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Canva launches first in-house image generation model, Canva Craft
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Canva released its first image generation model, Canva Craft, developed by its research team to compete with models from Google, OpenAI, ByteDance, and Meta. The model works in two stages: first interpreting prompts to plan spatial relationships, scale, visual hierarchy, and text generation, then producing images up to 2K resolution in up to 30 aspect ratios. Canva says this enables accurate object details, legible text, and precise edits. The model was trained on human-designed templates from Canva's library rather than photographs, allowing generated images to be converted into layered designs via Canva Magic. Canva Craft is available to all users through the Dream Lab tab, the Canva API, and planned third-party chatbot support via MCP. Canva says the model reduces API costs and improves quality and speed control. Researchers from Leonardo.ai, acquired in 2024, contributed. Two cost-efficient versions, Craftfast and Craft-ultrafast, are planned. Canva cut its 2026 growth forecast, with its valuation reportedly falling from $42 billion to $35 billion.
Source report
Design platform Canva has released its first image generation model, called Canva Craft, developed by its research team to compete with same-category models from Google, OpenAI, ByteDance, and Meta.
Two-Stage Generation Process
The company said its model works in two stages:
- Stage one: The model interprets users' prompts and creates a plan with details like spatial relationships of elements, relative scale, visual hierarchy, and information for text generation.
- Stage two: The model generates an image of up to 2K resolution in a possible 30 different aspect ratios for various platforms.
Canva said this approach allows it to create images with accurate details of objects and legible text. Plus, users would be able to make precise edits without changing other parts of the image.
Trained on Designs, Not Photographs
The company noted that rather than using photographs, it used designs to train this model using human-designed templates from Canva's library, including posters, social posts, presentations, infographics, menus, and typography-rich layouts.
That means images generated with Canva Craft could be converted into layered designs using Canva Magic, the company's image-to-design transformer. Last year, the platform released its own model that understands designs and layers.
Availability
Canva Craft is available on the company's platform to all users, who can access the model from the Dream Lab tab. The model will also be available through the Canva API. Plus, the company plans to support image generation in third-party chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini through Canva's MCP.
Cost and Quality Benefits
Canva has used a bunch of image models for generation in its platform, so it's likely that the new models will help save API costs for the company. It said that besides costs, the new model also allows the platform to have better quality and speed control.
In 2024, Canva acquired media generation platform Leonardo.ai. It said that the researchers from Leonardo contributed to the new image model.
Canva said that it is developing two cost-efficient versions of the model, called Craftfast and Craft-ultrafast, which will be released soon.
Business Context
The company was on track for $4 billion in revenue last year. However, it cut its growth forecast for 2026, causing its valuation to reportedly plummet from $42 billion to $35 billion, according to external analysts.
Source
TechCrunchNeutral / independent