The helper grid displays a customizable grid over your format in the Design Builder. When it's on, your layers snap to the grid lines as you move them, so you can align elements precisely and build consistent, balanced layouts in a few seconds.
Show or hide the grid
You can turn the grid on and off in two ways:
From the zoom menu: click the zoom percentage (e.g. 40%) in the top toolbar, then turn on Display helper grid.
With the keyboard shortcut: press
Ctrl+Shift+Gon Windows, orCmd+Shift+Gon Mac. Press it again to hide the grid.
The grid is made of two kinds of lines: thin lines that mark each block, and thicker lines that repeat every few blocks to help you spot larger sections of your layout.
Good to know: the grid is a visual guide for the Design Builder only. It is never included in your generated images, videos or PDFs.
Snap layers to the grid
While the grid is displayed, drag any layer on the canvas. When one of its edges (left, right, top or bottom) gets close to a grid line, the layer snaps onto that line.
The layer's Position in the Layout section updates to the exact value of the line. For example, with a 108 px grid, a layer snapped to the third line on each axis sits at X 324 and Y 324.
Snapping works on each axis independently: a layer can snap horizontally while you keep moving it freely vertically.
Snapping is only active while the grid is displayed. Hide the grid (
Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+G) to move layers freely again.You can still type exact values in the Position fields at any time.
Tip: zoom in on the canvas for finer control when you place a layer near several grid lines.
Customize the grid
Open the zoom menu and click Grid settings… to adjust the grid:
Setting | What it does |
Grid block size (px) | The distance between two thin lines, in pixels. This is also the step your layers snap to. |
Thick lines every (blocks) | How many blocks between two thick lines. For example, 10 draws a thick line every 10 blocks. |
Line color | The color of the thin lines. |
Thick line color | The color of the thick lines. |
Click Save to apply your changes. Grid settings are saved as your personal preferences: they apply to every design you open, and they don't modify the designs themselves.
Best practices
Match the block size to your format: pick a value that divides your format evenly. For example, 108 px on a 1080 × 1080 px format gives exactly 10 columns and 10 rows.
Keep the lines visible: choose line colors that contrast with your design background, for example a darker line color on a white background.
Use thick lines for structure: set them to match your main sections (halves, thirds, quarters…) and use the thin lines for fine alignment.
Troubleshooting
The shortcut doesn't work: click on an empty area of the canvas first so the Design Builder has focus. The shortcut doesn't work while you're typing in a text field.
My layer doesn't snap: check that Display helper grid is turned on, then move one of the layer's edges closer to a grid line.
I can't see the grid: the line colors may be too close to your background. Change the Line color and Thick line color in Grid settings…
My layers snap to the wrong positions: adjust the Grid block size in Grid settings… to change the snapping step.