7 of the best AI tools for graphic design

Most AI image generators do one thing well: take a prompt and return an image. That’s enough for a quick concept or a mood board reference. But for a product launch with 30 assets that all need to look like they came from the same place, it isn’t. AI tools for graphic design go further—multi-modal workflows, professional editing tools, and enough control to stay consistent across an entire campaign.

Some are built for visual exploration, others for color systems or high-volume asset generation. Below, we break down ten of the best options and where each fits in a production workflow.

Read on to learn:

• What sets a graphic design AI tool apart from a general image generator
• 7 of the best AI tools for graphic design
• How key tools compare across generation quality, workflow integration, and creative control
• Where Figma Weave fits in a professional AI-powered design workflow

This article is published by Figma. Figma Weave is included in this roundup.

How AI fits into a graphic design workflow

AI in graphic design touches almost every stage of the creative process. At the front end, it speeds up concept work, so you have more room to experiment with hierarchy and color. Further along, it handles production tasks like background removal and asset resizing.

Tools like Figma Weave take a different approach. Instead of treating generation as a single step, you chain models and editing tools in a sequence where every node stays adjustable. That turns a one-off prompt into a workflow you can rerun, hand off, and build on.

The graphic design AI tools below range from concept generation to color exploration to video output. Think about where your workflow needs the most support.

1. Figma Weave

Ideal for: Building scalable AI creative workflows

Figma Weave is a node-based AI creative workflow canvas, originally built by Weavy and now part of Figma. It connects AI generation nodes and editing tools into a sequence, each one feeding into the next. You can swap or rerun any node independently, so the whole process stays adjustable at every stage.

The canvas connects to AI models from Google, OpenAI, Runway, Black Forest Labs, Recraft, and more, all in one place. Run the same prompt across multiple models and compare outputs side by side to find the one that best fits your visual direction. Professional editing tools like inpaint, relight, upscale, and mask extractor sit alongside generation as nodes, so you refine outputs without ever leaving the canvas.

Once you’ve built a workflow, Figma Weave can auto-generate a team-facing UI designed for anyone to run it. And because Figma Weave connects with Figma Design, AI-generated assets flow directly into the design environment where teams build and ship products.

Key features

• Node-based workflow canvas. Chain AI models, LLM text nodes, and editing tools into a connected sequence where every step can be adjusted and built upon.
• Multi-model access. Connect to a wide range of AI models all in one place, and run the same prompt across multiple models to compare outputs side by side.
• Professional editing tools. A full suite of editing tools sits alongside AI generation as nodes, so every edit happens in the same sequence without switching apps.
• Tool Mode. Share any sequence with teammates as a simplified UI.
• Figma ecosystem integration. AI-generated assets move directly into Figma Design, keeping creative production and design work in one connected place.

2. Adobe Firefly

Ideal for: Generative editing within Creative Cloud files

Adobe Firefly is Adobe’s native AI model, built directly into Photoshop and other Creative Cloud tools. If your team already works in Adobe, it’s an easy way to run generative edits on files you already have. Its main use case is generative editing—select a portion of an image and use a text prompt to fill, expand, or recolor it. You can also generate original images from scratch using Firefly’s text-to-image tool.

Key features

• Generative Fill. Select any area of an image and use a text prompt to add, remove, or replace elements without affecting the rest of the file.
• Generative Expand. Extend an image beyond its original borders, useful for adapting assets to different aspect ratios or formats.
• Native Creative Cloud integration. Firefly runs directly inside Photoshop and Illustrator, so AI-assisted edits happen in the same file where the rest of the work lives.

3. Midjourney

Ideal for: Visual concept work and brand identity exploration

Midjourney is one of the most widely used AI design tools, largely because its output quality is consistently high. It’s a go-to for designers exploring visual directions early in a project—to build mood boards, develop visual language, or pressure-test a brand identity.

Midjourney’s editing tools are built around refining and iterating on generated images. For layout work and production, you’ll still need to bring outputs into a separate environment.

Key features

• High-quality stylized output. Midjourney produces some of the most visually refined AI-generated images available, with strong results across editorial, illustrative, and brand-forward styles.
• Style and reference controls. Parameters like style reference and image weighting let you guide outputs toward a specific visual direction, useful for maintaining consistency across a mood board or concept set.
• Web app interface. Midjourney’s Web app suits professional workflows better than its original Discord-based setup, with image history, collections, and prompt management built in.

4. Runway

Ideal for: Turning design assets into motion and video

Runway specializes in turning static assets into motion. Its Gen-4.5 video generation model is one of the most capable for turning images into short video clips, which works well for social content and visual effects work.

The editing tools reflect that same video-first focus. Tools like motion brush and inpainting give you precise control over how a clip moves and evolves, which is useful for social content and visual effects work.

Key features

• Gen-4 video generation. Turn static images into short video clips using text prompts, with strong results for cinematic, editorial, and campaign-style output.
• Motion brush. Select specific areas of an image and direct how they move in the generated video, giving you precise control over the final clip.
• Inpainting and green screen. Remove or replace elements within a video frame, useful for adapting footage or cleaning up visual effects work.

5. Canva AI (Magic Design)

Ideal for: Producing simple marketing visuals

Canva’s Magic Design brings automated creation into its main drag-and-drop editor. Type a short prompt or upload a photo, and it builds coordinated layouts for social posts, slide decks, or flyers. It handles the formatting and font choices, so you don’t have to spend time tweaking grids or spacing rules.

This works well for marketing teams on tight timelines. With a dozen assets to ship, clearing the queue matters more than fine-tuning complex layers. It gives you a functional starting point fast. For deeper, node-by-node control, you’d reach for a different kind of tool.

Key features

• Magic Media. Turn text descriptions into photos, graphics, or short clips directly on your active page.
• Magic Switch. Convert a presentation into a summary document or automatically change a graphic’s dimensions for different channels.
• Brand kit integration. Set your team’s standard colors, fonts, and logos so they apply to your generated layouts instantly.

6. Krea

Ideal for: Quick image generation and refinement

Krea is a real-time image generator for fast visual exploration. It updates outputs as you type, so you can adjust direction on the fly without starting a new generation each time.

This works well for shaping early concepts before moving into production. You can iterate on visuals, compare options, and export selected assets into your design environment for more refinement. The tradeoff is that outputs usually need more refinement before they’re production-ready.

Key features

• Real-time image generation. Outputs update as you adjust your prompt, so you can explore directions.
• AI upscaling. Increase image resolution while preserving visual quality.
• Style references. Guide outputs with reference images to maintain a consistent look.

7. Magnific

Ideal for: Refining early-stage image concepts

Magnific specializes in upscaling and adding detail to existing outputs. Feed it a rough concept or early-stage image, and it increases resolution while sharpening detail and texture, helping you take a promising visual further without regenerating from scratch.

It fits later in the creative process, after a team has set a direction and needs a stronger version for presentations or production. You can also use text prompts to guide how Magnific refines an image, giving you control over the final look. That said, the tool works from what’s already in the image, so the quality of the output depends on the quality of what you start with.

Key features

• Creative upscaling. Increase resolution while adding detail and adjusting an image’s visual style.
• Prompt-based control. Use text instructions to shape how an image is refined, so the output reflects a specific visual direction.
• Detail and texture generation. Add depth and definition to images with more control over the finished look.

FAQs

Will AI replace graphic designers?

The short answer is no. AI in design helps speed up tasks like image generation and repetitive production work, but the judgment and craft behind great design still come from people.

What’s the difference between an AI image generator and an AI design tool?

An AI image generator takes a prompt and returns an image. AI tools for graphic designers support more of the production process—multi-model workflows, professional editing tools, color systems, vector generation. The right choice depends on what you’re trying to produce and how much control you need over the output.

How are designers using AI in their workflows?

It depends on the role. Brand designers tend to use it for concept exploration and asset generation, while motion designers lean on it for video and visual effects work. Production tasks like background removal and resizing are the most common entry points, and the best AI for graphic design tends to grow from there.

Build your AI design workflow with Figma Weave

AI tools for graphic design have come a long way from single-model image generators. The ones worth using fit into a real production process with more control over output and consistency at scale. With Figma Weave, you connect AI generation and professional editing in one place, so the whole process stays adjustable from start to finish.

Pair it with the rest of the Figma ecosystem to take ideas from brief to final asset:

• Start in FigJam, where your team aligns on creative direction and brief structure.
• Use Figma Make to prototype new experiences from a prompt, without waiting on engineering.
• Bring finished assets into Figma Design for real-time collaboration, design system integration, and developer handoff.
• Explore the Figma Weave Community page for workflow templates and useful starting points.