Create and Edit a Design

What you’ll accomplish

You will create a Design, understand the Canvas workspace, add and configure elements, manage layers, preview the result, and save the draft.

Prerequisites

Content creation permission in the workspace.
Media uploaded to Library if the Design will use images, video, audio, or Lottie animation.

Create a Design

Open Studio.
Select Create Design or Start from Blank Canvas.
Enter a recognizable Design name.
Choose Landscape or Portrait.
Select the required resolution.
Select Create Design.

Create Design dialog with name, orientation, and resolution — Set the name, orientation, and Canvas resolution before opening Studio.

Canvas anatomy

The editor has four working areas:

Area	Purpose
Top action bar	Rename the Design, undo or redo, create and restore checkpoints, clear, preview, save as a Template, add to a Playlist, and save.
Left creation toolbar	Open the Background, Frame / Rotator, Media, Text, Shape, built-in Widgets, Templates, Content Cards, Elements, and Layers panels.
Canvas stage	Position, resize, rotate, and select the objects that make up the Design.
Right inspector	Configure the Canvas when nothing is selected, or edit the selected object’s properties.

The zoom controls below the stage let you zoom out, zoom in, or select Fit to fit the complete Design in the available workspace.

Blank Layarva Studio Canvas showing its main editing areas — A blank Full HD landscape Canvas with the creation toolbar, stage, action bar, and Canvas inspector.

Top action bar

Control	What it does
Design name	Opens the rename-and-save flow. The current resolution is shown beside the name.
Undo / Redo	Reverses or reapplies supported Canvas edits.
Checkpoint	Creates a recovery point for the current draft. It does not publish the Design.
Restore	Restores a saved checkpoint.
Clear Canvas	Removes Canvas content after confirmation.
Preview	Opens a playback preview without creating a Playlist or Publication.
Save as Template	Stores the composition as a reusable private Template.
Add to Playlist	Saves the Design and adds it to an existing or new Playlist.
Save	Opens the save flow for the Design name, group, and tags.

Protect work with Checkpoints

A Checkpoint is a named, complete snapshot of the current Design draft. It preserves the Canvas document—including its background, layers, object properties, motion, and Queue binding—without publishing the Design or creating a Playlist version. Create one before clearing the Canvas, applying a Template, reorganizing many layers, or making a change that may be difficult to reverse after the editor session ends.

Create a manual Checkpoint

Open the Design in Studio Canvas.
Select Checkpoint in the top action bar, or press Ctrl/Cmd+D.
Enter a description that explains the state being preserved, such as Before changing the lobby layout.
Select Save Checkpoint.

Create Checkpoint dialog in Layarva Studio — Give each recovery point a description that explains when it should be restored.

The current Canvas remains open and editable. The new snapshot appears under Restore → Manual Checkpoints.

Restore a Checkpoint safely

Select Restore in the top action bar.
Open Manual Checkpoints or Auto Checkpoints.
Find the required snapshot by description, date, and creator.
Select Restore beside it.
Choose one of these restore strategies:

Choice	Result	Use when
Back Up & Restore	Saves the current Canvas as an automatic checkpoint, then loads the selected snapshot.	Recommended for normal recovery because the state being replaced remains recoverable.
Restore Without Backup	Immediately replaces the current Canvas with the selected snapshot.	Only when the current state is no longer needed.

Restore Checkpoint history with manual and automatic checkpoints — Manual and automatic recovery points are kept in separate tabs in the Restore Checkpoint history.

Checkpoint restore confirmation offering Back Up and Restore or Restore Without Backup — Back Up & Restore preserves the current Canvas automatically before the selected checkpoint replaces it.

Restore replaces the complete current Canvas, not only the selected layers. Use Back Up & Restore unless you intentionally want to discard the current state.

Manual Checkpoints versus Auto Checkpoints

Manual Checkpoints are created explicitly from the top action bar and use the description entered by the editor.
Auto Checkpoints are created only when Back Up & Restore is selected. Their description identifies the snapshot as an automatic backup made before a restore.
Undo and redo are session editing tools. Checkpoints are durable recovery points that remain available after the editor is closed.

Most items are added by double-clicking their tile. You can then select the object on the stage and use the right inspector.

Select

Use Select to return to normal selection mode. Select an object to expose its inspector, resize handles, and rotation handle. Select Deselect in the action bar to return the inspector to Canvas settings.

Background

Choose a Static or Animated background.
Upload a background or select managed media.
Search and filter media by group and tags.
Set the Canvas background color in the right inspector.

Frame / Rotator

Frame / Rotator creates a mini playlist inside one Design. After adding it, select the Frame on the Canvas and use its properties to edit scenes and their sequence.

Media

The Media panel supports Images, Videos, Audio, and Lottie assets. You can upload compatible media, search Library, and filter by group or tags.

Text

Add a Headline, Subtitle, or Body Text preset. Text properties include:

Content and layer name.
X and Y position, width, height, rotation, opacity, and visibility.
Font family, weight, size, color, and left, center, or right alignment.
Entry, update, and exit motion.
Lock and delete actions.

Studio Canvas with a selected text element and its properties — A selected Headline exposes layout, appearance, typography, motion, and element actions in the inspector.

Double-click text on the stage to edit its content directly.

Shapes

Add a Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, or Line. Shape-specific properties include type, fill color, stroke color, style, and corner radius where applicable.

Studio Canvas with a selected rounded rectangle and its properties — Shape properties combine the common layout controls with fill, stroke, style, and radius settings.

Built-in Widgets

The built-in Widget catalog currently includes:

Core: Countdown, Live Clock, QR Code, and Ticker.
Information & Data: Announcements, Events, Today’s Schedule, Departure Board, Currency Rates, Summary Cards, and Charts.
Operations: Queue Display.
Integrations: YouTube Live, Restricted Web Embed, and Weather Forecast.
Religious: Prayer Times.

Some Widgets use static configuration, managed Layarva data, or a supported dynamic API. Internet-dependent Widgets may stop or show a fallback while the Player is offline.

Built-in Widgets panel in Layarva Studio Canvas — Use the Built-in tab to select supported dynamic components for a Design.

Custom Widgets and the My Widgets workflow are intentionally outside the scope of this documentation phase.

Templates

Public Templates are maintained starting points available to the workspace.
Private Templates are reusable compositions saved by your team.
Applying a Template replaces or populates the current composition; review the result before saving.

Content Cards

Content Cards add prebuilt information layouts. Available families include hero, image-and-text, information, announcement, promotion, product and price, QR call-to-action, schedule and event, metrics, wayfinding, and safety notice layouts.

Elements

Add searchable Icons or Emojis for visual cues. Double-click an item to add it, then use the inspector to configure its size, color, position, and motion.

Layers

Layers control stacking and organization:

Select individual layers with their checkboxes.
Group or Ungroup selected layers.
Duplicate or Delete selected layers.
Hide, lock, delete, move up, or move down an individual layer.
Drag a group header to change its layer order.
Copy and paste supported layers between Designs with Ctrl/Cmd+C and Ctrl/Cmd+V.

Layers panel with text and shape layers in Studio Canvas — The Layers panel lists the Canvas stack and provides visibility, locking, grouping, duplication, deletion, and ordering controls.

Right inspector

When no object is selected, the inspector shows Canvas resolution, background color, and the current primary background state. When an object is selected, common properties include:

Section	Controls
Name	Human-readable layer name.
Position	X and Y coordinates.
Size	Width and height.
Appearance	Rotation, opacity, and Canvas visibility.
Type-specific properties	Text, shape, media, Frame, Widget, Card, icon, or emoji configuration.
Scene Motion	Entry, live-data update, and exit transitions with duration, delay, easing, and reduced-motion behavior.
Actions	Lock or unlock and delete.

Motion uses one synchronized Player clock. Update motion runs when live content changes; Preview can simulate an update for static objects. Reduced-motion preferences are respected according to the selected behavior.

Recommended editing workflow

Set the correct resolution before composing content.
Add a background or background color.
Add media, text, Shapes, supported built-in Widgets, Content Cards, and Elements.
Use the inspector for exact placement and appearance.
Use Layers to set the stacking order and lock finished objects.
Create a Checkpoint before a major structural change.
Select Preview and verify motion, content fit, and dynamic fallbacks.
Select Save.
Select Add to Playlist when the Design is ready for sequencing.

Expected result

The saved Design is available in Library → Studio and can be added to a Playlist. The Design draft remains mutable; Playlist versions and Publications provide immutable delivery boundaries.

Troubleshooting

If content appears cropped on the target Screen, compare the Design resolution, Screen resolution, and Screen content-fit setting.
If an object cannot be moved, unlock it in the inspector or Layers panel.
If an object is missing, confirm that the layer is visible and above any opaque layer.
If dynamic content is blank, verify its data source and whether the Widget requires internet access.
If a motion does not run, verify the entry, update, or exit preset and test it in Preview.

Overview

Getting started

Layarva Studio

Screens

Queue Management

What you’ll accomplish

Prerequisites

Create a Design

Canvas anatomy

Top action bar