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Leonardo AI for designers: how to generate and who owns the images

How designers can work in Leonardo AI: what the free plan gives, how to write prompts, use references and edits, and who owns the images you generate.

  • What you can do with 150 free tokens a day
  • How to write prompts and steer results with references
  • How public and private generations differ, and why it matters
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How to work with Leonardo AI: 5 steps

  1. 1

    Step 1

    Sign up and understand tokens

  2. 2

    Step 2

    Write prompts with a structure

  3. 3

    Step 3

    Steer the result with references

  4. 4

    Step 4

    Finish the image: edits, background, upscaling

  5. 5

    Step 5

    Know the rules on rights and privacy

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This guide is for you if you

  • Want an AI generator with a free start

    You want to try image generation without a subscription and see how far the free plan goes.

  • Need visuals for your projects

    You build moodboards, illustrations or concepts and want to control the style instead of relying on luck.

  • Plan to use generations in a project

    You want to know whether images can go into commercial work and who else will see them.

In short

  • Leonardo.Ai is a web platform for generating images and video, part of Canva since 2024. There are apps for iOS and Android.
  • The free plan gives 150 tokens a day; unused tokens expire, and the model is picked automatically.
  • The Generate button shows what a generation costs: the price depends on the model, size, number of images and references.
  • On the free plan every generation is public: other users can see and remix it. Private Mode is only on paid plans.
  • For designers, Leonardo is useful at early stages: moodboards, concepts, draft illustrations, style options. The final layout is still your work.

How to work with Leonardo AI: 5 steps

  1. 1

    Step 1

    Sign up and understand tokens

    Sign up at leonardo.ai with a Google account, another single sign-on or email; you work in the web app at app.leonardo.ai or in the mobile apps for iOS and Android. Almost everything in Leonardo is paid for with tokens, the platform's internal currency:

    • the free plan gives 150 tokens a day; they reset every 24 hours and don't accumulate;
    • free users generate only in Auto Image or Auto Video: the platform picks the model for your prompt;
    • you see the cost in advance, usually right on the Generate button; it depends on the model, settings, size, number of images and references;
    • on paid plans tokens arrive monthly, unused ones go to a rollover bank (up to three months' worth), and premium models and features unlock.

    💡 Prices and plan contents change, so check Leonardo's pricing page before paying. For learning, use up your free tokens for a few days in a row first: you'll find out whether you need a paid plan at all.

  2. 2

    Step 2

    Write prompts with a structure

    The quickest start is the home page: type a prompt and click Generate. For more control, open the image creation tool: there you choose the aspect ratio and size, the number of images and the mode, Fast for cheaper quick ideas or Ultra for higher quality at a higher cost. Leonardo's help center suggests building a prompt from five parts:

    • subject: who or what is in the frame;
    • medium: oil painting, photo, 3D, line illustration;
    • style: for example, realism or minimalism;
    • composition: pose, angle, placement in the frame;
    • color and lighting: the palette and the character of the light.

    💡 The dice icon next to the prompt field offers Improve Prompt, which expands a short prompt into a detailed one. Don't accept the result blindly: look at which details the model added and keep only those that fit the task. That's how you learn to write prompts yourself.

    Swap prompts, not just pictures

    People in the community share tools, prompts and honest results, including what didn't work. Share your prompt along with the result and get tips on what to change. It's free.

    Share my prompt and result

    Free. 1,504 designers are already in the community.

  3. 3

    Step 3

    Steer the result with references

    Style, composition or a specific object are hard to explain in words, which is why Leonardo has Image Guidance. Newer Omni models accept up to six references (depending on the model), and in the prompt you describe how to combine them: "the character from the first image holds the product from the second, in the palette of the third". What else helps:

    • Describe with AI: upload an image and Leonardo describes it in text; it isn't a reference, but a hint on how to put a style you like into words;
    • the community feed: open someone's generation and look at its prompt, a quick way to learn which words do what;
    • references for your brand: a palette, a product photo, a composition sketch, not someone else's work you want to copy.

    💡 Upload only images you have the rights to. Don't put client layouts under NDA into public mode at all; more on that in step 5.

  4. 4

    Step 4

    Finish the image: edits, background, upscaling

    Even a good prompt rarely gives you 100% of what you need. Instead of a dozen new generations, try editing a good variant:

    • Inline Editor: open a generated image and describe in words what to change, such as removing an object, changing the light or adding or editing text; you can add references for the edit;
    • background removal: to get an object on a transparent background for a layout;
    • Upscale: once you've picked a variant, not for every generation;
    • Edit in Canva: send an image to Canva in one click and add text and other elements; you don't need a paid account in either.

    💡 A sensible order for saving tokens: generate ideas in Fast mode, pick the best variant, then edit and upscale only that one.

    Leonardo giving you the wrong thing? Show your prompt to the community →
  5. 5

    Step 5

    Know the rules on rights and privacy

    This is where Leonardo differs from many generators, and a designer needs to know it before handing an image to a client:

    • you can use generations commercially on every plan, including the free one;
    • on the free plan every generation is public: Leonardo.Ai gets broad perpetual rights to your prompts and images, and other users can see them, copy the prompt and remix them;
    • Private Mode is only on paid plans; private generations on a paid plan are fully yours and aren't used by Leonardo;
    • deleting your generations also requires a paid plan;
    • copyright law on AI images differs between countries, so for important commercial projects consult a lawyer.

    💡 If you want a consistent style of your own, Leonardo lets you train an Element, its take on LoRA. The help center recommends a set of at least 10 consistent images (ideally 1024×1024 px), and of course only your own work. To see where a generator helps and where it doesn't, take a task with a deadline: in May 2025 the community ran an AI challenge to build a landing page with AI tools.

You're not alone with these questions

We counted what people ask about most in our community. AI tools are the fourth most popular topic, after learning, portfolios and Figma. So comparing generators and swapping prompts is very much on topic.

You're not alone with these questions
Learning and courses938
Portfolio and case studies705
Figma647
AI tools380
Jobs and vacancies314
UX research131

Messages by topic in Spaceberry Community, July 2024 — November 2026. Keyword search.

Practice with a deadline and live feedback

The best teacher is a task with a deadline that other people see. That's why the community regularly runs design games: the same brief for everyone, a deadline and a vote.

  • Design game · January 2026

    NAOMA website redesign

    The academy's home page through the eyes of an applicant, a student and a teacher. Three finalists; the community chose the winner.

  • AI challenge · May 2025

    A landing page made by AI

    Logo, copy and visuals made only with AI tools. Four entries, an anonymous vote, and participants shared their prompts.

  • Workshop · April 2026

    Figmosha: AI in Figma

    The tool's author showed how to generate interfaces in Figma and analyze a design system.

Share my prompt and result

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Questions and answers

Didn't find your answer? Ask it in the community.

Is Leonardo AI free?

There's a free plan: 150 tokens a day that don't carry over to the next day, with the model picked automatically. Generations on it are public. Paid plans give monthly tokens, premium models, Private Mode and token top-ups. See Leonardo's pricing page for current prices. For learning, the free allowance is usually enough if you generate ideas in Fast mode and only edit the variant you pick.

Can I use Leonardo images in commercial projects?

Under Leonardo's rules, yes, on every plan. The difference is in rights: private generations on a paid plan are fully yours, while public ones (and on the free plan all of them are public) can be used by Leonardo.Ai and seen and remixed by other users. Details are in Leonardo's terms of service.

Leonardo vs Midjourney: which is better for designers?

The main practical difference is getting started: Leonardo has a free daily token allowance, while Midjourney needs a subscription to generate on its website or in Discord: there's no free trial there right now. Leonardo also brings several models, an editor, background removal and sending to Canva into one place. Compare them on the same task; more on Midjourney in [Midjourney for designers](/en/guides/midjourney-for-designers).

How is Leonardo connected to Canva?

Canva announced its acquisition of Leonardo.Ai in July 2024; Leonardo runs as a separate product. In practice, for a designer this means Edit in Canva: you can send a generated image to Canva in one click. Canva basics are in [Canva for beginners](/en/guides/canva-for-beginners).

Is the Spaceberry community paid?

No. Spaceberry Community is free: it's supported by Spaceberry Foundation, a non-profit public organization. All you need to join is a Telegram account. The community has 1,504 designers, and AI tools are its fourth most popular topic. People share prompts and results, post work for feedback and take part in design games such as the May 2025 AI challenge to build a landing page. Most conversations are in Ukrainian.

Try Leonardo on a real task

Join 1,504 designers who learn, share their work and play design games. Show your generation and find out what to improve. The community talks in Ukrainian.

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