How To Use Leonardo AI & 5 Free Alternative!

Introduction

Leonardo AI is a powerful AI image generator that transforms simple text prompts into everything from whimsical art to photorealistic visuals. Since its launch in late 2022, it has attracted millions of users and generated hundreds of millions of images. In July 2024, it was acquired by Canva and integrated into Magic Studio, enhancing Canva’s AI capabilities. Now widely known as Canva Leonardo AI, it offers both beginners and professionals an intuitive way to create high-quality visuals. This guide covers everything—from getting started to advanced techniques, real-world applications, and comparisons with other leading tools.

What is Leonardo AI?

Leonardo AI is a generative AI art platform that transforms text descriptions into high-quality images and videos. It uses advanced neural networks (like diffusion-based models) to interpret prompts and create visuals. Think of it as “Photoshop on steroids” – it produces production-quality assets with unprecedented speed and consistency. Key milestones in its history include:

• Launched in 2022: Leonardo AI debuted as a web-based text-to-image generator aimed at creatives and designers. Within its first year, it gained over 7 million users and generated more than 700 million images.
  
• Acquired by Canva: In 2024, Canva bought Leonardo AI to bolster its AI capabilities. This means Leonardo continues as a standalone web app, but its technology now powers Canva’s creative tools.
  
• Features: Leonardo AI offers a unique suite of tools. You can generate art and illustrations from prompts, create transparent PNGs, and even turn images into animations with its video generator. It provides fine-grained control over output (like aspect ratios, art styles, and even lighting effects). For example, its new Phoenix model is designed for prompt accuracy and high fidelity, faithfully following even long, detailed instructions. Users also have access to specialty models (for anime, graphic design, etc.), preset style “Elements” for consistency, and features like image guidance (ControlNet) to refine results. Importantly, the free tier grants 150 generation tokens daily, so you can experiment at no cost (each image uses a few tokens).
  

In short, Leonardo AI is a feature-packed AI art platform that powers Canva’s image generation. It’s built to be easy enough for beginners yet flexible enough for pros. With support for video and mobile apps, it goes beyond static images to cover a wide range of creative needs.

How Does Leonardo AI Work?

Under the hood, Leonardo AI uses machine learning models trained on vast image datasets. When you type a prompt, the AI’s diffusion engine iteratively “imagines” an image that matches your description. Leonardo’s Phoenix foundational model, for example, excels at capturing complex scenes with detail and realism. Compared to many competitors, Leonardo stands out for its prompt precision and control. As TechRadar notes, “what sets [Leonardo] apart is the level of fine-tuning it supports, including aspect ratios and art styles”. In practice, that means you can adjust sliders for factors like focus, detail, or even lighting to guide the result.

The user interface is organized into a few main sections:

• Image Creation (Generate): This is the core workspace. Here you enter text prompts (and optionally upload reference images) to generate new visuals. You can select models or presets, tweak settings, and then hit Generate. Leonardo typically returns several image options to refine.
  
• Community Feed: Leonardo has a built-in gallery of recent community creations. On the Home or Library page, you’ll see trending images from other users. Browsing this feed is great for inspiration and seeing what prompts others are using.
  
• Models & Elements: A separate section lets you explore the library of pre-trained models and style “Elements”. You can pick an “Anime” or “Photo” model, or train your own brand-specific style with the Element Training tool.
  
• Canvas Editor & Tools: Leonardo also offers a live Canvas Editor for touch-ups and a Real-Time Generation mode. The Canvas Editor lets you paint or erase parts of an image, while Realtime Generation shows your image being drawn as you type (with no tokens charged).
  

These components work together to make Leonardo both powerful and intuitive. You enter prompts in the Image Creation tab and can quickly jump to Library to save or share creations, or to Models to try a different style. The tokens or credits system limits how much you generate on the free plan.

Getting Started with Leonardo AI

Step 1

 Sign Up. Go to leonardo.ai and create a free account. You’ll need an email (or social login). The free tier gives you 150 tokens per day, which roughly translates to dozens of image generations daily. (Tokens reset every 24 hours.) There’s also a mobile app: the Leonardo.AI – Image Generator app on iOS/Android offers 150 free credits per day too. Once signed up, you’ll see your token balance at the top of the site. Hint: Hover over the token counter to see how many images different features cost.

Step 2

 Explore the Dashboard. After logging in, you’ll land on the Home screen. At the top center are shortcuts to key tools, and your token count is at the top left. Scroll down to see community images. For generation, click Image Creation under the AI Tools section. This opens the prompt interface. Alternatively, use “Dream Lab” inside Canva if you’re working there (covered later).

On the left side, there are tabs or menus:

• Home/Feed: Shows featured community images and your token status.
  
• Library: Your personal gallery of saved images and collections.
  
• AI Tools ➔ Image Creation: Where you generate new images.
  
• Models & Training: Browse style models and train your own.
  
• Image-to-Image: Upload a photo to transform it.
  

Step 3 

Generate Your First Image. In Image Creation, type a prompt like “A serene mountain landscape at sunset, high detail, 4K” and choose a style (e.g. Photoreal model). You can also select additional options like Resolution or Special Effects. Click Generate and wait a few seconds. Leonardo will display several image variations. If you like one, you can upscale or save it. If not, tweak your prompt or model and try again.

For example, compare a vague prompt vs. a detailed one: “city at night” might yield a generic city scene, but “a neon-lit cyberpunk cityscape at night, rain-soaked streets” will produce a more vibrant, specific result. The system uses your tokens (each image costs a few) to create these images.

Step 4

 Browse the Community. Switch to Home or Library to see what other users have created. The trending feed can spark ideas – you might click an image to view its prompt or remix it. Engaging with the community (liking images, following creators) can help you discover effective prompts and styles.

At this point, you’re generating your own images with Leonardo AI! The interface will become familiar: prompts on the left, generated images on the right, and tool menus above. Most of the heavy lifting is done; next sections cover how to get even better results.

Advanced Features and Techniques

Once you’re comfortable with basics, Leonardo offers powerful advanced options to refine your art:

• Crafting Effective Prompts: The quality of your output depends heavily on your prompt wording. As Leonardo’s help guide advises, start with short, clear descriptions and build detail gradually. Put the main subject first, then adjectives. For instance, writing “A stormy night sky with lashing rain backdrops a knight riding a horse” yields an image focused on the dramatic sky. Also consider using commas to separate ideas. For best detail, add specifics like colors, style, or camera effects (e.g. “4K, cinematic, realistic”). In practice, a precise prompt like “A vintage 1950s-style poster of a rocket launch, sepia tones, high detail” will guide the AI more than a vague “rocket poster” prompt.
  
• Negative Prompts: You can tell Leonardo what not to include. In the prompt box, add terms after “–” or in a negative prompt field (if available). For example, adding “–blurry, –text” will discourage the AI from producing blurry images or embedded text. According to Leonardo’s prompt tips, “add in what you don’t want to see, and the model is far less likely to include it”. This is a simple way to avoid unwanted artifacts (like extra limbs or gibberish text) without rephrasing the whole prompt.
  
• Image Guidance (ControlNet): If you need even more precision, use the Image Guidance feature. Upload sketches or photos as references and select ControlNet options. As Leonardo explains, you can upload up to four source images to guide the generation. For example, upload a line-art sketch of a dog and check Line Art mode – Leonardo will color it in. Or upload a normal photo and use Depth Map to emphasize certain objects. These tools are found under “Image-to-Image” or by switching on Image Guidance. They let you, say, trace over a rough doodle or stick to a photo’s layout, which is perfect for complex compositions.
  
• Exploring Models: Leonardo has a rich library of pre-trained models tailored for different aesthetics. There are specialized models for anime, graphic design, painted styles, and more. Try a few to see what you like. There’s even an Element Training feature to create a model based on your own brand images (handy for designers). Switching models changes the look: for photorealism use “Quantum” or “Human Reference,” while for stylized art try “Anime & Games” or “Concept Art.”
  
• Real-Time Generation & Canvas: Two standout tools make Leonardo unique. Realtime Generation (no token cost) shows you the image being drawn as you type the prompt. It’s like live-searching – if you see you like the image forming, you can interrupt and refine. Canvas Editor lets you edit after generation. Say the AI generated a nice scene but one object is off – you can draw over it, erase, or add elements directly. Together, these features let you iterate rapidly without leaving the platform.
  
• Upscaling & Post-Processing: After generation, use Leonardo’s upscaler to boost resolution without losing detail. For best quality, premium Alchemy pipelines (if available on your plan) produce hyper-realistic results. And don’t forget: you can always export an image and polish it further in traditional editors like Photoshop or Canva.
  

By using these advanced features and experimenting, you’ll unlock the full power of Leonardo. The built-in tutorials and help guides (accessible via the Learn section) are also great resources as you practice.

Real-World Applications

Leonardo AI isn’t just a toy – it’s a versatile tool for professionals in many fields. Here are a few examples of how real users apply it:

• Content Creators & Bloggers: Need an eye-catching blog header or a set of social media graphics? Leonardo can generate custom visuals on demand. For instance, a blogger might prompt “A minimalist flat-design illustration of a laptop and coffee” to quickly get unique web graphics. The built-in templates allow resizing for Instagram, Pinterest, etc., making content creation faster.
  
• Marketers & Advertisers: Marketing teams use Leonardo to create ad visuals, product mockups, and campaign images. It excels at generating marketing assets – anything from promotional posters to personalized social media posts. A marketer can supply a brief and brand guidelines (via reference images) and get dozens of on-brand variations in minutes. Companies like Superside have reported using Leonardo to spin up personalized LinkedIn campaign images that still match the company’s style.
  
• Designers & Game Developers: Concept artists and designers use Leonardo for brainstorming. It can quickly produce concept art, character designs, or environment mockups. In fact, Leonardo supports game-art workflows by creating game assets and UI elements easily. An indie game team could generate diverse creature designs or background scenes to iterate faster.
  
• Educators & Hobbyists: Even in classrooms, teachers and students experiment with Leonardo. Teachers might use it to illustrate historical scenes or create educational worksheets with custom imagery. Art hobbyists and amateurs use Leonardo to bring creative ideas to life without advanced art skills. The platform’s ease of use (and strong free tier) makes it popular for personal projects and learning.
  
• Other Uses: The list keeps growing. 3D artists use Leonardo for texture generation, interior designers for mockup renders, fashion designers for outfit ideas, and more. Essentially, any field that needs visual content can potentially leverage Leonardo. Its flexibility is highlighted by Leonardo’s own site listing uses from “Inspiration” and “Character Design” to “Marketing” and “Architecture”.
  

Leonardo’s large user base (18–19 million users) speaks to its broad appeal. Whether you’re an experienced digital artist or a brand manager, Leonardo AI can accelerate your creative workflow.

Case Study

A marketing team launching a new product can use Leonardo AI’s Style and Content Reference tools to turn a single branded image into dozens of on‑brand social media visuals. By feeding in prompts like “employee portrait with brand colors” and “team montage with [BrandName] logo,” they quickly generated a cohesive LinkedIn campaign—proving you can automate consistent, personalized assets in a fraction of the usual time.

This example illustrates Leonardo in a real-world workflow: by combining initial brand input with AI-powered transformations, the team got professional-level graphics faster. It also highlights Leonardo’s strengths in style matching and batch generation, making it a “marketer’s dream” for campaigns.

Comparing Leonardo AI with Alternatives

When choosing an AI image tool, it helps to compare Leonardo with other popular options. Here’s a quick feature comparison:

In summary, Leonardo AI offers a generous free tier and a powerful web UI (no Discord needed). It stands out for its level of control (fine-tuning, multiple models). Midjourney is beloved for its artistic look, but it requires a paid Discord plan. DALL·E 3 (via ChatGPT) is great at understanding nuanced text but isn’t freely accessible without a subscription. Canva Magic Studio (which includes Leonardo as Dream Lab) excels at ease-of-use and integrates seamlessly with graphic design templates. Each tool has strengths, but Leonardo AI combines high output quality with workflow flexibility.

Integrating Leonardo AI with Canva

Canva’s 2024 announcement of acquiring Leonardo AI highlights the new collaboration between the two platforms. After Canva acquired Leonardo AI, the two technologies have become deeply integrated. In Canva’s Magic Studio, the Dream Lab text-to-image tool is now powered by Leonardo AI. What this means is that when you use Canva’s AI image generator (Dream Lab), you’re effectively using Leonardo’s engine under the hood.

Step-by-Step: To use Leonardo AI within Canva, open Canva.com and start a design. Go to Magic Studio (often labeled “AI” in the left toolbar). Choose “Generate Image (Dream Lab)”. You’ll see a prompt box similar to Leonardo’s. Type your text prompt and click generate. Canva will produce several images using Leonardo’s models. You can then drag them onto your design, resize them, or further edit with Canva’s tools. Because it’s built in, all of Leonardo’s AI power (styles, upscaling, ControlNet) is available without leaving Canva.

Benefits: This integration streamlines the workflow. Designers can stay in one app – combining Canva’s templates and editing features with Leonardo’s AI creativity. It also means designs stay on-brand: you can upload your own logo into Dream Lab or use Style Transfer to match your brand’s color palette. As Canva’s announcement puts it, this partnership brings together “the best of Canva’s AI” and Leonardo’s world-class technology to empower creators. In practice, using Leonardo AI in Canva lets you quickly iterate on visuals (e.g. storyboards, ad visuals) without juggling multiple tools.

Best Practices and Tips

• Manage Your Tokens: Keep an eye on your token balance. Plan your sessions so you don’t run out mid-project. The free 150 tokens replenish every 24 hours, but if you need more, consider subscribing. On paid plans, you get monthly allowances and even “relaxed” generation when tokens run out.
  
• Experiment and Iterate: Try multiple prompts and models. Save any interesting outputs to your Library for reference. If an image isn’t perfect, tweak the prompt or use the Canvas Editor to paint over problem areas.
  
• Learn from the Community: Browse trending images in Leonardo’s community feed for inspiration. Many users share their prompts; seeing what others made can help you craft better prompts. Join the official Discord or forums to ask questions and share tips.
  
• Follow Updates: Leonardo AI is rapidly evolving. New models, styles, and features (like Flow State and more ControlNets) are released regularly. Watch Leonardo’s newsroom or the Canva blog for announcements (for example, the Phoenix model launch).
  
• Combine Tools: Don’t hesitate to use other tools in tandem. For instance, generate a base image in Leonardo and fine-tune it with Photoshop, Canva, or Leonardo’s own editing tools. Or create initial assets in Leonardo and finalize the layout in Canva or Illustrator.
  
• Optimize for Quality: If image quality matters a lot, use Leonardo’s premium options. Try the Alchemy generation mode (for subscribers) and then upscaling. Use high resolution settings when available. Explicitly mention quality keywords in prompts: “ultra-detailed”, “photorealistic 8K” etc.
  
• Safety and Content: Remember that Leonardo filters out disallowed content, but always use it responsibly. Avoid generating anything illegal, offensive, or infringing copyright.
  

By following these practices, you’ll get the most out of Leonardo AI. It’s a learning process: with each generation you’ll learn what wording yields better results, building your own prompt-writing skill over time.

Ethical Considerations and Future Trends

Using powerful AI image tools comes with responsibility. Here are some ethical points and future-looking notes:

• Respect Copyright and Ownership: AI images may unintentionally mimic copyrighted content. With a private (paid) account, you own the IP of your creations, but public images can be used by others. Always verify rights for inputs (logos, photos) before commercial use. For SEO-friendly linking, see Google’s best practices. Avoid using real faces without consent. Value-added links (stats, sources) boost credibility—learn more via SEMrush’s guide.
  
• Avoid Misuse: Leonardo filters out obscene or illegal requests, but users should still avoid generating hate symbols, explicit content, or deceptive deepfakes. If an image contains copyrighted logos or art, it’s up to the user to use it appropriately.
  
• Transparency: If you use AI-generated images in professional work, consider disclosing it. For example, some educators and publishers label AI art to maintain trust.
  
• Future Directions: Leonardo AI’s rapid improvements hint at exciting trends ahead. The introduction of its Phoenix foundational model and modes like Flow State show that images are getting even more lifelike and accurate. We can expect Leonardo (and AI art in general) to expand into video and 3D in the future – indeed, Leonardo already has motion generation and 3D texture features in development. As Canva integrates more of Leonardo’s tech, we might see end-to-end AI-driven design workflows. Also, broader AI ethics and potential regulations (e.g. watermarking AI content) may shape how Leonardo and users operate. For now, by staying aware of these issues and continuing to learn, users can leverage Leonardo AI’s power while navigating its challenges responsibly.
  

Looking ahead, Leonardo AI (now part of Canva) is poised to remain a leading AI art tool. Its continued development of new models and tools suggests that creatives will have ever more powerful ways to visualize ideas. Staying informed and using Leonardo thoughtfully will help you ride this wave of innovation safely and effectively.

5 Alternative Tools to Leonardo AI

If you’re exploring free AI art tools, consider these options alongside Leonardo:

1. Craiyon

Craiyon (formerly DALL·E mini) is a fully free, web-based text-to-image generator that requires no signup and lets you create AI art instantly from any prompt. The community-driven platform offers unlimited generations and a variety of style options shared by users worldwide.

2. DeepAI Text-to-Image

DeepAI’s Text-to-Image Generator is free to use online with no registration. Simply enter your ideas, and watch as it transforms them into engaging illustrations in seconds. You also gain access to a gallery of over 100 stylized models and free editing tools like background removal and super resolution.

3. Dream by WOMBO

WOMBO Dream is a user-friendly mobile and web app that gives you daily free credits for unlimited AI art generation. Enter a prompt, choose from dozens of art styles, and let Dream produce digital paintings or illustrations in seconds. It’s perfect for beginners, offering preset styles and an intuitive interface on both iOS and Android.

4. Stable Diffusion

Stable Diffusion is an open-source model you can run locally for free if you have compatible hardware (GPU with ≥2 GB VRAM) or access free demos on platforms like Hugging Face. There are no usage limits—generate as many images as your setup allows. With community GUIs like Automatic1111, you can customize every aspect of your generation, from model selection to fine-tuning parameters.

5. Playground AI

Playground AI offers a generous free plan—up to 1,000 images per day—with full commercial usage rights. Their web interface hosts multiple AI models, style presets, and basic editing tools, all accessible without cost. Beginners and pros alike appreciate its clean UI and high daily quota, making it one of the best free alternatives for rapid prototyping.

Each of these tools has its niche. Leonardo AI is a great all-rounder for static images with fine control. Midjourney and Firefly are specialists in certain aesthetics. Stable Diffusion gives ultimate flexibility if you want to customize everything. Runway adds motion to the mix. Depending on your needs (video vs. photo vs. art vs. ease-of-use), you might use one or several in combination with Leonardo.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Leonardo AI is a powerful yet accessible tool that has democratized image generation. Its combination of high-quality output, fine-grained controls, and friendly interface makes it ideal for creatives, marketers, educators, and hobbyists alike. By following the steps above, anyone can start creating with Leonardo: from trying out simple prompts in the free plan to mastering advanced techniques like image guidance and custom models.

With millions of users and the backing of Canva, Leonardo AI is here to stay – and likely get even better. Remember to experiment, learn from the community, and use it responsibly. Whether you’re designing marketing graphics, visualizing an idea, or just having fun, Leonardo AI can help bring your imagination to life. Give it a try and see what you can create!