Canvas Navigation

Basics

Think of the canvas like fabric in a hoop:

• Zoom in to work on details.
• Drag to move to a new area.
• Fit to screen to see the whole pattern again.

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Nothing here changes stitches — it's just how you look at the pattern. You can navigate while any tool is active.

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If you get lost

These are your "where the hell am I?" buttons:

• Cmd/Ctrl + 0 — Fit to screen. Shows the entire pattern. The fastest way to recover.
• Click the zoom % display (bottom toolbar) — Same thing: jumps back to fit-to-screen.

Zoom to Fit is the single most useful navigation shortcut. When in doubt, Cmd/Ctrl+0.

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Mouse

Zoom: Hold Cmd/Ctrl and scroll the mouse wheel. The zoom targets wherever your cursor is pointing — whatever's under your cursor stays under your cursor as you zoom. This is the fastest way to inspect a specific area.

Move around:

• Space + drag — Hold Space, then click and drag anywhere. Works from any tool — you don't need to switch tools to move around.
• Middle mouse button — Click and drag with the scroll wheel button.

Scrollbars: If visible (toggle in View Options), drag them to move around.

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Pro tip: Hover over the spot you want to inspect, then scroll to zoom straight in. Way faster than zooming in and then dragging.

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Trackpad

• Two-finger drag — Move around the pattern.
• Pinch — Zoom in and out.

That's it. Same gestures as Maps, Photos, etc.

If zooming feels too jumpy, that's normal — trackpads are more sensitive than mouse wheels, so Stitchmate already reduces trackpad zoom sensitivity to keep things smooth.

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Touch (mobile / tablet)

• Two-finger pinch — Zoom.
• Two-finger drag — Move around.
• One finger — Reserved for the active tool (brush, selection, etc.).

For tiny edits on touch, zoom in more than you think you need. Fat fingers and small stitches don't mix well at low zoom.

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Keyboard

Hold Cmd/Ctrl+Plus or Minus for smooth, continuous zoom — no need to tap repeatedly.

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Minimap

When you're zoomed in on a large pattern, a small minimap appears showing the whole pattern at a glance. A rectangle highlights where you're currently looking.

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• Click anywhere on the minimap to jump there.
• Click and drag to move around from the minimap.
• Pinch (touch devices) on the minimap to zoom.

The minimap appears when you're zoomed in past a certain point, and fades out after you stop navigating. It's especially useful on large patterns where you're deep in detail work and need to jump across the pattern quickly.

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Navigation muscle memory

Try this 30-second drill to get the feel:

1. Hover over a stitch and scroll to zoom in.
2. Space+drag to move to a different corner.
3. Cmd/Ctrl+0 to fit the whole pattern on screen.
4. Scroll to zoom back in on your original spot.

Once you've done this a few times, it becomes second nature. The zoom-target-at-cursor trick is the key — it means you can jump to any spot without dragging.

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Tips & gotchas

• Cmd/Ctrl+0 is your best friend. Lost in a zoomed-in corner? Fit to screen, get your bearings, zoom back in.
• Zoom doesn't change stitch size in exports. It's just your view — your PDF and image output are unaffected.
• Space+drag works from any tool. Hold Space, drag, release Space, keep painting. No tool switching needed.
• Cursor-anchored zoom is the move. Hover over what you want, scroll in. Way faster than zoom-then-drag.
• Your selection stays selected while you navigate. Zoom out, move around, zoom back in — your selection is still there.
• If panning feels sluggish: Try hiding overlays (ConfettiScope, Overlay) and switching to Simple stitch style in View Options.
• You can't lose your pattern. The canvas always keeps part of the pattern visible — you can't accidentally scroll it off the edge.
• Mobile: two fingers for navigation. One finger is always for the active tool. Two fingers for moving around and zooming.