What WordPress Does When You Upload a Layerre Image
Layerre turns a Canva template into a ready-to-use image: new headline, new photo, new language, one row in your sheet. Your automation uploads that file to WordPress and sets it as the featured image on the post. That is the cover image WordPress shows on blog listings, search results, and social previews when someone shares the link.
The WordPress integration walks through the Layerre side: generate the image, upload it to the media library, set featured_media on the post. This page covers the WordPress side: what happens to that file after the upload lands. WordPress always processes uploads the same way. Knowing the steps helps you pick the right export settings in Layerre.
The short version
- Layerre exports one image file (PNG, WebP, or JPEG).
- WordPress saves it in the media library.
- If the file is very large, WordPress also saves a scaled-down copy.
- WordPress builds thumbnail, medium, and large versions, plus any extra sizes your theme or plugins registered.
That is normal WordPress behavior. Layerre gives you one sharp file; WordPress prepares the sizes your site needs.
What is a featured image?
A featured image is the main image attached to a WordPress post or page. It is not inside the post body. WordPress uses it as the cover thumbnail on your blog index, in search results, and often when someone shares the link on Facebook or LinkedIn.
In a Layerre workflow, you generate that image from a Canva template, upload it through the WordPress REST API, and tell WordPress to use it as the post's featured image. See WordPress's featured image guide for how that works in the editor.
What Layerre sends
Layerre returns a single image URL. Two settings are worth knowing before you upload to WordPress:
- Export format. PNG is the default and works well when you need transparency. For web featured images, WebP or JPEG is usually smaller. Set
export_type: "webp"on the generate request, or pick WebP in the app. - Render size. Layerre renders at 2× for typical template sizes so text and photos stay sharp. A 1200px-wide Canva banner might export around 2400px. That is intentional. Size the Canva file with that in mind if you are uploading to WordPress.
What WordPress does after the upload
WordPress treats your Layerre file like any other upload.
Step 1: save the original. The file goes into wp-content/uploads.
Step 2: add a scaled copy if needed. If either side is over 2560px, WordPress keeps the original and also writes a smaller -scaled version.
Step 3: build thumbnail sizes. WordPress generates thumbnail, medium, large, and any other sizes your theme or plugins asked for. Setting the upload as the featured image is what kicks off this step.
Tips for a smooth upload
- Export as WebP or JPEG when the image is for the web. PNG is still the right choice for print or transparency.
- If your Canva template is very wide, remember the 2× render. Keeping the long edge under 2560px after export avoids the extra scaled copy WordPress creates for oversized files.
- If the image is only for social previews (Yoast, Rank Math), paste the Layerre URL into the SEO plugin field instead of uploading to the media library. WordPress will not create extra copies for a URL it never stored.
You can pick the export format in the Layerre generate panel. See PNG, PDF, WebP, and JPEG exports.
Cleaning up old uploads
If you already uploaded large PNGs as featured images, the extra copies are still in wp-content/uploads. Changing export settings on the next generate does not remove them. WP Multitool has a guide on removing unused WordPress image sizes.
WP Multitool is a WordPress maintenance plugin for cleaning up the media library, finding unused files, and keeping wp-content/uploads from growing without you noticing.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my exported image wider than the Canva file?
Layerre renders at 2× for typical template sizes so type and photos stay sharp. If the file is going into WordPress, design the Canva width with that doubling in mind.
Should social preview images go in the media library?
Often no. Store the Layerre URL in your SEO plugin. Use the media library when WordPress needs to crop or serve the image itself, like a featured image shown on your blog index.
Generate featured images from Canva, upload to WordPress
Import a template, swap the content from a sheet, export as WebP, and set each image as the featured image on the post.