Documentation
Everything you need to know to master Kodo - from basic tools to advanced features
Getting Started
What is Kodo?
Kodo is an AI-powered design platform that lets you create professional designs instantly. Simply describe what you want, and Kodo's AI generates complete, editable designs for you. From landing pages to social media posts, app screens to presentations - Kodo turns your ideas into reality with just a text prompt.
Once your AI-generated design is created, you have full control. Edit every element, customize colors and typography, add your own assets, and refine until it's perfect. Kodo combines the speed of AI generation with the precision of professional vector editing tools.
AI-Powered Creation
Generate complete designs from text prompts in seconds. No design experience needed - just describe your vision and watch it come to life.
Full Design Control
Every AI-generated design is fully editable. Fine-tune every detail with professional vector tools, custom typography, and precise controls.
Creating Your First Design
Sign Up & Get 30 Kodo Credits
New users receive 30 Kodo credits per month on the Free plan to try out AI features like design generation. Credits refresh monthly.
Choose Your Starting Point
- AI Prompt: Describe what you want ("design a landing page for a coffee shop")
- Blank Canvas: Start from scratch with unlimited creative freedom
Start Designing
Use the left toolbar to select tools, or open the left sidebar to access shapes, text, and elements.
Save & Share
Your work auto-saves to the cloud. Share designs with your team or export to PNG, JPG, PDF, or .kodo format.
Quick Tips
- •Use keyboard shortcuts - Press ? or click the info icon in the toolbar
- •Leverage AI wisely - AI features cost credits, but manual tools are free
- •Organize with frames - Press F to create frames
- •Real-time collaboration - See team members' cursors and changes live
Interface Overview
Canvas Layout
The Kodo interface is designed for maximum productivity with minimal clutter.
Top Bar
Contains workspace selector, upgrade button, docs link, and user menu. Switch between Personal and Team workspaces here.
Left Sidebar
Layer tree, assets panel, AI chat. Minimize with the toggle button for more canvas space.
Main Canvas
Infinite canvas with rulers, guides, and snap-to-grid. Zoom with Cmd +/- or scroll wheel.
Right Sidebar
Design, Prototype, and Inspect tabs. Properties panel shows options for selected layers (fill, stroke, effects, layout, etc.).
Left Toolbar
Select, Text, and Elements buttons. Opens sidebars for accessing tools and assets.
Toolbar & Sidebars
Kodo uses a simplified toolbar that opens sidebars for accessing tools:
Left Toolbar
Vertical toolbar on the left side of the canvas:
- Select (V) - Selection tool
- Text - Opens text sidebar
- Elements - Opens elements/library sidebar (shapes, images, icons)
Left Sidebar Tabs
Access additional tools and panels:
- Layers - Layer tree and organization
- Elements - Shapes, images, icons, graphics library
- Text - Text tool and typography options
- Shapes - Shape library and creation tools
Design Tools
Selection & Navigation
Selection Tool (V)
Click to select layers, drag to move, resize with handles. Hold Shift to add to selection, Alt to remove.
Hand Tool (Space)
Hold spacebar and drag to pan around the canvas. Works in any mode.
Zoom
Cmd + to zoom in, Cmd - to zoom out, Shift 0 to reset to 100%.
Shape Tools
Shapes are accessed via the Elements sidebar or Shapes tab in the left sidebar. Click the Elements button in the left toolbar to open it.
Rectangle
Draw rectangles and rounded rectangles. Available in Elements/Shapes sidebar.
✓ Individual corner radius control
Ellipse
Draw circles and ellipses. Available in Elements/Shapes sidebar.
✓ Arc and pie controls
Polygon
Create polygons with 3-20 sides. Available in Elements/Shapes sidebar.
✓ Variable sides
Star
Create stars with adjustable points and inner radius. Available in Elements/Shapes sidebar.
✓ 3-20 points, ratio control
Line & Arrow
Draw straight lines. Available in Elements/Shapes sidebar.
✓ Start/end arrows, stroke styles
Frame
Create artboards and containers. Available in Elements/Shapes sidebar.
✓ Auto-layout, clip content
Text Tool (T)
Click to create auto-width text, or drag to create fixed-width text boxes.
Font family, weight, size, line height, letter spacing
Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, alignment
Multiple fills, strokes, shadows, blur effects
Path & Vector Tools
Pen/Curve Tool (P)
Create bezier curves and custom shapes. Click to add points, drag to create curves.
- • Click to add straight points
- • Drag to create curve handles
- • Close path by clicking first point
- • Edit existing paths by selecting with V tool
Pencil Tool
Currently not available in toolbar. Vector paths can be created with the Pen/Curve tool (P).
Note: Drawing tools (Pencil, Brush, Eraser) are currently not available in the toolbar. Shapes can be accessed via the Elements sidebar, and vector paths can be created with the Pen/Curve tool (P).
Keyboard Shortcuts
Pro Tip: Click the info icon in the bottom toolbar or press ? to view shortcuts in-app.
Selection
Tools
Edit
Transform
View
History
AI Features
Note: AI features consume credits from your account. Monitor your usage in the top-right user menu.
Text to Design
Describe what you want to create, and Kodo's AI will generate a design for you.
Example prompts: "Create a landing page for a coffee shop", "Design a mobile app login screen", "Make a social media post about summer sale"
Background Removal
Automatically remove backgrounds from images with one click. Perfect for product photos and profile pictures.
Magic Eraser
Remove unwanted objects from images intelligently. The AI fills in the area naturally.
Collaboration
Creating a Team
Teams allow you to collaborate with others and share designs. To create a team:
- Click on the team selector in your dashboard
- Select "Create New Team"
- Give your team a name
- Invite members by email
Sharing Designs
Share individual designs with team members or external collaborators:
- Open the design you want to share
- Click the "Share" button in the top right
- Set permissions (View, Edit, or Comment)
- Share the link or invite by email
Export & Sharing
Note: Free users can export while they have Kodo credits remaining. Paid subscribers can always export while their subscription is active, even if credits are exhausted.
Supported Formats
Billing & Subscription
Plans
30 Kodo credits/month
100 Kodo credits/month
280 Kodo credits/month
All plans include unlimited designs, export to all formats, and real-time collaboration. Manual tools are always free - you only use credits for AI features.
- New users get 30 Kodo credits/month on the Free plan
- Credits refresh monthly on all plans
- Upgrade anytime from the pricing page
- Manage subscription from the billing page
- Cancel anytime with no penalties (access continues until period end)
Understanding Credits & Limits
Kodo Credits
Kodo credits are used for AI-powered design features:
- AI Design Generation (text-to-design): 2-7 credits per design, depending on complexity
- Other AI features: Varies by feature
Example: A typical landing page or app screen design consumes 2-7 credits. With 30 credits (Free plan), you can create approximately 4-15 designs per month.
AI Image Generations & Magic Editor
These are separate monthly limits that operate independently from Kodo credits:
- AI Image Generations: Create images from text prompts. Each generation counts toward your monthly limit (e.g., Free: 3/month, Basic: 10/month)
- Magic Editor: Remove objects from images intelligently. Each use counts toward your monthly limit (e.g., Free: 3/month, Basic: 10/month)
Important: These limits are separate from Kodo credits. Using AI Image Generation or Magic Editor does not consume your Kodo credits - they each have their own monthly allowance.
Summary
Three separate systems:
- Kodo Credits - For AI design generation (consumes credits)
- AI Image Generations - Monthly limit for creating images from text (separate limit)
- Magic Editor - Monthly limit for removing objects from images (separate limit)
Support
Get Help
FAQ
Do I need to pay to use Kodo?
New users get 30 Kodo credits per month on the Free plan. All manual design tools are completely free forever. You can export while you have credits, and only need a subscription for more credits or unlimited export access.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes! Cancel from the billing page. Your subscription remains active until the end of your billing period.
What happens if I run out of AI credits?
You can still use all manual tools. AI features will be disabled until your credits reset monthly or you upgrade.
Is my data safe?
Yes. All designs are stored securely with automatic backups. We use industry-standard encryption and never share your data.