Canva rolled out its first in-house AI image model globally on Thursday, introducing a system named Canva Craft that competes with offerings from OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google. The Verge reports that the tool uses a unique two-stage architecture to plan designs before generating visuals.
Key takeaways
- Canva Craft creates images up to 2K resolution across more than 30 aspect ratios.
- The system was trained on millions of human-made templates from the platform.
- The model currently ranks fourth on Design Arena’s leaderboard.
- Users can access the tool right now through Dream Lab on the platform's menu.
What is Canva Craft and how does it work?
The new AI image model relies on a two-stage system designed to map out a layout before rendering pictures. According to Canva, this approach delivers greater precision, consistency, and control. It handles complex visual tasks that demand legible text and exact object placement much better than traditional single-stage generators.
Training data for the system came from millions of human-made templates stored in the company library, covering menus, infographics, presentations, and social media posts. The software can build realistic scenes, digital art, and marketing content. It currently holds the fourth spot on the design Arena leaderboard behind models from OpenAI.
What features and future plans come with the release?
Safety features include privacy controls, reporting tools, and input and output moderation. Future updates will bring faster variants named Craft-fast and Craft-ultrafast. The company also intends to let AI agents connect to the software using the open Model Context Protocol.
What it means for users
Every global user can test the software immediately. People need to click the three-dot option located on the left-hand menu and pick Dream Lab to start creating marketing content and social media posts.
Frequently asked questions
Canva Craft is Canva's first in-house AI image model that uses a two-stage architecture to plan a design before generating an image.
The model is currently ranked fourth on Design Arena’s leaderboard, sitting behind OpenAI models like GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst, GPT-Image-2.5 Flare, and GPT-Image-2.
Users can access the tool globally by navigating to the three-dot option on Canva’s left-hand menu and selecting Dream Lab.
Canva Craft can generate images at up to 2K resolution and in more than 30 aspect ratios.
Canva trained the model on millions of human-made templates from its platform content library, including presentations, infographics, social media posts, and menus.
Based on reporting by The Verge. Read the original article
