Home
Training
Getting Started with Adobe Express
Files
IU
Creating and editing documents using Adobe Express

Creating and editing documents using Adobe Express

Adobe Express is an application that helps you quickly design professional-looking graphics, print layouts, videos, web pages, and more. In these materials, you'll learn the basics of how to use the Adobe Express editor to create documents like graphics, print layouts, and presentations.

NOTE: While Adobe Express is available through a web browser and as a mobile app, these materials focus on the web browser version of Adobe Express.

To start the process of creating a new document in Adobe Express, you’ll need to navigate to Adobe Express and log in with your Adobe IU account. Once you're logged in, you'll be able to use Adobe Express.

To navigate to the Adobe Express website, click on the following URL:
https://express.adobe.com

NOTE: If you've recently logged in to your Adobe account, the Adobe ID login page may appear briefly before taking you to the Adobe homepage. If this happens, you can skip the following steps and move ahead to the next section of content.

To continue the process of logging into your Adobe account, in the Email address text entry field on the Adobe sign in page,
type your email address in the username@iu.edu format, Click
On the IU Login screen, enter your IU username and passphrase, and authenticate with Duo if necessary. (This screen may not appear if you've previously logged into your IU account today.)

Once you're successfully logged in, the Adobe Express home page will load.

The Adobe Express homepage will load, and will look similar to the following image:

Adobe Express homepage, described in following paragraph.

At the top of the screen underneath the row of app icons is the search bar, which allows you to search through available document presets and templates. On the left side of the screen is the navigation – from here, you can create a new document, view your files, browse through templates, and more. In the middle of the screen are suggestions for new projects and access to quick actions. Across the bottom of the page are thumbnails of projects you've recently edited.

Creating a new document

Whether you're creating a social media graphic, a business card, or a presentation, the process of making a new document in Adobe Express will be the same no matter what you're making. There are many different ways to create a new document, including using the search bar to search for a document preset or using the Create New button near the upper left corner of the Adobe Express home page.

NOTE: These instructions cover how to make documents and presentations in Adobe Express. For instructions on how to make web pages, view the IT Training guide Creating a web page with Adobe Express. For help with creating videos in Adobe Express, check out the Adobe tutorial Getting Started with Video Editing in Adobe Express.

Let's see how to create a document using the Create New button.

To start creating a new document, at the top of the navigation on the left side of the page,
Click
Use the Search field in the upper right corner of the Get started dialog box to search for a specific document type, or click a category name in the left side of the dialog box to browse through the available presets.
To create a new document based on the Search results or using a preset,
Click the thumbnail for the desired document type

At this point, the Adobe Express editor will load and display a blank document, as shown in the following image:

Adobe Express document editor, described in following paragraph.

The header bar across the top of the page contains the file name, the File menu, and options for adding additional editors to the document, commenting on the presentation, and downloading and sharing the presentation. The toolbar, located on the far left side of the screen, contains various tools that you can use when creating a document. Options for using these tools will appear in the panel immediately to the right of the toolbar. We also have the document toolbar, located above the document workspace, that contains options for working with the file as a whole — including changing the document size, changing the color theme, adjusting the alignment of objects on the page, and translating the text in the presentation. If you're working with a document that has multiple pages, such as a book or a presentation, thumbnails for each page and options for navigating through the document will appear in a panel across the bottom of the document workspace.

NOTE: Depending on your screen’s resolution and browser window size, the icons in the document toolbar may display only the icon instead of the icon and icon’s name.

Changing the file's name

Adobe Express will automatically save your changes as you work on a document, so you don't have to worry about remembering to save as you go. However, it’s a good idea to give the document a more descriptive name so you can more easily identify the file and its contents later on.

To change the name of the file, in the header at the top of the page,
Click , type desired file name Enter key

Adding editors to a document

If you need to work with others to design a document, you can add them to the file as editors so they can open the document and add content as needed. Editors can be added to a document at any point after it’s been created using the Share button in the upper right corner of the Adobe Express editor. You can collaborate with anyone who has an Adobe account. Once added, if someone else is working on the document with you, you'll see their cursor moving around in the Adobe Express editor as they work.

The following accordion contains instructions for adding an editor to a document.

To start adding someone to a document as an editor, in the upper right corner of the Adobe Express editor,
Click
To add someone as an editor, in the “Add people or groups” field under the Share heading at the top of the menu,
type the username or email address of the person you want to add as an editor, then click their name when it appears under the text entry field

NOTE: If you’re inviting a non-IU user to edit the file, type in their full email address and press the Enter key to add them to the invitation.

If desired, enter a message in the “Message (optional)” field.
To send the invitation, underneath the right side of the message field,
Click

The person (or people) you invited to edit the document will receive an email letting them know they’ve been added as an editor.

How to find projects you've been added to as an editor

In order to find projects you've been added to as an editor, you'll need to navigate to the Your stuff section of Adobe Express. From here, you can view projects you've created as well as projects that have been shared with you. You can access "Your stuff" from the Adobe Express homepage - the following accordion contains instructions for doing this.

To navigate to the Adobe Express homepage, in the upper left corner of the Adobe Express web page editor,
Click
To access your files and content that's been shared with you, in the navigation on the left side of the Adobe Express homepage,
Click
To view projects that have been shared with you, near the top right side of the "Your stuff" page,
Click , Click Shared with you

A list of projects that have been shared with you will display.

Adding content to a document

Once you’ve created a new document, you can add content to it using the tools located on the left side of the screen. The following list explains the available tools in more detail:

Search: Search through a collection of different assets, templates, and more that can be used in a presentation.
Add content: Gives you the option to add media files (like images, audio, and video), design elements, charts and grids, and generative AI elements to your document.
Text: Add your own text and style it however you want, or use provided templates as a starting point and change the formatting to match your presentation's theme.
Upload: Upload a variety of files from your computer, including images, audio, video, and even Photoshop (PSD) and Illustrator (AI) files.
Your stuff: Access files you have stored in your Creative Cloud storage, as well as any Creative Cloud Libraries you have access to.
Templates: Browse through a collection of professionally designed pre-made templates that you can edit to meet the needs of your presentation.
Brand: Use colors, fonts, assets, and logos from a pre-existing brand created in Adobe Express. (To learn more about brands, check out the IT Training guide Creating and using a brand in Adobe Express).
Add-ons: Different plugins you can use to help with designing and creating content.

Depending on your needs, you may end up using only some of the tools present in the Adobe Express editor. The following accordion folds cover how to accomplish many basic tasks that are part of creating a document in Adobe Express.

1. To add an image to the document, in the toolbar on the far left side of the Adobe Express editor,
  Click , Click
  1. To upload an image from your computer, near the top of the Media panel,
    Click
  2. In the Open dialog box, navigate to where the image you want to upload is located on your computer.
  3. To select the image, in the Open dialog box,
    Click the file, Click Open

The image will be added to the document.

There are many different kinds of design elements you can add to a document in Adobe Express, like backgrounds, shapes, icons, stickers, and other design assets. They're all grouped together under the Elements category in the Add Content menu.

To start adding a design element to a document, in the toolbar on the left side of the Adobe Express editor,
Click , Click
To view the different categories of elements that can be added to a document, at the top of the Elements panel,
Click
To view the contents of a category, at the top of the Elements panel,
Click on the category's tab
To add a design element to the document,
Click the thumbnail for the element you want to add

The design element will be added to the document.

To start the process of changing the color or appearance of a shape or icon, in the document workspace of the Adobe Express editor,
Click the shape or icon you want to change the color/appearance of

Depending on the object selected, you'll see either the Shape panel or Icon panel on the left side of the screen, and it contains options similar to what's shown below for the Shape panel:

Shape options panel, described in following paragraph.

The formatting options are rather straightforward — the options displayed will vary, depending on whether the item selected is a shape or an icon. For both shapes and icons, you can change the color, position, and opacity options. Shapes have additional options for changing the shape's border style, color, and thickness.

To start adding text to the document, in the toolbar on the left side of the Adobe Express editor,
Click
To add a text box to the document, at the top of the Text panel on the left side of the screen,
Click
Type the desired text into the text box.

With a text box selected, the Text panel will show formatting options for changing the appearance of your text:

Text panel, displaying formatting options. Described in following paragraph.

The formatting options are relatively straightforward — you can change the font, font weight, and font size, as well as change the text’s fill color, outline color, and outline thickness. You can also change the layout of the text inside the text box, how text flows between multiple text boxes, and even adjust the text box's positioning in relation to other objects and the opacity of the text.

NOTE: You may need to scroll down in order to see all of the options available in the Text panel.

Aligning items on a page can help make a document's contents look neater, which will give it a more professional look and feel. To align objects on the page, you can use the Position menu that's accessible through the left panel when multiple items in the document are selected at the same time. You can also ensure equal amounts of space between items on a page by using the Distribute option in the Position menu.

To select the items on the page that you want to align, in the document workspace,
Click the first item, press and hold Shift key, Click the other items you want to align
To start the process of aligning the selected items, in the Mixed panel on the left side of the screen,
Click

The following menu will appear:

Position menu. Contents described in following paragraph.

In the Align section, you can choose which side or axis you want the items to be aligned on. If you have more than two objects selected, the Distribute section will appear as well, allowing you to choose whether you want the items distributed horizontally or vertically. You can also choose to flip the selected items horizontally or vertically.

To align the selected items along a specific side or axis, under the Align heading in the Position menu,
Click the desired side or axis you want the items aligned on
To equally distribute the selected items, under the Distribute heading in the Position menu menu,
Click the desired distribute option

The steps outlined here work for resizing, rotating, and repositioning images, icons, shapes, and text boxes.

To select the item you want to resize, in the document workspace,
Click the item
To resize the item, in the document workspace,
Press & Drag the round handles on the corners of the shape’s bounding box in any direction to make the item larger or smaller, as shown in the image below:
To rotate the item, with the item selected,
Press & Drag in any direction
To reposition the item, in the document workspace,
Press & Drag the item to a new location on the page

To start the process of changing the background color of the active page in the document, above the document in the workspace,
Click
To start the process of changing the page's color, in the Edit Page panel on the left side of the screen,
Click
To choose a color from one of the swatches visible on the Swatches tab, in the Background color menu,
Click the desired color swatch
To switch to choosing a custom color, at the top of the Background color menu,
Click the Custom tab
To choose a color, in the hue slider,
Click on the desired color
To choose the intensity of the chosen color, in the color gradient below the hue slider,
Click on the desired shade

The color choices will be applied automatically.

To close the Background color menu, in the upper right corner of the menu,
Click

To add a second page to a document, in the lower right corner of the document workspace,
Click
To add additional pages to a document after adding a second page, in the page navigation toolbar at the bottom of the screen,
Click

As mentioned previously, the instructions here cover the basics of creating a document in Adobe Express. To learn about more advanced design tools and techniques available in Adobe Express, visit the Design category of the Adobe Express tutorial collection.

Resources for creating presentations in Adobe Express

If you're creating a presentation in Adobe Express, the following accordion includes additional resources that will help with designing and delivering presentations in Adobe Express.

Downloading a completed document

Once you've finished creating your document, you may want to download a copy of it to your device, especially if you plan on uploading it elsewhere or sharing it digitally. There are multiple file type options available for exporting a document – which one you choose depends on what you plan on doing with the finished document.

PNG and JPG: Exports the document as an image file. PNG is the best file format for documents with simpler graphics, logos, and line art, while JPG is best for saving detailed images like photos. If you're saving a document with multiple pages, each page will be saved as a single image file, and all the individual pages will be compressed into one .zip file.
PDF Standard and PDF Print: Exports the document as either a standard or print-ready PDF. Best if you want to share a copy of a multi-page document, although you can also use this to export a single-page document.

You can download the finished version of your document through the Download button in the header at the top of the Adobe Express editor. The following accordion will walk you through the process of downloading a document.

To start the process of downloading a document, near the top right side of the window,
Click
To choose a file format, under the File format heading,
Click , Click the desired file format
To download the document in the desired format,
Click

The document will download to your computer.

UITS IT Training Content Library

Creating and editing documents using Adobe Express

Table of contents

Creating a new document

Changing the file's name

Adding editors to a document

How to find projects you've been added to as an editor

Adding content to a document

Resources for creating presentations in Adobe Express

Downloading a completed document

Creating and editing documents using Adobe Express

Table of contents

Accessing Adobe Express

Step 1. Navigate to the Adobe Express website, then log in to your Adobe account.

Creating a new document

Step 1. Use the Create New button to create a new document.

Changing the file's name

Changing the file's name

Adding editors to a document

Adding editors to a document

How to find projects you've been added to as an editor

Accessing projects you've been added to as an editor

Adding content to a document

Add an image stored on your device to a document

Add design elements (including shapes and icons) to a document

Change a shape or icon's color and appearance

Add and format text

Align and distribute items on the page

Resize, rotate, and reposition items on the page

Change the background color of a page in a document

Adding pages to a document

Resources for creating presentations in Adobe Express

Resources for creating presentations in Adobe Express

Downloading a completed document

Downloading a completed document