Import a Canva Design

Turn a public Canva share link into a studio template with one API call. Images are copied to your workspace and fonts matched to your library.

Updated Nov 2, 2026

POST

/v1/studio/templates/import/canva

curl -X POST "https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/templates/import/canva" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <ORSHOT_API_KEY>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "url": "<URL>",
    "name": "<NAME>",
    "convertPlaceholders": true,
    "tags": []
  }'

const res = await fetch("https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/templates/import/canva", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    Authorization: "Bearer <ORSHOT_API_KEY>",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "url": "<URL>",
    "name": "<NAME>",
    "convertPlaceholders": true,
    "tags": []
  }),
});

const data = await res.json();

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/templates/import/canva",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer <ORSHOT_API_KEY>"},
    json={
      "url": "<URL>",
      "name": "<NAME>",
      "convertPlaceholders": True,
      "tags": []
    },
)

data = response.json()

$ch = curl_init("https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/templates/import/canva");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "POST");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
    "Authorization: Bearer <ORSHOT_API_KEY>",
    "Content-Type: application/json",
]);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode([
  "url" => "<URL>",
  "name" => "<NAME>",
  "convertPlaceholders" => true,
  "tags" => []
]));

$data = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true);
curl_close($ch);

require "net/http"
require "json"

uri = URI("https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/templates/import/canva")
req = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
req["Authorization"] = "Bearer <ORSHOT_API_KEY>"
req["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
req.body = {
  "url": "<URL>",
  "name": "<NAME>",
  "convertPlaceholders": true,
  "tags": []
}.to_json

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(req) }
data = JSON.parse(res.body)

Enterprise Only

This endpoint is available as a paid add-on and on the Enterprise plan. Contact hi@orshot.com to get access.

Import a Canva design into your workspace from its public share link. Orshot reads the design, converts every page to a studio template, copies its images and video clips into your workspace library, and matches its fonts to your uploaded fonts or the closest Google font. The new template is ready to render through the render API right away.

This is the same converter as importing from Canva in Studio, so a design imports the same way in both places. Use it to move a large Canva library into Orshot, or to import new designs from a recurring job.

By calling this endpoint you confirm that you own the design and its assets, or hold the rights to use them.

Endpoint#

Endpoint

https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/templates/import/canva

Query Parameters#

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`includeThumbnails`	Boolean	No	`false`	When `true`, a thumbnail for every page is rendered before the response is sent (about 1 to 2 seconds per page). When `false` or absent, thumbnails are generated in the background.

Request#

JavaScript

await fetch("https://api.orshot.com/v1/studio/templates/import/canva", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    Authorization: "Bearer <ORSHOT_API_KEY>",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    url: "https://www.canva.com/design/DAGxxxxxxxx/view",
    name: "Open house flyer",
    convertPlaceholders: true,
    tags: ["real-estate", "flyer"],
  }),
});

JSON

{
  "success": true,
  "template": {
    "id": 12345,
    "name": "Open house flyer",
    "pages": 18,
    "canvas_width": 1080,
    "canvas_height": 1350,
    "fonts": {
      "substituted": [
        { "font": "Helvetica World", "usedInstead": "Arimo" },
        { "font": "Proxima Nova", "usedInstead": "Figtree" }
      ]
    },
    "placeholders": ["city_name", "your_name"],
    "modifications": [
      {
        "key": "page1@img_1_2",
        "id": "page1@img_1_2",
        "type": "imageUrl",
        "description": "img_1_2 — Image URL",
        "example": "https://storage.orshot.com/cloud/w-50/brand_assets/1793646784551-imported-template-a4c451c5.png",
        "element_name": "img_1_2",
        "page_number": 1,
        "page_id": "x4w2g34426"
      },
      {
        "key": "page1@text_1_3",
        "id": "page1@text_1_3",
        "type": "text",
        "description": "Text content",
        "example": "Open house in {{city_name}}",
        "page_number": 1,
        "page_id": "x4w2g34426"
      },
      {
        "key": "page1@text_1_3:city_name",
        "id": "page1@text_1_3:city_name",
        "type": "text",
        "description": "Text content",
        "example": "",
        "page_number": 1,
        "page_id": "x4w2g34426"
      }
    ],
    "assets": { "copied": 19, "total": 19, "videos": 0 },
    "tookMs": 4450
  }
}

JSON

{
  "dryRun": true,
  "name": "Things I'm thankful for as a [City Name] real estate agent",
  "pages": 26,
  "canvas_width": 1080,
  "canvas_height": 1350,
  "fonts": {
    "substituted": [
      { "font": "PP Neue Montreal", "usedInstead": "Inter" },
      { "font": "Helvetica World", "usedInstead": "Arimo" }
    ]
  },
  "placeholders": [],
  "tookMs": 690
}

JSON

{
  "error": "Invalid Canva URL format. Please use a public share link from Canva (e.g., https://www.canva.com/design/ABC123/view or https://canva.link/...)",
  "stage": "fetch"
}

Request Body Parameters#

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`url`	String	Yes	Public Canva share link: `https://www.canva.com/design/<id>/view` or a `canva.link` short link. In Canva, open Share, set access to Anyone with the link, and copy the link.
`name`	String	No	Template name, up to 255 characters. Defaults to the design's title in Canva.
`convertPlaceholders`	Boolean	No	When `true`, placeholder text in the design such as `[City Name]`, `{{city_name}}` or `{City Name}` becomes its own parameter (`city_name`), so you can fill just that word when rendering. Default `false`.
`tags`	Array	No	Tag strings for the new template, e.g. `["social", "flyer"]`.
`dryRun`	Boolean	No	When `true`, the design is read and converted but nothing is saved or copied. Use it to check pages, size and font matches before importing. Default `false`.

Response Fields#

The response is a summary of the new template, not the full design. Fetch the design with Get Studio Template if you need it.

Field	Type	Description
`template.id`	Integer	ID of the new studio template. Use it to render.
`template.name`	String	Template name.
`template.pages`	Integer	Number of pages imported.
`template.canvas_width`	Integer	Canvas width in pixels.
`template.canvas_height`	Integer	Canvas height in pixels.
`template.fonts.substituted`	Array	Fonts not found in your font library or Google Fonts, each with the font used instead. Upload the original fonts and import again to use them.
`template.placeholders`	Array	Placeholder names found when `convertPlaceholders` is `true`.
`template.modifications`	Array	Parameters you can send when rendering. Keys are prefixed with the page (`page1@text_1_3`); a placeholder adds its own key (`page1@text_1_3:city_name`).
`template.assets`	Object	Images and clips copied from Canva into your workspace: `copied`, `total` and `videos`.
`template.thumbnails`	Object	Only with `?includeThumbnails=true`: the rendered thumbnail of each page.
`template.tookMs`	Integer	Time the import took, in milliseconds.

A dry run returns the same summary fields at the top level with "dryRun": true, and no id, modifications or assets.

What is imported#

Every page, at the design's size, with text, shapes, lines, images, frames, grids, gradients and video clips.
Text keeps its font, size, weight, color, spacing and alignment. Fonts you have uploaded to your workspace are used first, then Google Fonts, then the closest match.
Images and clips are copied to your workspace, so the template keeps working after the Canva link changes or expires. If any image cannot be copied, nothing is saved and you get a 502 you can retry.
Every text and image layer becomes a parameter (text_1_3, img_1_2) you can change when you render. Rename layers in Studio to get readable keys.

Some Canva-only effects may not carry over exactly. Check the template in Studio after importing a new kind of design.

Errors#

Status	`stage`	When
`400`		`url` is missing, or a field has the wrong type.
`400`	`fetch`	The link is not a Canva design link.
`403`		The API key is invalid, or Canva import is not enabled for your workspace.
`403`	`fetch`	The design is private. Set its share access to Anyone with the link.
`422`	`fetch`	The design is empty or could not be read.
`422`	`convert`	The design could not be converted.
`429`		More than 30 requests in a minute, or Canva is limiting reads. Wait and retry; `Retry-After` is set when known.
`502`	`assets`	Some images could not be copied from Canva. Nothing was saved. Retry.
`504`	`fetch`	Canva took too long to respond. Retry.

Errors with "retryable": true are safe to retry.

Rate Limits#

Limit	Value
Requests per minute	30

Designs are read from Canva one at a time, about one every 2 seconds. For a large library, send imports one after another rather than in parallel.

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