Turning My Novel into Manga with AI: No Art Skills Needed

The author, who cannot draw and has no storyboarding experience, used the Infinite Canvas feature in Doubao Work to adapt a novel written with the Lingxie Creation agent into a manga. The novel already contained 70 chapters.

Accessing the Infinite Canvas

The entry point is under "More Skills" in the input box, where "Create Canvas" can be selected.

Initiating the Manga Adaptation

In the existing novel project, the author simply told Doubao: "I want to turn the current project's novel into a manga." The agent first inspected the project, noted the 70 chapters, and asked for the scope — offering options like "first chapter only," "first three chapters," or "only climax scenes." The author chose Chapter 1, Korean/Chinese full-color style, vertical webtoon format .

I want to turn the current project's novel into a manga.

Generation Process and Results

The agent then read the novel and character settings, planned panel layouts, split scenes, and generated screen by screen. The first screen established character designs and art style; subsequent screens reused those images for consistency. The whole process took about 18 minutes and produced 6 screens comprising 18 panels , covering the protagonist waking on a stone bed through accepting the Shadow Lord's mission. The resulting panels show atmospheric stone walls, candlelight, recognizable character close-ups, and readable Chinese dialogue and narration.

Automatic Self-Correction

During generation, the agent reviewed its own output. In one panel, the silver-haired deputy had entered the room, but an extra silhouette appeared at the doorway. The agent detected this inconsistency on its own and redrew the panel to remove the extra figure.

This self-check is crucial for manga continuity — character positions, scene relationships, and dialogue must flow logically.

Interactive Manual Correction

Not every issue was caught automatically. The author found a dialogue bubble pointing to the protagonist while the text "My lord, you're awake" was spoken by the character at the door. Using the canvas, the author selected the image, clicked "Mark for Redraw," framed the bubble, and described the error. The agent moved the bubble to the correct speaker.

The correction workflow — frame, describe, done — is accessible to non-artists.

Canvas Workflow Advantages

The canvas format keeps all generated panels visible side by side, enabling easy comparison of versions and targeted edits. The author notes this visual overview is well-suited for manga production.

Continuing to Chapter Two

After completing Chapter 1, the author proceeded to Chapter 2. Both chapters reside on the same canvas, arranged in two rows.

Conclusion

The author's role was limited to confirming direction, reviewing results, and pointing out issues; the agent handled reading, storyboarding, and image generation. This significantly lowers the barrier for creators without artistic training. The process proved engaging enough that the author wants to continue adapting subsequent chapters. The article mentions a limited-time offer for a free 30-day Doubao Work membership for those wanting to try the feature.