Getting Started with the Image Editor

The Image Editor is a full-window design tool for building single-image posts and multi-slide Instagram carousels. You work on a stack of slides, add layers (text, images, shapes, icons), and export the result as PNG or JPG.

Quick Start

1. Open a template from the dashboard, or start from a blank project.
2. Edit the slide on the canvas — double-click text to retype, click an image layer to replace or crop it, and drag layers to reposition.
3. Add or duplicate slides from the slide strip along the bottom.
4. Click Save in the top bar at any time. The project is persisted to your account.
5. Click Export to download the current slide or every slide as a ZIP.

Interface Tour

The editor takes over the full window. The main zones are:

• Top bar — Project title, a Basic / Advanced mode toggle in the centre (only if the template supports it), Undo / Redo, an AI Rewrite button (when enabled on the template), a safe-zone toggle, Save, and Export. In template-editing mode there is also an Active / Inactive badge and a Template Settings gear.
• Left toolbar — Vertical strip of buttons for adding layers and opening browsers: Text, Image, Shape, Element, and B-roll. Template-editing mode also adds Groups and Widgets.
• Canvas — The large preview in the middle. Click a layer to select it; click empty space to deselect; drag handles to move, resize, and rotate.
• Right sidebar — Two tabs in Advanced mode: Layers (list of layers on the current slide, plus the background row) and Settings (slide settings, canvas size, background, plus the global typography / palette controls). When a layer or layers are selected, the sidebar switches to that layer's properties or to a multi-select panel.
• Slide strip — A horizontal strip of slide thumbnails along the bottom. Click a thumbnail to switch slides, drag to reorder, click the + tile to add a new slide, or use Duplicate to copy the current one.
• Side sheets — Floating panels that open from the left toolbar: B-roll, Saved Groups (template mode), and Widgets (template mode). The Text presets, Icon, and Frame pickers also open as overlays.

Basic vs Advanced Mode

When a template has its Basic editor configured, the centre of the top bar shows a Basic / Advanced toggle. You can switch at any time without losing edits.

Basic mode

Basic mode replaces the right sidebar with a simple Fill Your Content panel that lists only the slots the template author marked as editable: a few text fields and image slots. The rest of the design (positions, fonts, colors, decorative layers) is locked. This is the fastest way to personalize a template.

Advanced mode

Advanced mode gives you full control. The left toolbar, layers panel, settings tab, and floating contextual toolbar are all available, and keyboard shortcuts are enabled.

Selecting and Editing Layers

• Click a layer on the canvas to select it. Drag handles appear so you can move, resize, and rotate.
• Hold Shift and click another layer to add it to the selection. You can also draw a marquee on empty canvas to select every layer the rectangle touches.
• With two or more layers selected, the right sidebar shows the Arrange panel (alignment, distribution, z-order). If the selection includes text layers, a batch text editor sits above it.
• Double-click a text layer to enter its inline edit overlay. Press Enter to commit a new line or click outside to finish.
• Right-click a layer for the context menu: lock/unlock, show/hide, duplicate, delete, layer order, flip, add to other slides, and (template mode) save as group.

Saving and Undo

Click Save to persist the project. The button shows a spinner while saving. The editor does not auto-save — save before navigating away. Use Undo (Cmd/Ctrl+Z) and Redo (Cmd/Ctrl+Y or Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z) to step through edit history.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Cmd/Ctrl+Z — Undo
• Cmd/Ctrl+Y or Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z — Redo
• Delete or Backspace — Delete the selected layer (ignored while typing in an input or editing text)

Other interactions are mouse-based: Shift+click to extend the selection, double-click to edit text, right-click for the layer menu.

Exporting

When you are happy with the design, click Export in the top bar. Choose Current Slide to download one image, or All Slides to download every slide as a ZIP. See the dedicated export article for format and quality options.

Where to Go Next

For more detail on a specific topic, see the related articles for working with slides, text, images, layers, brand styles, AI features, b-roll auto-fill, and export options.

Tip: If the editor feels overwhelming, start in Basic mode with a template that fits your post idea. You can always switch to Advanced once you have the basics filled in.