How to Add Border to Video in Canva (And Why It Struggles with Large Files)

Canva is great for quick graphics and social media posts. But can you use it to add a border around your video? Yes - with some important limitations. This guide walks through the Canva method step-by-step, then explains when you'll need an alternative.

How to Add Border to Video in Canva

Before we compare, here's how you'd add a border in Canva:

Canva Method (7 Steps)

1. Log into your Canva account (required)
2. Create a new design with your video's dimensions
3. Upload your video file
4. Add a rectangle shape behind your video
5. Resize the video to be smaller than the rectangle
6. Customize the rectangle color (your border)
7. Export as MP4

It works, but there are catches...

Canva Limitations for Video Borders

File Size Limits

The Problem: A 15-minute 1080p video easily exceeds 1GB. A 30-minute webinar or course recording? Canva simply won't accept it.

Video Duration Limits

If your video is longer than 7.5 minutes, Canva simply won't process it - even on paid plans.

You Must Wait - No Background Processing

This is the big one. With Canva, you must:

• Wait for upload to complete - keep your browser open
• Wait for processing - can't close the tab
• Wait for download - sit there watching the progress bar

Close your browser? Start over. Lose your connection? Start over.

Account Required

You must create a Canva account before you can even upload a file. For a quick one-off task like adding a border, this friction adds unnecessary steps.

No Specialized Border Effects

Canva offers basic solid colors. Want the popular 3D gradient "floating" effect? You'd need to manually create complex layered designs.

VideoToBe: Built for Video

VideoToBe's border tool is purpose-built for video processing:

No Waiting Around

Upload your video, pick your border, and close your browser. Go do something else. We'll send you an email with the download link when your video is ready. No babysitting required.

More Than Just Borders

When you sign up for VideoToBe, you get access to our entire toolkit that we're constantly expanding:

• Video Transcription - Convert video to text with AI
• AI Chat - Ask questions about your video content
• Video Library - Organize and manage all your media
• More tools rolling out regularly

When to Use Canva

Canva is still great for:

• Short clips under 5 minutes and under 250MB
• Projects where you need other Canva features (text overlays, animations, graphics)
• If you're already in Canva working on a larger project

When to Use VideoToBe

Choose VideoToBe when:

• Your video exceeds 500MB - We handle up to 2GB
• Your video is longer than 7.5 minutes - No duration caps
• You want 3D gradient borders - One-click presets
• You need quick turnaround - Purpose-built processing
• You want to preview first - No account needed

Side-by-Side: Adding a Border to a 20-Minute Video

Canva Experience

1. Log in → "Video too long" error
2. Try to split video into parts externally
3. Process each part separately
4. Re-join parts (requires another tool)
5. Result: Multiple tools, multiple hours

VideoToBe Experience

1. Upload 20-minute video
2. Select border style
3. Click Download
4. Receive email when ready
5. Result: One tool, ~20 minutes

Real User Scenarios

The Course Creator

Sarah creates online courses. Her typical lesson video is 25 minutes at 1080p - about 800MB.

With Canva: She'd need to compress her video (losing quality), split it into parts, or give up on borders entirely.

With VideoToBe: Upload the full file, pick a professional black border, download. Done. Her courses look polished without compromising quality.

The Marketing Manager

David records webinars for lead generation. His company runs weekly 45-minute product demos that get shared on LinkedIn and embedded on landing pages.

With Canva: Impossible. 45 minutes exceeds all Canva limits. He'd need expensive video editing software and hours of learning.

With VideoToBe: Upload the Zoom recording, add company brand colors as a border, share the download link with his team. No video editing skills required.

The HR Director

Lisa builds an internal training library. She records onboarding sessions, policy updates, and team training - typically 20-30 minutes each.

With Canva: Every video would need to be split, processed in chunks, and rejoined. For a library of 50+ videos, that's weeks of work.

With VideoToBe: Batch process all recordings with consistent company branding. Each video takes minutes, not hours.

Who Should NOT Use VideoToBe

To be fair, Canva is better if you need:

• Text overlays and animations on your video
• Multiple design elements (logos, graphics, shapes)
• Videos under 5 minutes that fit within free limits

VideoToBe is laser-focused on one thing: making your videos look polished with zero learning curve. If you just need a clean border on a business recording, we're the faster choice.

Pricing Comparison

For Occasional Use (1-3 videos/month)

For Regular Use

VideoToBe Pro costs less and removes all the limits that matter for video work. Plus you get access to transcription and other video tools.

The Bottom Line

Canva is a fantastic general-purpose design tool, but video processing isn't its strength. The file size and duration limits make it impractical for anything beyond short social clips.

VideoToBe is purpose-built for video. If you're working with videos longer than 5 minutes or larger than 250MB, VideoToBe handles them without compromise.

Related Guides

• How to Add Border to Video - Complete guide with all border styles
• Without Video Editing Software - Skip DaVinci, Premiere, and Final Cut
• Free Video Transcription - Convert video to text