Ever needed to resize or stretch an image in Canva but weren’t sure how?

I’ve been in your shoes!

Here’s the sitch – sometimes you need to make a small image work for a big wide space.

Like stretching an image to fit a banner or hero section of a website.

Or adjusting the dimensions of a photo to fit a specific social media post. Annoying, I know!

Well pal, let me tell you one thing, Canva does not have any option that will allow you to stretch your image.

You can resize your images, and add cool frames to them but stretching images just using Canva is not possible.

So how are you gonna do that?

In this quick little tutorial, I’ll show you step-by-step how to stretch images for your canva designs using 2 different methods.

Whether it’s for your website, presentations, social posts, or more – you can use these methods for almost anything.

So without wasting any time, let’s dive in.

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How To Stretch Image In Canva (Step By Step!)

So as I told it’s not possible to stretch images in canva, but you can resize the image easily.

If resizing the image can get you the desired results then you can follow the steps below otherwise skip this method and move towards the next one below.

Here are the steps that you can follow to learn how to resize images in Canva

1. Open/Create a Design

Go to the Canva website and log in or sign up for your account.

After signing up or logging in, you will get directed to the Canva homepage.

To create a design, click on the ‘Create a Design’ button from the top right corner of the homepage.

And then click on the design type, you like the most to get directed to the Canva editor.

To open an old design whose image you want to stretch, look for the ‘Recent Designs’ section on the Canva dashboard.

And then click on the design that you want to continue editing to get directed to the Canva editor.

2. Stretch The Image In Canva

After opening a design, it is time to stretch the image.

Note: Canva does not have a direct feature for stretching an image.

But you can still get a stretch-like effect if you resize your image to make it bigger.

To resize your image, click on the image you want to resize. As a result of which a boundary box will appear around the image with resizing handles.

Click and drag one of the resizing handles (small circle) outwards to make the image bigger. This will give the image a stretch effect.

Note: If your design does not have an image on it, then you can add your own by clicking on the ‘Uploads’ button on the left sidebar.

Or if you want to use an image from the Canva stock library, then you have to click on the ‘Photos’ button to get access to the Canva-wide collection of pre-made photos.

3. Save your Design

After stretching your image, click on the ‘Share’ button from the top right corner of the screen to save your design on your computer.

Click on the ‘Download’ button to open the downloading settings, and then set the file type to PNG.

Lastly, click on the ‘Download’ button at the end to start the process.

Using Photopea To Stretch Your Image

So we saw how you can stretch or resize images in Canva however it was not real stretching as the aspect ratio of the images was maintained.

Now, let’s see how you can actually stretch images using Photopea.

1. Upload Your Canva Image In Photopea

First, visit Photopea.com and upload your Canva image over there.

To upload an image, click on File>Open from the top menu.

Now select the image from your system that you want to stretch.

Alternatively, you can also Drag and Drop your image inside Photopea to upload it.

2. Right Click and Select Transform

Now select any of the selection tools from the left sidebar (see image for reference) and then right-click anywhere on the image and then click on “Free Transform”.

3. Stretch The Image By Holding the Shift Key

Now you will see some handles around your image, while holding the Shift key, drag any edge of the image away from the image to stretch it.

Holding shift is necessary otherwise the image will maintain its aspect ratio and you won’t be able to achieve a stretched effect.

4. Expand The Canvas Size

Now you will notice that the image is stretched but it is going to out the Canvas, that’s totally normal, let’s see how to fix it.

So we now have to expand our Canvas to fit the new stretched image.

To do that, click on the Crop tool from the left menu.

Now your Canvas will be selected and you will see handles around your Canvas, simply adjust the size of the Canvas to fit your image in it by dragging these handles.

5. Export The Image

When you are satisfied, click on File>Export as and then select your desired image format from there and your new stretched image will be exported and saved inside your system.

FAQ On How To Stretch Image In Canva

Here are some most commonly asked questions about stretching images in Canva.

Wrapping Up

There you have it! Now you know exactly how to resize and stretch images seamlessly.

While Canva doesn’t allow direct image stretching, but using the simple Photopea method gets the job done.

With this handy trick, you can stretch any photo or graphic to any dimension you need for stunning social media posts, banners, thumbnails, and more.

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. Please let me know in the comments if you have any other questions!

And if you found this useful, share it with your friends and family.

Thank you.

Rohit Lohia

Hey there! I’m Rohit Lohia, a passionate SEO enthusiast and the proud founder of Branded Bucks. I’m all about helping small business owners achieve success online through my blog. Join me on this exciting journey as we explore ways to make money online and build a thriving digital presence.