Wish you could make custom, one-of-a-kind designs with a few clicks? I may just be able to help you there! I recently got to test a new feature for the Glowforge, and it’s a total game changer. Let’s look and see what the Glowforge Magic Canvas is all about!
My Glowforge Experience
Glowforge Magic Canvas
My Glowforge quickly became a tool I couldn’t live without when I added it to my shop a few years ago. Check out my initial thoughts, here! Initially, lasers and tech like CNC’s were incredibly intimidating for me as I don’t really consider tech savvy to be my gift. Thankfully, the Glowforge was so simple to use and operate that it became indispensable to my creative process almost instantly.
Since then, their entire online platform has only gotten better. Their premium subscription has been a great option for Glowforge users too. While there is a monthly charge, it added an extra layer of ease to creating by allowing you to design right within the online app versus needing a secondary program. I have loved this, as often times the learning curve with design software is significant, and truth be told, my handwriting is barely legible, let alone drawing!
So how could it get better? In comes Magic Canvas to take the Glowforge’s capabilities just a bit further, so what is it?
What is Magic Canvas?
Glowforge Magic Canvas
Have you ever used AI technology? As technology evolves AI has become a large part of how most social platforms and programs are changing. Imagine taking a thought and turning it into an entire article with a click of a button? Or creating the ideal campaign to engage customers? AI is and will be a huge part of the way these and so many other things happen in the future.
So Magic Canvas takes the premise of AI and uses it to create custom designs for you. Ever try and find an image of something that doesn’t exist? This is where Magic Canvas comes in to make your idea a reality. I was lucky enough to test it before it launches, and I am thrilled to share it with you too!
How To Use Magic Canvas
Glowforge Magic Canvas
From your Glowforge App, start a new design, and select the Magic Canvas icon on the top menu.
Enter a series of phrases to tell Magic Canvas what you’re looking for.
Hit “Make Magic” and much like pressing the beautiful blue button on your Glowforge, you’re well on your way to something awesome!
You can ask Magic Canvas to create more images from your description too, giving you an unlimited number of options to really get the image you’re wanting.
There are 12 styles to utilize. My favorite is to use “no style” as it’s the most realistic, but if you’re looking for something more graphic, check out the “hero” style, for something that looks more cartoonish- the “cute” is a great place to start.
Once you’ve settled on an image, you can edit the image to crop and tweak the design to get exactly what you want.
Another benefit to Magic Canvas, is if you like an image but want to tweak it beyond the basic options, you can easily download the image to your computer and edit it in another design software. To me, this is great for both really customizing a design and keeps the online software super easy to navigate for most edits.
My First Magic Canvas Project
Glowforge Magic Canvas
I debated so much on what to make for my First Magic Canvas Project! There is so much potential that I wanted to make about 50 things! In addition to being a woodworker, I am also a chicken mom, and with the cost of eggs being so high, I knew this was a great first project!
Since I often have extra eggs I give to family and friends, I wanted to do something funny I could put on the cartons. I played around with prompts, and ended up with “Chicken, sitting on eggs, holding stack of dollar bills”. Magic Canvas is pretty amazing because you can adjust your prompt or the style and get different results every time.
Here are a few images that populated with that prompt- I ended up finding something slightly different than I initially had in mind, because Magic Canvas ended up coming up with even better ideas than I had! I used veneer material to create a sticker I could put on the egg cartons- and the feedback has been awesome! I mean to be honest, you really can’t look at this and not smile!
Next on my list is to play with Magic Canvas and the geometric feature to create some really neat multi-dimensional mosaics! I often design by hand or in a design program to cut on my Glowforge, and while it works, it can be incredibly time consuming. I think this will be a great way to really see the potential of the program as I have more time to use it!
Final Thoughts
Glowforge Magic Canvas
Glowforge has a lot of us fans that use their GF as a tool and make it work for them! I often consider it my favorite tool in the shop as it can do so much without a huge amount of effort. Whether you’re a creative, a small business owner, a mom or a million other things, having a Glowforge is like having an employee that always shows up!
As much as I love to consider myself an artist, my techniques are limited to design and woodworking, and honestly that’s okay! But when you want to take something a bit further and create something truly unique, it’s amazing to have an option to make that a reality with only a few words.
Whether you’re like me and tech is maybe not your strong suit, or you’re looking to streamline your design process to be quicker and more efficient, this is a huge step in the right direction. Magic Canvas really answers a need for a lot of people looking to get into laser and design, and for all of us Glowforge owners it’s a game changer!