| I want to… | Do this |
|---|---|
| See the whole pattern | Cmd/Ctrl+0, or click the zoom percentage |
| Look closely at one spot | Point at it, hold Cmd/Ctrl and scroll (or pinch) |
| Move to another part while drawing | Hold Space and drag, then let go and keep drawing |
| Jump to the far side of a big pattern | Click there in the minimap |
| Shift the view by exactly one stitch | Shift+arrow keys |
| Stop the canvas from moving by accident | Lock scrolling |
Canvas Navigation
Zoom in on a few stitches, move to another corner, and get back to the whole pattern in one keystroke, with a mouse, a trackpad or your fingers.
- Where to find it
- Canvas
Keyboard & modifiers
- Cmd+=Ctrl+=
- Zoom in (hold for smooth, continuous zoom)
- Cmd+-Ctrl+-
- Zoom out (hold for continuous zoom)
- Cmd+0Ctrl+0
- Fit pattern to screen
- Space+Drag
- Drag the canvas
- Shift+Arrows
- Nudge view by one stitch
Moving around your pattern
Getting around the canvas is like moving a hoop over fabric: zoom in close to place single stitches, slide over to the next area, then step back to see the whole design.
None of it changes your stitches or your PDF. It's only how you look at the pattern, and it works whatever tool you have picked.
I want to…
See the whole pattern again
Zoomed into a corner and lost your place? Press Cmd/Ctrl+0, or click the zoom percentage at the bottom of the screen. The whole pattern fits on screen again, and you can zoom back in where you need to.
With a mouse
Zoom: point at the spot you want, hold Cmd/Ctrl and scroll the wheel. What's under the pointer stays under the pointer, so you zoom straight into it instead of zooming and then hunting for it.
Zoom in steps: Cmd/Ctrl+= and Cmd/Ctrl+-. Hold them for a smooth zoom.
Move around:
- Hold Space and drag. This works with any tool, so you don't need to put the brush down: hold Space, drag, let go, keep stitching.
- Or drag with the middle mouse button (press the wheel).
- Or drag the scrollbars, if you've turned them on in View Options.
With a trackpad
- Drag with two fingers to move around.
- Pinch to zoom.
The same gestures as in a photo or map app. Trackpad zoom is toned down compared with a mouse wheel so it doesn't jump.
On a phone or tablet
- Pinch with two fingers to zoom.
- Drag with two fingers to move around.
- One finger is for the tool you're using: brush, eraser, selection and so on.
For small fixes, zoom in further than seems necessary. A fingertip covers several stitches at a low zoom.
The minimap
The minimap is a small picture of your whole pattern in the bottom-right corner, with a box showing the part you're looking at. On a large pattern it's the quickest way across.
- Click anywhere on it to jump there.
- Drag on it to move around.
- Pinch on it to zoom, on a touch screen.
It's on by default, except on phones. The minimap button beside the zoom controls hides or shows it, and Stitchmate remembers your choice.
When the canvas won’t move
If dragging and zooming do nothing, scrolling is probably locked. The lock button sits beside the zoom controls at the bottom of the screen; when it's highlighted, the canvas ignores every drag and zoom, and the button pulses when you try. Click it to unlock.
Locking is handy when you're stitching on a tablet with one finger and don't want a stray touch to move the pattern.
Tips & gotchas
- Lost? Cmd/Ctrl+0. It always brings the whole pattern back.
- Point, then zoom. Zooming into the spot under the pointer is faster than zooming in and dragging to find it.
- Your selection stays put while you zoom and move around.
- You can't lose the pattern off the edge. Part of it always stays on screen.
- Zoom doesn't change your PDF. Exports print at their own size, whatever you're looking at.
- Moving around feels slow? Hide extras like ConfettiScope and the overlay images, and switch to the Simple stitch style in View Options.