Choose a model

Last updated: October 11, 2026

Compare Layer's base models by what they can do, how they rate, how fast they run and what they cost, then try the one that fits the job from its own page.

Before you start

  • Every generation costs Creative Units. A model's page shows its price, and the create button shows the cost of a run before you start it.
  • A workspace admin can disable models for everyone in the workspace. Disabled models are hidden from the list by default.

Steps

  1. Click Help & Resources at the bottom of the sidebar and choose Base Models. The list is sorted by rating, highest first.

  2. Click the modality icon above the list for the kind of asset you are making, for example Image. The list keeps only models of that kind.

  3. Click Filter by capabilities (the filter icon) and turn on what the job needs, for example Inpainting. Press Esc to close it. The list narrows to the models that support it.

  4. Click a model to open its page, and compare it on the stats under its name: Popularity, its rating (Elo for most media models), Timing per generation, Price in CUs per the unit it bills by, and the Capabilities it supports. Open the next model in the list to compare.

  5. Under Try it, pick the tool tab for the job (the tabs depend on the model, for example Create image, Reframe image or Inpaint image) and describe what you want in the prompt box.

  6. Click the button at the bottom of the form, named for the tool (for example Create image). A new session opens with the same form, model and prompt in its side panel, and the generation starts.

Result

The output lands on the new session's board, and a 1 new file added to the board notice appears with a View link. The form stays open in the side panel, set to the model you chose, so you can adjust the prompt or settings and run it again.

Production tips

  • Test on your own brief. Ratings come from general comparisons, not your art style. Shortlist two or three models, run the same prompt and settings on each in one session, and compare the results side by side on the board.
  • Filter on pipeline needs first. Capabilities such as Transparency (sprites and icons), Tileable (textures), Seed (repeatable variations), Style reference and the aspect ratio options rule models in or out before quality does.
  • Compare price like for like. Models bill by different units, and the Price stat names the unit (for example per megapixel). Work out the cost at the resolution and batch size you will ship, not the default.
  • Change the sort and columns. Click Display options (the sliders icon) to sort by Rating, Popularity, New → Old or Name (A–Z), and to show Price, Timing and other properties in the list.
  • Jump straight to a model. Press ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Windows) and type its name to open its page.
  • Keep your picks at hand. Click Add to toolset on a model's page to keep it in your toolset for later sessions.
  • Admins: standardise the team's choice. Disable on a model's page blocks it for everyone in the workspace, which keeps a production on the models you have approved.

If something goes wrong

  • The list says No models match these capabilities. Turn off a capability, or click Clear capabilities.
  • A model you expected is missing. Check the modality and capability filters and the search box. If it is still missing, an admin may have disabled it: turn on Show disabled models under Display options to see it, and ask an admin to enable it.
  • The result does not fit the job. Change the model from the model row at the top of the form in the session's side panel and run the same prompt again.
  • You are out of Creative Units. The generation will not start. Top up from your workspace's billing settings, or ask a workspace admin.

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