User Guide

Add curated background textures and overlays using Elements

Learn how to use Elements to add backgrounds, overlays, and textures to your artwork using free stock assets.

Bring your artwork to life with Elements in Fresco

Elements are pre‑curated, free stock assets built into Adobe Fresco and selected for quality and ease of use. They appear in alphabetical order, making it easy to browse and quickly find what you need. The library includes a variety of visual styles, such as Gradient, Comic, and more. The white background makes colors easier to see, keeps your focus on the artwork without visual clutter, and gives a more accurate preview of the final result. Once you select an asset, it downloads to your canvas and opens in Transform mode, allowing you to scale, rotate, or reposition it as needed. 

Note

On iPhone and iPad, the Elements panel includes white‑background thumbnails, three new categories (Plastic, Shadows, and Water), and over 400 new assets. Larger previews and the expanded layout are available only on iPad.

How to use Elements?

  1. Tap the Add Image   icon on the toolbar and select Elements.

    A screenshot showing various options when you click on Add Image icon

    The Elements panel opens and displays a range of asset categories.

  2. Browse the curated categories and select a specific category (for example, Fabric).

    The Elements panel is open and is displaying thumbnails of categories and they are listed in alphabetical order.
    Browse pre-curated Elements categories with clear previews.

  3. Scroll through the assets and tap to insert an asset onto the canvas.

    The Elements panel in Adobe Fresco showing fabric texture assets displayed as large thumbnails alongside the canvas.
    Browse fabric textures and other assets.

  4. Use the transform handles to scale, rotate, or position the image.

  5. Tap Done to place the asset. Once you place the asset, Fresco automatically generates a color palette based on it, which helps you match your illustration style easily.

Tips for working with Elements

  • Use the asset as a Background layer and lower its opacity to draw on top.
  • Use it as an Overlay on existing artwork by changing the Blend mode like Multiply, Overlay, etc.
  • Add new layers above or below the asset to control how it integrates into your composition.

This flexibility allows you to use Elements as a creative base or as subtle enhancements layered into your composition.

Elements and Content Credentials

Normally, imported images may disqualify your artwork from receiving the Created without generative AI Content Credential tag when exporting. However, all Elements assets are pre-approved and not AI-generated, so your work stays eligible for the Created without generative AI tag.

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Ask the Community

For inspiration, expert tips, and solutions to common issues, visit the Adobe Fresco Community forum. Connect with our team and fellow users to exchange ideas, share your creations, stay updated with the latest features and announcements, and provide feedback.

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