Creative Studio · Plan mode
Plan a campaign in Creative Studio before you generate
Plan mode turns a rough idea into a brief, a settings plan, and a first batch that matches both. You talk the campaign through with Sparrow, Creative Studio's assistant, lock the choices that matter to you, and generate only when the plan is right.
- 01Chat
- 02Settings
- 03Start creating
- 04Gallery
Quick answer
Open Creative Studio and switch to Plan mode. Describe the campaign, the audience, and where the images will run, and paste up to two links for context. Open Settings while you plan and set the model, detail, output size, aspect ratios, and images per ratio you care about: Sparrow fills in what you leave open and keeps what you set. Review the plan card and the Creative Brief, then press Start creating. The first batch uses the settings saved for the session, not Studio defaults.
01 · Decide
When to plan first, and when to create directly
Plan mode is worth the extra minute whenever more than one decision has to be right before the first image. For a single quick image, Create mode is faster.
Plan first when
- The work is a set: several formats, ratios, or products for one campaign.
- You have source material, such as a product page, an event page, or a press release, that should shape the copy and the visuals.
- Settings matter before the first image: a specific model, an output size for print, or exact aspect ratios.
- Someone else needs to agree on the direction before anything is generated.
Create directly when
- You need one image and already know what to ask for.
- You are iterating on a result you already like.
- You are testing a quick idea and the default settings are fine.
02 · Workflow
The workflow, step by step
Nine steps from an empty session to a reviewed first batch. The plan travels with you the whole way: what you agree in chat and set in Settings is what Start creating uses.
Step 1: Open Creative Studio and choose Plan mode
Start a session in Creative Studio and switch the composer to Plan mode. In Plan mode, Sparrow plans the campaign with you instead of generating straight away, so you can shape the brief and the settings first.
Step 2: Describe the campaign, the audience, and where it will run
Say what you are making and for whom: the event or product, the audience, the deliverables, the formats, and the tone. "A finisher tee and an Instagram post for a fall 5K, for local runners and families, warm and hand-lettered" gives Sparrow far more to plan with than "race shirt".
Step 4: Settle Settings while you plan
Open Settings in Plan mode and choose what you already know: the model (Standard, Ultra, or Ultra Max, including the Ultra Max Signature lane), the detail, the output size, the aspect ratios and platform, and the number of images per ratio. You do not have to decide everything now, but anything you set is treated as yours.
Help: Plan-mode settings
ProductSettings in Plan mode: Ultra Max Signature, High detail, 4:5. Step 5: Let Sparrow fill the gaps. Your choices stay yours
Sparrow can propose settings and brief details you left open. It will not change a setting you chose unless your message asks it to. If its plan suggests a different value, it keeps yours and says so, for example: "Kept your aspect ratio (4:5) as you set it. Change it in Settings if you want something different." Edits you make to the Creative Brief are what Sparrow sees on the next turn.
ProductSparrow keeps the 4:5 you set and tells you it did. Step 6: Use Extended Planning for bigger campaigns
On Pro and Enterprise, turn on the Extended Planning toggle in Plan mode. Sparrow thinks longer and plans in more depth, and its replies are labeled "Extended Planning". Reach for it when a campaign has several deliverables, a lot of source material, or constraints that pull in different directions.
ProductExtended Planning on: the reply is labeled "Extended Planning". Step 7: Review the plan card and the Creative Brief
Before you generate, read the settings summary on the plan card and skim the Creative Brief. This is the easiest moment to change direction: adjust Settings or edit the brief, then ask Sparrow to update the plan.
ProductThe plan card: settings summary and Start from plan. Step 8: Press Start creating
Press Start creating (the button may read "Start from plan"). The first batch is generated with the settings saved for the session, including what Sparrow set during the plan, instead of Studio defaults. It works whether the Creative Brief panel is open or closed, on desktop and on mobile.
Step 9: Review the first batch, then iterate
Judge the batch against the brief: the ratio, the message, and whether lettering reads at the size it will run. Ask for focused changes in the chat, and change Settings only when the plan itself should change.
ProductThe first batch in the gallery, made from the plan.
03 · Settings
Choosing settings while you plan
Set the things you already have an opinion about and leave the rest open for Sparrow to propose. These are starting points, not rules.
Exploring directions
- Model and detail
- Any model. Leave detail open and let Sparrow propose.
- Output size
- Standard
- Ratios and images
- One ratio and a small number of images per ratio until a direction lands.
A feed post
- Model and detail
- Your usual model. With Ultra Max, Medium or High detail.
- Output size
- Standard or HighRes
- Ratios and images
- 4:5 for a portrait feed post. Add 9:16 if you also need a story.
A tee or merch graphic
- Model and detail
- Ultra Max. Settings describes the Signature lane as "demanding detail, can take longer".
- Output size
- HighRes, or UltraRes on Pro and Enterprise
- Ratios and images
- The shape of the print area you are designing for.
Fine lettering or dense illustration
- Model and detail
- Ultra Max Signature with High detail. Ultra High or MAX where your plan allows.
- Output size
- HighRes or UltraRes
- Ratios and images
- Keep images per ratio low and compare closely.
A multi-format campaign set
- Model and detail
- Decide the model once for the set. Turn on Extended Planning on Pro and Enterprise.
- Output size
- Match the most demanding deliverable.
- Ratios and images
- Choose every ratio before you ask for the plan, such as 4:5, 9:16, and 1:1.
- Detail appears in Settings when Ultra Max is selected: Low, Medium, or High, plus Ultra High and MAX where your plan allows.
- Output size sets the file dimensions (Standard, HighRes, or UltraRes per plan) and is separate from detail.
- Plan access: Ultra Max Signature, Ultra High and HighRes need a paid plan. MAX and UltraRes need Pro or Enterprise. Extended Planning is available on Pro and Enterprise.
04 · Example
Worked example: the Harvest Run 5K
A community race needs two things for launch week: a finisher tee graphic and a 4:5 Instagram post announcing registration. Here is how the plan comes together.
The opening message
“We're planning the Harvest Run 5K, a fall community race. I need a finisher tee graphic and a 4:5 Instagram post announcing registration. Audience: local runners and families. Warm, hand-lettered, orchard feel.”
- Model
- Ultra Max · Signature
- Detail
- High
- Aspect ratio
- 4:5
- Brief
The organizer opens Plan mode, describes the race, the two deliverables, the audience, and the tone, and pastes the race page so Sparrow can pick up the date and the course details.
- Settings
Before asking for a plan, they open Settings and choose Ultra Max with the Signature lane, High detail, and 4:5. Those three choices are now theirs.
- Plan
Sparrow fills in what was left open and drafts the Creative Brief. Where its plan would have suggested a different ratio, it keeps the organizer's 4:5 and says so in the reply.
- Start
The plan card shows the settings summary. The organizer reads it, presses Start from plan, and the first batch is made with Ultra Max Signature, High detail, and 4:5, not Studio defaults.
- Review
They check the lettering at tee size and the post at feed size, then ask for one focused change in the chat instead of starting over.
05 · Recover
Common mistakes, and how to recover
- Expecting Sparrow to override a setting you chose
- It keeps your choices on purpose. If you want a change, ask for it explicitly, for example "switch the ratio to 9:16", or change it yourself in Settings.
- Setting aspect ratios after the plan is done
- Ratios shape the composition, so set them before you ask for the plan. If you change them later, ask Sparrow to revise the plan before you press Start creating.
- Leaving the brief vague
- Name the audience, the deliverables, the tone, and any text that must appear. You can also edit the Creative Brief directly; Sparrow reads your edits on the next turn.
- Pasting a link Sparrow cannot open
- Sparrow tells you when it could not open a page. Paste the text you need into the chat, try another public link, or upload images as references.
- Starting before you read the plan card
- Start creating uses the settings saved for the session. Read the summary on the plan card first so the first batch is the one you meant.
More detail on each control lives in Help: Plan-mode settings.
06 · FAQ
Common questions
What is Sparrow?
Sparrow is Creative Studio's assistant. Chat and planning replies are labeled Sparrow. It is the same Sparrow offered as a quick, dependable model tier in Operator, and it now powers the assistant in Creative Studio.
Will Sparrow change settings I already chose?
No. Anything you set is yours. Sparrow will not change it unless your message asks it to, and if its plan suggests a different value it keeps yours and says so in the reply.
Do I have to fill in every setting before I plan?
No. Set what you have an opinion about and leave the rest open. Sparrow can propose the settings you left open as part of the plan.
What does Start creating use?
The settings saved for the session, including what Sparrow set during the plan, instead of Studio defaults. It works whether the Creative Brief panel is open or closed, on desktop and on mobile. The button may read "Start from plan".
Who can use Extended Planning?
Extended Planning is available on Pro and Enterprise. Turn it on with the toggle in Plan mode; replies are labeled "Extended Planning".
Can I share links while I plan?
Yes. Paste up to two public links in a message in Plan mode, Extended Planning, or Create mode. Sparrow reads the page text and shows a "Read page" entry, and tells you if it could not open a page.
Do I get Pro art direction if I am not on Pro or Enterprise?
Accounts that are not on Pro or Enterprise get Pro art direction on the house: 15 free Pro generations. The allowance was refreshed in October 2026, so accounts that had used theirs got a fresh 15. The gallery shows how many you have left. Pro and Enterprise get Pro art direction on every new generation. Edits and regenerations of an existing image skip art direction and don’t use a pass.