Recraft is an AI image generation platform built explicitly for designers and teams. Unlike most generators that only output raster images, Recraft supports vector generation and export (SVG) alongside photorealistic and illustrative styles — making it especially useful for brand-safe, editable assets.
TL;DR
This is my hands-on review of Recraft, a design platform that brings image generation, editing, and vector design into one workspace, replacing the usual shuffle between different tools.
Here’s what stood out while testing (you’ll see my examples later on):
- Customizable style control – Apply built-in or personalized visual styles to keep every asset perfectly on-brand.
- Precision in vectors and color – Generate or convert designs into editable SVGs, recolor elements with exact HEX codes, and preserve brand palettes effortlessly.
- Mockups and marketing visuals – Transform ideas or products into realistic visuals for campaigns, packaging, and presentations.
- Photorealistic image generation – Produce high-quality, marketing-ready visuals that look natural and professional — never “AI-made.”
- Powerful editing suite – Outpaint, inpaint, remove backgrounds, adjust proportions, and refine elements — all within one workspace.
If you spend your days nudging pixels, aligning icons, and polishing color palettes, you know the modern design workflow can feel like a marathon of tiny decisions. Recraft steps in as a design-first image generation platform built for exactly those realities: brand consistency, precise color control, editable vectors, photorealistic campaigns, and post-generation editing—all in one place. You’re not “pressing a magic button.” You create with Recraft—and you keep full creative control.Recraft’s own V3 model has repeatedly ranked among the top models on public benchmarks, and the company announced $30M Series B funding in May 2025 as it passed 4M+ users. That momentum is backed by features designers actually need: vector output, style systems, palette fidelity, and in-canvas editing.
Why Recraft belongs in a professional workflow
Built for pros, not one-off memes. Recraft’s product direction is about controllability and brand readiness—vectors, color swatches, styles, and editable layers. You can generate a consistent look, then refine with selection tools, inpainting/outpainting, background removal, and upscalers.
Top-ranked model, real traction. Recraft’s V3 model topped a leading public leaderboard for multiple months and drew wide press coverage for beating well-known rivals on benchmarked quality. That performance—and a $30M round led by Accel—accelerated adoption across creative teams.
Used by serious teams. As of May 2025, Recraft reports 5M+ users and customers including Amazon, NVIDIA, Salesforce, Uber; its About page also highlights Ogilvy, HubSpot, Netflix, Asana, Airbus among organizations whose designers use it. Third-party coverage estimates hundreds of millions of images created on the platform.
The daily designer problems Recraft addresses
1) Design consistency without the headaches
Brand systems demand uniform style, shapes, line weight, and texture—across icons, illustrations, and hero visuals. With Recraft you can:
- Choose from curated styles (photorealism, illustration, vector art, logos) or build a custom style from a few references.
- Save styles and reuse them across campaigns, landing pages, or social sets.
Result: Cohesive design language across everything—without regenerating from scratch every time.
2) Precise color control (and palette compliance)
Color accuracy is non-negotiable. Recraft lets you apply exact brand palettes, extract palettes from reference images, and remap colors across a vector set in one pass. This is especially helpful for accessibility or screen-printing limits (e.g., reducing to a 12-color poster).
Result: You stay on brand, reduce review cycles, and keep production constraints in check.
3) Vector innovation (generate SVGs, not just PNGs)
This is where Recraft truly shines for professional workflows: native vector generation and one-click vectorization. Start with a text prompt and get editable SVGs, or upload a raster (PNG/JPG) and convert it into clean curves with controllable color groups.
Drop-in prompt recipes (SVG-first)
Replace tokens like [PRODUCT], [#HEX1,#HEX2,#HEX3], [BRAND NAME].
1) Logo mark (clean, scalable)
Style: vector_illustration + bold_stroke
Prompt:
“Minimal geometric logo for [BRAND NAME], strong negative space, single emblem centered, crisp outlines, balanced proportions, simple flat fills.”
Why this style: Bold line hierarchy + flat fills → crisp SVGs.
2) Icon set (UI, 24–48 px grid)
Style: vector_illustration + line_art or thin
Prompt:
“Set of 12 clean UI icons for a [finance app], consistent stroke weight, rounded joins, simple line forms, minimal and modern.”
Tip: Apply your palette in the editor for tighter brand lock.
3) Editorial spot illustration (magazine/web)
Style: vector_illustration + editorial
Prompt:
“Editorial vector illustration for an article about [remote work balance], bold shapes, smart negative space, segmented flat color areas, asymmetrical layout.”
4) Cut-paper poster (brand launch)
Style: vector_illustration + cutout
Prompt:
“Cut-paper style poster featuring the [PRODUCT] as the hero, overlapping organic paper-like shapes, vivid accents, clean flat layers, print-friendly composition.”
5) Tech linework (circuit/diagram vibe)
Style: vector_illustration + line_circuit
Prompt:
“Isometric motherboard-inspired illustration for [cloud infra], precise circuit-style linework, thin strokes, clean technical structure, open space for headline.”
6) Flat brand illustration (landing page)
Style: vector_illustration + roundish_flat
Prompt:
“Friendly flat vector scene of [two teammates collaborating], soft rounded shapes, minimal shadows, clean layout with generous whitespace, hero-section composition.”
7) Posterized stencil (bold campaign)
Style: vector_illustration + colored_stencil
Prompt:
“Bold posterized stencil illustration of [subject], high contrast, 3–4 simplified tonal layers, thick expressive edges, centered dramatic composition.”
8) Infographic cards
Style: vector_illustration + segmented_colors
Prompt:
“Set of 5 infographic cards, each featuring an icon and headline area, structured layout, equal spacing, consistent corner radius, clean and modern.”
9) Vector-photo hybrid (stylized portraits)
Style: vector_illustration + vector_photo
Prompt:
“Stylized vector portrait of [founder], simplified facial planes, smooth shading, clean outlines, clear likeness preserved in a modern graphic style.”
10) Linocut merch graphic
Style: vector_illustration + linocut
Prompt:
“Linocut-style illustration of [mascot] for a T-shirt, carved stroke texture, bold two-tone look, thick border, strong central composition.”
4) Natural photorealism you can direct
Need campaign-ready lifestyle shots or product hero images? Recraft’s Photorealism category and Artistic Level Slider give you composition control, from straightforward stock-like imagery to dynamic editorial looks—all within your brand style. Result: Unique, on-brand images that replace generic stock.
5) Edit instead of restarting
Deadlines change. Stakeholders change their minds. Instead of regenerating, select and edit what you already love:
- Modify Area (lasso/brush/wand selections)
- Inpainting & Outpainting for retouching or changing aspect ratios
- AI Eraser, Background Remover, Upscalers for fast polish
These are built right into Recraft’s canvas so you can iterate in place.
Result: Faster approval loops and fewer PSD ping-pong files.
Recraft features, explained for real projects
Consistent styles across multi-asset campaigns
- Create a style once—apply it across a product launch kit: logo lockups, email banners, social carousels, explainer graphics.
- Maintain the same style and prompt template.
- Keep photography and illustration in the same mood by applying the same saved style and color palette.
Brand-true color control
- Import HEX codes from your brand guide; recolor vector graphics in a single operation.
- Extract a palette from your hero photograph, then apply it to icons for tight visual harmony.
Vector-first production
- Generate SVG icon sets natively— combine shapes, and export without raster artifacts.
- Vectorize a hand-drawn sketch or legacy PNG logo to modernize brand assets.
Photorealistic campaigns (without stock)
- Compose lifestyle scenes for specific demographics, props, and locations.
- Use the Artistic Level Slider to dial the mood from restrained to cinematic.
Post-generation editing you’ll actually use
- Clean masks with lasso/brush selection; retouch product shots; extend canvases for social headers with Outpainting; remove backgrounds for marketplace listings.
What about model quality, integrations, and scale?
- Model quality & rankings. Recraft V3 has held the #1 spot on a leading public leaderboard for consecutive months, and TechCrunch reported how the model beat marquee rivals on an independent benchmark.
- External models. On paid plans you can also route edits through other top models (e.g.,Nano Banana, Seedream) for specific workflows—handy when you want to compare results.
- Scale & collaboration. Recraft provides an infinite canvas for multi-asset projects and real-time teamwork; press materials cite millions of users and enterprise adoption.
Example use cases
- Rebrand rollout: Generate a fresh vector iconography system, recolor it with the new palette, and produce on-brand social banners and landing page heroes—all under one saved style.
- Packaging & mockups: Create photorealistic product scenes, then remove/change backgrounds for marketplace and D2C storefronts.
- Legacy asset refresh: Vectorize older PNG logos/posters to clean SVGs; reduce color counts for screen-printing or embroidery.
How to create your own styles:
Quick start (designer-friendly)
- Pick a style or make your own. Start in Photorealism, Illustration, Vector Art or load a custom style from a few references.
- Prompt with intent. Specify subject, mood, camera/lighting (if photoreal).
- Generate → Edit in place. Use selections, inpaint, outpaint, and upscalers to finalize variations.
- Export. PNG/JPG for web mockups, SVG for brand systems and UI, and keep your style saved for the next sprint.
Bottom line
Recraft isn’t a shortcut around design; it amplifies your craft. With vector-first generation, style systems, palette control, photorealism, and post-generation editing, you spend less time redoing and more time directing. That’s why teams across industries are adopting it—and why V3’s benchmark streak mattered: it signaled a model built for dependable, real-world creative work.
Ready to try it?
👉 Start here: recraft.ai
