Editing on the canvas
The canvas shows the selected slide. Everything on it is a layer: a text box, image, video or shape. You can edit layers on any slide, including Song and Scripture slides. Those slides keep their song or passage information when you edit them.
Add a layer
Section titled “Add a layer”Use the buttons at the left of the canvas toolbar, the Insert menu, or right-click an empty part of the canvas:
- Text Layer (or press T with the canvas focused)
- Image Layer…
- Video Layer…
- Shape Layer, a rectangle filled with the theme’s accent color
You can also drag an image or video onto the canvas from Finder, Photos or the Library drawer.
Select
Section titled “Select”- Click a layer to select it. ⇧-click to add or remove layers from the selection, or drag a box around several.
- Click an empty part of the canvas, or press Esc, to deselect.
- In the inspector’s Layers list, hover a row to highlight that layer on the canvas, and click to select it. The list is the easiest way to reach a layer hidden behind another.
Move, resize and rotate
Section titled “Move, resize and rotate”| To | Do this |
|---|---|
| Move | Drag the layer. |
| Nudge | Press an arrow key to move 1 point, or ⇧+arrow for 10 points. |
| Resize | Drag one of the eight handles. Hold ⇧ to keep the proportions. |
| Resize text with its box | Hold ⌥ while resizing a text box to scale the font size with it. |
| Rotate | Drag the rotation handle above the layer. Hold ⇧ to snap to 15° steps. |
| Type exact values | Use X, Y, W, H and Rotation on the inspector’s Position tab. |
Edit text
Section titled “Edit text”Double-click a text layer, or press Return with it selected, to edit its text. Press Esc when you’re done. Text slides also have Heading, Body and Footer fields in the inspector, which stay in sync with the canvas.
With a text layer selected, the toolbar shows:
- font family and size, with a menu of preset sizes and Fit text to box;
- Bold (⌘B), Italic (⌘I) and Underline (⌘U);
- alignment and text color;
- Fine type: line height, letter spacing and case.
The inspector’s Style tab sets the text effect: None, Soft, Strong (shadows) or Outline, each with its own settings.
Images, videos and shapes
Section titled “Images, videos and shapes”- Image layers: Replace…, opacity, and flip horizontally or vertically in the toolbar; fit, corner radius and blend mode in the inspector.
- Video layers: Replace… and Mute in the toolbar; playback options on the inspector’s Content tab (the same options as Media slides).
- Shape layers: fill, stroke color, stroke width and corner radius in the toolbar; a shadow in the inspector.
Several layers at once
Section titled “Several layers at once”With two or more layers selected, the toolbar shows alignment (left, center, right, top, middle, bottom), and with three or more, Distribute horizontally and Distribute vertically. You can also change the font, text color and opacity of all selected layers together.
Arrange, lock and hide
Section titled “Arrange, lock and hide”- Edit › Arrange has Bring to Front (⌥⌘]), Bring Forward (⌘]), Send Backward (⌘[) and Send to Back (⌥⌘[). You can also drag rows in the Layers list; the top row is in front.
- Lock a layer (⇧⌘L) so it can’t be selected on the canvas by accident. Select it in the Layers list, or right-click it on the canvas and choose Unlock, to change it again.
- Hide a layer (⇧⌘H) to keep it on the slide without showing it.
- Double-click a row in the Layers list to rename the layer.
Cut, copy and paste
Section titled “Cut, copy and paste”Cut, copy, paste and duplicate (⌘D) work on layers when the canvas has focus. Pasting again offsets each copy slightly. Layers can be pasted onto another slide or into another presentation.
Guides, grid and snapping
Section titled “Guides, grid and snapping”- Smart guides appear as you drag, snapping to the slide’s edges and center, to other layers, and to equal spacing between layers. Hold ⌥ while dragging to move freely.
- Rulers (⌘R): drag from a ruler to make a guide, drag a guide back to the ruler to remove it, and double-click a guide to type its exact position. View › Copy Guides to All Slides repeats the current slide’s guides on every slide.
- Grid (⌘’) shows a dot grid. Layers snap to it while it’s showing.
- Snap (⇧⌘;) turns all snapping on or off. It’s on by default.
Zoom ranges from 25% to 400%.
| To | Do this |
|---|---|
| Zoom in or out | ⌘= or ⌘-, ⌘-scroll, or pinch on a trackpad |
| Fit the slide in the window | ⌘0 |
| Choose a level | Click the percentage at the right of the toolbar |
Zoom shortcuts work while the canvas has focus, and never zoom the whole window.