The website that cured...
The website that cured my "blank canvas phobia" – how capable is it really?
Have you ever had this experience – you get a sudden urge to make an image, open your design software, stare at a blank canvas, and your mind goes even blanker than the canvas?
I have. And not just once or twice.
Every time I needed to make a poster or a WeChat public account cover, I'd fall into the same cycle: open Photoshop → stare at the blank interface → watch half an hour of tutorials → give up → shut down the computer. After all that hassle, I'd end up screenshotting a template from my Moments feed and using Meitu Xiuxiu to change a couple of lines of text, just to get something out there.
Until someone told me: "Try Gaoding Design – drag and drop, and you get an image."
I thought to myself: another "template‑stacking" marketing gimmick. But after clicking in… I admit I was proven wrong.
What exactly is it?
Gaoding Design, put simply, is a multi‑scenario online commercial visual design platform. But in plain English – you don't need to know design, you don't need to install software, you don't need to start from scratch. Pick a template, change the text, swap some images, and you've got a usable graphic.
Its predecessor was "H...
Its predecessor was "Huanleguang," launched in 2010, which spent nearly a decade deeply rooted in e‑commerce and enterprise services. In 2018, Gaoding (Xiamen) Technology Co., Ltd. was officially established, with Liu Zhijie as the legal representative. Two of the founders came from Tencent CDC as senior designers – no wonder the interface aesthetic is genuinely on point.
Now the platform has served over 100 million users and 5 million enterprises, with total downloads exceeding 400 million across all platforms. Honestly, those numbers surprised me a bit.
So many features I got choice paralysis
The first time I opened its homepage, I was completely overwhelmed.
The front page was packed with template categories: posters, Xiaohongshu, public accounts, e‑commerce, education and training, holiday trends… I felt like a kid entering a supermarket for the first time – wanting to grab everything, but not knowing where to start.
But what truly made me think "this thing has some real substance" was its AI background removal.
I've used plenty of background‑removal tools before – hair strands were basically a matter of luck. Gaoding's removal tool is based on a pre‑trained ViT model, supposedly capable of strand‑level detail. I tried it on a photo with hair flying everywhere – while not perfect, it was way better than what I could do manually in Photoshop after half an hour. Plus, it supports batch processing – up to 30 images at once – a lifesaver for e‑commerce sellers.
AI retouching is also a standout feature: watermark removal, smart object elimination, HD restoration, and smart image expansion. Restoring old photos and sharpening blurry images is basically one‑click.
There are also ov...
There are also over 500,000 commercially usable templates, covering Xiaohongshu, public accounts, e‑commerce main images, product detail pages, PPTs, H5 pages… The template library updates with 200+ new templates daily and 6,000+ monthly, and can respond to domestic and international hot topics within 24 hours. Basically any online promotional material you can think of, there's a ready‑to‑use template.
It even has multi‑user collaboration – teams can work together without endlessly emailing file versions back and forth.
But let's be real – it's not a magic bullet
Having said all that, I need to pour some cold water.
It's not a replacement for Photoshop. If you need pixel‑level precision, complex layer masks, or professional colour management – you still need to use Photoshop. Gaoding solves the problem of "getting images out fast," not the problem of "professional retouching."
And user reviews are a bit polarised.
On one hand, some users say they "regret not getting a membership sooner – it's an efficiency booster." Some reported that after using it, content generation efficiency increased by 15 times, and design costs dropped to about 36 RMB per image.
On the other hand, I've seen plenty of complaints on Xiaohongshu: membership benefit changes without prior notice, lost account data, difficulty getting refunds… These issues do exist, and they are legitimate concerns.
If you're planning to ...
If you're planning to pay, I'd suggest reading the membership terms carefully – don't just blindly click checkout.
So, is it worth using?
My advice is straightforward –
If any of these apply to you, definitely give it a try:
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You're an e‑commerce seller needing lots of product images, detail pages, and promotional posters.
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You're a content creator who needs graphics for Xiaohongshu and public accounts every day.
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You're a small business owner with no dedicated designer but still need promotional materials.
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You're just an ordinary user who wants to make a nice birthday poster or holiday card without learning design from scratch.
The free version alrea...
The free version already offers plenty of features – play around with it first, and consider a membership only if it feels right.
But here's the honest truth – don't expect it to replace your aesthetic judgment. No matter how good the templates are, the final result still depends on your own taste and decisions. What it saves you is the time cost of "starting from zero," not the process of "thinking and choosing."
One final genuine reflection: before, from opening design software to giving up, it took me an average of 15 minutes. Now, with Gaoding, from selecting a template to exporting the final image, it takes me less than 10 minutes.
Would you call that a relief or what?