Canvas Settings and Background Options

When you first launch a page in the editor, it appears as a blank white page (highlighted) with left-and right-facing pages displayed. Team members assigned as editors, editors in chief will see both pages as editable as will staffers with both pages assigned to them. If a staffer is only assigned to a single page, then the other page will be greyed out.

When a frame is added to the page and is selected, the position of the object is highlighted on the rulers.

Grid settings

First, turn the grid on. Choose to Snap to Grid if you would like image, text and shape frame to magnetically snap to the grid. Leave this feature off if the grid is simply used as a reference. Choose the grid spacing (in inches). Click on the color clip to change the grid color and opacity so it stands out against the background color.

Zooming & Panning the Canvas

For a more detailed view of the canvas, click on the Zoom button on the toolbar. Choose a preset zoom level, or use the slider to set a custom zoom. Click on the Hand icon to activate panning, then click down on the canvas to move it around into position.  Double-click the zoom slider to reset the canvas view to 100%, or move to the next page.

Adding a color to the canvas

To add color to the selected page, open the Background tab. A color chip is displayed above the albums. On a new untouched page, the chip will be white.

Click on the color chip, then use the color palette to select the color of your choice. You can choose to save the color (shift-click on a swatch) or use the eyedropper tool to copy the color to another page.

Copy the color to a swatch or use the eyedropper tool to apply the same color to the other side of the page.

Adding an image to the canvas

Any image available in Memento's Backgrounds collection and the Photos tabs may be used to fill the canvas.

Background added to a single page

Background added to the spread

Important: Using a single page background on a double-spread may result in resolution warnings. Use separate single backgrounds or a solid color if background resolution is a serious concern.

To add an image from the Photos tab, drag and drop the image to the grey area around the canvas. Choose to apply it to the left-side, right-side or the spread.

To add an image from the Backgrounds tab, click down on the background. It will be applied to the left-side, right-side or the spread, as selected.

Did you know that Memento's Background collections can be filtered to only show the collections you want in your book Learn more here.

Adjusting the color of the canvas image

Backgrounds and photos may be color-adjusted. Select the canvas image by double-clicking on it. On the toolbar, click on the FX button, which will open up the right-side settings pane. Adjust brightness, contrast, hue, greyscale, sepia and other properties to achieve the desired color range.

Photos and backgrounds added to the canvas may be retinted. First, add a color to the canvas. Next, add an image, which will overlay itself on top of the color. Select the canvas image by double-clicking on it. Open the FX tab from the tool bar, then reduce the opacity of the image. The color beneath the image will show through.

Zooming and panning the canvas image

Images added to the canvas background may be zoomed and panned. Double-click on the canvas frame to activate the zoom and pan handles. Be careful to avoid resolution errors by over-zooming the canvas background.

Removing an image from the canvas

To remove an image applied to the canvas background, access the Remove Background button on the top-level of the Backgrounds tab.

Flipping the canvas image

To flip the canvas image, double-click on the canvas, then click on the FX button. Vertical and horizontal flip controls are at the bottom of the right-side page options. 

Tracking used background images

Any image used as a canvas background is copied to the Used Backgrounds album. Inside this folder, background images are tracked with the number of pages they have been used on. Hover over the used image counter to verify what pages the image has been used on. This provides a convenient area to locate backgrounds used on other pages so they may be quickly reapplied to another page. 

IMPORTANT:  It is not recommended to download backgrounds from random internet searches: content is often low-resolution and not legally distributable. Decorative content used in your book should be commercially-distributable (public domain, includes a commercial use license) and unwatermarked. Avoid artwork from licensed properties (eg. characters, logos, art from books, movies, tv shows, websites, video games) or news outlets. Your printing company may refuse to print books with copyrighted or licensed content in them. Learn more about copyright and licensing.