Canva has released its first image generation model, Canva Craft, according to TechCrunch. The company's research team built it to compete with comparable models from Google, OpenAI, ByteDance and Meta.
How it works
Craft generates in two stages. First it reads the prompt and drafts a plan covering spatial relationships between elements, relative scale, visual hierarchy and the text that needs to appear. Then it renders an image of up to 2K resolution, in any of 30 aspect ratios meant for different platforms. Canva says this approach gives accurate object detail and legible text, and lets users make precise edits without disturbing the rest of the image.
The training data is unusual. Rather than photographs, Canva trained the model on human-designed templates from its own library: posters, social posts, presentations, infographics, menus and layouts heavy on typography. As a result, images made with Craft can be converted into layered designs using Canva Magic, the company's image-to-design transformer.
Availability
Craft is available to all users of the platform from the Dream Lab tab. Canva says it will also be offered through the Canva API, and that it plans to support image generation inside third-party chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini through Canva's MCP. The source gives no dates for the API or the chatbot support, and it does not mention pricing or plan restrictions.
Canva is also developing two cost-efficient versions, Craftfast and Craft-ultrafast, which it says will be released soon.
Why Canva built its own
Canva has been using a range of image models for generation on its platform. TechCrunch's reading is that the new model will probably cut the company's API costs, which is the outlet's inference rather than a figure Canva has given. Canva itself says that beyond cost, the model gives it better quality and speed control. Researchers from Leonardo.ai, which Canva acquired in 2024, contributed to the work.
What is not yet known
The source offers no benchmark results against the competing models, no usage limits and no details on how API access will be priced. Claims about legible text and precise edits are Canva's own.