---
title: "Canvas basics"
description: "How the Clip canvas is laid out and how to work on it: moving around, the minimap, selecting, undo and saving, background, and light or dark mode."
url: https://clip.sg/docs/canvas-basics
last_updated: 2026-09-15
---

# Canvas basics

The canvas is where everything happens. It's infinite in every direction, and every kind of thing Clip makes lives on it together.

## The layout

Four regions, and nothing else to learn:

- **Top left** — the project name and the main menu.
- **Top right** — brand kit, canvas background, zoom, and the panels: export, layers, assets, stock photos, version history.
- **Right edge** — the vertical tool rail.
- **Right side** — the AI chat panel, which you can hide.

### The project pill

![The project pill](https://clip.sg/docs/images/canvas-top-left-pill.webp)

Click the name to rename the project in place. The tick beside it is the save indicator — it tells you when your work is safely stored. The chevron opens the menu for creating and switching projects.

### The controls pill

![The canvas controls](https://clip.sg/docs/images/canvas-top-right-pill.webp)

Left to right: attach a brand kit, canvas background, zoom level, export the canvas, layers, assets, apps, stock photos, version history, your credit balance, and your account menu.

## Moving around

| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Pan | Hold **Space** and drag, or drag with the Hand tool (**H**) |
| Zoom | Scroll, or **Ctrl** **+** / **Ctrl** **−** |
| Zoom to 100% | **Shift** **0** |
| Fit everything on screen | **Shift** **1** |
| Zoom to what's selected | **Shift** **2** |

The zoom readout in the top bar is also a menu, with **Zoom to 100%** and **Zoom to Fit**.

### The minimap

![The minimap](https://clip.sg/docs/images/canvas-minimap.webp)

A small overview of everything you've made, bottom-left. On a big canvas it's the fastest way to see where you are. Close it with the **×** and reopen it from the bottom-right controls; Clip remembers your choice.

## Selecting things

Click to select. Drag on empty canvas to marquee-select several things. **Shift**-click to add to a selection. **Ctrl** **A** selects everything.

Select one image and the AI toolbar appears above it. Select several and you get alignment and layout controls instead — see [Frames & layout](https://clip.sg/docs/frames-and-layout).

## Undo, redo, and saving

Undo and redo sit at the bottom of the tool rail, and answer to **Ctrl** **Z** and **Ctrl** **Shift** **Z**.

Your canvas saves itself as you work. The indicator beside the project name shows the current state — saved, syncing, or a problem. You never press Save.

If a save ever fails, Clip tells you rather than failing quietly, and it will not overwrite good work with an empty canvas. [Version history](https://clip.sg/docs/version-history) keeps earlier copies regardless.

## The canvas background

Open the background picker from the top bar to change the canvas colour. It's a working surface, not part of your export — what you export is the content, not the backdrop.

## Light and dark

Clip has a full dark theme, including the canvas. Switch it in [Account & settings](https://clip.sg/docs/account-and-settings). This guide's screenshots are all in the light theme.

---

**Next:** [Canvas tools](https://clip.sg/docs/canvas-tools) — what each tool does.