The short version
- In Gradiently, a carousel is one design with a page for each slide, all wearing the same Mark, so the set stays consistent.
- Pages can be added, duplicated, renamed, deleted and reordered from the page bar, or managed together in the grid of all pages.
- Exporting a carousel as PNG or JPEG gives one file per page in a ZIP, ready to upload in order.
- A PDF export puts every page in one file, which suits LinkedIn document posts, and a video export plays the pages in turn with transitions.
- Instagram carousels allow up to 20 slides that share one shape, usually 1080×1350 portrait or 1080×1080 square.
On this page
As a carousel maker, Gradiently treats the whole carousel as one design: each slide is a page, every page wears the same Mark, and the set exports together. Choose a carousel size such as 1080×1350, add pages for each slide, put them in order, then export every page at once as numbered images, a single PDF for LinkedIn or a video. Because the pages share one Mark and one brand kit, slide seven looks like it belongs with slide one without any effort on your part.
Carousel sizes to start from
Instagram portrait 4:5
1080 × 1350
Instagram square 1:1
1080 × 1080
LinkedIn portrait 4:5
1080 × 1350
Slides 16:9
1920 × 1080
Instagram allows up to 20 slides in one carousel, and every slide must share one aspect ratio, so decide the shape before the first page. LinkedIn carousels are usually posted as a PDF document, each page shown as a slide. The full measurements and crop behaviour are in Instagram carousel size.
How to make a carousel in Gradiently
- 1
Start the cover
Create a design at 1080×1350, or start from a template and swap in your Mark. Page one is the cover: it has to earn the first swipe.
- 2
Add the next page
Choose Add page in the page bar, or Add a page after from a page's options. Duplicate page is usually faster: the layout comes with it, and you only change the words.
- 3
Write one idea per page
One tip, one step, one product, one number. If a point needs two sentences, give it two pages rather than smaller type.
- 4
Name and order the pages
Give pages short titles with Rename, such as Hook, Tip 1 or Recap. Move them with Move up and Move down, or drag them in the grid.
- 5
Read it as a swipe
Use Present to step through the pages full screen, as someone scrolling would see them.
- 6
Export every page
Open Export, choose All pages and a format. You get the whole carousel in one download.
Working with pages: order, views and the grid
Use
Use
Use
Use
Use
Use
Use
Scroll view is the quickest way to check rhythm: you see every slide stacked, so a page with too many words or a headline in the wrong place stands out. The grid is the quickest way to restructure: if the recap should come before the call to action, drag it there.
Designing slides that hold together
Page one, the hook: a promise of what the swipe delivers, set large.
A content page: same Mark, same type, the same place for the counter, so every swipe feels like turning a page.
Drifts apart
- Each slide made as a separate design
- A different background on every slide
- Headlines that jump position
- The point of the carousel on slide six
- No reason to keep swiping
Reads as one
- Every slide a page of one design
- One Mark across the whole set
- Headline and counter in the same place each time
- The promise on the cover, delivered in order
- A recap and a clear last step
The Mark does a lot of this work. It renders behind each page in its own composition, so slides feel related without being copies, and its legibility keeps every headline readable wherever it sits. For a set where the background flows from one slide to the next, see seamless carousels. Instagram carousel design covers hooks and structure, and tips carousels gives ten ready formats.
Exporting a carousel
What you get
Post it to
Post it to
What you get
Post it to
For video, give each page its own length with Shows for in the page bar, and choose a transition into it: None for a clean cut, Fade, Slide, Zoom, or Dissolve, where the words sink into the Mark and the next rise out of it. The same timing plays in Present, so you can rehearse a talk from the deck you post. Exporting a video or GIF covers the rest, and LinkedIn creators will find posting advice in LinkedIn carousels.
Need the same carousel as stories too? With Pro, resizing to every size in one step lays each page out again for the new shape instead of cropping it; copy to sizes explains how.
Questions people ask
How do I make a carousel in Gradiently?
Create a design at a carousel size such as 1080×1350, add a page for each slide, put the pages in order and export all of them at once.
How do I download every slide of a carousel at once?
Choose Export, select All pages and pick PNG or JPEG. You get one image per page in a ZIP, in page order.
Can I make a LinkedIn carousel as a PDF?
Yes. With Pro, export the design as a PDF and every page goes into one file, which LinkedIn shows as swipeable slides in a document post.
How many slides can an Instagram carousel have?
Up to 20, and every slide in one post must share the same aspect ratio.
Can I reorder carousel slides after making them?
Yes. Use Move up and Move down on a page, or open See all pages and drag pages into a new order.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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