A first ad draft is easier to judge when you can see it at the right aspect ratio. The free ad generator on CanvaPro builds a still from a written brief, with an optional reference image, and shows a preview when the queue finishes. You do not need an account, and the usual download does not pick up a watermark from the page.
The prompt is required. If you have a layout to follow, you can also upload a reference ad template as a JPG, PNG, or WEBP up to 8 MB — that file is optional. Choose Square 1:1, Portrait 9:16, or Landscape 16:9, complete the security check, and click Generate Ad. Jobs often finish in about a minute. Treat the result as a creative draft, not a finished paid ad.
What to put in the prompt
Describe the product, the setting, the mood, and any short headline you want to see. The form includes a Generate AD Prompt button if you want help wording the brief. Read that text and edit it before you generate. Vague lines such as “make a nice ad” give the model little to work with. A concrete brief — a mint bottle on sunlit stone, a summer hat nearby, a short claim in one corner — is easier to evaluate.
Keep competing lettering to a minimum inside the image. The model can invent typography that looks almost right and still misspells a brand or a price. If the offer must be exact, plan to add the final words in your own layout tool after you download the still.
When you have a real packshot to guide the frame, the use-case article on how to make an ad creative from a product photo is the closer path.
How to generate an ad, step by step
- Write a direct prompt that names the product, the scene, and the aspect you need. Use Generate AD Prompt only as a starting point, then edit.
- Optionally upload a reference JPG, PNG, or WEBP of 8 MB or less if you want the new still to follow an existing layout.
- Choose Square, Portrait, or Landscape. Square is the default 1:1. Portrait is 9:16 and Landscape is 16:9.
- Complete the security check and click Generate Ad once. Preview the still, then download it if the composition is useful. Keep your brief and any reference file with the result.
Rights, claims, and paid media
Only use a reference image you have the right to adapt. Do not upload another brand’s ad as a template if you do not have permission. Review every claim, logo, and face before the still goes near a paid placement. A generated bottle, a generated person, and a generated price can all be wrong in ways that matter legally.
This page is for drafts and tests. It does not book inventory, score a campaign, or guarantee that a network will accept the creative.
Use the AI ad generator for a draft frame, then add claims and typography yourself after you have checked the facts.
If the still looks generic
Tighten the prompt, specify the surface, the light, and the crop, and try the aspect that matches the placement. A 9:16 draft for a story should be composed as a tall frame from the start, not cropped later from a square. If you would rather generate a general image without the ad-focused form, the GPT image generator is a closer match for an open-ended still from text.
Uploads travel over HTTPS. Files are processed to complete your request and are not sold.
A tight packshot often needs a little margin for a headline; the AI image extender can add that space before you generate the ad.
After you download the creative
Open it at the size it will actually run. Check edges, hands, labels, and any text the model invented. If you need a different ratio, generate again at that ratio instead of stretching the first file. Save the prompt next to the image so you can rerun a shot that almost worked.
When several variants come back close, pick one direction and write a slightly narrower brief for the next pass. A stack of loosely related drafts is harder to present than two or three frames that share a clear look.
A quiet still with room for type is easier to build if you first extend the photo beyond its borders and leave a margin for the headline.
A short checklist
- Write or edit a prompt. A reference photo is optional and must be a JPG, PNG, or WEBP under 8 MB.
- Pick Square 1:1, Portrait 9:16, or Landscape 16:9.
- Click Generate Ad once and wait about a minute for the preview.
- Review claims, logos, and rights before any paid use, and keep the original brief.
If the typography is close but not safe to ship, export the still and set the real headline in a layout tool you control. That split — a generated scene plus exact type — is often faster than asking the model to spell a legal claim perfectly.
If you are testing placements, generate the same brief at each ratio you actually need instead of cropping a square into a story later. The composition changes when the frame is tall or wide, and a headline that fits 1:1 can sit too low in 9:16. Keep a simple sheet of the prompt, the ratio, and the file name so a team can see which draft belongs to which placement.
When you are ready, write one clear brief, generate a single frame at the right ratio, and save it only after you have read every word on the image.