A tour of the workspace

A design opens on the canvas stage. Each page of the design is a canvas. The controls around it let you add objects, change the selected object, move between pages, and ask the Assistant for help. The panel layout can be rearranged, so look for panel names rather than relying on a fixed side of the screen.

Canvas and navigation#

Click an object to select it. Drag on empty stage space to select several canvases, or use the Pages panel to jump to one. Rulers and guides help place objects accurately. Use the zoom controls to fit the design to the window or inspect it at 100%. Hold Space while dragging to pan, then release it to return to your tool.

For a clean look at the work, switch the display mode between Normal, Preview, and Outline. Preview hides editing guides, while Outline shows the underlying geometry. Fast display helps when a large file is slow to draw. For page-by-page viewing, use presentation mode.

Toolbar and menus#

The toolbar gives you selection, scale, text, shape, Pen, and Pan tools. The usual single-key shortcuts are V, K, T, R, O, P, and H. Tool groups may open more choices, including path editing and curved text. The menus also hold actions that are used less often, such as Find/Change, clipping masks, text variables, import, and export.

Open Help for links to the public manual and its main sections. Help → Keyboard shortcuts opens a quick reference inside the editor; the full shortcut guide has the complete list. If a shortcut does not work while you are typing, leave the text field first.

Panels#

Properties changes with your selection. Select text to see typography controls, an image to see crop and resolution, or a group to see layout settings. With nothing selected, it shows document settings.

Pages shows the canvases in order and supports adding, renaming, and reordering them. Layers shows the objects on the active page, including groups, visibility, and stacking order. Assets lists the images used in this design and can locate their copies. Comments holds review conversations and approvals on saved designs. These panels can be moved or collapsed to make room for the task at hand.

Styles, Blocks, and Page templates help keep repeated design choices consistent. A style shares an appearance, a block reuses a component, and a page template reuses a whole page structure.

Assistant#

The Assistant takes instructions in plain language and edits the canvas. Give it the actual copy, size, and visual constraints you want, then review its result before continuing. A brand kit can supply the workspace's colors, fonts, and tone. See Meet the Assistant to learn its controls.

On a phone or narrow tablet, panels become sheets opened from the bottom bar. See Editing on a phone or tablet. When you are ready to try the controls, follow Your first design.