AI Images Campaigns - Template Creation

Once you have added the app and selected the catalogue or segment, you will arrive at the "Template Builder" editor, where you can start creating your template.

1. Understand the main terms

Before creating your design, here are the main terms you need to know:

The editor is divided into three main areas:

• Left panel: access your layouts, layers, and variables.
• Canvas: the visual you are designing, with its specific dimension.
• Properties panel (on the right): the settings of the selected layout or layer.
   

2. Add your first layout

When you first arrive in the "Template Builder" editor, a window opens to let you set up your first layout:

• Name: Set a name for your layout (3 to 32 characters).
• Canvas size: Select one of the preset sizes (Instagram post, Landscape banner, etc.) or set custom dimensions using the width and height fields. Click on the lock icon to lock the aspect ratio.
• Color: Choose a background color for your layout. You have the option to use the eyedropper to pick a color from your screen.

Click "Add" to start working on this layout.

3. Add layers

Every element you add to the canvas is a layer. 

Some of these layers will remain static (logo, promotional text), while others will become dynamic when you add a variable to them to use product information from your catalogue (images, price, etc.).

Use the toolbar below the canvas to add a new layer: Text, Image, or Shape.

 If you have several layouts, each layer is added to every layout, but is not scaled to it. You will need to reposition the layer to adapt it to each canvas.

3.1 Common properties

You can select a layer by clicking it on the canvas or by selecting it in the Layers panel.

Position any layer by dragging it. In "Transform" in the Properties panel on the right, you can also adjust:

• X / Y: the position of the layer.
• Width / Height: its size.
• Opacity: how transparent it is.
• Rotation: its angle.

To change the order of the elements, drag the layers up or down in the Layers panel on the left. The layer at the top is displayed in front of the others.

3.2 Text layer

Add a new text layer or double-click an existing one. In the "Edit text" window, you can write your text and format it using the toolbar. Click "Apply".

In Properties panel, you can change the size, style, colour, letter spacing, and other text settings.

The Paragraph settings let you control how text behaves inside its box:

These settings are particularly useful for product names, which can have different lengths from one product to another.

You can also select only part of a sentence and format it differently. For example, you could display a promotional word in a different colour.

Note: Part or all of the text can dynamically pull product information, as explained in the Variables section.

3.3 Image layer

You first need to upload images, before they are available in the asset picker. Add a new image layer, click "Upload", and select images from your computer.

In "Assets", select the image to use in this new layer. The image is added to the centre of the canvas.

When you select an image layer, the "Source" section in the Properties panel lets you choose or replace the image.

Under "Image" > "Resize", you can choose how the image fills its box:

• Fit: shows the whole image without changing its proportions.
• Crop: fills the box while keeping the proportions, cropping the parts that do not fit.
• Cover: stretches the image to fill the box exactly.

With Crop or Fit, use the "Focus area" grid to decide which part of the image should remain visible or where the image should be positioned inside the box.

Note: The image can be dynamically retrieved from your catalogue for each product, as explained in the Variables section.

3.4 Shape layer

Shapes are useful for backgrounds, badges, discount labels, buttons, or coloured blocks.

Add a new Shape layer and choose Line, Oval, or Polygon, then draw the shape on the canvas. 

When you select a shape layer, the "Shape" section in the Properties panel lets you customize it.
Some properties are only available for Polygons and/or Ovals.

Double-click the shape if you want to add text to your shape (oval or polygon).
The same settings as a text layer are available in the Properties panel.

4. Configure variables to add dynamic content

 This is the key step for creating reusable campaign visuals.

A variable is a value that you leave open in the template so that it can be replaced when the visual is generated.

For example, instead of typing a fixed price such as €49.99, you can create a Price variable to retrieve the price field from your catalogue for each product. 
Likewise, instead of using one fixed product image, you can create an Image variable to retrieve the image field from your catalogue for each product. 

Variables can be used in image or text layers.

There are two ways to create a variable:

• From the Layers panel:
  1. In the Layers panel, hover over a layer to open its menu.
  2. Click "Add variable".
  3. Give the variable a clear name.
  4. Select the Source Type "Custom metadata".
  5. In "Metadata field", select the catalogue field to retrieve.
  6. Define the Default value to set a fallback value for missing data.
  7. Click "Create".

• From the text editor:
  1. Double-click a text layer.
  2. Select the part of the text that should change.
  3. Click "(x) Variable" to open the variable menu.
  4. Click "+ Create new variable".
  5. Give the variable a clear name.
  6. Select the Type "Text placeholder"
  7. Select the Source Type "Custom metadata".
  8. In "Metadata field", select the catalogue field to retrieve.
  9. Define the Default value to set a fallback value for missing data.
  10. Click "Create & insert".

For example, you could create a text layer containing:
"Discover our [Product name] – now [Price]"
where "Product name" and "Price" are variables added from the text editor. When your visuals are generated in AI Image Campaigns, these variables can then be associated with the relevant catalogue data.

Any variable can be edited or deleted in the Variables menu in the Left panel. Click a variable name to open its settings in the Properties panel. 

5. Add another layout

Instead of creating separate templates, you can reuse the same design in several formats adapted to your needs (banner, Facebook post, etc.).

In the left panel, next to "Layouts", click "+ Add". Then:

1. Give the new layout a name.
2. Choose a canvas size or enter a custom width and height.
3. Choose a background colour.
4. Under "Base layer positioning on layout", select the layout you want to use as a starting point.
5. Click "Add".

The existing layers are copied to the new layout and their positions are scaled as a starting point.

You can then reposition or resize them specifically for this format.

The layers are shared between layouts, but their position and size are specific to each layout. Changing the text itself changes it everywhere; moving the text only changes the layout you are currently editing.

6. Launch and monitor visual generation

Check each of your layouts separately to ensure that the positioning of each element is correct.

You can verify that dynamic elements are linked to the correct catalogue field in the Variables panel, or by clicking "Show variable slugs" in the toolbar to visualise them. 

When you are ready to launch the generation of your visuals, click "Save" and "Confirm". All layout are generated at the same time.

To save this template and come back to it later, simply click "Save", and "Cancel" the generation.

The visual generation will start as an asynchronous operation. You will be informed by email once it is completed.

> Next step: Using the visuals in Lengow