Open your first canvas

Use this path when you want to test flare.design without deciding on a complete workflow first.

What you will make

Start with one small deliverable: a short visual scene that can become a social post, product teaser, or review MP4. Keep the first pass intentionally narrow:

You can add more frames and variants after the first scene works.

Start with one project

Open the app, create a new project, and keep the first canvas narrow in scope. A good first project is one product shot, one title, one supporting sentence, and one short motion idea.

Name the project after the deliverable, not the experiment. For example, Launch teaser 01 is easier to find later than Test.

Add the first visual layer

You can start from an uploaded image, a generated image, or a pasted asset. Put the main subject on the canvas first, then add text only after the image scale and crop feel right.

Use this order:

1. Place the hero image or reference on the canvas.
2. Create a frame around the area you want to publish.
3. Resize or crop the visual until the subject reads clearly at the target aspect ratio.
4. Add title text, then supporting text.
5. Move extra references outside the export frame so they remain useful without appearing in the final video.

If you generate an image, compare it inside the frame before refining the prompt. A result that looks good alone may fail once text, crop, and motion are added.

Preview early

Use preview as soon as the composition has two or three layers. The goal is to catch timing and hierarchy issues before the project has too many moving parts.

For a first pass, keep motion simple:

• Bring the main subject in first.
• Delay supporting text until the subject is readable.
• Avoid animating every layer at once.
• Watch the preview at normal speed, then adjust timing before adding more detail.

If the scene feels busy, duplicate the frame and simplify the duplicate instead of overwriting the original direction.

Export a review pass

Export a short MP4 when the composition is readable, even if it is not polished. Watching the file outside the editor is the fastest way to catch small text, weak contrast, awkward crop, or timing that only feels wrong at playback speed.

Use review exports for decisions, not only for finished work. Keep final exports for the version that already passed a quick review.

First-canvas checklist

• The project has a clear name.
• The frame uses the aspect ratio you plan to publish.
• The main subject is visible in the first second.
• Text remains readable at phone size.
• Reference material sits outside the export frame.
• One MP4 review pass has been watched outside the editor.

Continue in the app

When you are ready, open app.flare.design and create the first canvas from the project dashboard.