The Workspace

Navigating the Canvas

Stitch A Lot Studio gives you several ways to zoom, pan, and move around your canvas.

Zooming

You can zoom from 10% to 500% (0.1x to 5.0x). The default zoom level is 100% (1.0x).

Zoom Controls

MethodAction
Scroll wheelZoom in and out, centered on your mouse position
Pinch gestureZoom in and out on trackpad or iPad
+ or = keyZoom in by 10%
- keyZoom out by 10%
0 keyReset zoom to 100%
Zoom buttonsUse the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons in the left toolbar
Fit to WindowClick the Fit button in the toolbar to fit your entire pattern in the visible area

When you zoom with the scroll wheel, the view stays centered on your mouse position so you can zoom into exactly the area you want to see.

Panning

Panning lets you scroll around your canvas to view different areas of your design.

MethodAction
Hold Space + dragTemporarily switches to the Pan tool — release Space to return to your previous tool
Pan toolSelect the Pan tool from the toolbar, then click and drag to move around
Two-finger dragPan on trackpad or iPad
ScrollbarsUse the scrollbars at the edges of the canvas

The Space + drag method is the most convenient way to pan because it works no matter which tool you currently have selected.

Fit to Window

Click the Fit to Window button in the toolbar (or available during Stitch Tracker mode) to automatically zoom and center your entire pattern so it fits within the visible area. This is useful for getting an overview of your full design.

Center View

The Center View option pans the canvas so the center of your pattern is in the middle of the screen, without changing your zoom level.

Rulers

Rulers appear along the top and left edges of the canvas. They help you measure and position elements in your design.

You can change what the rulers display in Preferences:

Ruler UnitShows
SquaresGrid square numbers (default)
InchesImperial measurements with quarter-inch tick marks
MillimetersMetric measurements

The measurement unit for inches vs. millimeters is controlled by the Measurement System setting in Preferences.