Want to create awesome content for your brand or small business? Here’s how to create animated Canva designs with the LottieFiles Mobile App for free. You don’t need graphic design skills – or even a laptop – to get started.

What is Canva?

Canva is a free-to-use graphic design tool. But unlike tools like Adobe Photoshop, you don’t have to be a graphic designer to use it – it offers tons of ready-made templates for you to create presentations, posters, greeting cards, social media posts and more.

If you already use Canva, you probably know that it has a web and desktop version (check out our guide on creating animated Canva designs with the web version). But did you know that it has a mobile app too? That’s right, you can create designs on the go. And better yet, you can add Lottie animations to your designs, without ever leaving your phone.

How to add animations to Canva on mobile

Here’s how to add animations to Canva with the LottieFiles Mobile App.

1. Install the LottieFiles Mobile App

If you don’t already have it, go ahead and download the app. Scan the QR code below, or head to the LottieFiles Mobile App page to download it for Android or iOS.

Download the LottieFiles Mobile App

2. Search for a Lottie animation

The ‘Explore’ tab of the LottieFiles Mobile App
  • Run the LottieFiles Mobile app.
  • Click the Explore tab.
  • View popular, featured or recently uploaded animations.
  • Alternatively, search for an animation using the search bar.
  • Click on the animation you’d like to add to Canva.

3. Customize the Lottie animation

If you’re happy with how the Lottie animation looks, go ahead and skip to the next step. Otherwise, tap the Edit button. Here, you can:

  • Use the Color Palette feature to instantly apply new colors
  • Change the animation’s background color
  • Use the Grouped Colors feature to change colors in groups
  • Change the animation’s speed and frame rate
The editing section of the LottieFiles Mobile App

4. Add the Lottie animation to Canva

Canva doesn’t directly support Lottie animations, so we’ll have to download the animation as an MP4 video.

  • Click Share in the top right corner.
  • Choose the Video MP4 format.

Now, you can add it to an existing Canva project. Note: this assumes you have the Canva for mobile app for Android or iOS already installed!

Sharing options in the LottieFiles Mobile App, with the mouse hovering over the save as MP4 option
  • In the share menu of your phone, choose to save the video.
  • Open the Canva app on your mobile, and create a new project or open an existing one.
Selecting the video from within the Canva app
  • Tap the add button > Gallery > Videos.
  • Select the animation file you have downloaded.
  • Your animation will appear in your Canva project.

What else can you do with Lottie animations?

Besides creating awesome Canva content, you could also use the LottieFiles Mobile App to share animations to Adobe Express, TikTok and Instagram. You can also do other cool things with the app, including:

  • Creating animations with the SVG to Lottie feature.
  • Downloading animated sticker packs for Telegram and WhatsApp.
  • Sending free animations in messaging apps with the LottieFiles keyboard extension for iOS.

Prefer to create content on the desktop instead? Check out our guide to adding Lottie animations to your favorite tools – with no-code tools or with HTML. Or if you’re looking for inspiration, check out how industry leaders like Disney, Headspace and Gojek are building apps with Lottie. With that, we’ll leave you to explore the wonderful world of motion – happy animating!