The Brand Studio Interface offers many tools and options to help you create and improve your designs more easily.
If you have experience with other design software, many of the features and functions within this interface will feel familiar. However, if you are new to working in a design environment like this, this article will serve as a comprehensive introduction, offering an overview of the various functions and capabilities available to help you get started confidently.
The interface
The Brand Studio interface can be broken down into four sections. You can find additional details for each section further on in this article.
① The Canvas, where your document is displayed.
② The Action Bar, which provides access to a variety of functions for managing a template
③ The Side Bar, which houses all the tools to design your template.
④ The Properties Panel, which contains contextual information about the elements of your template.
Brand Studio tools index
When you first open your document, or switch between layouts, the canvas is always zoomed to fit. Use your mouse to move around, zoom, and emply various tools to place and arrange elements.
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Please note: When working with different layouts, some frames may not fit into all designs. However, as frames are global elements, deleting a frame in one layout, will delete it for all layouts. To ensure that all layouts work as intended, unused frames should remain on the canvas, but placed outside of the page. |
Back to Library
Return to the Canto library. All unsaved changes will be lost.
Design / Run
Click these buttons to switch between designer and user modes. Design lets you manipulate the template, Run allows you to preview how the template will be presented to end users.
Save
Save the current state of your template, or save the template as a copy.
Publish New Version
Make the template available in the Canto library. When working with an existing template, this will automatically be saved as a new version.
Output Formats
Choose which formats a template can be downloaded in.
Undo and Redo
Click the
and
buttons to undo or redo your last action.
Zoom
Click the
and
buttons to decrease and increase the zoom.
Main Menu
The main menu provides quick access to the following functions.
- File - Save and rename your Smart Template.
- Edit - All the usual undo, redo, cut, copy, paste, duplicate, and delete functions.
- Frame - Adjust the frame order, based on the selected frame's current position.
- View - Toggle View mode and zoom the canvas in or out.
- Export - Shows the export dialog, with all output settings you have defined.
Frame Properties
These are available for every frame, and allow you to set the width, height, position and rotation.
When you have selected an image frame, you can also choose the fit and crop of the image.
In some cases – for example when using barcodes – extra properties
can be revealed
by clicking the
button.
Animation Properties
Adjust animation behaviour, such as the intro, emphasis and outro of the animation.
Automation Properties
Variables allows you to set, unset and change the setting for a variable linked to the frame.
Actions allows you to determine which actions will happen on a template, based on certain triggers.
For additional details, please see the article "How to: Brand Studio Automation".
The Side Bar is split into two subsections. At the top you can find the following tools.
Select
Select frames or elements on the document or page
Image
Create a frame to hold media assets
Shapes
Create a frame to hold a shape.
Text
Create a frame to hold type or text.
Hand
Move the page around on the canvas.
The bottom of the Side Bar has the following tools available.
Layouts
Shows the current layouts and allows you to add sub-layouts.
Layers / Frames
View the frames currently on the canvas and re-arrange them. For animated projects, each frame displays its timeline as well.
Resources
- Brand Kits - Put together a sets of approved media, swatches, fonts and paragraph settings to easily re-use on the template.
- Media - Access assets from your Canto library and add them to the canvas.
- Data Source - This function is currently inactive.
- Barcodes - Generate barcodes and QR codes.
Use this option to access assets and define standards.