Canvas and Precision Tools

Use the View menu to navigate the canvas:

• Zoom In and Zoom Out
• Reset View - returns to the default zoom level
• Recenter View - moves the canvas back to show the work area
• Show Grid or Hide Grid - toggles the grid overlay

Zoom is also available using a scroll wheel or trackpad.

Selecting an item on the canvas shows its controls in the sidebar.

Use the position and size inputs for precise placement:

• X and Y set the position relative to the work area
• Width and Height set the dimensions

These inputs are the most reliable way to place artwork exactly where you need it. They are especially useful for repeat products and templates where position needs to match every time.

The sidebar transform controls let you:

• rotate by an exact degree value
• nudge the rotation in small steps using the rotate buttons
• flip horizontally or vertically
• reset the aspect ratio

The alignment buttons in the sidebar snap artwork to common positions within the work area:

• top left
• top right
• center
• bottom left
• bottom right

These are useful for quickly placing a design without manually editing position values.

Light Lane includes rulers and snapping controls in the sidebar. These are most useful when you need artwork to line up with a specific point or edge, or when building layouts where alignment matters.

When you have multiple items on the canvas, you can group them so they move and scale together:

• Group - combines selected items into a group
• Ungroup - separates a group back into individual items

Both actions are available from the right-click context menu and from the Layer Manager.

Right-clicking on the canvas gives quick access to common actions without switching panels:

• Edit Image
• Copy Image
• Paste Image
• Step & Repeat (Pro and above)
• Group
• Ungroup

In Settings > Appearance, you can adjust how the canvas looks:

• UI Theme - light or dark interface
• Canvas Background - the area surrounding the work area
• Work Area - the color of the work surface on screen
• Grid Visibility - show or hide the grid by default
• Grid Contrast - how prominent the grid lines appear
• Synchronize All Themes - applies the same theme choices across all views

These settings only affect how the app looks while you work. They do not affect the job output.

In Settings > General, two options affect how you work on the canvas:

• Reduce motion - turns off animations if the interface feels too busy
• Auto-save project changes - saves your work automatically after the first manual save

For preview quality settings, see Generate, Preview, and Send.