Compose (beta) is a layered editor. Stack images, text, paint strokes, gradients and effects on one canvas to build a layout, a mood board, a storyboard frame or a cleaned-up version of a result. A saved scene is an asset in your gallery, with its own versions.
Start a scene
- From scratch: on the Compose home, click Create a new compose scene.
- From one image: right-click an image in any gallery and choose Extract layers. Subjects, text and background become separate transparent layers, and the areas behind them are rebuilt. You can say what to extract, or leave it empty to detect it. The result opens as a new scene; the original image is not changed. This step uses credits.
- From several assets: in the Gallery, select 2 to 20 images or videos, click Collage, then Save Compose.
- From a saved scene: right-click it in the gallery, or open it in the lightbox, and choose Open in Compose.
Up to five scenes can be open at once, each in its own tab.
Layers
The Layers panel on the left lists the scene from top to bottom. Each layer can be shown or hidden, locked, or deleted. The buttons at the bottom add a new layer:
| Layer | What it is |
|---|---|
| Image | An image. Click Image to upload one from your computer, or drag one in from the gallery (G). |
| Placeholder | A frame for an image to come. Images dropped into it follow its fit rule: Cover, Contain, Stretch or Manual. |
| Text | Text with its own font, weight, size, line height, kerning and alignment. |
| Ramp | A gradient. Drag its handles on the canvas to set the direction, and choose Linear, Smooth or Stepped. |
| Generator | A layer that paints its own pixels, such as the Static Mesh Gradient. |
| FX | An adjustment layer: its effects apply to every layer below it. |
Brush strokes create a Paint Layer. Select a layer to edit it in the Properties panel on the right: size, position, rotation, Opacity and Blend Mode.
Tools
| Tool | Key | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Select | V | Select, move, resize and rotate layers. |
| Move | Hold Space | Pan around the canvas. |
| Storyboard Pen | Shift+B | Draw storyboard-style lines. |
| Brush | B | Paint. Strokes go into the selected paint layer, or a new one. |
| Eraser | E | Erase from the selected paint layer. Select a paint layer first. |
| Gradient | Drag on the canvas to add a ramp layer. | |
| Text | T | Click to type, or drag a box to wrap the text. |
Effects and masks
In the Properties panel, Effects stack on the selected layer. Add adjustment offers blur, brightness, contrast, saturation, grayscale and invert. Browse shaders opens effects such as halftone, duotone, dither, riso print, posterize and grain. You can reorder effects, bypass them and remove them.
Masks limit what shows:
- Add Mask, then paint on the layer to hide parts of it, or to restore the parts you hid.
- Linked Mask uses another layer as the mask, by its Alpha (opacity) or its Luminance (brightness).
- Effect Mask limits one effect to the area of another layer.
Improve Sketch
When the scene has paint layers, Improve Sketch redraws the canvas as a finished storyboard frame. Add a short description of the drawing if it helps, choose a model and click Generate. The result is added as a new image layer named Improved Sketch. This uses credits.
Canvas, versions and export
- With no layer selected, the Properties panel shows the canvas Size, Background and Clip Outside Canvas. The tool bar sets the ratio and quality.
- Save (Ctrl/Cmd+S) updates the current version. Save as New Version (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+S) keeps it and adds a new one. Create a Copy starts a separate scene. Saving needs Creator access to the project.
- The version picker opens any saved version. Set Active makes the displayed version the one the gallery shows.
- Download PNG exports the canvas as an image.
- Template Slot, in a layer’s properties, marks it as an input when the scene is used as a Compose Template node in Nodes.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| V, T, B, Shift+B, E | Select, Text, Brush, Storyboard Pen, Eraser |
| Hold Space | Pan |
| F | Fit the canvas in the view |
| G | Show or hide the gallery |
| Ctrl/Cmd+C, V, D | Copy, paste, duplicate a layer |
| Delete | Delete the selected layer |
| Ctrl/Cmd+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Z | Redo |
| Ctrl/Cmd+S | Save |
| Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+S | Save as new version |