Design platform Canva has released its first image generation SI model, named Canva Craft. The company developed the system in-house to compete directly with similar generative SI tools from Google, OpenAI, ByteDance, and Meta.
What Happened
Canva reports that Canva Craft operates in two distinct stages. First, the SI model interprets user prompts to create a structural plan, defining spatial relationships, relative scale, visual hierarchy, and text generation details. In the second stage, it generates an image with up to 2K resolution across 30 possible aspect ratios. The company states this approach enables the creation of images with accurate object details and legible text, while allowing users to make precise edits without altering other parts of the image.
Unlike models trained primarily on photographs, Canva Craft was trained using human-designed templates from the platform’s library, including posters, social media posts, presentations, infographics, menus, and typography-rich layouts. This training method allows generated images to be converted into layered designs using Canva Magic, the company’s image-to-design transformer. Canva previously released a model for understanding designs and layers last year.
The new SI model is available to all users via the Dream Lab tab on the platform and through the Canva API. Canva also plans to support image generation in third-party chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini through its Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration. Additionally, the company is developing two cost-efficient versions of the model, Craftfast and Craft-ultrafast, which are expected to be released soon.
Why It Matters
The release of Canva Craft signals Canva’s push to reduce reliance on third-party SI providers for image generation. By developing its own model, the company aims to lower API costs while gaining better control over quality and speed. This move follows Canva’s 2024 acquisition of media generation platform Leonardo.ai, whose researchers contributed to the development of the new SI model.
The launch occurs as Canva faces financial headwinds. Although the company was on track for $4 billion in revenue last year, it cut its growth forecast for 2026, causing its valuation to reportedly drop from $42 billion to $35 billion, according to external analysts. The introduction of an in-house SI model may help stabilize margins by reducing external dependency.
The Bottom Line
Canva has entered the competitive landscape of generative SI with Canva Craft, a two-stage model trained on design templates rather than photos. The tool offers API access and planned integrations with major chatbots, aiming to balance cost efficiency with creative control amidst a revised financial outlook.