Canva Craft plans a design's layout and text first, then draws it, in Canva's first image model
The model renders up to 2K resolution in more than 30 aspect ratios, and Canva says it debuted fourth on Design Arena.
In brief
Canva's new image model plans before it draws
Canva Craft writes a layout and text plan first. It renders up to 2K in 30+ aspect ratios. Canva says it ranked fourth on Design Arena.
Canva has released Canva Craft, its first image generation model built in-house. It launched on October 22, 2026, according to TechCrunch and Unite.AI, and Canva announced it on X.
The key idea is simple. Craft works in two steps. First it writes a plan: which elements go where, how big they are, what matters most visually, and what text appears. Then a second model draws the image from that plan.
Craft works in two steps: it writes a plan for the layout and text, then draws the image from that plan.
The numbers
- Output goes up to 2K resolution.
- It supports more than 30 aspect ratios, or a custom one.
- Unite.AI says it can generate text in 55 languages.
What it was trained on
Most image models learn mainly from photographs. Canva says Craft learned from human-made templates in its own library: posters, social posts, presentations, infographics and menus. Unite.AI reports these run to millions of templates. Canva says this teaches the model how layout and typography fit together.
Imagine asking for a cafe menu. A plan-first model decides where the title, prices and photo go before it paints a single pixel.
Why it matters
Canva says the approach gives legible text and lets users edit one part without disturbing the rest. Craft images can also be turned into editable layers with Canva's Magic tools.
Ranking and context
Canva says Craft debuted fourth on Design Arena, with an Elo score of 1340. That would make Canva the second-highest lab, behind OpenAI. Capital Brief calls these results preliminary.
TechCrunch notes that Canva has used many outside image models, so an in-house one may cut costs. Canva says it also gives more control over quality and speed. Capital Brief links the launch to cost control after Canva cut its 2026 growth target from 30% to 20%. Analysts cited by Mezha and TechCrunch report a valuation drop from $42 billion to $35 billion.
The model was built by Canva's research team with researchers from Leonardo.ai, which Canva acquired in 2024.
Access and what's next
All users can try Craft in Dream Lab. Sources differ on the API: Unite.AI says it is available, while TechCrunch says it is coming. Thurrott says app use needs a paid plan, while Digital Trends says access depends on account and usage limits.
Canva plans support for ChatGPT and Gemini through its MCP connection, plus cheaper Craftfast and Craft-ultrafast versions.
The limits: the ranking is Canva's own claim and Capital Brief calls it preliminary. Canva's X post is the only first-party source found, and the sources disagree on pricing and API availability.