How to Use Canva AI: Magic Studio Features That Save Hours (2026)

Canva has integrated AI throughout its entire design platform under the “Magic Studio” umbrella. These AI tools handle everything from generating complete designs to writing copy, removing backgrounds, resizing for every platform, and translating content — making professional design accessible to anyone regardless of skill level.

This guide covers every Magic Studio feature and how to use each one effectively for your design workflow.

TL;DR — Quick Start

1. Open canva.com — free account works for most AI features
2. Try Magic Design: Describe what you want and Canva creates it
3. Use Magic Write for instant copy in any design
4. Remove backgrounds with one click using Magic Eraser
5. Resize designs for every platform with Magic Resize

Canva Plans and AI Access

Feature	Free	Pro ($13/mo)	Teams ($10/user/mo)
Magic Design	Limited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Magic Write	25 uses	250 uses/mo	250 uses/user/mo
Background Remover	No	Yes	Yes
Magic Resize	No	Yes	Yes
Magic Eraser	No	Yes	Yes
Magic Expand	No	Yes	Yes
Text to Image	Limited	500/mo	500/user/mo
Brand Kit	No	Yes	Yes

Magic Design: AI-Generated Designs

Magic Design creates complete designs from a text description or uploaded image.

How to Use Magic Design

1. Go to canva.com and click Create a Design
2. Select Magic Design from the toolbar
3. Choose your approach:

• Text prompt: Describe what you need
• Upload image: Drop in a photo and Canva builds a design around it

1. Browse the generated variations
2. Select one and customize

Effective Prompts

Social media post:

Instagram post announcing a summer sale for a clothing brand, bright and energetic, with space for product photos

Presentation:

Professional pitch deck slide about quarterly revenue growth, clean and minimal with blue and white color scheme

Flyer:

Event flyer for a local music festival, featuring vibrant colors, outdoor setting, and space for lineup details

Tips for Magic Design

• Include the design type (poster, social post, presentation)
• Mention the color scheme or mood
• Specify the industry or audience
• Upload a brand photo for more relevant results

Magic Write: AI Copywriting

Magic Write generates text directly inside your designs.

How to Use Magic Write

1. Open any Canva design
2. Click on a text element or add a new text box
3. Click Magic Write in the text toolbar (or press /)
4. Type your instruction: “Write a catchy headline for a fitness app”
5. Magic Write generates text that fits your design context

Magic Write Capabilities

• Headlines: “Write 5 headline options for a product launch”
• Body copy: “Write a 50-word product description for organic skincare”
• Social captions: “Write an Instagram caption about sustainable fashion”
• Email subject lines: “Write 3 email subject lines for a webinar invitation”
• Bullet points: “List 5 benefits of our project management software”

Rewriting Existing Text

Select existing text and use Magic Write to:

• Shorten: Condense long text to fit your design
• Expand: Add more detail to brief copy
• Rewrite: Change the tone (professional, casual, playful)
• Translate: Convert to another language
• Summarize: Create a condensed version

Background Remover

Remove backgrounds from photos instantly.

How to Use It

1. Upload or select a photo in your design
2. Click Edit Image → BG Remover
3. The background is removed in seconds
4. Fine-tune with the brush tool if needed

Best Results

• Photos with clear subject separation work best
• High contrast between subject and background improves accuracy
• Use the restore brush to bring back accidentally removed areas
• Works on product photos, portraits, and objects

Magic Eraser

Remove unwanted objects from photos.

How to Use It

1. Select a photo in your design
2. Click Edit Image → Magic Eraser
3. Brush over the object you want to remove
4. Canva fills in the area naturally
5. Repeat for multiple objects

Use Cases

• Remove photobombers from group photos
• Clean up product shots by removing distracting elements
• Remove text or watermarks from stock photos
• Clean up backgrounds for professional presentations

Magic Expand

Extend images beyond their original borders.

How to Use It

1. Select an image
2. Click Edit Image → Magic Expand
3. Drag the handles to extend in any direction
4. Canva generates new content that matches the existing image
5. Adjust until the composition looks right

When to Use It

• Convert landscape photos to portrait (or vice versa) for different platforms
• Add more space around a subject for text placement
• Fill in cropped areas of photos
• Create wider background for presentations

Magic Resize

Instantly adapt designs for different platforms and sizes.

How to Use It

1. Design for one platform (e.g., Instagram post)
2. Click Magic Resize in the top menu
3. Select target formats:

• Instagram Story (1080×1920)
• Facebook Post (1200×630)
• LinkedIn Post (1200×627)
• Twitter/X Header (1500×500)
• YouTube Thumbnail (1280×720)
• Pinterest Pin (1000×1500)

1. Canva creates resized versions with intelligent layout adjustment
2. Fine-tune each version as needed

Tips

• Design with the largest format first
• Keep important elements centered for better resizing
• Review each resized version — some may need manual adjustment
• Use consistent elements across sizes for brand recognition

Text to Image

Generate AI images directly in Canva.

How to Use It

1. Open your design
2. Click Apps → Text to Image (or search for it)
3. Type your image description
4. Choose a style: Photo, Drawing, 3D, Painting, etc.
5. Select aspect ratio
6. Click Generate
7. Pick your favorite and add to design

Style Options

• Photo: Photorealistic images
• Drawing: Hand-drawn illustration style
• 3D: Rendered 3D objects and scenes
• Painting: Artistic painted style
• Watercolor: Soft watercolor aesthetic
• Anime: Japanese animation style
• Neon: Glowing neon light effects

Magic Animate

Add animations to static designs.

How to Use It

1. Select an element or the entire design
2. Click Animate in the toolbar
3. Browse animation presets:

• Fade: Gentle fade in/out
• Rise: Elements rise from bottom
• Pop: Bouncy entrance
• Breathe: Gentle pulsing
• Drift: Slow horizontal movement

1. Adjust timing and direction
2. Export as MP4 or GIF

Magic Translate

Translate designs into 100+ languages.

How to Use It

1. Open a design with text
2. Go to Apps → Translate
3. Select target language(s)
4. Click Translate
5. Canva creates a translated copy of the design
6. Review and adjust for text length differences

Practical Workflows

Social Media Content Calendar

1. Create your base design in Magic Design
2. Use Magic Write for captions
3. Magic Resize for all platforms
4. Magic Animate for video posts
5. Schedule using Canva’s content calendar

Product Photography

1. Take basic product photos
2. Background Remover for clean cutouts
3. Magic Expand to extend the composition
4. Magic Eraser to clean up imperfections
5. Text to Image for lifestyle backgrounds

Presentation Creation

1. Magic Design to generate slide layouts
2. Magic Write for slide content
3. Text to Image for custom illustrations
4. Magic Animate for dynamic presentations
5. Export as PowerPoint or present directly

Brand Kit Consistency

1. Set up Brand Kit (Pro) with colors, fonts, logos
2. Apply Brand Kit to Magic Design generations
3. Use Brand Voice in Magic Write
4. All generated content follows brand guidelines
5. Maintain consistency across all designs

FAQ

Is Canva AI free?

Some AI features are available on the free plan with limited usage (Magic Design, Magic Write with 25 uses, limited Text to Image). Most advanced features like Background Remover, Magic Eraser, Magic Expand, and Magic Resize require Canva Pro at $13/month.

How does Canva AI compare to dedicated AI tools?

Canva’s AI is integrated into a full design platform, making it convenient for creating complete designs. Dedicated tools like Midjourney produce higher-quality images, and tools like Jasper produce better marketing copy. Canva’s strength is the all-in-one workflow where AI enhances every step of the design process.

Can I use Canva AI-generated content commercially?

Yes. Canva Pro users have commercial rights to all content created in Canva, including AI-generated images and text. Free plan users should check Canva’s content license agreement for specific restrictions.

Does Magic Write support multiple languages?

Yes. Magic Write can generate content in 20+ languages and translate between them. Quality is best for major languages like English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Japanese.

How do I maintain brand consistency with AI?

Set up a Brand Kit in Canva Pro with your brand colors, fonts, and logos. Enable Brand Voice in Magic Write settings. Apply your Brand Kit when using Magic Design. This ensures all AI-generated content aligns with your visual identity.

Conclusion

Canva’s Magic Studio makes AI-powered design practical for everyday use. Instead of switching between multiple AI tools, you get image generation, copywriting, background removal, smart resizing, and translation all in one platform that you already know how to use.

Start with Magic Design to generate complete layouts, then use Magic Write for copy and the editing tools to refine. The combination of AI assistance and Canva’s intuitive editor means you can produce professional marketing materials in minutes rather than hours.