Arrange, group and lock elements in Canva
Group a heading, image and backing shape. Move the group, center it, lock it, then unlock and ungroup it. Check that all content is still visible.
This video was made by SkrivSikkert, which also sells its own reading and writing tool. Canva has not made, paid for or approved the video. Canva is a trademark of Canva Pty Ltd.
Written steps
Step 1
Start with a copy of your practice page. The example has a heading, a photograph, and a light rectangle. Keep the original page as a reference.
Step 2
If the rectangle covers the content, select it and open Position > Arrange > To back. Backward moves only one layer; To back moves behind all other elements. Open Layers to inspect the order.
Step 3
In Layers, click Grow herbs together, then Shift-click Image and Shape. Select the three elements, leaving Background unselected.
Step 4
Click Group. In Arrange, set X to 330 and press Enter to demonstrate moving all three elements together. This coordinate applies only to this 1920 by 1080 practice design.
Step 5
Under Align to page, choose Center for horizontal centering. Middle controls vertical centering. Close Position and inspect the spacing.
Step 6
With the group selected, open More > Lock > Lock. The editing handles disappear. This editing lock does not change access permissions.
Step 7
Select the group and click Unlock to edit it. Click Ungroup to work on individual elements while retaining their placement.
What you need
Open a design containing text and overlapping objects. The recording shows the English interface.
Read the video transcript
When several elements belong together, they should be easy to control together. Here we have a heading, a photograph, and a light rectangle behind them. You will learn to change their layer order, group the elements, center the group, and lock it. We are using a copy of the practice page from the image lesson. Here the rectangle is in front and covers our content. The rectangle is selected. Click Position. Choose Arrange. Click To back. The rectangle now sits behind the heading and photograph. Backward moves an element one layer at a time; To back sends it behind the other elements. Click Layers to see the order. Background at the bottom is the page itself. Now select the three elements in the layer list. First click Grow herbs together. Hold Shift and click Image. Keep holding Shift and click Shape. Then release Shift. All three elements are selected. Leave the page background out of the selection. If you select the wrong items, click the first element again and start over. Click Group. The three elements can now move together. Choose Arrange. Click the X field. Type 330 and press Enter. The heading, photograph, and rectangle move to the right together. The spacing between them stays the same. This number is only for our practice design. Next we will center the group again. Under Align to page, click Center. This centers the whole group horizontally on the page. Middle is the vertical alignment option. Check that there is equal space on the left and right. Close the Position panel with the cross. The elements inside the group have kept their positions relative to one another. Lock the group to avoid moving it accidentally. Click More beside the selection. Choose Lock. In the submenu, choose Lock again. The group is now locked and the resize handles disappear. This helps while editing. It does not change who has access to the design. To edit again, keep the group selected. Click the padlock marked Unlock. The editing handles return. Click Ungroup if you want to work on the individual elements again. They stay in the same place. Grouping does not delete the separate elements. You can now control both the layer order and the position. The rectangle sits behind the content, and the sign is centered. Try grouping a small sign, moving it together, and unlocking it again. Always check that the heading and image are still visible after your changes.
