# 2D Canvas Editor (Pixi): Layers, Drawing & Vector Tools

The Pixi 2D editor opens when you double-click an image node on the infinite canvas. It gives you a Photoshop-style layer stack, raster painting, and a full vector pen/shape toolkit. Tools live in the floating round toolbar at the bottom; the Layers panel is on the right.

## Opening & saving

To edit an image: double-click its node on the canvas. Your changes save automatically as you work. To export a flat copy as a new node, click the **Save as new image** (disk) icon in the toolbar, or press **Ctrl/Cmd+S**.

To reset the view (re-fit and re-center), click the **Reset View** icon or press **0**.

## Layers panel

The Layers panel (right side) lists every layer top-to-bottom. The header has three buttons: **New group** (folder+), **Duplicate layer** (copy), and **Add layer** (+). Click a row to make it the active layer.

Per row you get:
- **Visibility** — click the eye icon (left of each row) to show/hide.
- **Lock** — click the lock icon to freeze a layer (locked layers can't be edited, moved, or dragged). Locking a folder locks its whole subtree; children show an inherited lock you can only release at the folder.
- **Delete** — click the trash icon, or press **Delete/Backspace** with the layer active.
- **Rename** — double-click the layer name.
- **Reorder** — drag rows to restack. Drag a layer onto a folder row to drop it inside.

Select the active layer below in the panel and use **Opacity** and **Blend Mode** (Normal, Multiply, Screen, Overlay) controls at the bottom. Groups expose Group Opacity and a blend mode of Pass Through / Multiply / Screen / Overlay.

Multi-select layers with **Ctrl/Cmd+click** (toggle) or **Shift+click** (range). **Ctrl/Cmd+click a layer thumbnail** loads a pixel selection from that layer's non-transparent content.

### Layer right-click menu

Right-click a layer for: **Duplicate Layer**, **Save as PNG**, **Vectorize Sketch…**, **Group Layers** (when 2+ selected), **Ungroup** / **Select Children** (on groups), **Merge Down** (Ctrl+E), **Merge Layers** (Ctrl+E, when 2+ selected), and **Delete Layer / Delete Group & Contents**.

## Raster vs vector layers

Two layer kinds coexist in the same stack:
- **Raster layers** hold pixels — painted with Brush/Eraser/Bucket, or generated images.
- **Vector (path) layers** hold editable Bézier paths — created by the Pen, Pencil, Shape, and Vectorize Sketch tools, and re-editable any time with the pen sub-tools.

Merging only works within one kind: raster+raster rasterizes into pixels; path+path combines into one editable path layer.

## Brush & Eraser (B / E)

To paint: select **Brush** (**B**) and drag on a raster layer. **Eraser** (**E**) removes pixels the same way. Set the paint color with the color swatch in the toolbar.

**Brush settings:** right-click the Brush or Eraser toolbar button. The popover has:
- **Size**, **Opacity**, **Hardness**
- **Tip Shape** — Roundness, Angle, Grain
- **Dynamics** — Flow, Spacing, Scatter, Size Jitter, Rot. Jitter
- **Pressure** affects (pen tablets): Size, Opacity, Both, or Off

**Brush presets:** when Brush or Eraser is active, a preset strip appears under the toolbar — click a preset to apply it. You can also save the current brush as a custom preset from the settings popover.

While painting, press **[** / **]** to shrink/grow brush size, or hold **Ctrl/Cmd+Alt and drag** (horizontal = size, vertical = hardness).

## Bucket Fill (G)

To flood-fill: select **Paint Bucket** (**G**) and click. It fills with the current brush color.

## Pen & Pencil (P)

The Pen is a split button: the main icon draws, the chevron picks **Pen** (**P**) or **Pencil** (**N**).

- **Pen (P)** — click to place anchor points; drag to pull Bézier handles. Each path becomes its own vector layer.
- **Pencil (N)** — drag a freehand line; on release it's fitted to a clean editable path. Its options panel (top-left) has **Stabilize** (live input smoothing) and **Pencil Smooth** (finished-line fit).

When a vector tool is active, a second sub-bar appears with the pen sub-tools and the Shape/Corner tools.

### Pen sub-tools (vector sub-bar)

- **Move / Direct Select (V)** — select and move anchors and handles. This is the base edit mode; clicking an active sub-tool returns here.
- **Add Anchor (+)** — add an anchor point to a path.
- **Delete Anchor (−)** — remove an anchor point.
- **Scissors (C)** — cut a path into separate sub-paths.
- **Bend** — bow a straight segment into a curve.

## Shape tool (U)

To draw a primitive: open the Shapes split button in the vector sub-bar (**U**), pick **Rectangle**, **Line**, **Ellipse**, or **Polygon** from its chevron menu, then drag on the canvas. For **Polygon**, set the side count with the −/+ stepper in the dropdown. Shapes are vector paths.

## Corner tool (fillet radius)

To round corners: pick the **Corner** tool in the vector sub-bar. Its top-left panel has two modes:
- **All** — the **Radius** slider live-rounds every corner on the selected path layer(s). Select more layers to round them together.
- **Individual** — drag each corner's widget on the canvas.

## Vector path styling

With a path layer selected (Pen, Shape, or **Direct Select V**), the top-left options panel exposes styling. Writes apply live to the path:
- **Stroke** — toggle + color + **Width**.
- **Fill** — toggle + color.
- **Taper** — thin the stroke toward the ends, with an **Amount** slider.
- **Parallel** — fan offset copies of the stroke: **Distance**, **Count** (interpolated lines), and **Offset X/Y**.
- **Sketch** — a hand-drawn look with presets (**Clean / Sketchy / Pencil / Rough**) and a Settings disclosure (Roughness, Wobble, Passes, Grain).
- **Texture** — procedural stroke grain: **Pencil / Charcoal / Chalk**, with Scale and Strength.

**Flatten** (Pen panel) bakes parallel copies and rounded corners into plain editable paths.

## Selection tool & marquee

- **Select (V)** — the default arrow: click layers, move and free-transform their content.
- **Lasso (L)** — a split button; the chevron picks **Polygonal Lasso**, **Freehand Lasso**, **Rectangular Marquee**, or **Elliptical Marquee** to make a pixel selection.

Selection shortcuts: **Ctrl/Cmd+A** select all, **Ctrl/Cmd+D** deselect, **Ctrl/Cmd+I** invert. With a selection active, **Ctrl/Cmd+J** = layer via copy, **Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+J** = layer via cut (without a selection, Ctrl/Cmd+J duplicates the layer).

## Segment tool (S) — AI object selection

To select an object by clicking it: pick **Segment** (**S**) and click on the subject; the AI returns a mask you can turn into a new content layer or a mask layer. Useful for isolating a subject before further editing.

## Path Warp (W) — puppet warp

To bend an image along a path: pick **Path Warp** (**W**). In the top-left panel, **Pick** one or more paths and one target **Layer** (click on the canvas or in the Layers panel), then **Morph**. While warping, drag the path's anchors and handles to deform the image; the **Influence** slider sizes the warp's reach. **Apply** (Enter) bakes it into the layer; **Esc** steps back. Undo (Ctrl+Z) reverts one morph step within the live session.

Tip: draw a guide path with the Pen (P) first, then warp the image along it.

## Vectorize Sketch

To trace a raster sketch into editable vectors: right-click the layer → **Vectorize Sketch…**. The dialog previews live as you tune the knobs and commits the result as a native path layer placed over the source. Modes:
- **Centerline** — one stroked path per clean sketch line.
- **Ridge** — centerlines from shaded, tonal, or faint art.
- **Outline** — closed loops around the ink boundary.

The result is a normal path layer, so you can restyle and re-edit it with the pen sub-tools. See [Sketch pipelines & prompt tools](/docs/product/sketch-pipelines) for the full Vectorize dialog.

## Merge, group & transform

- **Merge Down** — **Ctrl/Cmd+E** (active layer onto the one below), or the right-click menu.
- **Merge Layers** — select 2+ same-kind layers, then **Ctrl/Cmd+E** or the right-click menu.
- **Group** — **Ctrl/Cmd+G** (selected layers into a folder). **Ungroup** — **Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+G**.
- **Free Transform** — press **T** to scale/rotate/move the active layer's content.

## History

**Undo** — **Ctrl/Cmd+Z**. **Redo** — **Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Z**. Drags, slider sweeps, and arrow-key nudges each collapse into a single undo step.

## Keyboard shortcuts

| Key | Tool / action |
| --- | --- |
| V | Select / Direct Select (move anchors) |
| L | Lasso (marquee modes via chevron) |
| S | Segment (AI object selection) |
| B | Brush |
| E | Eraser |
| G | Paint Bucket |
| P | Pen |
| N | Pencil |
| C | Scissors (pen sub-tool) |
| + / − | Add / Delete anchor (pen sub-tool) |
| U | Shapes |
| W | Path Warp |
| Z | Zoom |
| T | Free Transform |
| 0 | Reset view |
| [ / ] | Brush size down / up |
| Ctrl/Cmd+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Z | Redo |
| Ctrl/Cmd+S | Save as new image |
| Ctrl/Cmd+E | Merge down / merge selected |
| Ctrl/Cmd+G / +Shift+G | Group / Ungroup |
| Ctrl/Cmd+A / D / I | Select all / Deselect / Invert |
| Ctrl/Cmd+J / +Shift+J | Layer via copy / cut |
| Delete / Backspace | Delete active layer |