How to import a Polotno design

Bring your Polotno designs into Orshot as templates you can edit in Studio and render by API. Every text and image layer becomes an API parameter on import.

It works with Polotno Studio exports and with the JSON your app saves through the Polotno SDK.

Ownership Notice: Before you import, tick the box confirming you own the design and its assets, or hold the rights to use them. Orshot takes no responsibility for third-party content, so import only what is yours. The import button stays disabled until you do.

How to Import#

1. Open your design in Polotno Studio#

Go to Polotno Studio and open the design you want to export.

2. Export as JSON#

1. Click on the File menu (or the menu icon)
2. Select Save as JSON or Export JSON
3. Open the downloaded .json file and copy everything in it

If you build on the Polotno SDK, store.toJSON() returns the same JSON. Save one file per design.

3. Open the New Template dialog#

In your Orshot dashboard, click + New Template in the sidebar.

4. Choose the Polotno tab#

In the dialog, click the Polotno tab. It opens Import from Polotno with Single design selected.

5. Paste the JSON#

Paste your Polotno JSON into the Polotno JSON box. Orshot checks it right away and shows:

• A Valid Polotno design (N pages) message with the page count
• A preview of the design, so you can compare it with Polotno before you import

6. Import the design#

Tick the ownership box, then click Import Design →. Orshot copies the design's images into your Brand Library and opens it in Studio.

Studio saves it to Your Templates on its own a few seconds after it opens.

Import Several Designs at Once#

On a paid plan, you can import up to 10 Polotno JSON files in one go. Each file is saved straight to Your Templates, with no Studio step in between.

1. In the Polotno tab, switch to Bulk import
2. Pick up to 10 .json files, one design per file (up to 40MB each)
3. Tick the ownership box and click Import N designs →
4. When it finishes, click View templates →

Every file becomes its own template named "Imported Polotno Design", so rename them once they land. If a file fails, the list shows why.

What Gets Imported#

The Polotno importer translates:

• Text: font family, size, weight, style, color, alignment, line height, letter spacing, text transform, stroke and text background
• Images: photos and uploads, with corner radius, border, shadow and blur
• SVGs: brought in as images, with colorsReplace colors applied
• Shapes: circles stay circles, and every other figure becomes a rectangle with the same fill, stroke and corner radius
• Lines: as thin rectangles filled with the line color
• Background colors: each page keeps its background color
• Multi-page designs: all pages are imported into one template

Hidden layers, and layers turned off for export in Polotno, are skipped.

Element Translation#

Polotno elements are mapped to Orshot elements like this:

Automatic Parameterization#

All text and image layers are set up for API use as soon as you import:

• Each text layer gets a parameterId like text_1_1, text_1_2, numbered per page (text_2_1 is the first text on page 2)
• Image, SVG and video layers share one counter and get IDs like img_1_1, img_1_2
• Every parameter is added to its page's modifications list
• Multi-page designs prefix the page, e.g. page2@text_2_1. See multi-page images

Once the template is saved, you can change that content through the API right away.

SVG Color Handling#

If your Polotno design uses SVGs with custom colors (via colorsReplace), Orshot will:

1. Apply the color replacements to the SVG
2. Convert the colored SVG to an image element
3. Keep the design looking the way it did in Polotno

Limitations#

Some Polotno features need a touch-up after import:

• Groups: skipped, along with the layers inside them. Ungroup in Polotno before you export
• Animations and video layers: animations are dropped, and a video layer stops the image copy. Delete video layers in Polotno before you export, then add the video in Studio
• Background images: only page background colors come across
• Crops: images are placed whole, without Polotno's crop. Flipped images stay flipped; flipped SVGs don't
• Stars, triangles and other figures: land as rectangles
• Rotation and letter spacing: rotated layers shift, because Polotno rotates around the top-left corner and Orshot around the center. Move them back in Studio, and check letter spacing
• Custom fonts: fonts not on Google Fonts need to be uploaded to Orshot
• Effects and filters: only image shadow and blur carry over

Tips for Best Results#

1. Use Google Fonts: Orshot loads them by name, so there's nothing to upload
2. Ungroup before you export: grouped layers are skipped
3. Upload custom fonts first: add them to Brand Library → Fonts before you import, so text shows in the right font from the start
4. Review after import: check positions, rotated layers and letter spacing, and adjust as needed

Troubleshooting#

Invalid JSON Error#

If you see "Invalid JSON format" or "Invalid Polotno format: Missing 'pages' array":

• Make sure you copied the whole file, not just part of it
• Check that the JSON has a pages array at the top level
• Paste the raw JSON, not a link or a quoted string

Missing Fonts#

If text shows in the wrong font after import, that font isn't on Google Fonts or in your Brand Library yet:

1. Find the font name in the text layer's fontFamily in your JSON
2. Go to Brand Library → Fonts in Orshot
3. Upload the font files (.ttf, .otf, .woff or .woff2)
4. Pick the font on the text layer in Studio, or import the design again

Images Not Loading#

Orshot copies every image in the design, including base64 images, into your Brand Library during import. If images appear broken:

• If you see "Some images couldn't be saved", click Retry import. It's usually a short network issue
• If the design has a video layer, Retry won't help. Delete the layer in Polotno and export again, or click Continue anyway and replace it in Studio
• Make sure the original images are still online at their URLs
• Large designs take a moment while each image uploads