Canva's new editing tool adds layers to AI-generated designs

"After a breakthrough from our AI research team, we're introducing Magic Layers so anyone can take a flat image and turn it into a fully editable design inside Canva. There's no need to start over, or to figure out the right prompt. Generation is just the beginning - real creative freedom comes from being able to edit without losing momentum."

"The feature isn't only designed to work with AI-generated works - Magic Layers currently supports any single-page PNG or JPEG file, with expanded capabilities in development. The focus on how it can be used on AI images isn't surprising, however, given how aggressively Canva has been pushing its generative AI tools over the last couple of years."

"It's also a step above what's being offered by other creative software providers. Generative AI tools in Adobe apps like Photoshop and Express will add generated elements to their own distinct layer that's easy to separate from the main design, for example, but don't currently provide a means to automatically break an entire image into layers."

Canva launched Magic Layers in public beta across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, enabling users to transform flat PNG or JPEG files into fully editable designs with separate layers. The tool allows individual selection of design components including objects, text boxes, and graphics while maintaining original layout integrity. Magic Layers works with both AI-generated images and standard flat files, eliminating the need to reprompt or restart designs when minor adjustments are required. This capability surpasses current offerings from competitors like Adobe, which add generated elements to separate layers but lack automatic full-image decomposition. The feature provides creators with greater manual control over flat image editing compared to AI-assisted tweaks.

Read at The Verge