Crello: The Ultimate Designing Tool for Everyone

I'll be honest, I'm not a graphic designer by any means, but I still get a ton of requests to create banner ads for Facebook and Instagram. It's mostly from my distant relatives, but it still counts. I wanted a tool that would let anyone design, regardless of their design skills. It should have ready-made templates, a collection of design elements, and a user-friendly interface. With this checklist in mind, I stumbled upon Crello.

Crello is a powerful and user-friendly designing tool that lets you create images and animated projects for social media, ads, banners, posters, emails, and more. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced designer, Crello has a large library of design formats that come in handy. Let's take a detailed look at all the features Crello offers.

Getting Started

Crello is an online tool, so you don't need to download anything. Simply create an account and start using the services on your desktop. It only works on desktop browsers for now. To get started with your project, select a design format from the dashboard. Crello has around 40 free formats available, including popular ones like Facebook Posts, Instagram Stories, Posters, Covers, and YouTube Thumbnails. If none of the templates fit your requirements, you can create your own custom layout using the Set Dimensions option.

Search Designs

Discovering new designs on Crello is easy, thanks to their collection of over 6000 free design templates. Simply click the Designs tab, filter the results based on categories, or use the search bar to find the perfect design. Once you find a design you like, drag it to the workspace and customize it to fit your idea.

Add Photos and Backgrounds

To create an eye-catching design, you need pictures, and Crello has a huge collection of both free and paid resources. They claim to have a database of 60 million photos, which you can use directly from the web editor. You can also upload your own images. Drag the image to the workspace and use it in your design template. You'll only be charged if you use any paid elements in your design.

Animated Design

Animated Design is the latest trend in social media. It's more engaging and less boring than static images. Crello makes it easy to create animated posts. Simply select an animated design template like Instagram Video Story or Facebook post. The editor remains the same, except for the Photos and Backgrounds tab. Instead, you'll find a Media tab with a library of videos and an Animations tab with animated backgrounds and objects. Note that this feature is not available in the Free version, but you can still create and preview a watermarked version.

Insert Texts and Objects

Text and graphics play a crucial role in a good design. With Crello, you can easily add text and objects to your project. The Text menu offers a variety of fonts and options to style your text. You can add headings, body text, Photo Text (which lets you add a custom background to your text), and emblems. Crello also has a library of design elements like shapes, lines, icons, illustrations, borders, stickers, and frames. These elements can give more definition to your design.

File Manager

Crello has a file manager that stores your uploaded images, fonts, favorites, and purchased items. You can easily access them with just a click. You can also organize your files into folders for easy discovery. However, there is a limit to how much you can upload. The Free version allows you to upload 50 images, while the Advanced version allows up to 1000 images, and the Pro version has unlimited storage.

Editing Tools

Crello offers various editing tools to enhance your design. You can adjust color effects, transparency, layering, and more. The editor is user-friendly, and you can edit each layer individually. There are also keyboard shortcuts available to speed up your workflow.

Downloading Project

Once you're done with your design, Crello allows you to download it in multiple file formats like JPG, PNG, and PDF. You can also share it directly to social media platforms. If you use any paid elements in your project, Crello will show you a final billing page before letting you download the design.

Pricing

Crello is a subscription-based design tool. The free version is free forever, but if you use a paid element, you'll be charged accordingly. The Pro version is priced at $199.99/year, and there's a mid-tier Advanced Plan for $39.99/year.

Final Thoughts

Crello is a resourceful, easy-to-use, quick, and efficient design tool suitable for both beginners and experienced designers. Its huge library of elements and photos, along with its user-friendly editor, make it a great choice for creating eye-catching designs. Although it has a few limitations, the overall experience and features make it worth considering. So why not give Crello a try and see how it can help you create professional designs?