The Canva Alternative Every Blogger Should Know About + Giveaway!

Last updated on October 19th, 2022

Thank you to PixTeller for partnering with me to provide this giveaway! All opinions expressed in this video are mine and the screenshots attached are from my own experience with PixTeller.

A few weeks ago, I was made aware of a very cool Canva alternative.

I’m a fan of Canva of course, but I am also not one to want all my eggs in one basket. I am proficient in Adobe products so I use those a lot for my own designs but the readers that come to my blog– most of them are not familiar with Adobe nor have any desire to learn such a complicated program.

So I focus on simplifying the design process… after all, you became a blogger because you love to write. The need to design is a non-negotiable part of online business and a task that needs to be simplified for all non-designers (that’s where my blog comes in!)

And I love providing you with simple design tools.

So today I’m taking a look at the Canva alternative, PixTeller, that I think all bloggers should check out! Be sure to watch the video at the end of the post for a video demonstration as well!

BONUS: Stick around because I’m having a giveaway for lifetime pro accounts– there will be 4 winners! Enter at the end of this post!

Let’s jump right in…

To begin designing, you can choose from different options that are already sized or you can choose “Create from Scratch”. For this demonstration, I chose “Create from Scratch”.

A feature that I really liked right away was the ability to quickly resize my image by typing in the size (see the circled section of the screenshot below). This immediately resized my image which can come in handy when making multiple images– like for a blog post.

Next, I’m going to add an image.

It’s important to note here that you can only upload your own images if you have an upgraded account. Otherwise, you can choose from any of their stock photos available. You can also use the search bar to find the stock photos you need quickly. There appears to be a lot of selections of photos! For this demonstration, I uploaded my own image.

Once your image is uploaded and added to the design, you can quickly size it and edit the photos.

I love the photo editing options, it’s definitely something that Canva really lacks. There are tons of photo editing options available, even the ability to create masks! Be sure to check out the video at the end of the post for more details on this.

Next, I’m going to add my overlay using the shape tool. You can quickly choose a square or circle, OR you can select “more” which pops up a TON of shapes to choose from and a search bar to help you find what you need.

Of course, I always play with the transparency of my overlays but something else I noticed was the ability to edit the shapes! This is really cool and something Canva definitely does not have. Just click on “filter” and you can add drop shadows and other awesome effects. I’m starting to really love this program…

Scratch that– I’m IN LOVE with this program.

Hear me out…

I went to change the color of the overlay and guess what I noticed? My mouse hovered over my photo and it turned into an eyedropper tool! That means it lets you choose any color from anywhere on the screen!!! Basically, click anywhere on the photo (or even off the photo if you want) to find the exact color (and hex code)– you can do this with the color of shapes AND text.

Ok so next up is the text. With the pro account, you can upload your own fonts just like in Canva but something I noticed right away was the search bar. I LOVE that. You can very quickly find the exact font you want. You can also sort out the fonts by type (serif, san serif, etc).  One of my brand fonts, Poppins, was already included in the very extensive list of fonts so I chose that one.

The next thing I noticed is that when I clicked on “filter” a TON of options came up. I honestly spent a lot of time going through them and was very impressed. You can warp your text, curve your text, add drop shadows, etc. The list goes on and it was way too much fun!

(Again, the video at the end will show this feature in more depth)

I also noticed the ability to add gradient colors. You can do this for text and shapes as well which is very cool and will absolutely help your designs stand out. I’m a big fan of gradient overlays 🙂

Ok.. Now for my all-time favorite feature of PixTeller.. and something that might convert me for good– layers!

For those familiar with Adobe products, you are probably comfortable with the layers window and the ability to lock different layers to prevent accidentally moving or editing the wrong object.

Well, PixTeller has recreated this feature in their program and I couldn’t be more excited about it! This has always been my number one complaint about Canva.

You can drag and drop to arrange layers (no more selecting “move back” one MILLION times) and you can lock layers (like your background) to prevent moving it on accident. This is seriously a game changer for online design tools.

Another thing that I know my people will love is the line tool and the pencil tool. More things that Canva just doesn’t have.

My biggest questions when going through this program were:

Can it make worksheets, and digital products as well as social media graphics?

Can I do all the things a blogger would need to do in this program?

So, using the shape tool, text tool, and line tool, I quickly made a worksheet with check boxes and a chart.

Something to note- there’s still no easy way to make a chart like in Word BUT I was able to make one pretty quickly simply using a box shape and then the line tool. Yes, there’s a line tool! You can make a simple line without it having a crazy shape and you can also adjust the thickness of the line.

Here’s the final (very quickly done) worksheet that I made with PixTeller:

I’ll also demonstrate in the video below how I was able to make the worksheet so you can see the details of the tools better. Showing is easier than telling in almost all design-related instances. Afterall, it’s easier to visualize!

Overall, I’m sold.

I have been using Adobe programs since I was in 8th grade. I’ve also been using Canva for the last 3 years and I’m seriously excited about PixTeller. I think it is a fantastic alternative to Canva and this is coming from someone that really resists change (haha). It seems to be less glitchy and has way more capabilities than Canva.

Plus, even though it has more capabilities, it’s still very easy to learn and navigate which is important to me when I recommend a tool. My goal is to simplify the design process and I honestly think the added capabilities makes designing even easier. This online design program gives you way more options without being totally overwhelming. Win-win.

Check out the video demonstration!

Enter the Giveaway- Win A Lifetime PRO Account to PixTeller!

This giveaway will run from 7/26 to 8/2. I will announce the winners on 8/2 in our facebook group and our facebook page. The winners will also get an email from me with the access code for a lifetime pro account! *Please note: you will not be added to my email list by entering the giveaway

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