Leonardo AI - Tutorial for Beginners - How to Use [ FULL GUIDE 2026 ]

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai)

Hey everybody, this is Zach and welcome to this quick tutorial on Leonardo AI, one of the most powerful platforms for creating stunning images for free and even videos if you have a paid plan.

In just a few minutes I'll show you everything you need to know to get started.

Leonardo AI is a web-based platform packed with AI-powered tools to generate and edit images completely for free or even create videos if you own a paid plan.

Launch the application and enter into the Home Page after signing in.

Here you get several guides and you can browse through the creations made by the community.

On the left side you'll find the list of all available tools in Leonardo AI we will see.

Let's start by generating an image.

Go to Image from the left menu or at the top of the page.

This opens the generation page where you can create images starting from a prompt at the top.

Type a prompt and click Generate to launch the AI.

The generated images appear listed right at the bottom.

If you want to include text in your image generations, make sure to place the words interested within single or double quotation marks.

Each generation consumes tokens which you can check at the top of the page.

Every plan has its own token limit.

The free plan starts with 150 tokens per day that allows you to generate for free.

Upgrade to higher plans for more AI models, options and also generate videos.

All images generated in Leonardo AI are royalty free even for commercial purposes but they are also completely public and visible to the community.

If you prefer to keep them private, enable Private Mode from the left panel if you own a paid plan.

On the left you can also explore various generation options.

Switch the main AI model to use according to what you want to generate.

Some models under image are optimized for rendering text correctly while others are ideal for high quality visual content.

The options available on the left may change depending on the AI model you select.

Switch to Legacy to use less advanced AI models consuming fewer tokens.

Good for experiments and less refined results compared to the models you can find under Image.

Once you've selected a model, choose the basic style or appearance.

For instance, this is what you get with a Cinematic style.

This is the result when using Creative.

You can also adjust the Contrast of the generation and under Generation Mode choose between Fast for quicker, lower cost results or Quality for higher quality output that uses more tokens.

This setting also affects the final image size which you can adjust at the bottom.

Select between small and large formats and choose the aspect ratio including standards for social media and devices.

You can also set how many image variations you want to generate.

Open Advanced Settings to access more options.

Set the basic AI algorithm to use and if you own a paid plan enable or disable PhotoReal, used to generate realistic photo-like images.

You can also activate the negative prompt option which lets you describe what you don't want to appear in the image, using positive wording.

If your result doesn't match what you expect, review your prompt and remove any parts that may conflict.

Enable Transparency if you want the image background to be transparent or turn on Tiling to convert your image into a seamless pattern to be repeated.

Now let's see how to write an effective prompt in Leonardo AI.

Start by defining a subject and describe what it is doing.

Then set the background and environment.

Add any camera details if relevant and specify the lighting and other elements that can help the AI better match your idea.

You can also head to the right button to get support from the AI.

For example you can ask it to improve your current prompt, correcting words or unusual expressions.

You can also ask the AI to edit your prompt directly.

This is very useful if you want to update your prompt to modify a scene from afternoon to night, switch the subject or change color or details like hairstyle.

You can also ask for a random prompt to get fresh ideas and start from something completely new.

You can also use Describe with AI to upload an image you already have so the AI can analyze it and extract a prompt from it.

This is useful to generate new images that are visually similar to the one you have or get consistent characters across multiple generations.

Now let's suppose to have generated an image of a sports car.

On the left side you get a small button with other useful tools.

Under Elements adjust the image style and appearance without editing the prompt or the model.

Let's apply a futurism element and regulate the strength slider to set how strongly the filter is applied.

Avoid using extreme low or high values for the best result.

With Image Guidance you can attach a reference image to guide the AI to take inspiration from it in different ways such as taking its subject, style or overall appearance.

This works best if reference image and prompt are sufficiently aligned.

Select Image to Image to take one image as a complete reference including its subject, environment, lighting and camera style.

In this case the Strength level sets how closely the result matches the reference.

Lower values give the AI more creative freedom and editing permissions while higher values make the result closer to the reference.

Choose Style Reference if you want to take inspiration only from an image's visual style and colors without copying its subject.

In this example the generation takes only the dominating blue color leaving the original sports car as subject.

Alternatively use Content Reference or Character Reference to maintain the main subject or character, changing environment, lighting or camera.

Let's choose Character Reference and upload the image of a man we have previously generated and update the prompt such as describing the same subject but in another environment or moment.

The generation shows a consistent character with the same appearance and clothing but in a completely different environment with different camera angle and so on.

There are many other features with variations you can try so take some time to explore them.

All generated images appear at the bottom.

Click on any of them to preview and check complete details such as the prompt used, the AI model selected and all options applied.

You can download it in JPG format or share it online through a link.

Go to Remix to create a variation or remix of the image.

This copies the original prompt ready to relaunch.

Remove any attached reference and launch the prompt as it is or edit any detail with AI, for example, to change the color of the sports car.

Go to Upscale to increase the image resolution.

If you own a subscription you can use Ultra upscale directly, setting up scale rate and other options.

If you want a free plan go back to the Home Page and open Universal Upscaler.

Here, upload the image you want and set the same options as before.

Selecting Legacy instead of Ultra.

As you launch with Upscale you can check the result in the preview by hovering over it with your cursor.

You can also use the image as guidance or turn it into a video which we'll explore shortly.

Switch to Flow State if you want to get inspiration and new ideas with AI.

Just type a general concept at the top and enhance it with AI as seen before.

As you click on Generate, the flow starts, automatically generating images, one per token, as long as you keep scrolling the page.

You can also adjust several options on the left.

However, the randomize option is suggested to explore different styles and looks.

These generated images stay available as long as the flow state page remains open.

So, if you find any you want to keep, make sure to click Save to Library before leaving the page.

Click on any image to preview it.

From the three dot menu you can remove its background, describe it with AI to create similar variations, use it as image guidance or turn it into a video as we'll see next.

Each of these options will make you exit the Flow State page so make sure you've saved all your images first.

All saved images are available from the Home Page under the Library section.

With Leonardo AI you can also create videos if you own a paid plan.

From the Home Page go to Video on top or select Video under AI Tools on the left.

On the left you have several options including the AI model to use.

At the top, type your prompt describing what you want to generate then click Generate.

The number of tokens required depends on the AI model you select.

Some require hundreds of tokens others more than 1000.

On the preview you get the same option seen earlier such as downloading the file or copying a link to share it.

The video is exported in mp4 format with size and resolution depending on the AI used.

In the case of the Motion 2.0 model you get a 720p HD resolution with 32 frames per second up to 5 seconds of length.

Also the available settings may vary from model to model.

For example, when selecting Veo instead of Motion.

On Motion 2.0 you can modify Motion Control to adjust the camera movement.

For example, we can select this one.

Under Motion Elements select the general look of the video, such as watercolor.

This is the result.

You can also enhance the prompt, set the vibe, adjust lighting and change the color theme.

Here, you can see the difference when the lighting changes.

On the left, under Generation Mode, you can choose between standard quality or 720 HD, define the aspect ratio, set the number of videos to generate and enable Private Mode to keep your work private.

You can also upload reference images to use as the start frame or, where available, as the end frame.

In this case, click Start Frame to upload an image as the first frame of your video.

Then update the prompt as needed.

This is the result of the generation.

Leonardo AI includes several tools that generate content live, very useful to get inspired without spending too many tokens.

For example, go to Realtime Generation to instantly generate while typing a prompt.

Adjusting the elements to apply on the right side and the style options at the bottom.

Switch to Realtime Canvas to generate AI images live while you draw.

In Draw Mode at the top, enable the Brush Tool on the left to brush inside the canvas on the left.

Adjusting color and size as needed while adding instructions to the AI at the bottom.

The AI combines your drawings and prompts together to generate the image displayed on the right.

Adjust the Creativity Strength to decide how closely the result should follow your drawing and the style to apply.

You can also reference images to your canvas by going to Add Image on the left or head to Generate to create an image within the pink box on the left canvas to further guide the result.

If you like the output shown on the right click Output to Input to move it to the left canvas and continue editing from there.

Switch to Inpaint to make targeted corrections on the image while keeping its style, subject and background consistent.

On the Home Page go to Canvas Editor to manually edit your images with the help of AI.

In this tutorial we will see the canvas in Inpaint - Outpaint mode only.

On the left click Upload Image to import any image you want to edit.

For example, one of your generated images.

This opens on the main canvas where you can zoom in or out by holding the CTRL or CMD key and using your mouse wheel.

Enable the Select tool to click and drag the image to move it and use its nodes to scale or rotate it as needed.

Use CTRL or CMD with Z to undo any action.

You can also delete the image by selecting it and pressing the Backspace key.

On the canvas you have the Generation Frame which is a limited area where the AI can generate new content taking the existing image within it as reference.

You can click on its borders to select it and move it where you want on the image.

Enable Draw Mask on the left and brush over the area where you want the AI to modify the original content.

The AI will not edit what is outside the masked area and will not generate outside the frame so don't worry if the mask slightly extends outside of it.

At the bottom, type a prompt to guide the AI for generation and hit Generate.

Choose among several variations.

Some may not fit well some others may be approved with Accept.

On the right you'll find options such as the AI model to use, the number of variations or the size of the Generation Frame useful for covering larger areas of the image.

This frame can serve multiple purposes.

In this example we've used it to extend (or Outpaint) an image but it can also be used to add new elements or edit the image content (or Inpaint).

To do this, again, use the Draw Mask tool and generate.

If the results are not satisfactory you can use the Sketch tool to brush on the image and further guide the AI with your drawings.

Pay attention that this sketch is permanent.

Enable the Erase tool to remove details you no longer need.

This permanently deletes pixels from the image that will be filled with the next generation of the AI.

This works better if used with the Mask Tool, especially to merge the contours seamlessly with the existing pixels.

Each generation made within the frame creates a new image layer on the canvas that you can click and drag.

To save your work go to Download Artwork on the left.

This exports the entire content of the canvas made of all the image layers leaving transparent areas wherever no pixels exist.

So, make sure to fill empty zones properly before exporting it as your final image.

Thank you guys so much for watching!

Be sure to check out our YouTube channel and official website for more tutorials on artificial intelligence and other tools that you can start using right now, completely free!