Graphic design platform Canva has announced Magic Studio, a suite of AI-powered tools aimed at making it even easier to create engaging and informative visuals.
Though they officially launched today, not all of Canva's offerings will be completely new to everyone. Canva has been gradually rolling out several of its new AI features for months now, quietly testing them with a "small portion" of its user base. The Magic Edit trial in particular made waves earlier this year, when users discovered it could be used to alter individual items in an image and transform casual photos into LinkedIn-worthy headshots.
However, Magic Studio bolsters Canva's AI offerings considerably, officially introducing tools such as Magic Switch, Magic Grab, Magic Expand, Magic Morph, Magic Alt Text, and Magic Animate. These new tools use a mix of Canva's in-house AI as well as that of partners such as Google and OpenAI.
Canva's utilisation of AI is most clearly seen in its new image editing tools. Magic Grab allows users to select and reposition an image's subject, Magic Expand can expand an image by filling in what's outside the frame, and Magic Morph allows users to describe an effect to apply to shapes or text, such as "jelly" or "aluminium balloon."
Magic Switch has absorbed Magic Resize, which was originally rolled out in 2017. Now instead of simply transforming designs into different formats, Magic Switch also allows users to use AI for copywriting and translations.
On top of all this, Magic Media's text to image generation has been expanded to include video generation, while Magic Write will now allow users to describe a Brand Voice so generated text will carry a consistent tone.
While Magic Studio's new AI tools will largely be restricted to paid Canva users, free users can get a taste of a few of them. Magic Alt Text will be available to everyone, while free users will have a set limit on the number of times they can use features such as Magic Write and Magic Media before signing up for a paid subscription.
"Magic Edit will eventually be a paid feature," a spokesperson for Canva told Mashable via email, "but Canva is temporarily allowing anyone to use it up to 100 times per day for the initial launch."
Canva has further expanded its Creators program, which pays royalties to people who create content such as templates and elements for the platform. Announcing a $200 million commitment over the next three years, the fund will now also pay Creators who give permission for their content to be used to train AI. Fortunately, they will be opted out by default.
Magic Studio's new AI tools will undoubtedly be fun for users to explore. But remember: Always check AI's work and never rely on it blindly, especially if you're using it for image or text generation.
Topics Artificial Intelligence
