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Canvas Workflows

Canvases are flexible — there's no single way to use them. This guide covers practical patterns for common creative workflows. If you're coming from Obsidian or another app that uses JSON Canvas files, your .canvas files import directly into Atlas.

Workflows

  • Plot Mapping

    Lay out your story's structure visually. Use text blocks for act breaks, turning points, or thematic notes that don't need their own document.

    Steps
    1. Add each chapter or scene as a document reference card
    2. Switch cards to synopsis display mode so you can see summaries at a glance
    3. Arrange cards in narrative order (left to right, or top to bottom)
    4. Draw connections between cards to show cause-and-effect, timeline flow, or plot dependencies
    5. Add connection labels to describe the relationship (e.g., "causes," "leads to," "3 days later")

  • Character Relationship Webs

    Map how characters interact with labeled, color-coded connections.

    Steps
    1. Add each character document as a card
    2. Draw connections between characters who have a relationship
    3. Label each connection with the relationship type (e.g., "mentor," "rival," "sibling")
    4. Color-code connections by relationship category (positive, negative, neutral)
    5. Draw a group around each faction or family, or use pin markers, to show who belongs together

  • Concept Maps

    Visualize ideas and their connections for research or planning. Link to source documents so you can trace ideas back to their origins.

    Steps
    1. Place key concepts as text blocks or document cards
    2. Draw connections to show how concepts relate
    3. Use arrow direction to show influence or dependency
    4. Group related concepts spatially by theme or category
    5. Link to source documents so you can trace ideas back to their origins

  • Storyboarding

    Plan visual sequences or chapter layouts by arranging reference images, sketches, and scene notes in sequence.

    Steps
    1. Add media cards with reference images, sketches, or inspiration
    2. Arrange them in sequence
    3. Add text blocks for scene descriptions or dialogue notes
    4. Use document cards alongside media for detailed scene breakdowns

  • World and Location Maps

    Build a physical map of your fictional world or real-world project geography. Every pin is a doorway into the details behind it — color-code by region, faction, or story relevance for an extra layer of organization.

    Steps
    1. Create a sketch document and draw your map — coastlines, terrain, borders, whatever your world needs
    2. Create a new canvas and drag the sketch onto it as a media card, then resize it to fill the workspace
    3. Lock the sketch card so it stays in place as your background
    4. Add pin markers on top of the map for each location, linked to the corresponding location document. Each pin automatically inherits its document's icon, color, and title.
    5. Double-tap any pin to jump straight to that location's description, history, or notes

  • Grouping and Tidying a Crowded Canvas

    Turn a sprawling canvas into labeled regions you can move, align, and search as units.

    Steps
    1. Select the cards that belong together and choose Create Group from the selection bar
    2. Name the group and give it a color
    3. Choose Align Contents on the group to lay its cards out in a row, column, or grid
    4. Drag the group to move everything inside it, or lock it to freeze the whole region
    5. Use the In Group search token to find anything inside a group later

Supporting Tools

Working with Display Modes

Document reference cards have two display modes that change how much detail you see:

  • Document — Full document content, editable directly on the canvas
  • Synopsis — Just the synopsis, compact and scannable

Switch between modes from the card's menu under Display as. Synopsis mode is particularly useful when you want a bird's-eye view of your project without the visual weight of full documents.

Managing Canvas Contents

As your canvas grows, the Items tab in the Inspector becomes useful for keeping track of everything. It lists all pins, cards, and groups by type, lets you select any item to jump to it on the canvas, and supports reordering via drag-and-drop. You can also lock, unlock, and delete items directly from the pane.

Tips

These techniques work across all the workflows above:

  • Lock cards you've positioned deliberately to prevent accidental movement while working nearby
  • Hide text block backgrounds for cleaner annotations that float over the canvas
  • Use pin markers for lightweight reference points that don't need full cards — locations on a world map, milestones on a timeline, or waypoints in a process
  • Color-code cards by status, type, or theme for visual organization at a glance
  • Leave Snap to Grid on to keep cards lined up, and hold Cmd when you want to place one freely
  • Select several cards and choose Align to tidy a row or column in one step, then use the preview to check the result

The combination of locking, color-coding, groups, and display modes lets you build canvases that stay organized even as they grow.

See Also