Canva Craft: Canva's first image model hits all users

Canva's move into image generation follows its 2024 acquisition of media generation platform Leonardo.ai, whose researchers contributed to Canva Craft. The model is trained on designs from Canva's own template library rather than photographs, which the company says helps it produce legible text and accurate object details. Because the output is design-based, images generated with Canva Craft can be converted into layered designs using Canva Magic, the company's image-to-design transformer released last year.

Canva has previously relied on a range of external image models for generation on its platform. The company said that besides costs, the new model also allows better quality and speed control, suggesting the shift is as much about operational efficiency as about features. Canva is also developing two cost-efficient versions, Craftfast and Craft-ultrafast, which it says will be released soon.

The launch comes as Canva manages its finances: it was on track for $4 billion in revenue last year, but cut its growth forecast for 2026, and its valuation reportedly fell from $42 billion to $35 billion according to external analysts.