For years, Adobe has been blatantly bullying the design market with its tools and creative suite, and the only one who was able to put up a bit of a fight was Affinity by Serif, but that too was paid, albeit one time, and now, the game has truly changed with Canva acquiring Affinity and developing it’s own Creative OS, to not only take the fight to the likes of Adobe, but to also become the go to design software offering.
At its core, the Creative Operating System has been built with a strong focus on accessibility and scale. Whether you are a small business owner, a content creator, or part of a large enterprise design team, Canva’s new features are designed to make professional design faster, smarter, and more collaborative. The company says the upgrade aims to make “designing anything easier than ever,” while embedding intelligence into every layer of the process.
The foundation of this new era is Canva’s redesigned Visual Suite. It expands the platform’s scope far beyond social media graphics and presentations. Canva now supports more complex and modern formats like video, email campaigns, and interactive designs. This positions Canva closer to professional creative suites used by marketing and design agencies, but with a fraction of the learning curve.
One of the headline features is Video 2.0, a completely rebuilt video editor that combines ease of use with professional flexibility. It introduces Magic Video, a new AI-driven tool that can take a simple written prompt and instantly create a polished, editable video. This feature is aimed at users who want studio-quality results without needing to master complicated timelines or editing software. It’s a major step forward for creators who need to produce high-quality content quickly.
The Creative Operating System also introduces a new AI engine that Canva says is capable of understanding not just images and text, but the actual principles of design, which are balance, alignment, and layout. This is where Canva begins to separate itself from other AI tools that simply generate visuals. The Canva Design Model can create fully editable designs that follow professional design rules automatically, helping users maintain aesthetic consistency without needing formal training.
AI tools are now deeply integrated into the Canva editor itself. Users can generate textures, videos, and even 3D elements by typing chatbot-style prompts. The AI then ensures that these new elements match the existing visual style of the project, resulting in cohesive designs without the usual manual adjustments. It’s like having a virtual designer working beside you in real time.
Another standout addition is Ask Canva, an integrated AI assistant that lives inside the workspace. Users can tag @canva while editing to access creative suggestions, get help with copywriting, or receive design feedback instantly. This feature brings a conversational workflow to the creative process, allowing users to brainstorm ideas and refine content without switching between tools or tabs.
Perhaps the most unexpected and impactful announcement is that Affinity, the professional design software suite Canva acquired earlier this year, is now being made free for Canva users. Affinity’s suite includes tools for vector graphics, layout design, and photo editing, giving users access to industry-standard software for free. The integration means assets created in Affinity can move seamlessly into Canva projects, bridging the gap between professional design and accessible creativity.
For businesses and marketing teams, Canva has added new workflow features that extend beyond design. The platform can now act as a full newsletter creation and distribution hub. Users can design branded emails directly within Canva and export them as HTML for professional campaigns. Forms and data tools have also been added, feeding information back into Canva Sheets for internal reporting or campaign tracking.
This new update clearly signals Canva’s ambitions to be more than a casual design platform. The company is positioning itself as a creative infrastructure provider, one that combines AI innovation, collaboration tools, and professional-level software under a single roof. It’s a major move in an industry that’s seeing rapid transformation due to the rise of generative AI in visual design.
The timing of Canva’s upgrade is notable, as Adobe has recently announced a wave of AI-powered improvements across Photoshop and its Firefly suite. The competition for dominance in the creative software market is heating up, and Canva’s decision to make its Affinity suite free gives it a powerful edge in accessibility and value.
What makes the Creative Operating System stand out is its balance between automation and user control. Rather than replacing designers, it works as a digital partner, removing repetitive tasks and allowing creators to focus on ideas and storytelling. Canva’s emphasis on a “people-focused” design philosophy underlines that AI, when applied thoughtfully, can amplify creativity rather than overshadow it.
With the Creative Operating System, Canva has stepped firmly into the future of creative technology, one where anyone, regardless of skill level, can design, animate, and publish professional-grade content using AI that truly understands design.
