All-in-one visual communication platform Canva Inc. today introduced Magic Layers, an artificial intelligence tool that allows users to import flat images and transform them into fully editable designs.

Canva described Magic Layers as a way to recover old, stale images that are collecting dust, or even AI outputs that defy simple modification. The problem is that most images are “flat” and cannot be easily edited or manipulated. The solution: Turn them into layers.

“We often see people with really old designs that they don’t have access to anymore,” co-founder and Chief Product Officer Cameron Adams told theCUBE host John Furrier at NYSE Wired: Mixture of Experts. “And they can now bring those images straight into Canva and start editing them.”

Layering gives images a formatting option that doesn’t exist with most flat files, breaking them up into distinct visual elements that allow users to grab text, people, objects and other components. This means that if there’s a typo in some text, it can be fixed without obliterating the background — or if there’s an object that needs to move a few pixels to the left, that becomes possible without starting over completely.

Canva said that when it conducted research into enterprise creative and marketing team workflows, it discovered a particular pattern: AI has increased content output, but it has also added a bottleneck. Fixed AI outputs, even for small updates, produce flat files that often force teams to rebuild assets from scratch. That can slow down production.

“I think we all know that AI outputs are kind of a dead end,” added Adams. “Stuff like Magic Layers enables collaboration on steroids.”

With this new tool, Canva is introducing a way to take those files and make them dimensional again. Breathing life into them and bringing teams on board yet again.

The company said the new tool is built on an evolution of AI-native solutions, moving beyond standalone generative features and toward a platform where AI works collaboratively with users. The idea is to support users in their iterations and integrate into their work, rather than taking over the job.

As with anything built into the platform, Magic Layers will not remain only an in-app proprietary tool. Canva integrates with numerous other platforms, including AI vendors such as OpenAI Group PBC’s ChatGPT, Anthropic PBC’s Claude and Microsoft Corp.’s Copilot.

Magic Layers launches today in beta mode in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, with global availability to follow.

Here’s the complete video interview with Cameron Adams, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of NYSE Wired: Mixture of Experts:

Image: Canva