OpenAI just launched “Canvas,” a new workspace within ChatGPT designed to improve how users tackle both writing and coding projects. 

It has a side-by-side interface where you can focus on specific sections of your work. 

For writers, Canvas gives you real-time feedback, offers inline edits, and can even adjust the reading level of your writing—ranging from graduate school level down to kindergarten.

Basically, Canvas becomes a collaborative assistant to help you extend your capabilities.

For coders, Canvas acts like a built-in assistant that not only reviews and fixes your code but also ports it between languages like Python, Java, and C++.

It's a major upgrade from the simple chat interface, giving more interactive control over projects without relying solely on back-and-forth prompts. 

This rollout is currently in beta for ChatGPT Plus and Teams users, with Enterprise and Education users getting access soon.

This Is How You Use Canvas In ChatGPT

1. Open Canvas: Open a new chat and choose “ChatGPT 4o with canvas.” Then type “use canvas” or let it trigger automatically when helpful​.
   
   

2. Input Content: Add text or code, and highlight sections for edits or debugging.
   
   

3. Apply Suggestions: For writing, adjust tone or length. For coding, review, fix bugs, or translate between languages​.

   
   

4. Version Control: Save and revert to earlier versions as needed​.
   
   

5. Finalize: Close Canvas when edits are complete.

There’s an icon in the lower right of your screen ,and it opens up with 5 choices: add emojis, add final polish, reading level, adjust the length, and suggest edits.

Add emojis: Allows you to insert emojis into your content to enhance expression and tone.

Add final polish: Offers suggestions to improve phrasing, grammar, or clarity for a professional finish.

Reading level: Adjusts the complexity of the text, either simplifying or making it more advanced.

Adjust the length: Lets you shorten or expand the text to meet specific word count or detail needs.

Suggest edits: Provides inline suggestions for improving sentence structure, wording, or overall flow.

Writers can leverage OpenAI's Canvas in a few key ways to enhance their creative and technical processes:

1. Inline Suggestions and Edits: Canvas can act like a virtual editor, offering real-time feedback on your drafts. It can suggest edits for clarity, tone, grammar, and even structure. If you're struggling to keep a consistent voice or flow, it can highlight problematic areas and propose solutions​.
   
   

2. Customization for Different Audiences: Writers can adjust the reading level of their content—Canvas allows you to simplify text for younger readers or add complexity for a more scholarly audience. This makes it easier to repurpose content for various target demographics​.

   
   

3. Research Assistance and Citations: Canvas helps with fact-checking and source integration, making it a great tool for research-heavy writing. It can add citations and support the credibility of your work, which is especially useful for journalists and content creators who need accuracy and trustworthiness in their writing​.
   
   

4. Content Transformation: Whether you need to shorten or expand your text, Canvas can adjust the length of your writing to fit different formats, from blog posts to full-length articles. It also has features to inject humor or polish your work for that final editorial touch​.

   
   

5. Collaboration and Iteration: Canvas saves different versions of your document as you iterate, allowing you to go back to previous drafts if necessary. This feature is helpful when working on longer projects where you might want to revisit earlier ideas

Coders can enhance their workflow with OpenAI's Canvas by:

Code Review & Debugging: Offers real-time reviews, adds logs, and suggests fixes​.

Language Translation: Converts code between languages like Python and Java for easier reuse​.

Version Control: Easily revert to earlier drafts, great for refactoring​.

Auto-Comments: Adds comments for better readability and documentation​.

Auto Bug Fixes: Detects and resolves common bugs​.

Custom Workspace: Switch between tasks and collaborate in real-time​.