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Canva’s first AI image model plans designs before generating them
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- DeepHorus
Canva on Thursday launched Canva Craft, its first AI image-generation model, challenging offerings from OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google. The model uses a two-stage architecture that plans a design before generating an image. Canva says this approach delivers greater precision, consistency, and control.
Craft generates images at up to 2K resolution and in more than 30 aspect ratios. It targets social media posts, marketing content, realistic scenes, digital art, and environmental imagery. Canva says the two-stage system better handles complex images requiring legible text and precise object placement.
The launch builds on Canva’s broader AI push. In April, it introduced prompt-based editing that lets users create or modify designs by describing them. Canva also added layers to AI-generated images, enabling edits to one part while leaving the rest untouched.
Canva trained Craft on millions of human-made templates from its content library, including social posts, presentations, infographics, and menus. It currently ranks fourth on Design Arena’s AI image-generation leaderboard. It trails OpenAI’s GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst, GPT-Image-2.5 Flare, and GPT-Image-2.
The ranking places Canva near the top tier of AI image generators but behind OpenAI’s leading models. By embedding Craft in its design platform, Canva could bring advanced image generation into everyday marketing and content workflows. The planning-first approach targets practical design tasks rather than only artistic experimentation.
Canva says Craft includes robust input and output moderation, privacy and safety controls, and reporting tools. The company plans to let AI agents connect to Craft through the open Model Context Protocol. It also intends to release Craft-fast and Craft-ultrafast models later.
Craft is available now to all users globally through Dream Lab, accessible from the three-dot option on Canva’s left-hand menu. The next test will be whether planning-first generation becomes a standard for professional design. Canva’s future fast models may also determine how widely Craft is adopted.
