allows you to explore different color combinations and effects.

On Canva, inverting a design or template lets you instantly create a variation with inverted colors. You don’t have to manually swap out hues. This makes it fast and simple to experiment with inverted color schemes.

Some examples of using inverted colors include:

• Creating complementary or triadic color combinations
• Making a bold graphic for enhanced contrast
• Crafting retro or psychedelic effects
• Developing a night mode or dark theme
• Adding visual intrigue to monochromatic palettes

So if you want to quickly explore new color pairings or make a big visual impact, inverting colors on Canva can help. Let’s look at how to do it.

Step 1: Open a Canva Design

Inverting colors works on any design, image, or template in Canva. To start, simply open up the Canva project you want to edit. This can be a blank canvas, existing design, photo, or customizable template.

Some things to keep in mind when selecting a design to invert:

• Color inversion works best on graphics or images with solid, saturated colors. Subtle gradients may not show much visible change when inverted.
• Black and white designs won’t be affected since their colors can’t be inverted.
• Photos with complex details and shading may look too unnatural when inverted. Simple vector illustrations or graphics tend to produce cleaner results.
• If you want to only invert a specific element rather than the whole image, make sure it is isolated or layered above other components.

Once you’ve chosen an appropriate Canva design, it’s time to switch up the colors.

Step 2: Access Color Settings

With your design open, click on the “Color” tab on the left sidebar.

This will open up the color editing panel. Here you’ll see color palette swatches and options to alter hues, saturation, and more.

Look for the “Invert” checkbox at the bottom of the color settings toolbox.

Step 3: Check the Invert Box

To invert your design’s colors, simply check the box next to “Invert.”

Once checked, Canva will instantly swap all the colors in your design to their opposites.

You’ll see your vivid blues become radiant oranges, greens turn to reds, and so on.

The invert tool acts as a quick color transformation shortcut. You can click the invert box on and off to see your original design vs. the new inverted version.

Step 4: Adjust and Refine the New Color Scheme

After inverting, you may want to fine-tune the new color palette.

Consider which hues complement each other or support your design’s theme and purpose. Some inverted colors may clash or feel too jarring.

Luckily, Canva makes it easy to hand-pick colors after inverting:

• Click individual color swatches to open a color picker wheel and choose a specific hue.
• Desaturate bold colors using the “Saturation” slider for more muted shades.
• Brighten or darken colors with the “Lightness” control.
• Load new complementary hues from the “Color combinations” tab.
• Apply color harmony rules like analogous, triadic, or tetradic schemes.
• Save edited colors as a new preset palette for other designs.

Take time to adjust the inverted colors so they align with your creative vision. The invert tool gives you a handy starting point to then craft the perfect color set.

Step 5: Export and Share Your New Design

Once you finalize the inverted design, export it from Canva to share or use it for print, digital campaigns, merchandise, and more.

Canva makes downloading easy with multiple file type options:

• Export as JPG, PNG, or SVG image files.
• Save as PDF printable documents.
• Download for web or digital as an HTML, EPS, or TIFF file.
• Print directly from Canva.

From social media posts to merchandise designs, inverted graphics can catch the eye and look captivating when shared digitally or physically.

Creative Ways to Use Inverted Color Schemes

Inverting colors on Canva unlocks all sorts of possibilities to make engaging visual content. Here are some creative examples and ideas:

Complementary Colors

Flipping a color palette to its complements creates a vibrant, eye-catching contrast. Try using complementary colors for:

• Retro or psychedelic poster designs
• Music album covers or merch
• Youthful, energetic graphics
• Emphasizing elements like call-to-action buttons

Night Mode Graphics

Invert a light interface or design to instantly generate a night mode version. This is perfect for:

• Dark mode phone apps and websites
• Evening events like concerts or parties
• Dark backgrounds that are soft on eyes

Colorful Patterns

Inverting repeating icons, shapes, or illustrations can produce nifty patterns with reversed hues. Use these for:

• Textile and fabric prints
• Wallpapers
• Craft supplies like scrapbook paper or stickers
• Original background textures and overlays

Duotone Effects

Convert a photo to black and white first, then invert to get a stylish duotone effect. The bold inverted colors will stand out nicely.

Retro or Vintage Styling

Get a classic aesthetic by inverting bright retro patterns, motifs, or typography. Try it on:

• Throwback event flyers or posters
• 80’s or 90’s inspired designs
• Old school tech logos or graphics

By playing around with inverting on Canva, you can always come up with new color combinations suited to your needs. Let your creativity run wild!

How Inverting Helps with Design Workflows

Besides generating exciting new color schemes, inverting designs can also speed up and smoothen your workflows. Here are some ways it boosts efficiency:

Quick Color Experiments

Try out color variations in one click instead of manually swapping hues. Test what works best.

Shadows and Highlights

Make shadows pop by filling them with inverted colors. Highlights also get emphasized.

Color Harmony Cheat Sheet

Use the inverted version as a handy reference for color pairings and harmony.

Brainstorming Tool

Inspire creative brainstorming for related designs based on the new color theme.

Consistent Collections

Maintain visual consistency across different pieces in a campaign or collection.

Faster Mockups

Speed up mockup creation by quickly generating inverted wireframes or drafts.

By incorporating inverting into your regular Canva toolkit, it can save time and expand your creative capabilities.

Troubleshooting Invert Color Issues

Inverting designs is usually straightforward. But occasionally you may run into issues with the new inverted color scheme. Here are some troubleshooting tips:

Unexpected Color Changes

If some colors don’t invert as expected, it may be caused by transparency effects. Try removing any transparency layers first.

Unnatural Skin Tones

Photos of people may look strange when inverted. Use photo editing software like Photoshop for more control over skin tone hues.

Color Profile Conflicts

Inconsistent colors could be due to color profile differences between a background image and foreground design. Stick to designs created entirely in Canva.

Can’t Undo Invert

If the invert option is greyed out, try using keyboard shortcuts CTRL+Z or CMD+Z to undo the invert. Or reload Canva to reset.

Disabled Options

On shared team designs, the owner may disable color editing options. Duplicate the design or request edit access to invert colors.

Don’t hesitate to use Canva support if you can’t resolve other invert color problems.

FAQs About Inverting Colors