Advantage+ Creative Enhancements: The Complete 2026 Guide

Advantage+ creative enhancements are Meta's suite of AI-powered optimizations that automatically modify your ad creative to improve performance. When enabled, Meta can adjust images, videos and text by applying visual touch-ups, adding music, swapping text positions, expanding images to fit placements and more. Individual enhancements are toggled on or off at the ad level in Ads Manager. Some enhancements like visual touch-ups are generally safe, while others like text improvements require careful testing since they can alter your messaging in unexpected ways.

Meta has released over 20 Advantage+ creative enhancements, and the list keeps growing. Some will improve your performance. Others will play Jingle Bells over your summer campaign.

In my experience, advertisers tend to fall into two camps. The first camp wants everything off because they hate the idea of Meta having any say in their final creative. The second camp trusts Meta completely, turning everything on because Meta's algorithmic learning must be smarter than human judgment.

I sit somewhere in the middle. There are genuinely harmless enhancements, and then there are others (particularly the AI features for backgrounds, text and other elements) that introduce too many variables into an already black-box auction. When you're trying to understand what's actually working in your campaigns, having Meta quietly modify your creative makes that analysis nearly impossible.

The other challenge: getting any real statistical significance when testing enhancements is extremely difficult. Most advertisers are running automated bidding, bid caps, cost caps or CBO campaigns. Isolating whether a specific enhancement is actually improving performance, or whether it's just noise in the auction, requires more controlled conditions than most accounts can realistically set up. A lot of it comes down to gut feeling about whether an enhancement helps your specific situation or not.

There's also a real brand risk, especially for larger advertisers. In 2025, True Classic had AI enhancements turned on without intending to, and Meta generated images featuring a grandma with a product the brand doesn't even sell. Wrong product, wrong target market. An extreme example, but it illustrates how quickly things can go sideways.

The advertisers I work with through Ads Uploader tend to value control. Many of these enhancements require giving up more control than they're comfortable with.

This guide breaks down every Advantage+ creative enhancement available in 2026, organized by ad format, with clear recommendations on which to enable, which to test and which to avoid.

What Are Advantage+ Creative Enhancements?

Advantage+ creative enhancements are AI-powered optimizations that Meta applies to your creative at delivery time. When you enable these features, Meta tests modified versions of your ads against the originals and shows whichever performs better to each user.

These are distinct from other Advantage+ features like Advantage+ placements or Advantage+ audience. Creative enhancements specifically modify your actual ad content: the images, videos and text that users see.

The key feature most advertisers miss: you can preview exactly what Meta will do before enabling any enhancement. Click the edit button next to Advantage+ Creative in Ads Manager, and you'll see a carousel showing your original creative alongside each potential modification.

AI-Labeled vs Standard Enhancements

Not all Advantage+ creative enhancements are equal. Some use generative AI to create new content, while others apply rule-based adjustments.

Generative AI enhancements (marked with an AI label in Ads Manager):

• Text Improvements
• Enhance CTA
• Add Overlays
• Generate Background (catalog)
• Expand Image
• 3D Animation (uses AI to infer motion)

Standard enhancements (no AI label):

• Visual Touch-ups
• Adjust Brightness and Contrast
• Music
• Relevant Comments
• Adapt to Placement
• Dynamic Media

This distinction matters for brand control. AI-labeled enhancements can generate content that never existed in your original creative. Standard enhancements only modify, crop or supplement what you already provided.

The Complete Advantage+ Creative Enhancement Matrix

Here's every Advantage+ creative enhancement available in 2026, organized by recommendation level. Use this table as your reference when configuring new ads.

Enhancements You Should Almost Always Enable

These enhancements carry minimal risk and generally improve performance without modifying your core message.

Visual Touch-ups (Images)

Visual touch-ups automatically crop and resize your images to fit different placements. If you upload a 1:1 square image, Meta can expand it to 4:5 for Feed or 9:16 for Stories without cutting off important elements.

Why it's safe: These are non-destructive adjustments that help your creative appear in more placements. The underlying image stays the same.

Best practice: Design with safe zones in mind. Keep key elements centered so auto-cropping doesn't cut off faces or text.

Relevant Comments

This enhancement displays the most relevant comment below your ad, showing social proof to new viewers.

Why it's safe: It uses existing engagement from your actual audience. No creative modification involved.

Caveat: Monitor comment quality on controversial ads. If negative comments surface, disable this enhancement for those specific ads.

Adjust Brightness and Contrast

Minor adjustments to make images pop in the feed. Meta subtly increases contrast or brightness to help your creative compete with organic content.

Why it's safe: Changes are subtle and you can preview them before enabling. Most adjustments are nearly imperceptible.

Note: Test first if you have strict brand guidelines on color consistency.

Dynamic Description (Catalog)

For catalog ads, this pulls product information directly from your feed to populate ad descriptions automatically.

Why it's safe: It uses your own data, not AI-generated content. Descriptions match what's in your catalog.

Best for: Large catalogs where writing manual descriptions for thousands of products isn't feasible.

Adapt to Placement (Catalog)

Displays your catalog images in 9:16 format for vertical placements like Stories and Reels, adding padding or slight expansion to fit.

Why it's safe: Respects your original creative and just adapts the display container. No content modification.

Dynamic Media (Catalog)

Automatically chooses between showing a product image or video for each impression based on what's likely to perform better.

Why it's safe: Uses assets you've already uploaded to your catalog. It picks the best one rather than creating new content.

Enhancements to Test Carefully

These enhancements can improve performance but carry meaningful risks. Test with small audiences and always preview before enabling.

Enhance CTA

This AI feature pairs key phrases from your ad copy with the CTA button, highlighting text it thinks drives action.

When to use: Generic ads where Meta's AI might surface compelling phrases you didn't emphasize.

When to avoid: Specific CTAs like "Start Free Trial" or "Book Your Demo" where you want exact phrasing preserved.

Testing tip: Run a split test with a small audience segment. Check if the enhanced version preserves your intended message.

Add Overlays

Adds text overlays to images using content from your headline or primary text. Meta positions and styles the text automatically.

When to use: Simple product images that could benefit from text reinforcement.

When to avoid: Already text-heavy creatives, branded graphics with existing typography.

Known issue: Jon Loomer, a respected Meta advertising expert, evaluated Add Overlays directly: "It looks pretty awful. There's no way to sugarcoat it." The styling often clashes with professional brand guidelines.

Expand Image

AI extends image edges to fit additional aspect ratios. For example, expanding a square product shot to fill a 9:16 Stories placement.

When to use: Product shots with simple, solid-color backgrounds.

When to avoid: Lifestyle images, photos with people near edges, images with complex backgrounds.

Preview tip: Always check the expanded version. AI-generated edges can look obviously artificial, especially with patterned or textured backgrounds.

Generate Background (Catalog)

Creates AI-generated backgrounds for product images. Takes a product on a white background and places it in a lifestyle setting.

When to use: Simple product photography on plain backgrounds.

When to avoid: Products that require specific contextual settings, premium brands with strict aesthetic guidelines.

Quality varies: Results range from impressive to obviously AI-generated. Preview every product before enabling at scale.

Visual Touch-ups (Videos)

Auto-crops videos for different placements, similar to image touch-ups but with higher risk since video cropping can cut key action.

Medium risk because: Important elements might appear at frame edges. A person speaking might get their face cropped in Stories format.

Testing tip: Check Reels and Stories previews specifically. These extreme aspect ratios cause the most issues.

Dynamic Overlays (Catalog)

Adds price, discount or urgency badges to catalog items automatically.

When to use: Sale campaigns, price-competitive products where showing discounts drives conversions.

When to avoid: Premium brands, non-transactional campaigns, products where price isn't the selling point.

3D Animation

Converts static images into animated versions with subtle motion effects (parallax, zoom, particle effects).

When to test: Attention-grabbing campaigns where novelty helps stop the scroll.

Risk: Can look gimmicky or distract from your message. Some audiences find it cheap-looking.

Enhancements to Approach with Caution

These enhancements have higher risk profiles and documented cases of causing issues. They may work for some accounts, but approach them carefully and test thoroughly before enabling at scale.

Text Improvements

This AI enhancement reorders your text, swaps headline and primary text positions, highlights certain sentences and adjusts how copy appears across placements.

Why it's dangerous: Meta's AI optimizes for engagement metrics, not message accuracy. It can completely change your intended communication.

Real examples of failures:

• Headlines appearing as primary text while key selling points get buried
• Compliance-required disclaimers moved to less visible positions
• Brand voice distorted by "optimized" phrasing

The bigger issue: Every time Meta rearranges your copy, you lose the ability to understand what's actually driving performance. If your ROAS improves, was it the creative concept or Meta's text shuffling? You'll never know.

When it might work: Only if you're genuinely indifferent to how your copy appears and prioritize pure performance over message control.

Music

Adds background music to Stories and Reels placements from Meta's licensed music library.

Why it's dangerous: Meta's music selection algorithm doesn't understand context, seasonality or brand tone.

Real example of failure: One advertiser reported their spin class ad received "horror movie music" instead of upbeat fitness tracks. Others have reported Christmas music playing on summer campaigns.

When it might work: Silent videos with no existing audio, specifically for Stories/Reels placements where you're okay with any music Meta selects.

Better approach: Add your own music during video production. This gives you control over tone while still benefiting from audio engagement.

Site Links

Adds up to four additional clickable links below your main ad CTA.

Why it's problematic: Site Links divert users from your primary conversion path. Instead of clicking your main CTA, users click random navigation links.

Documented issue: Multiple advertisers report conversion rate drops when Site Links are enabled because users click auxiliary links instead of the intended action. If you're optimizing for conversions, a single clear path performs better than multiple options competing for attention.

Advantage+ Creative for Catalog Ads

Catalog ads (formerly Dynamic Product Ads) have unique enhancements that standard ads don't offer. Here's the catalog-specific breakdown:

Catalog-Specific Enhancements

• Generate Background (AI): Creates lifestyle backgrounds for product photos
• Expand Image (AI): Extends image edges for different aspect ratios
• Adapt to Placement: Adjusts display for vertical placements
• Dynamic Media: Chooses between image or video per impression
• Add Catalog Items: Shows product cards below main creative
• Dynamic Description: Pulls product data for descriptions
• Site Links: Additional navigation links
• Dynamic Overlays: Price, discount and urgency badges
• Info Labels: Adds badges like "Best Seller" or "Free Shipping"

Recommended Catalog Setup

Enable:

• Adapt to Placement
• Dynamic Media
• Dynamic Description
• Info Labels (if you have valid badge data)

Test:

• Generate Background (preview every product)
• Dynamic Overlays (for price-driven campaigns)
• Expand Image (for simple product photography)

Approach with caution:

• Site Links (can disrupt conversion path)
• Text Improvements (applies to catalog too)

Performance tip: Catalog enhancements work best with clean product photography and complete catalog data. If your feed has missing attributes or low-quality images, enhancements won't fix those issues. They'll amplify them.

How to Enable and Preview Advantage+ Creative

In Meta Ads Manager

1. Navigate to the ad level in Ads Manager
2. Scroll to the Advantage+ Creative section
3. Click Edit to see available enhancements
4. Toggle individual enhancements on or off
5. Click the preview icon for each enhancement to see what Meta will do
6. Review previews across different placements (Feed, Stories, Reels)

Critical step: The first preview card shows your original creative. Subsequent cards show each enhancement applied. Compare them carefully before enabling.

Bulk Editing Enhancements

To edit enhancement settings across multiple ads:

1. Multi-select ads in Ads Manager
2. Click Edit in the action bar
3. Navigate to Advantage+ Creative section
4. Toggle settings (changes apply to all selected ads)

Limitation: Not all enhancement settings are available in bulk edit. Some granular options require individual ad editing.

Via API and Bulk Upload

For advertisers using the Marketing API, enhancement settings are controlled through the creative_features_spec parameter.

As of Marketing API v22.0 (January 2025), Meta deprecated the single enable_standard_enhancements field. You now need individual fields for each feature:

• image_auto_crop_enable
• text_optimization_enable
• enhance_cta_enable
• And additional fields per enhancement

Ads Uploader provides a simplified interface for configuring these settings in bulk, letting you set enhancement defaults across hundreds of ads without writing API code.

Common Advantage+ Creative Problems (and Fixes)

Problem 1: Enhancement Changed My Messaging

Cause: Text Improvements is enabled, and Meta rearranged your copy.

Fix: Disable Text Improvements. Always preview before enabling. If you need text optimization, test manually with specific copy variations instead of letting AI decide.

Problem 2: Music Doesn't Match My Brand

Cause: Music enhancement auto-selected an inappropriate track.

Fix: Disable Music enhancement. Add your own audio during video production for full control.

Problem 3: Images Look Stretched or Cropped Weird

Cause: Visual touch-ups applied aggressive cropping to images with edge elements.

Fix: Design with safe zones in mind. Keep important elements in the center third of your image. Alternatively, disable Visual Touch-ups for specific ads where cropping causes issues.

Problem 4: Can't Tell Which Enhancements Are Active

Cause: Settings inherited from duplicated ads or bulk changes.

Fix: Check ad-level settings individually. Use column customization in Ads Manager to add Advantage+ Creative columns to your view for quick scanning.

Problem 5: Conversion Rates Dropped After Enabling Site Links

Cause: Users clicking auxiliary links instead of main CTA.

Fix: Disable Site Links. Focus on a single, clear conversion path.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I turn on all Advantage+ creative enhancements?

No. Enable low-risk enhancements like Relevant Comments, Visual Touch-ups (Images) and Adjust Brightness and Contrast. Approach high-risk ones like Text Improvements and Music with caution. Test them specifically for your account before rolling out broadly.

Do Advantage+ creative enhancements use AI?

Some do. Enhancements marked with the "AI" label in Ads Manager (Text Improvements, Enhance CTA, Generate Background, Expand Image, Add Overlays) use generative AI. Others like Visual Touch-ups and Music are rule-based adjustments that don't generate new content.

Can I preview Advantage+ creative changes before enabling?

Yes. Click the Edit button in the Advantage+ Creative section to see a carousel of preview variants. The first card shows your original, and subsequent cards show each enhancement applied. Always preview before enabling new enhancements.

Do enhancements affect all placements?

Enhancements apply based on placement compatibility. Some like Music only apply to Stories and Reels. Visual Touch-ups affect Feed, Stories and Reels differently. Check placement-specific previews to see exactly how each enhancement appears.

Can I bulk edit Advantage+ creative settings?

Yes, through Ads Manager's bulk edit feature, though not all settings are available. For full control over bulk enhancement configuration, third-party tools like Ads Uploader offer more granular options via API integration.

Will Advantage+ creative hurt my ad performance?

It depends on which enhancements you enable. Low-risk enhancements (Visual Touch-ups, Relevant Comments, Brightness/Contrast) generally help or have neutral impact. High-risk ones like Text Improvements can hurt performance if they distort your messaging. Meta claims a 4% lower cost-per-result on average, but individual results vary significantly by enhancement and account.

The Bottom Line

Not all Advantage+ creative enhancements are created equal. The key is knowing which ones to trust and which ones to test carefully.

Enable by default:

• Visual Touch-ups (Images)
• Relevant Comments
• Adjust Brightness and Contrast
• Adapt to Placement (Catalog)
• Dynamic Description (Catalog)
• Dynamic Media (Catalog)

Test with small audiences first:

• Enhance CTA
• Add Overlays
• Expand Image
• Generate Background
• Visual Touch-ups (Videos)
• Dynamic Overlays

Approach with caution:

• Text Improvements
• Music
• Site Links

Always use the preview function before enabling new enhancements. For catalog ads, start with the non-AI enhancements and add AI features gradually after validating their impact on your specific products.

Scaling creative testing requires uploading dozens of ad variations with different enhancement configurations. Ads Uploader lets you configure Advantage+ creative settings in bulk across all your ads, saving hours of manual configuration in Ads Manager. Start your free 7-day trial and see how hours of clicking through individual ads becomes minutes of streamlined setup.