Key Figma Updates in 2025 Designers Need to Know

Figma continues to evolve at a rapid pace, solidifying its position as an indispensable tool for UI/UX designers, graphic designers, and collaborative teams worldwide. The first half of 2025 has already brought a wave of significant updates, introducing powerful new features and refining existing workflows. Staying abreast of these changes is crucial for designers looking to maximize their efficiency, enhance their creative output, and maintain a competitive edge. This post delves into the most impactful Figma updates rolled out recently, exploring how they can transform your design process.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept but an increasingly integrated part of the design toolkit. Figma has embraced this trend, introducing AI-powered features designed to streamline workflows and augment creativity. One of the standout additions is Edit Image. Powered by advanced models like gpt-image-1, this feature allows designers to manipulate images directly within Figma using simple text prompts. Need to change a background, remove an object, or alter the style of an image? Edit Image aims to make these tasks significantly faster and more intuitive. While currently in Beta and free to use, Figma has indicated it will become a paid feature upon general availability, with potential usage limits. This signals a significant investment in AI capabilities and offers a glimpse into a future where routine image editing tasks are accelerated by intelligent automation.

Complementing Edit Image is the model picker for Make an Image. This enhancement provides users with more control over AI-generated imagery by allowing them to choose between different powerful models, including gpt-image-1, Google's Gemini Imagen 3, and Titan V2. This flexibility enables designers to select the AI model best suited for their specific creative needs, whether they're generating initial concepts or refining visual assets. Furthermore, Figma has expanded its AI beta access to all Professional, Organization, and Enterprise plans (subject to admin approval), making these cutting-edge tools more widely available to the design community.

Another exciting AI development mentioned in external resources, though perhaps still in early stages or under different naming conventions within Figma's official releases, is the concept of First Draft. This AI-driven tool aims to jumpstart the design process by generating initial design drafts based on basic concepts or inputs. Imagine inputting project goals or content outlines and receiving AI-generated layouts, typography suggestions, and color schemes tailored to your style. While specific implementation details might vary, the underlying principle is clear: leveraging AI to handle initial setup and repetitive tasks, freeing designers to focus on higher-level strategic thinking and creative refinement.

Beyond the headline-grabbing AI features, Figma has introduced numerous smaller, yet impactful, updates aimed at improving everyday efficiency. The new Collapse Layers functionality provides a much-needed shortcut for managing complex layer structures. Located in the layers panel, it allows designers to quickly collapse all layers, or just those outside the current selection, bringing clarity and focus to busy canvases. This seemingly minor addition can save significant time and reduce visual clutter, especially when working on large-scale projects.

Working with shapes has also become more streamlined with Inline Corner Radius controls. Instead of navigating through multiple menus, the controls for adjusting corner radii now appear directly in the properties panel once a radius has been set. This allows for faster tweaking and iteration on shape properties. Similarly, Auto Flyouts for effects, fills, and layout grids automatically open the relevant settings panel when a new element is added, saving an extra click and speeding up the process of applying and customizing styles.

Figma has also revamped the File Browser, aiming for a more consistent and intuitive experience across its products. Updated file cards offer better scannability, while consistent design language between the browser and the editor enhances navigation. These improvements focus on making file management more efficient, allowing designers to find and organize their work more easily.

For teams working with design systems, the ability to Reorder Modes and Collections is a welcome addition. Previously, changing the order required deleting and recreating elements, risking broken dependencies. Now, designers can rearrange modes and collections freely, adjusting default modes and organizing their system logically without disrupting existing setups. This enhances the flexibility and maintainability of complex design systems.

Figma's strength lies not only in its design capabilities but also in its collaborative features. Recent updates further enhance teamwork and the designer-developer handoff process. Annotations have been improved, allowing them to be created directly within the editor without switching modes. The introduction of color-coded categories for annotations makes them easier to organize, filter, and understand, improving communication around design feedback and specifications.

Accessibility is a critical aspect of modern design, and Figma is making it easier to incorporate accessibility checks early in the process. The Color Picker now includes accessibility contrast information. It automatically checks contrast ratios against WCAG standards (AA and AAA) for text and graphics, detects foreground and background colors, and even offers an auto-correct feature to adjust colors to meet contrast requirements. This integration directly into the color picker makes accessibility considerations a more seamless part of the design workflow.

For developers, the Eyedropper tool has been added to the Dev Mode toolbar. This allows developers to easily sample colors and copy not just raw color values but also associated variables and code syntax, streamlining the process of translating design specifications into code.

Figma's ecosystem extends beyond the core design tool. FigJam, the online whiteboard, now includes 3rd party shapes, starting with extensive icon sets from AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Azure, and Kubernetes. This allows teams to create more accurate and detailed technical diagrams and cloud architecture visualizations directly within FigJam, enhancing its utility for technical planning and documentation.

Figma Slides, introduced to bridge the gap between design and presentation, has also received significant updates. Features like code blocks, PPTX import/export, video improvements, components in slides, object-level animations, and slide numbers make it a more robust tool for creating and sharing design presentations. These enhancements aim to streamline the process of turning designs into compelling narratives for stakeholders.

The continuous stream of updates underscores Figma's commitment to refining the design process and empowering designers with cutting-edge tools. From AI-driven assistance and workflow optimizations to enhanced collaboration and accessibility features, the 2025 updates offer tangible benefits for designers across various disciplines. Embracing these new features and integrating them into your workflow can lead to greater efficiency, improved collaboration, and ultimately, more impactful design outcomes. As Figma continues to innovate, staying informed and adaptable will be key to leveraging the full potential of this powerful platform.