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Generate Editable Infographics in 15 Minutes With AI

This guide teaches you how to turn raw research into an editable infographic using Perplexity, Gemini, and Canva Magic Layers. You will move from a data-heavy topic to a strong first-draft graphic you can clean up and ship instead of rebuilding manually.

  • Intermediate
  • 5 steps
  • By The Rundown University
Start with step 1

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Step by step 5 steps

  1. Step 1 of 5

    Research the story, not just the facts

    Start in your favorite AI research tool. The source workflow used Perplexity's deep research. Tell the tool that the end goal is an infographic instead of asking for a generic summary. Ask for outliers, comparisons, and narrative angles.

    Do deep research on [your topic]. Look for outliers and narrative angles. Our end goal is four infographic concepts recapping the most interesting data trends.
    CleanShot 2026-04-12 at 13.28.52@2x

    In the source example, the topic was Daytona 500 data. The goal was not to collect every stat; it was to find the strongest storylines that could anchor a graphic.

  2. Step 2 of 5

    Turn the research into image prompts

    Once the research is done, ask the tool to turn each concept into an image prompt.

    Give me a prompt for each concept that I can paste into an AI image generator. Make the data easy to copy and paste.
    CleanShot 2026-04-12 at 13.30.25@2x

    This gives you a prompt set with the story and the data already packed in. Some prompts will be usable right away. Others will be too long or too cramped. Treat them as a starting point.

  3. Step 3 of 5

    Generate the first visual in Gemini

    Paste one of the prompts into Gemini and generate a few infographic options.

    The source workflow also tested Midjourney, but Gemini handled the data-heavy prompts better. Download the strongest result as a PNG. If you use another image tool, the same rule applies: you only need a clean first pass you can edit later.

    CleanShot 2026-04-12 at 13.31.49@2x
    Pro tip: Text-based infographics tend to work best. Once the image has lots of tiny charts, thin lines, or crowded labels, the next step gets harder.

  4. Step 4 of 5

    Upload the image to Canva and run Magic Layers

    Open a new Canva project, upload the PNG, select the image, then go to:

    • Edit
    • Magic Studio
    • Magic Layers

    Canva will scan the image and separate it into editable parts. In the source test, each image took about 30 to 60 seconds, and Canva could process more than one at once.

  5. Step 5 of 5

    Clean up the layers

    Now fix the parts AI got wrong. This is where the workflow becomes useful.

    The source workflow found three common cleanup jobs:

    • Correct misspelled names or labels
    • Replace cramped text that was too dense
    • Swap in real product photos or logos when the generator guessed wrong

    Text-heavy infographics came out closest to ready. Mixed text-and-image layouts usually needed a few replacements. Dense charts were the easiest way to break Magic Layers, so keep the concept simple.

That's the whole workflow

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Background and context

Who This Is Useful For

  • Marketers and content creators who want to turn reports, case studies, or campaign recaps into shareable graphics
  • Operators and analysts who need to turn messy data into something people will actually read
  • Teams that already use AI for research or image generation and want a faster way to move from insight to a finished visual

What You Will Build

You will build a repeatable workflow that turns a topic, memo, report, or dataset into an infographic you can actually edit in Canva. The final output is not a perfect AI image; it is a strong first draft you can clean up fast.

  • Infographic concepts based on the strongest storylines in your data
  • AI image prompts for those concepts
  • A generated PNG first draft
  • An editable Canva version separated into layers with Magic Layers

What You Need

  • Perplexity or another AI tool for research
  • Gemini or another AI image generator
  • Canva Pro for Magic Layers
  • A topic, report, memo, or dataset you want to turn into an infographic

Going Further

  • You do not always need to start with fresh research. If you already have a memo, case study, or report, feed it into Perplexity or Gemini and ask for an infographic prompt based on the strongest data. That lets you skip the research step and go straight from existing work to a graphic you can edit.

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