Edit Media on the Canvas

Learn how to control the appearance of media and add ruler guides to align media on the canvas.

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Edit the appearance of media in a video with the following canvas actions:

Select MediaClick to select the media on the canvas. To select multiple media, Shift+click media on the canvas.
Move, Resize, or Rotate Media with canvas controls
  • Move media: Click and drag the media to a new location on the canvas.
  • Resize media: Drag a handle on the media in or out.
  • Rotate media: Drag the center handle on the media to rotate.

Note: To adjust the size of the Canvas controls such as the handles to resize and rotate on Windows only, select Edit menu > Preferences > Program tab. Select an option from the Canvas control size dropdown.
Canvas control size options

Show/Hide Canvas RulerSelect View menu > Show/Hide Canvas Ruler to enable or disable the canvas ruler.
Open Media Properties
  1. Click to select the media on the canvas. To select multiple media, Shift+click media on the canvas.
  2. Click the Properties button to view the Properties panel.
Reorder MediaRight-click media and select Arrange.
Arrange menu
The media updates on the timeline to reflect the new z-order.
Align MediaThe following options are available to align media:
  • Canvas guides: As you drag media on the canvas, canvas guides appear. Drag media on the canvas until it aligns with the edge, center, or other media guidelines.
    Canvas guidelines
    To disable canvas snapping guidelines, select View > Enable Canvas Snapping to remove the checkmark.
  • Ruler guides: See Align Media with Ruler Guides.

Align Media with Ruler Guides

Create ruler guides to align media or create visual boundaries on the canvas.

To create ruler guides:

  1. Select View menu > Show Canvas Ruler.
  2. Click and drag the left canvas ruler onto the canvas to add a vertical ruler guide.
    cursor dragging the left canvas ruler onto the canvas
  3. Click and drag the top canvas ruler onto the canvas to add a horizontal ruler guide.
    cursor dragging the top canvas ruler onto the canvas
  4. Click and drag a ruler guide to adjust its position.

Tips:

  • Change the canvas magnification to view your work with pixel-perfect accuracy. See Explore the Canvas.
  • Disable canvas snapping to manually align media with ruler guides. Select View menu > Enable Canvas Snapping to remove the checkmark in the menu.
  • To remove ruler guides from the canvas, right-click (Windows) or Control+click (Mac) on a ruler guide and select Remove Ruler Guide or Remove All Ruler Guides.

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