Canva launches its own AI image maker, free for all users to try

Canva has released its first home-built AI image maker, called Canva Craft, and all users can try it now. Open the Dream Lab tab to find it. The company says it plans the layout of an image before drawing it, which should mean cleaner text and more accurate objects.

What it does

Craft works in two steps. First, it reads your request and makes a plan. That plan covers where things sit, how big they are relative to each other, what should stand out most, and what any text should say. Second, it draws the image, up to 2K resolution, in 30 possible shapes for different platforms.

Canva says this approach gives accurate details and readable text, two common weak spots for AI images. It also says you can make precise edits without changing the rest of the picture.

Built from designs, not photos

Most image models learn from photographs. Canva says it trained Craft on human-made templates from its own library instead. Those include posters, social posts, presentations, infographics, menus and layouts heavy on lettering.

That choice has a practical payoff. Images from Craft can be turned into layered designs with Canva Magic, the company's tool that converts an image into a design. Layers let you move or change one piece, such as a headline, without redoing everything.

Who can use it

Craft is open to all Canva users through Dream Lab. Canva is also adding it in other places:

• It will be available through the Canva API, which lets other software use it.
• Canva plans support in chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini through its MCP.

Why Canva built its own

Canva has used many outside image models in its platform. TechCrunch notes that a model of its own will likely cut the money Canva pays to use others. Canva itself points to better quality and more control over speed. Researchers from Leonardo.ai, which Canva bought in 2024, helped build Craft.

The timing is notable. Canva was on track for $4 billion in revenue last year, but it cut its growth forecast for 2026. Outside analysts reportedly now value it at $35 billion, down from $42 billion.

What happens next

Canva says it is working on two cheaper versions, Craftfast and Craft-ultrafast, which will be released soon. No dates were given. The report also does not say whether Craft has any usage limits, or how its results compare with rival models in side-by-side tests.