Layer AI

What is Layer AI?

Layer AI is a browser-based generative content platform that lets game studios and creative teams produce images, video, 3D models and audio in their own trained style. It began as a game-asset generator and now also targets ad creatives and live-ops content.

You describe an asset, choose from more than 300 models or let the Creative Agent pick, then refine the result with editing tools. Named models on the site include FLUX, Qwen and SDXL for images, Veo 3.1, Kling, Seedance and Wan for video, and ElevenLabs for audio. Repeated jobs run through node-based workflows, and finished files sit in a searchable asset library or on an infinite board.

Layer AI, Inc. is based in San Francisco. Its homepage claims more than 10,000 artists, producers and growth teams and over 300 entertainment brands as users, naming Zynga, King, Take-Two Interactive, Tripledot, Peak Games and Wildlife Studios among them.

Key Features

Style training is the feature studios buy Layer AI for, since custom models keep thousands of generated assets close to an established art direction.

• Custom style training: You upload reference art and train a LoRA model that reproduces your look, alongside more than 40 pre-built styles. Reference Sets add a lighter way to steer brand consistency without a full training run.
• Multi-format generation: Images, video, 3D meshes with PBR textures, voice-over and music all come from one workspace. Image-to-video and image-to-3D tools turn an approved concept into animated or engine-ready versions without switching services.
• Creative Agent: The agent researches a brief, suggests ideas, selects models, builds workflows and generates assets. It also works through MCP, a command-line tool and agent skills for coding assistants such as Claude Code, Cursor and Codex.
• Editing tools: Prompt-based edits, inpainting, reframing, relighting, upscaling and background removal let artists fix details rather than regenerating from scratch. This keeps a good composition while correcting hands, lighting or aspect ratio for different placements.
• Workflow builder: A node-based editor chains steps such as generate, edit, upscale and score into a reusable pipeline. Teams then run it across whole asset sets in batches, which suits live-ops events needing dozens of matching items.
• Brand QA scoring: Automated scoring rates each output for brand adherence and quality before it reaches an artist. Weak results can be filtered out early, saving review time on large ad or content batches.

Pros

Zero seat fees give Layer AI a clear edge for larger teams, because you pay only for generation and can invite every artist, producer and marketer.

• Unlimited members: The pricing page charges $0 per seat, so adding reviewers or freelancers costs nothing extra. Studios with many occasional users avoid paying monthly licences for people who generate little.
• Wide model choice: More than 300 image, video, 3D and audio models sit behind one login and one credit balance. Teams can compare models on the same brief without managing separate subscriptions to each provider.
• Studio-grade security: Layer AI states SOC 2 Type II compliance, GDPR readiness, SSO, SCIM, role-based access and exportable audit logs. It also says customer data never trains foundation models, which protects unreleased game art.
• Fits existing pipelines: Plugins for Photoshop, Blender, Figma, Premiere Pro and After Effects, plus Unity and Unreal connections, bring assets into tools artists already use. That reduces manual downloading, renaming and re-importing.
• Flexible scaling: Plans start at $10 a month and grow in steps, with 10% of unused units carried over each period. Self-serve volume discounts and annual billing help studios as their output rises.

Cons

Cost forecasting is the hardest part of Layer AI, as each model burns Creative Units at a different rate and video can cost dozens of units per clip.

• Unpredictable bills: Veo 3.1 uses 4.5 units per second of video and Meshy V7 uses 40 units per 3D model, while SDXL images cost 0.2 per megapixel. Monthly totals swing widely with the mix of formats you generate.
• Shifting product focus: The platform now leans heavily towards user-acquisition ads, playable ads and marketing content. Indie developers who only want sprites or textures may find much of the interface aimed at growth teams.
• Learning curve: Style training, node workflows, reference sets and agent settings take time to understand. Small teams should expect a few sessions of testing before output becomes consistent enough for production.
• No listed free plan: The official pricing page shows only paid subscriptions, even though older blog posts and directories mention a free tier. You need to pay at least $10 a month to evaluate the full platform.
• Expiring units: Unused Creative Units expire at the end of each billing period, apart from the 10% that rolls over. Quiet months between releases therefore waste part of the subscription unless you lower the tier.

Who is Using Layer AI?

Mobile game publishers make up Layer AI’s best-known customers, with Zynga, King and Peak Games named on its homepage.

• Mobile game studios: Art teams produce characters, items, backgrounds and seasonal live-ops content in their established style. Batch workflows help them refresh events every few weeks.
• User acquisition teams: Growth marketers generate many ad and playable variants for testing. Connectors to AppLovin, Meta, Google and TikTok move creatives towards campaigns faster.
• Art directors: Leads train styles and set QA scoring so generated work stays on model. They review filtered output instead of correcting every asset by hand.
• Creative agencies: Agencies serving gaming and entertainment brands produce concept art, trailers and social content at volume. Unlimited seats let client reviewers join without extra cost.

Pricing

Layer AI is paid, with usage-based subscriptions from $10 a month for 300 Creative Units (official prices, October 2026).

A 2025 Layer blog described a free 50-unit plan, Futurepedia quotes a free tier and $30 a month, and other directories list contact-only pricing, but the official page shows none of these.

Disclaimer: unit rates differ by model and can change, so price a typical month of your own work before committing to an annual plan.

What Makes Layer AI Unique?

A studio’s own trained style, applied across hundreds of third-party models, is what separates Layer AI from general image generators. Most rivals offer a prompt box and one or two in-house models. Layer AI combines custom styles with workflows, QA scoring and engine plugins, so output moves from idea to game build or ad network in one system.

Its agent tooling is also unusual for a creative platform. Through MCP, a CLI and agent skills, coding assistants can request assets directly, which lets technical teams generate placeholder art or variations from inside their development environment.

Compatibilities and Integrations

Layer AI connects to creative software, game engines and ad networks, so generated assets reach production tools without repeated manual exports.

• Plugins: Photoshop, Blender, Figma, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Slack and a Chrome extension.
• Game engines: Unity and Unreal Engine connections for importing assets into projects.
• Ad networks and storage: Connectors for AppLovin, Meta, Google, TikTok and Google Drive.
• Developer access: An API, webhooks, an MCP server and a command-line interface.
• Single sign-on: SAML, Google, OIDC, Microsoft, Okta and Active Directory on enterprise contracts.

Layer AI Tutorials

An afternoon is usually enough to train a style and produce a first on-brand batch.

1. Create a workspace, pick a starter subscription and invite your team.
2. Upload a consistent set of your own reference art and train a custom style.
3. Generate test assets with two or three models and compare unit costs.
4. Fix details with inpainting, relighting or upscaling.
5. Save the steps as a node workflow with QA scoring and run it as a batch.
6. Send approved assets to Unity, Photoshop or your ad network through the plugins.

How We Rated It

Layer AI scores 4.1 out of 5, driven by broad features, security and integrations, with metered unit costs pulling the total down.

Summary

Layer AI suits game studios and marketing teams that produce large volumes of art, video and ads in a fixed style. Its depth, unlimited seats and plugin coverage make it a strong pipeline tool rather than a casual image generator. The main limitation is cost control, since video and 3D work consume Creative Units quickly and unused units mostly expire. Start on a small tier, log unit use per model for a month, and only then scale up or move to an annual contract.