HelpAI features

AI features

Create programs, plan your event, refine content, generate designs, and draft invitations — all with AI assistance.

Overview

Programleaf uses AI across five areas of the product:

  • Program creation — generate a complete program from a brief, a PDF/DOCX document, or a photo of an existing program.
  • Event planning — generate a full event preparation plan: prioritized tasks, timelines, vendor recommendations, budget guidance, and risk alerts.
  • Content editing — reorder, expand, trim, or rename items in the workspace using the AI Assist panel.
  • Design — generate a complete color and font scheme for your program with a single click.
  • Invitations — draft a personalized invitation subject line and message body based on your event details.

The Free plan includes 3 AI creates (lifetime — this never resets) for program creation only. The Standard plan includes AI creates, AI tweaks, and theAI Planner, each with its own monthly allowance. See Credits and quotas for details.

Create from brief

Build a full program by answering a series of questions about your event. The AI uses your answers to generate sections, items, descriptions, and timings.

How it works

  1. From the Dashboard, click New ProgramBuild with AIFrom Brief.
  2. Answer the guided questions:
    • Event title — the name of your event (required).
    • Event type — Wedding, Church Service, Birthday, Conference, Meeting/Lecture, Funeral, Graduation, Concert, Dinner, or Other (required).
    • Start and end time — helps the AI place realistic timings on each item.
    • Program flow — describe the order of events. The more detail, the better the output (up to 800 characters).
    • Item count — a rough guide: 5–8, 8–12, 12–18, or 18+.
    • Tone — Formal, Semi-formal, or Casual.
    • Color preferences — describe a palette or leave blank for the AI to suggest one.
    • Special notes — any constraints or must-haves.
  3. Review your answers on the summary page. Go back to change anything.
  4. Click Generate Program. The AI builds the program (usually 10–20 seconds).
  5. Review the generated program. Edit directly on the page if needed, then click Save.
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Tip

Include names, timings, and specific moments in the program flow — AI generates much richer output when the brief has concrete details. Example: "Ceremony at 2pm: processional, readings by John & Mary, vows exchange, ring ceremony, recessional. Reception from 4pm: cocktail hour, dinner, 3 speeches, first dance."

Create from document

Upload an existing program document and let AI extract the structure and convert it into a Programleaf program.

Supported formats

  • PDF — text-based PDFs work best; scanned/image-only PDFs may produce less accurate results.
  • DOCX — Microsoft Word documents.

How it works

  1. From the Dashboard, click New ProgramBuild with AIImport from PDF / DOCX.
  2. Upload your file (up to the plan file size limit).
  3. Select the event type and tone.
  4. Optionally add color preferences and special notes.
  5. Click Generate. The system extracts the text (up to 10,000 words) and sends it to AI for structuring.
  6. Review the generated program. Edit directly on the page to correct any errors, then click Save.
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Note

AI extraction is not always perfect, especially for complex layouts, tables, or multi-column designs. Always review the output and adjust as needed.

Create from photo

Snap a photo of a printed program — a church bulletin, a wedding program card, a conference schedule — and AI will digitize it into an editable Programleaf program.

How it works

  1. From the Dashboard, click New ProgramBuild with AIDigitise from Photo.
  2. Upload a photo (JPEG or PNG) or use the camera on mobile to capture one directly.
  3. Select the event type and optionally add special notes.
  4. Click Generate. The image is processed using AI vision to read and structure the text.
  5. Review the generated program. Edit directly to correct any errors (AI may misread handwriting or stylized fonts), then click Save.
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Tip

For best results, photograph the program flat with even lighting and no shadows across the text. Crop tightly to the program content — background clutter reduces accuracy.

AI Assist (workspace) Standard+

The AI Assist panel in the event workspace helps restructure or refine your content. Each use consumes one AI tweak credit.

How to use it

  1. Open a program in the event workspace (Workspace from the Dashboard).
  2. Click the AI button in the toolbar to open the panel.
  3. Choose an action:
    • Reorder — AI suggests an optimized item ordering based on event flow.
    • Expand — AI adds more detail and content to items.
    • Trim — AI removes unnecessary items and shortens descriptions.
    • Rename — AI improves item names for clarity and consistency.
  4. Optionally add notes to guide the AI (e.g., "keep the prayer items together" or "make it more formal").
  5. Click Apply. The workspace shows a preview with color-coded changes:
    • Green — newly added items or content.
    • Yellow — modified items.
    • Strikethrough — items the AI suggests removing.
  6. Review the suggestion. Click Accept to apply or Dismiss to discard.
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Note

AI tweaks work best on programs with 6 or more items. For very short programs, manual editing is usually faster and gives you more precise control.

AI design generator Standard+

Generate a complete color and font scheme for your program with one click. Each generation consumes one AI tweak credit.

How to use it

  1. Open the program's Design tab.
  2. Click AI in the design toolbar.
  3. Fill in the generation options:
    • Event type — auto-filled from your program title if available.
    • Tone — Formal, Semi-formal, or Casual.
    • Color preference — describe a palette (e.g., "gold and ivory", "dark navy") or leave blank for AI to choose.
    • Design notes — specific instructions for layout, borders, or card styling.
  4. Optionally toggle constraints: No Borders, No Backgrounds, or No Cards.
  5. Click Generate Design. The AI applies a complete scheme to the live preview.
  6. Review in the preview panel. Click Accept to keep or Discard to revert.
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Tip

You can generate multiple designs and compare. Each generation uses one tweak credit. If you accept a design, you can still manually adjust individual colors and fonts afterward.

AI invitation draft Standard+

Let AI write the subject line and message body for your invitation emails based on your event details. Each draft consumes one AI tweak credit.

How to use it

  1. Open the program's Invitations tab.
  2. In the compose section, click AI Assist.
  3. Fill in the options:
    • Tone — the formality of the message.
    • Custom notes — any specific details to include (e.g., dress code, RSVP deadline, parking instructions).
  4. Click Generate draft. The subject and message fields are filled with the AI output.
  5. Review and edit the draft before sending.
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Note

AI drafts are a starting point. Always review for tone, accuracy, and any personal details that should be customized. Every invitation email automatically includes the guest's unique access link — you do not need to add one manually.

AI Planner Standard+

The AI Planner turns your event idea into a complete preparation plan. Open the Planner tab on any program and describe your event — the AI generates:

  • A prioritized task list with realistic timelines
  • A tailored vendor list — venues, caterers, AV, photographers, florists, and more
  • Budget guidance — suggested allocations and cost optimization tips
  • Risk alerts — permits, insurance, accessibility, weather contingencies, and other details most organizers overlook

The Planner uses its own separate credit pool, independent of your AI creates and tweaks. Planner credits reset monthly on your subscription anniversary date (they do not carry over). The Free plan has no Planner access.

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Note

Team members with the Planner or Manager role can access the Planner tab. Editors and designers cannot. See Sharing & collaboration for role details.

Credits and quotas

AI features use three types of credits, all included with your plan:

AI creates

Consumed when you generate a new program (from brief, document, or photo). One creation = one credit, regardless of whether you save the result.

AI tweaks

Consumed by the AI Assist panel (reorder, expand, trim, rename), AI design generation, and AI invitation drafts. One action = one credit.

Credits by plan

PlanAI createsAI tweaks / monthAI planner / month
Free3 (lifetime)
Standard20 / month5020
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Note

Free AI creates never reset — they are a one-time lifetime allowance. All other credits reset on your subscription anniversary date, not the first of the month. Your remaining balance is shown in the AI panel and on the Account page.

Tips for better results

  • Be specific in your brief — include names, timings, and specific moments. "Welcome speech by Jane, 5 min" produces better output than "opening remarks."
  • Choose the right event type — this shapes the structure and language the AI uses. A "Church Service" generates liturgy-appropriate sections; a "Conference" generates sessions and keynotes.
  • Use the tone setting — Formal adds honorifics and measured language; Casual uses friendly, relaxed wording.
  • Review everything — AI is a powerful starting point, but it may get names, timings, or cultural details wrong. Always proofread before publishing.
  • Iterate with AI Assist — after creating a program, use the workspace's AI Assist to refine. Generate the program first, then Trim or Rename to polish.
  • Photograph clearly — for photo imports, flat lighting and tight crops produce the best text recognition.
  • Try design generation after content is finalized — AI design works best when your program has its final title and event type, since it uses these to choose an appropriate palette.