> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.parallellabs.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Canvas

> Design social graphics, story art, quote cards, and link previews with an AI design assistant.

[Images](/engage/content-engine/images) generates a picture from a prompt. **Canvas** designs a *layout* — text, shapes, and imagery composed at an exact size for a specific placement, which you export as a PNG (or an MP4, if it's animated).

Use it for the graphics that carry words: quote cards, announcement posts, story art, link previews.

## Creating a Canvas

1. Select your company from the sidebar
2. Go to **Content Engine** → **Canvas**
3. Click **New Canvas**
4. Give it a **Canvas Name** — for example, "Product Launch Story"
5. Pick a **Size**
6. Turn on **Animated** if you want motion
7. Click create

## Sizes

Pick the size for where it will be posted — designing at the target size avoids the cropping that ruins text.

| Size                       | Dimensions  | Where it's used              |
| -------------------------- | ----------- | ---------------------------- |
| **Square (1:1)**           | 1080 × 1080 | Instagram and LinkedIn feed  |
| **Portrait (4:5)**         | 1080 × 1350 | Instagram feed, taller crop  |
| **Story (9:16)**           | 1080 × 1920 | Stories, Reels, TikTok       |
| **Landscape (1.91:1)**     | 1200 × 630  | Link previews and Open Graph |
| **Landscape (16:9)**       | 1280 × 720  | YouTube thumbnails           |
| **X/Twitter Post (16:9)**  | 1200 × 675  | X posts                      |
| **LinkedIn Post (1.91:1)** | 1200 × 627  | LinkedIn posts               |
| **Facebook Post (1.91:1)** | 1200 × 628  | Facebook posts               |

## Designing with the Assistant

The builder is a chat on the left and a live preview on the right. Describe what you want and the assistant designs it; keep talking to refine it.

Work in small, specific steps. "Make the headline bigger and move the logo to the bottom right" gets you further than restating the whole brief each time. **Refresh Preview** re-renders if the preview drifts out of date.

You can change the **Size** from the top bar, and rename the canvas at any time.

## Exporting

Click **Export PNG** to render the finished canvas. Animated canvases export as a looping video with **Export MP4** instead.

The export is a normal file — attach it to [content](/engage/content-engine/content), post it, or use it anywhere else.

## Tips

1. **Choose the size before designing.** Resizing afterwards reflows the layout.
2. **Keep the text short.** Social graphics are read at a glance and at thumbnail scale.
3. **Iterate one change at a time**, so you can tell what actually improved it.
4. **Use animation sparingly** — for stories and reels, where motion is expected.

## Next Steps

* [Generate images from prompts](/engage/content-engine/images)
* [Set up Brand Images for consistency](/engage/content-engine/brand-images)
* [Attach visuals to your content](/engage/content-engine/content)