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Know where to add things, where to edit them, and where to save your work. This visual tour introduces the main areas of the BoardCraft editor so you can find the right control without interrupting your design.
About 8 minutesBeginner friendlyDesktop workspace
Open a saved board from Boards, or use the Quick Start guide to create one. You can follow this tour without changing your design: open panels, select an item, and inspect its controls.
1. The top toolbar and Board menu
The toolbar stays at the top of the editor. It brings together the controls you use across the whole board:
Board menu: open the board name at the top left to rename the board, return to Boards, and find sharing and help.
Undo and Redo: step backward or forward through changes made during the current editing session.
Copy and Paste: copy selected items and paste copied items when those actions are available. They are also in the Board menu.
Zoom and Fit to screen: change how much of the design you see, or bring the whole board into view.
Tools and inspector toggles: show or hide the left tools panel and the right Properties, Layers, and Board panel.
Save status and Export: save your changes, check whether they are saved, and open the export choices.
Template guide: read creator instructions when the board includes them. Seller owners can also create or edit a guide for their board.
To change the title, choose Rename board, enter the new name, and select Save name. The menu's Sharing section contains Share as template, or Manage template link for a board already shared as a template. Template sharing requires the Seller plan.
Seller accounts can also use
2. The left tools panel: add to your design
The tool rail along the left edge opens a library or tool panel. Choose the type of content you want to add:
Tool | What you will find |
|---|---|
Clipart | Artwork search and filters for finding illustrations to add to your board. |
Tags | Name-tag artwork for making individual tags or a class set. |
Inserts | Image-insert artwork with spaces for adding your own photos. |
Text | Decorative for titles and lettering effects, and Regular for paragraphs and text that wraps. Choose a font preview to add the chosen text type. |
Letters | Illustrated letter sets and Word Builder for classroom titles. |
Shapes | A searchable shape library for labels, panels, and other design pieces. |
Borders | Border artwork to decorate the edges of your display. |
Uploads |
3. The canvas and selection toolbar
The central board is where you arrange the design. Click an item to select it. Its handles let you resize or rotate it; drag the item itself to move it. Click an empty part of the board to clear the selection.
When an item is selected, a floating selection toolbar appears above the canvas. Its actions change with the selection:
Duplicate, Lock selected, Hide selected, and Delete provide quick ways to manage items.
Edit Text opens text controls for a selected text item.
Fill buttons open color, pattern, or gradient editing for elements that support those fills.
Create Banner, Create Border, and Create Name Tag appear for eligible selections.
Edit artwork parts opens individual color controls for artwork that supports them.
When the actions do not fit, open the three-dot More selection actions menu. It holds the selection actions that would otherwise appear directly in the toolbar.
To work on several items together, hold Shift while clicking additional items, or drag a selection box from an empty area of the canvas. The available actions will reflect the items you selected.
For a closer look, use the toolbar's zoom control. Hold Space and drag to pan around the canvas, then use Fit to screen to return to the full-board view.
4. Properties: precise editing for the selection
Open Properties on the right to adjust the current selection. With nothing selected, it shows Pick something on the board. Select an item to reveal its controls.
The basic controls include Width (in), Height (in), X (in), Y (in), Rotate (°), and Opacity. Use Keep ratio when you want an illustration to retain its proportions as you resize it.
The layout buttons above those controls let you move eligible items forward or backward in the layer stack, flip non-text items, and snap the selection to an edge or center of the board. Hover over an icon to read its action.
Properties also changes with the editing action you choose. Select Edit Text to work on text content and typography. Use a fill button in the selection toolbar to open appearance controls for supported elements. The Basics controls handle size and position; appearance controls handle fills and effects. Regular text uses Wrap width to set the width of its text box.
5. Layers: find and organize overlapping items
Open Layers on the right when you need to select an item that is hard to reach on the canvas. The list represents the board's stacking order, with frontmost items toward the top.
Select a layer row to select its item on the board.
Use the eye button to hide or show an item.
Open the row's three-dot menu for actions such as Lock, Duplicate, and Delete.
Drag a row to change its stacking position.
Double-click its name to give the layer a useful label.
Groups can be expanded to access their contents. Layer names and the board title are separate: naming a layer helps you identify one piece of a larger design. Text layers normally show their wording; renaming a layer does not change the text on the board. Press Enter or leave the name field to save a layer name, or press Escape to cancel.
6. Board: settings and appearance
Open the Board tab in the right-hand inspector for options that affect the board and workspace. It has two sections: Settings and Appearance.
Board size → Resize: change the board's physical width and height.
Auto save every 60 seconds: enable or disable periodic automatic saves.
Auto save when leaving the tab: attempt to save pending changes when you leave the tab.
Show on-board size warning: choose whether sizing warnings appear on the canvas.
Export: choose US Letter or A4 as the default page size for separate-item exports.
Under Appearance, choose a solid background or pattern and adjust the board's simple border color and width. Editor canvas background changes the color around the board; you can also reset that workspace color here.
7. Saving and exporting
The top toolbar shows the saving state. Select Save when there are changes to save, and wait for Saved before you leave. Periodic autosave and saving when leaving the tab are separate preferences under Board → Settings → Saving. You can still save manually before a stopping point. Automatic saving needs a working connection.
Export opens a separate dialog. Choose Export for Printing for pieces you will cut out and assemble, Save as Image (PNG) for the whole-board image, or Save as Document (PDF) for the whole-board PDF. Export Asset Bundle provides separate item images in a ZIP and requires the Seller plan.
For the format details and printing workflow, continue with Which BoardCraft Export Should I Use? and Print, Cut, and Assemble Your Board with Print Pack. If saving fails or an editing conflict appears, follow the saving and conflicts guide before closing the editor.
8. Template guides: instructions for this design
Some templates include instructions from their creator. Open Template guide in the toolbar or Board menu to read the general instructions and notes about individual pieces. If a note offers Select piece, use it to find that item on the board.
Show instructions when selecting pieces controls whether piece instructions appear as you select items. Seller owners can also write or edit a guide and use Add instruction or Edit instruction for a selected piece. Guide controls depend on the board and your account; they do not appear for every board.
9. Help and keyboard shortcuts
Open Board menu → Help for Keyboard shortcuts and the Walkthrough library. Scroll within the menu if its lower sections are out of view.
Walkthroughs guide you inside the editor. Some create or change real elements on the current board, so choose a practice board when experimenting. The guided walkthroughs guide explains how to use them.
The library covers Editor Overview, Text Styling, Create a Banner, Create a Border, Create a Name Tag, Use Word Builder, and Export Options.
A few shortcuts are useful immediately:
Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
Save | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
Undo |
Once you know where the controls live, continue with Select, Arrange, and Manage Elements to practice building and organizing a complete design.
