templates

Using Templates

How to browse, apply, and customize starter templates in Lega — and when to reach for one instead of generating from scratch.

Lega's core workflow is describe-and-generate: you write a prompt, the AI builds a layered design. But sometimes you don't want to describe anything — you already know the shape you need, and you just want a solid starting point to customize. That's what templates are for.

What a template actually is

A Lega template is a pre-built frame: real layers (text, shapes, images, decorative elements), already positioned, styled, and grouped. It's not a locked-down mockup with placeholder boxes you fill in — it's the same layer model that AI generation produces, which means the moment you apply a template, you can edit it exactly the way you'd edit anything else in the editor. Move a layer, retype copy, swap a color, delete an element, regenerate a piece of it with AI. There's no "template mode" that behaves differently from the rest of the editor.

That's a meaningful difference from how templates work in most design tools. Elsewhere, a template is often the entire product — the tool's value is the library, and customization is limited to what the template's placeholders allow. In Lega, templates are one entry point into a canvas that's fully editable either way. See What is Lega? for the broader distinction between AI-first and template-first tools.

When to use a template instead of generating

Both paths get you to an editable design. The right choice depends on what you already know:

  • Use a template when you know the exact structure you want — a specific layout convention (e.g., a three-panel carousel slide, a standard event flyer) — and you'd rather start from something proven than describe it in words.
  • Generate with AI when you have a description of the outcome but not a fixed structure in mind, or when you want the AI to make layout and style decisions you haven't thought through yet.
  • Combine them — apply a template, then use AI refinement to restyle it, swap in new copy, or adjust specific layers. Templates and generation aren't mutually exclusive; a template is just a different starting point for the same editable canvas.

Browsing templates

Templates are organized by category — social, print, presentation, marketing, and more — so you can narrow down to the format you're working in before you start scrolling. See Template Categories Overview for the full breakdown of what's covered and how to pick the right one.

Within a category, templates are shown with a preview of the finished layout so you can judge fit at a glance — composition, color mood, and copy density — before committing to one.

Applying a template

Applying a template drops its frame into your current project (or starts a new one, if you're beginning fresh). From there it behaves like any other frame:

  1. Pick a template from the category browser.
  2. Apply it — the frame appears on your canvas with its layers intact, ready to edit.
  3. Customize — select any layer to change it. Retype text, swap colors and fonts, replace image placeholders, move or resize elements, delete what you don't need.
  4. Extend with AI if you want — you can select a layer or the whole frame and ask the AI to refine it, exactly as you would with an AI-generated design.

Because a template is just a set of ordinary layers, there's no separate "unlock" step and no conversion process. What you see is what you can edit, immediately.

Customizing without losing the structure that made the template useful

The reason to start from a template is usually the layout — the balance and hierarchy someone already worked out. A few habits keep that intact while you make it yours:

  • Change content before structure. Swap in your real copy and images first; it's easier to judge whether spacing and sizing still work once the actual content is in place.
  • Keep groups together when moving things. Templates often group related elements (a logo lockup, a caption block). Moving the group preserves relative positioning; moving pieces individually can quietly break alignment.
  • Use color and font swaps rather than rebuilding. If you have a brand kit set up, applying your saved colors and fonts to a template is usually faster — and more consistent — than manually restyling each layer.
  • Don't be afraid to delete. A template is a starting point, not a contract. If an element doesn't serve your specific piece, remove it rather than working around it.

Templates and brand consistency

Templates give you structural consistency (the same proven layouts, reused). Brand kits give you visual consistency (the same colors, fonts, and logo, reused). The two compound well together: apply a template for the layout, then apply your brand kit for the palette and typography, and you get a design that's both well-composed and unmistakably on-brand — without manually re-entering hex codes and font names every time.

If you're setting up recurring content — a weekly social series, a recurring newsletter graphic — pairing a saved template pattern with a brand kit is the fastest way to keep every piece consistent without redoing the same styling decisions each time.

Where to go next