Edit a Creative Set in the Studio editor

The Studio editor, titled Creative Designer, is where you refine a Creative Set. You change the layers and the copy, check the result, and create an ad.

Problem and intended user

A creative strategist (the person who plans and makes ad creatives) often needs small changes to a creative that already exists: a new headline, a different image, a moved logo. Each change must be repeated in every size. A media buyer (the person who runs your paid ads) cannot launch the ad until all sizes are right.

The editor helps you change one Creative Set in one place.

Current workflow

Without the editor, the creative strategist opens each size in a design tool, edits the layers by hand and exports the files. Copy lives in a document or a spreadsheet. The media buyer uploads the files to Meta Ads Manager or Google Ads and types the copy in again.

Prerequisites

• A Creative Set that you have not archived. An archived Set opens without the editing buttons.
• To open the editor, select Open in Studio on a card or in the detail panel. See Studio.
• Credits for the AI tools in the editor. These actions use credits: Generate copy variations (Generate 3 with AI), Generate image, Adjust image with AI, Transform into editable Layers and an AI Chat message that shows a cost badge. The cost shows in the dialog or the badge before you confirm. The Billing page shows the current costs. See Credits and top-ups.
• To create an ad, you need no Meta Ads or Google Ads connection and no ad budget. You need a Meta Ads or Google Ads connection only to deploy the ad. You need an ad budget only to create a new campaign in the Deploy to Campaign dialog. See Review and deploy ads.

How Nexus works

Nexus keeps the layers, the copy and the sizes of the Set. Fixed rules handle layers, undo, saving, version history and the export. AI runs only when you ask, for example with Adjust image with AI, Transform into editable Layers, Generate 3 with AI or AI Chat. The AI result can be wrong, so check it before you save.

Two steps need your approval. You save your work yourself. You also confirm Create Ad in a dialog.

Pick a size or card

A multi-aspect Set has one tab per size. Select a tab to edit that size. Add aspect adds a size that the platform allows.

A carousel has one tab per card. Add card adds a card. Add card (10 max) means the carousel is full.

Work in the sidebar

The sidebar has these tabs:

Tab	Use it to
Layers	Change the pieces of the creative.
Copy	Write the headline, primary text and CTA.
AI Chat	Describe a change in words. This tab shows first only when the creative is a single background image. Otherwise it is hidden.

Layers

Select a layer to open its settings. Use the eye icon to hide or show it, and the arrows to reorder it.

• + Insert from Library adds an image from your Library.
• Add image uploads a JPEG, PNG or WebP file.
• Add text adds a text layer.
• Add logo adds your logo.

On a background image, you can also use:

• Replace to upload another image, or Replace from Library.
• Adjust image with AI to describe a change to the picture.
• Transform into editable Layers to split the text from the background.

WARNING

Adjust image with AI and Transform into editable Layers cost credits. Read the cost in the dialog before you confirm. See Credits and top-ups.

When you select Transform into editable Layers, a dialog asks you to confirm. It says the design is locked until the transform finishes, and your other designs stay editable. It also says nothing changes until you accept the result.

While a transform runs, Editing is paused on that design. The AI Chat and Copy tabs say "Paused while a layer transform is running on this design." When the transform ends, select Review transformed layers to apply or discard the result. The review dialog has a More details toggle that lists how long each step took.

Follow a transform

While a transform runs, three places show the current step and a clock, for example "Reading the text in your image · 0:12":

• The Transform into editable Layers button.
• The AI Chat and Copy tabs, under the paused line.
• A card in the bottom-right corner of the screen. The card stays on screen when you leave the editor. Select it to return to the design.

The step line reads one of these, roughly in this order: "Waiting to start", "Preparing your image", "Reading the text in your image", "Removing the text from the background", "Checking for leftover text", "Creating an alternative background", "Rendering the layers" and "Comparing the layout with your original". If Nexus has no step to report, the button reads "Transforming".

Select More details on the card to see four grouped steps: Reading the text in your image, Removing the text from the background, Creating an alternative background and Matching the layout to your original. While Nexus removes the text, that row shows the pass, for example "pass 1 of up to 3". A finished step shows how long it took, and a later step shows "Waiting".

When the transform ends and you are on another page, the card changes to Editable layers are ready with a Review result button. It lists the four steps with their times. If you are in the editor of that design, the review dialog opens instead.

Copy

Each variation has a Headline, Primary text and CTA. A carousel card has a Card title and Card description instead. Select Add variation to write another one. Select Generate 3 with AI to get three more. A cost badge shows the credit cost first.

AI Chat

Choose an option, such as Tweak the current image, Update the headline or Update the CTA. Describe the change and send it. A cost badge shows before you send. The Billing page shows the current costs.

Save, undo and preview

An Unsaved changes badge shows until you save.

• Select Save to keep your changes.
• Select the undo and redo buttons, or press Cmd/Ctrl+Z and Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z.
• Select Preview to see the creative as it is exported. When you have unsaved changes, the button reads Save & Preview and saves first.

Inside Shopify Admin, a save bar also offers Save and Discard.

If someone else saved first, a banner says "Someone else edited this Set". Reload from server discards your edits. Keep my edits & overwrite replaces the other version.

Create the ad

Warning: Create Ad freezes the current creative as a numbered version and makes a new ad. The Set stays open for editing. A later Create Ad makes another version and another ad, and the earlier ad stays. Some on-screen lines in the dialog say the creative becomes read-only. The Set stays editable, so ignore them.

1. Select Save. Create Ad stays disabled while you have unsaved changes.
2. Select Create Ad.
3. Check the name, format and copy in the dialog, then select Create Ad again.

The new ad starts as Ready to Deploy. Nexus publishes nothing to Meta or Google until you deploy it. You can close the dialog while the job runs, because it finishes in the background. You choose paused or live when you deploy. See Review and deploy ads.

If you opened the editor with Edit on an ad that is not deployed yet, a banner reads "Editing an existing ad". The toolbar button then reads Update ad and changes that ad in place. For the Edit button, see Review and deploy ads.

Version history

Each ad you create freezes the creative as a numbered version. Version history lists them. Select Restore on an older version to bring it back. Restore stays disabled while you have unsaved changes, so save or discard them first. If your current creative has no ad, Nexus warns that restoring replaces it.

Exact output

The editor gives you a saved Creative Set and, after Create Ad, an ad you can review and launch.

The screen has the toolbar (undo, redo, Save, Create Ad, More actions), the aspect or card tabs, the canvas and the sidebar.

After you create the ad

When the ad exists, select See Ad to review and launch it. See Review and deploy ads.

More actions

The More actions menu holds:

• Share. See Share a Creative Set with a link.
• Export. After you create the ad, it lists each rendered image with Download and Copy URL.
• Brand Settings, Duplicate and Archive.

What to do with it

What you see	Decision or action	Owner
A canvas for each size or card	Edit layers, then check every tab.	creative strategist
The Copy tab	Write or generate headline, primary text and CTA. Choose the variations to keep.	creative strategist
Preview	Check the creative as it is exported before you create the ad.	creative strategist
Create Ad in the dialog	Confirm the name, format and copy, then select Create Ad.	creative strategist
See Ad	Review the ad and launch it. See Review and deploy ads.	media buyer
Share in More actions	Send a read-only link to someone who has no Nexus account.	ecommerce manager (the person who runs the store)
Export	Download each rendered image to use outside Nexus, for example in Meta Ads Manager.	media buyer
Restore in Version history	Bring back an older version of the creative.	creative strategist

Expected value and measurement

The editor can help you keep copy and layers consistent across sizes. It does not measure results.

To check the edit, use Preview on every size tab before you create the ad. After launch, open Performance > Ad performance and read Spend and ROAS for the ad. See Ad performance. To judge one edit, compare the ad with the earlier version of the same creative, over the same dates. A new audience or budget in that period also moves the numbers, so you cannot isolate the effect of one edit.

Limitations and exceptions

• An archived Set opens without the editing buttons. A Set that has an ad stays editable.
• A Set with no designs shows "This Set has no designs yet."
• A Performance Max or Demand Gen asset group opens an asset-group view instead of the canvas. If it misses a requirement, the dialog shows "Requirements not met" and lists what to fix. The Create Ad button in the dialog stays disabled until you fix it.
• AI results, including Generate 3 with AI, Adjust image with AI and AI Chat, can be wrong. Review them first.
• A transform can fail. Nexus then leaves your design unchanged. In the editor, a message titled Transform failed ends "Your design was not changed." On another page, the card is titled Couldn’t transform into layers. Both give a reason in plain words. The next table lists each reason.
• If you click Create Ad and it fails, the dialog shows "Couldn't create ad" or "Ad creation failed" with a reason. Try again.

Transform failure reasons

Message	What to do
"This image doesn’t match the shape of this design."	Replace the background with one in the same format.
"We couldn’t load the background image."	Check that the image still opens, then try again.
"We couldn’t read the text and graphics in this image."	Try again, or use a clearer image.
"We couldn’t cleanly remove the text from this image."	Try again, or use a simpler background.
"The image service took too long to respond."	Try again in a moment.
"We couldn’t save the working files for this transform."	Try again in a moment.
"We couldn’t build the editable layers preview."	Try again in a moment.
"This background has already been turned into editable layers."	Replace the background image first.
"We couldn’t find this design."	Reload the editor. The design may have been deleted.
"You don’t have enough credits for this transform."	Top up your credits.
"This store reached its credit spending limit for now."	Try again later. The limit frees up as earlier activity ages out.
"We couldn’t reach the credit service, so the transform didn’t start."	Try again in a moment.
"The image could not be transformed into layers. Try again in a moment."	Try again. Nexus shows this line for any other failure.

Demo Mode

INFO

In Demo Mode, the Create Ad dialog shows a banner, "You're in Demo Mode": "Creating an ad is disabled while you explore with sample data. Turn off Demo Mode to create a real, deploy-ready ad from this creative." The only button is Got it.

AI Chat answers: "The AI Chat assistant isn't available in demo mode. Disable demo mode to chat with this design." Aspect reframe answers: "Aspect reframe isn't available in demo mode. Disable demo mode to generate aspect variants." Transform into editable Layers is blocked with its own message. Image, copy and video generation return placeholder results, not real generations.

In the public demo, Create Ad opens the same dialog. Save is blocked and the Save failed message shows "This action is not available in the public demo."

Related

• Studio
• Share a Creative Set with a link
• Review and deploy ads
• Library
• Credits and top-ups