What is Layer
Last updated: October 13, 2026
Layer is where game and creative teams make images, video, 3D and audio with AI, on their own art and in their own pipeline. This page explains the pieces you will meet in your first hour and how they fit together, with a link to the article that covers each one.
How it works
Everything happens in a workspace: your team's shared space, with its members, its files and one balance of Creative Units. Inside it, work happens in sessions, and what you make collects in the library.
Tools
A tool does one job, such as Create image, Create tile, Upscale image or Remove image background, and its form asks only for what that job needs. Start from what you want to make or change and open the tool for it: on Home under Tools, or in a session's side panel next to the board. Tools in Layer lists every tool and what it is for.
Models
Each run uses a base model. A tool starts on a default model chosen for its job and offers only the models that can do it, so you can leave the model alone for most work. Switch it when you need a specific look or capability, such as transparency, a longer clip or a higher resolution. See Choose a model.
Sessions and the board
A session is one piece of work, such as a character, a store screenshot set or a trailer. Its board holds every file you bring in or generate there, laid out so you can compare takes side by side. Start one with New session in the sidebar and come back to it from All sessions.
The agent
The chat in a session. Describe what you need and the agent picks the tools and models, asks for any files or choices it is missing, and checks the cost with you before larger jobs. It works on the files you attach or select on the board. See the Agent collection.
Reference sets
A reference set bundles images that describe a character, a style or a look, and can be trained on your own artwork. Attach one to a run, or mention it in chat, to keep results on-model across a project. See Create a reference set.
Workflows
A workflow is a saved multi-step pipeline, for example generate, then remove the background, then upscale. You fill in its inputs and it runs every step. Find them under Workflows in the sidebar. See Find and run a workflow.
Asset Library and projects
Every file in the workspace lands in the Asset Library, searchable and filterable. Projects group the files, reference sets and workflows that belong to one game or campaign, and scope the app to them while you work. See Find your work in the library and Organize work into projects.
Creative Units
Generating costs Creative Units (CUs). The cost depends on the tool, the model and the output, shows before you run, and comes out of the workspace's shared balance. See Billing & Creative Units.
What it means for you
- You can work the way that suits the task: open a tool for a precise job, talk to the agent for open-ended or multi-step jobs, or run a workflow for a repeatable pipeline. All three put their results on the same board.
- You choose the job, not the model. Pick the tool that does what you need; change the model only when the result calls for it.
- Nothing is locked to a session. A file on any board is also in the Asset Library, and can be attached to a run, added to a reference set or used as a workflow input.
- The whole team shares one balance and one library. Admins control who can do what, which models are available and how much each group can spend; see the Admin & security collection.
- Layer also works inside other apps, such as Photoshop, Blender, Figma and Slack; see the Integrations collection.