What Is Leonardo AI? A Beginner’s Guide to the Tool

Leonardo AI is a creative platform where you can turn a written idea into images. Generation and editing tools help you refine the result.

A token is a platform credit for image or video generation; its cost depends on the model and settings. You can start with a text description, review the images, and adjust your idea over time. This gives you a simple way to test a visual direction before building a larger workflow. You do not need design or AI experience to begin.

Key Takeaways

• Choose among different image models and creative tools.
• Start with a short prompt, then refine useful results.
• Edit an image, extend its edges, or add motion.
• Plan token use around your model and settings.
• Check privacy controls before creating sensitive work.

A simple first project, such as exploring a visual idea for a personal project, is enough to learn the basic workflow.

What Is Leonardo AI?

Leonardo AI is a platform that brings multiple generation models and creative tools together, rather than one image model with a single prompt box. You can choose a model and use image editing, video generation, and workflow features in the same creative space.

The platform gives you more than one route from an idea to a finished visual. Its tools can support the stages between early image generation and later edits. The models differ in the kinds of results they can produce, and the available controls can vary by model.

A model can shape a result, but it does not define the whole platform.

Leonardo.Ai launched in December 2022. Canva acquired Leonardo.Ai in 2024, and the product continued as a separate product after the acquisition.

That short history helps explain why the name can appear in different places, but you can use the platform on its own. It combines a model catalog with generation and editing features in one interface.

Some models suit a particular look or task better than others. New models may appear, and older options can change or leave the catalog as the product develops.

Treat the model catalog as a changing set of options, not a permanent list.

What Can You Create With Leonardo AI?

Leonardo AI can create game assets, concept art, marketing visuals, product images, and personal illustrations. The best starting point is the kind of image your project needs, not a search for one perfect model.

Generated images work well for exploring ideas, while production assets still need review. Check whether each output fits your brief, visual style, and intended use before treating it as ready to publish.

Game Assets and Concept Art

A game developer might use Leonardo AI to explore a character, then create matching props and environments in a related visual style. You can try a range of shapes, outfits, settings, and lighting before settling on a direction.

Common game assets include characters, weapons, buildings, background scenes, and user interface elements. Concept art can help a team talk through a world or a character before anyone builds the final asset.

A generated design may still need cleanup or rebuilding for use in a game. Check details such as the character’s hands, outfit parts, and the edge of an object. A compelling concept image does not guarantee a game-ready file.

Marketing and Product Visuals

Marketing teams can use the platform to test campaign images, product scenes, social visuals, and graphic design ideas. A small shop, for example, could explore several backgrounds for one product before choosing a direction for a campaign.

Some style-specific models support looks such as anime or graphic design, while others can produce photorealistic visuals. You can use the results to explore color, framing, and mood before preparing final materials.

For campaign work, pair a draft visual with clear copy and a human review. You can also read about an AI content generator for marketing copy when a campaign needs words as well as images.

Personal Art and Illustrations

For personal projects, you can create stylized illustrations, portraits, posters, or visual references for a story. A short prompt can test an idea, while further rounds can help you compare different styles and compositions.

Teams can train a model on their own brand assets to help guide a shared visual direction. That can support related results, but it does not promise perfect consistency across every image.

Review each asset against the project brief before using it in a larger design. Use generated visuals as working assets that still need review against the project’s brief.

Which Leonardo AI Features Shape Your Workflow?

A useful way to think about Leonardo AI’s features is to separate open-ended exploration from controls that steer a specific result. You can browse models for a new look, then use settings or references to guide the next generation.

Check which controls work with your chosen model before you build a repeatable process. Some tools and settings may not appear with every model, so a workflow can change when you switch models.

Choosing a Model and Style

The model catalog gives you different starting points for image generation. One model may suit a realistic product visual, while another may better match an illustrated or stylized look.

Generation controls can include the image’s aspect ratio, which sets its shape, and a visual style. A square image may suit a profile graphic, while a wide frame can fit a banner or scene.

Try a few models when you are unsure which look fits. Keep the subject and scene similar during each test so you can judge the style, rather than changing every part at once.

Prompt Enhance and Flow State

Prompt Enhance expands a simple idea into a more detailed description. It can help when you have a subject in mind but need more words to describe the scene or look.

Flow State takes a more exploratory path. It generates a stream of visual variations from a prompt and style settings, letting you scan many directions before choosing one to develop.

The two tools serve different needs. Prompt Enhance adds detail to a chosen idea, while Flow State helps you see how that idea might look in several forms.

If you are comparing model and style options, this guide to AI image generation also covers aspect ratios, prompts, and reference images.

Realtime Canvas

Realtime Canvas turns rough sketches into generated visuals. You can draw a quick shape or layout, then watch the system use that input to create a more finished image.

This approach can give you more control over placement than a text prompt alone. A few rough blocks can suggest where a character stands or where a product sits in the frame.

It is useful when you have a clear composition but want help exploring its finish. You can begin with a sketch rather than describing every visual detail in words.

Reference Images and Reusable Styles

Reference images can guide a generation toward a look, subject, or arrangement. Reusable style tools can help you carry a visual direction across related images.

These tools can support consistency in a series, but they do not make every output identical. Review the controls available for your selected model, since support can differ.

Before building a repeatable project around a control, check that it is available with the model you plan to use.

How Do You Write Prompts and Generate an Image?

A prompt works best when it tells the model what should be visible before piling on stylistic details. Leonardo AI uses natural-language prompts, so you can describe a scene in everyday words.

Specific prompts give the model clearer direction than vague requests. Too many competing instructions can make results inconsistent, so build the description in a few useful layers.

1. Describe the subject and scene. Name the main person, object, or place, then say what is happening. For example, describe a red bicycle leaning beside a brick wall.
2. Add style, lighting, composition, and background details. You might ask for a close view, soft morning light, and a plain background. Keep details that help explain the result you want.
3. Select a model and relevant settings. Choose an aspect ratio and number of outputs that fit your task. Add a negative prompt only when you want to exclude specific elements.
4. Generate, compare variations, and refine the description gradually. Keep useful details, then change one part at a time, such as the background or lighting.

Generation settings can include your model choice, aspect ratio, number of outputs, and negative prompts. A negative prompt names features you want the model to avoid, such as extra text or a crowded background.

Token use depends on the model, resolution, number of images, and quality settings. A higher resolution or a larger batch can use more tokens, so review the task cost before generating.

Think of a first result as a draft, not a score for your prompt-writing skill. If the image misses the point, make the prompt clearer instead of adding every detail you can think of.

For example, a request for “a nice room” leaves many choices open. “A small reading room with a blue armchair beside a tall window” gives the model more visible details to work with.

Save a prompt that gives you a useful result so you can reuse or adjust it for the next variation.

How Can You Edit Images and Create Video?

A generated image does not have to be accepted as-is: you can change one area, extend the frame, or add motion. The platform has separate tools for image editing and short video generation.

Inpainting changes a selected area, while outpainting extends an image beyond its original edges. Those terms describe different edits, so choose the one that matches the change you need.

Make Local Changes on the Canvas

Inpainting lets you mask an area and regenerate what is inside that selection. A mask is a mark over the part you want to change, such as a person’s shirt or an object in the background.

This is useful when the rest of an image already works. You could replace a cup on a table without asking the model to recreate the entire scene.

Describe the change in a way that fits the surrounding image. The new area may need more than one attempt before its color, light, and shape match the untouched parts.

Expand, Enhance, and Upscale Images

Outpainting adds new image content beyond the original frame. It can help you change a square image into a wider banner by generating more background around the subject.

Image upscaling increases an image’s size and can improve its clarity for a larger use. It may help when a visual needs a bigger version, though it cannot fix every flaw in the original.

Use the right edit for the job: outpainting adds space, while upscaling changes image size. An extended product visual may suit a wider page layout, but check the new edges before sharing it.

Animate a Still Image

Motion can animate a still image into a short video clip. For example, you could add movement to a product visual for a brief social post.

Image-to-video animation starts with a still image and adds motion. It is not a full video-editing workflow for arranging many clips, sound, titles, and cuts.

Camera controls and animation effects can shape how a generated image moves. Keep the intended action simple, since a still image may not contain every detail needed for complex motion.

Try an animation on a copy of the image, especially when the original still needs to remain unchanged. A short moving clip can also reveal flaws that were easy to miss in a static frame.

Inspect small details after an edit, especially where a changed area meets the untouched parts of the image.

Where Can You Use Leonardo AI?

You can use Leonardo AI in a web browser or through its mobile apps, with the iOS app also supporting iPad. The apps offer generation, editing, and video features, though model lists can differ.

Model lineups can vary by app and version. Check the app’s current listing and in-app choices to see which models and features are available on your device.

The Web Platform

The web platform brings the creative tools together in a browser. It can suit you when you want to work on a larger screen or compare options while keeping your project open.

The iOS App

The iOS app is available for iPhone and iPad through Apple’s App Store. Its listed models include Google’s Nano Banana and Veo 3, Seedream, FLUX, and Leonardo models.

The Android App

The Android app is available through Google Play. Its listed models include Google’s Nano Banana, OpenAI’s GPT image models, and Google’s Veo 3.

Both mobile apps include image generation, video generation, image editing, and Blueprint templates. Editing tools can enhance or expand images and remove backgrounds, while video features can add camera controls and animation effects.

• Generate images from text descriptions.
• Create video with motion effects and camera controls.
• Edit images, expand frames, and remove backgrounds.
• Use Blueprint templates for ready-made workflows.

You can also animate generated images and real photos in the apps. The listed models and features can change across versions, so the exact set may not match on every device.

Download the app only from Apple’s App Store or Google Play, and check the current listing for device compatibility.

How Much Does Leonardo AI Cost?

Leonardo AI has a free tier and paid individual and team plans, with monthly prices ranging from $0 to $60 for individual plans. The Free plan gives you daily tokens, while paid plans list monthly allowances.

Tokens do not translate into a fixed number of images or videos. The amount used changes with model, resolution, image count, video duration, and quality settings.

Individual Plans

The Free plan costs $0 per month and provides 150 fast tokens per day, with a 150-token bank. Daily fast tokens do not carry over to another day.

Essential costs $12 per month and includes 8,500 fast tokens per month, a 25,500-token bank, and two concurrent generations. Premium costs $30 monthly, with 25,000 fast tokens, a 75,000-token bank, and three concurrent generations.

Ultimate costs $60 per month and includes 60,000 fast tokens, a 180,000-token bank, and six concurrent generations. The paid monthly allowances are easier to plan around than daily tokens, but actual output still depends on each task’s settings.

Premium includes relaxed image generation on selected models. Ultimate includes relaxed image and video generation on selected models, but relaxed access does not cover every model.

Top-up tokens do not expire, but you need an active subscription to use them. The current plan token allowances list each tier’s monthly amount and bank.

Team Plans

Team Starter costs $72 per month for three seats and 75,000 shared tokens. Team Growth costs $144 per month for three seats and 180,000 shared tokens.

A shared allowance means team members draw from the same token pool. Estimate how often each person expects to generate images or video before choosing a team tier.

Estimate your likely model, resolution and video use before deciding whether a monthly allowance is enough.

What Happens to Your Images, Privacy, and Ownership?

If you are creating work that should not be shared publicly, check the privacy setting before you generate it. Leonardo AI separates free-plan content from paid private generations in its training controls.

Free-plan content is used for AI training, while paid private content is not used for training without consent. Private mode does not settle questions about ownership, copyright, or legal confidentiality.

Free-Plan Visibility and Training

Free-plan content is used for AI training. That makes the free tier a poor choice for material you need to keep out of training.

Think about the image and its inputs before you generate. A client draft, private photo, or unreleased product design may need stronger controls than a practice image.

Privacy controls can affect how content is handled, but they do not decide who owns an image or whether copyright applies. Those are separate questions that depend on the work and its use.

Paid Private Mode and Data Requests

Paid private mode prevents generations from being used for training. Paid private content is not used for AI training without consent.

That control is not a promise of legal exclusivity or confidentiality beyond the stated privacy and training settings. Read the active controls before relying on them for work that matters.

You can send data-access or deletion requests to privacy@leonardo.ai. Keep the request focused on the account data you want to access or remove.

Review the current privacy controls before uploading client or personal material.

Can You Use Leonardo AI Art Commercially?

Commercial-use permission and copyright protection answer different questions, so having permission to use an output does not automatically make it copyrightable. Leonardo AI marks commercial-use rights as available across its plans.

In the United States, copyright protection for AI-assisted work depends on sufficient human authorship. A generated result can be allowed for commercial use under platform terms and still lack copyright protection.

Commercial Use and Copyright Are Different

The U.S. Copyright Office issued Part 1 of its AI report on July 31, 2024, and Part 2 on January 29, 2025. It posted a pre-publication version of Part 3 on May 9, 2025.

In its January 29, 2025 report, the Office said generative-AI output can receive copyright protection only when a human determines sufficient expressive elements. Its copyrightability report on generative AI explains the case-by-case approach.

Prompts alone are not enough under the Office’s stated conclusion. Human-authored expression that appears in the result can matter, as can creative choices in arranging or changing material.

Using AI as an aid does not by itself block copyright protection. The same applies when AI-generated material appears within a larger work created by a person.

What Human Contribution Can Protect

A person’s original drawing could appear in an AI-assisted image, or a designer could arrange generated parts into a new composition. Those human choices may affect whether the final work qualifies for protection.

Commercial-use rights also do not clear every element in an output. Review current platform terms and avoid using material that infringes another person’s rights.

For client work or a sale, keep a record of the human choices and edits that shaped the final piece and seek legal advice when the stakes warrant it.

Is Leonardo AI Safe to Use?

Leonardo AI can be used as a creative tool, but users still need to follow its terms and handle inputs and outputs responsibly. Safe use depends partly on what you submit and how you use the results.

The terms prohibit infringement, unlawful content, and misrepresenting AI-generated content as human-created. A result that looks polished can still need review for errors or misleading details.

Check the Terms and Your Inputs

Use material that you have the right to submit. That includes reference images, logos, photos, and other creative work used to guide an output.

Leonardo AI’s terms bar content that infringes third-party intellectual-property rights or violates applicable laws. They also prohibit presenting AI-generated content as if a human created it without AI involvement.

• Use reference material and images you have rights to use.
• Check outputs for misleading or infringing elements.
• Disclose AI involvement where the rules or context require it.

A visual may include odd text, changed product details, or features that suggest a real event. A quick review can catch problems before the image reaches a customer or audience.

Know What the Tool Does Not Replace

Leonardo AI focuses mainly on generating and editing image assets. It is not a complete replacement for graphic-design software or a full AI video editor.

You may still need another tool for page layout, typography, detailed retouching, sound, or building a finished video from many clips. The exact handoff depends on what your project needs.

Generated results can save time during exploration, but a person still needs to judge whether the details make sense. A tool cannot decide on its own whether an image tells the right story.

Do not treat a generated image as cleared for every use just because the platform allowed it to generate.

Who Is Leonardo AI Best Suited For?

Leonardo AI is a stronger fit when you need to explore several visual directions or produce related assets than when you need one untouched final file. It works best when you can review, refine, and prepare the results for your own process.

The best fit depends on your need for exploration, consistency, and later editing. It can support professional work, but it does not replace every step in a professional workflow.

Game Artists and Concept Designers

Game artists and concept designers can use the platform to explore characters, props, and game worlds. For example, you could compare several designs for a forest village before choosing a direction for a more detailed concept.

Flow State can help you scan many visual ideas, while later edits can bring a selected option closer to the brief. Those drafts can support team discussion before a production artist rebuilds or refines the asset.

Related images may still need careful review for matching details. A character’s outfit, weapon, or face can shift between generations, even when the visual style seems close.

Illustrators and Visual Development Teams

Illustrators and visual development teams can use reference images to guide a series toward a shared look. For instance, an illustrator might explore several poses for one character while holding a style reference steady.

Character references and style references can help guide consistency across a series. Canvas editing can also change one part of an image instead of asking the model to regenerate the whole asset.

This can support early visual development, but the final line work and story choices may still need a human hand. The platform gives you options to review, not a finished decision about what best serves the story.

Marketing and Ecommerce Teams

Marketing and ecommerce teams can explore campaign visuals, product settings, or social images. A small retailer might test whether a product looks clearer on a plain background or in a warm home scene.

These drafts can help teams compare visual directions before creating final materials. For related business ideas, see how AI-powered marketing services can support content and brand work.

Product details need close review, especially when shoppers rely on the image to judge size, color, or shape. Choose a small, representative task from your real work to see whether its controls match your needs.

How Can Leonardo AI Fit Into a Creative Workflow?

Leonardo AI can handle the exploration and refinement stage while other tools remain responsible for final layout, publishing, or production. That division lets you use image generation without forcing every stage into one product.

Review each selected asset against the brief before it moves into delivery. A practical workflow can keep the early visual work flexible while making final decisions in the tools your team already uses.

Generation belongs inside a larger production process, not at its end.

1. Generate several concepts. Create a range of images that explore different compositions, colors, or visual directions for the same brief.
2. Select against the brief. Choose the option that best fits the audience, purpose, and required format, rather than the most striking image alone.
3. Edit or extend the strongest option. Make a local change, add space around the subject, or prepare a larger image for the next stage.
4. Move the reviewed asset into the tool used for delivery. Finish the layout, publish the design, or prepare the image for animation in the appropriate software.

Blueprint templates package creative steps into ready-made workflows. They can help you repeat a task without rebuilding its sequence each time.

Teams that connect generation to their own software can use the developer platform’s API. It documents image and video generation, canvas inpainting, and Blueprints, but using it is optional for beginners.

For marketing teams, visual work may sit alongside copy, email, or campaign planning. Keep the image’s purpose clear when you pass it into a wider design process.

Keep the prompt, selected model and meaningful edits together so you can reproduce or revise the asset later.

Conclusion

Leonardo AI is worth trying if you want image-generation controls and editing tools in one creative platform. Two points matter most: it combines image creation and editing with model choice, and the right plan depends on your expected use and privacy needs.

Start with one small project on the free plan, such as testing a product visual or exploring a character idea. Check the current terms and privacy settings before using important work.

Start with one small project, then decide whether the results and controls justify a larger role in your workflow.

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