# Carousel maker: pages, order and exporting every slide

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/carousel-pages)

A carousel is one story told in swipes, so it should be built as one thing, not ten separate images that drift apart. In Gradiently every slide is a page of the same design, on the same Mark, exported together.

## 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.

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

Portrait 1080×1350 takes the most room in a feed on both Instagram and LinkedIn. Pick one shape for every page.

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](https://gradiently.design/guide/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

| To do this | Use |
| --- | --- |
| Add a slide at the end, or after a given page | **Add page** or **Add a page after** |
| Copy a slide with its layout | **Duplicate page** |
| Change the order | **Move up** and **Move down**, or drag in the grid |
| See and rearrange every slide at once | **See all pages**, a grid where you can select several pages to duplicate or delete |
| Edit one slide at a time, or scroll through them all | **Page view** or **Scroll view** |
| Find a word on any slide | Search: it looks through the words on every page |
| Change one slide's size, or all of them | **Resize this page** or **Resize all pages** |

A design always keeps at least one page. Deleting a page can be undone like any other change.

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

A portrait carousel cover titled 5 ways to keep plants alive with a small Swipe label

Page one, the hook: a promise of what the swipe delivers, set large.

A portrait carousel slide reading Water less in winter, labelled Tip 2 of 5

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](https://gradiently.design/guide/seamless-carousel). [Instagram carousel design](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-carousel-design) covers hooks and structure, and [tips carousels](https://gradiently.design/guide/tips-carousel) gives ten ready formats.

> **Let the Designer draft it** Describe the topic to the [Designer](https://gradiently.design/guide/designer-ai-guide), or ask it to turn an existing post into a three-page carousel. It writes the hook, the pages and the recap in your brand kit's voice, lays them out on your Mark, and you edit from there.

## Exporting a carousel

| Format | What you get | Post it to |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **PNG or JPEG** | One file per page, in a ZIP, in page order | Instagram, Threads, Facebook, X |
| **PDF** | Every page in one PDF, each at its own size | LinkedIn document posts, email, decks |
| **Video** | The pages playing one after another with their transitions | Reels, TikTok, Stories, screens |

Free exports are PNG or JPEG at 720p with a small watermark. Pro adds PDF, video, sizes up to 4K and no watermark.

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](https://gradiently.design/guide/export-video-gif) covers the rest, and LinkedIn creators will find posting advice in [LinkedIn carousels](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-thought-leader-content).

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](https://gradiently.design/guide/copy-to-sizes) explains how.

## FAQ

### 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.