Artboards

By using Artboards, you can create separate frames or pages of your design simultaneously. This is useful for a variety of projects, including web design. In Vectornator, Artboards behave similar to a layer, with the main difference being that they are represented on the canvas as fixed frames.

Since our 4.8.0 update, Artboards display thumbnails for faster recognition and localization.

And with our 4.11.3 update, you can place objects or elements outside the Artboard. When an Artboard is exported in the SVG format, the objects outside the Artboard will be included within the exported document. If you export the document in the PNG or the JPG format, your objects’ areas outside the Artboard will be clipped.

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Disable Artboard Clipping

You can set the clipping behavior of your Artboard regarding objects that overlap outside the Artboard borders. You can choose between two clipping behaviors:

1. Disable Clipping for selected Artboards

Objects or parts of objects outside the borders of your selected Artboard will not be clipped and will be visible with reduced opacity.

2. Clip all

All objects or parts of objects outside Artboards will be automatically clipped.

You can find the settings in the Settings Menu on the top right of the Action Bar. Select Canvas, and the clipping options can be accessed under Clip Artboards.

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Disclaimer: The document interface will vary if you don't have the iPadOS 16 update or later versions installed.

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How to Add a New Artboard

In Vectornator, there are three different ways to add a new Artboard to your document. To activate the New Artboard Mode, you can tap the + button in the top right corner of the Layers Tab and then select New Artboard ~ic-add-artboard~~ic-add-artboard~.

As soon as you tap the button, a suggestion box will appear at the top center of the Canvas, which reads: “Tap or draw anywhere to create an Artboard.”

How to Add a New Artboard by Tapping

Once you have tapped the New Artboard ~ic-add-artboard~~ic-add-artboard~ button, you can tap anywhere on the canvas. This will create a new Artboard with the same dimensions as the one you’ve previously created.

How to Add a New Artboard by Drawing

With the Artboard Panel activated, draw a new Artboard by holding & dragging your finger/pencil/mouse anywhere on the canvas.

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How to Add a New Artboard by Using a Template

When in New Artboard Mode, you can access the Artboard Panel. Here you have access to the Document Templates List .

To create a new Artboard using a standard size, tap one of the template icons. By scrolling through this section, you will find different template formats divided into the following categories: Paper formats ~ic-paper~~ic-paper~, Devices ~ic-devices~~ic-devices~, Resolutions ~ic-resolutions~~ic-resolutions~, Social Media ~ic-social~~ic-social~, Icons ~ic-icons~~ic-icons~, and Custom~ic-custom-doc~~ic-custom-doc~.

In the Custom category, you can find all the Document Templates you have created inside the Document Picker. Alternatively, you can create a Custom Template by tapping the button at the bottom of this window.

Visit this Learning Hub section if you want to learn how to create a new Custom Document Template →

At the bottom of the Document Templates List, you can choose the format of your Artboard by tapping the Portrait icon or Landscape icon. At the top of this tab, you can find the Search bar ~ic-zoom~~ic-zoom~ that helps you navigate and find your template.

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How to Select an Artboard

You can select an Artboard by either tapping on its borders or title. Alternatively, you can open the Layers Tab and tap on an Artboard’s name. The selected Artboard will be displayed immediately.

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How to Rename an Artboard

You can rename any Artboard in the same way you rename layers. Navigate to the Layers Tab and tap on the Artboard’s name to type a new name by using the keypad, then tap Done to save your changes.

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How to Delete an Artboard

Inside the Layers Tab, swipe left on the Artboard title or name and tap the Delete button. When you select the Artboard, a bin icon appears at the bottom. Tap the bin button to delete it.

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How to Move an Artboard

To move an Artboard, and all the layers it contains, tap on the Artboard title on the canvas, and drag and drop it to where you would like to position it.

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How to Switch Between Artboards

You can quickly jump between Artboards by tapping on their different titles, either on the canvas or in the Layers Tab.

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How to Resize an Artboard

Once you select the Artboard, you have three options available to resize it:

1 – Open the Arrange Tab in the Inspector and go over the Size section. By tapping the Width and Height fields, you will have the possibility to directly insert the width (W) and height (H) of your Artboard. Tap on it and the keypad will show up.

2 – Holding and dragging the border.

3 – Open the Quick Settings from the Widget Area, select Artboard & Grid and then edit the width and height values accordingly to your needs.

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How to Duplicate an Artboard

You can now duplicate Artboards by using the Copy icon and Paste icon buttons inside the Action Bar.

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How to Change the Artboard Fill Color

Since our 4.13.3 update, we have replaced the previous checkerboard background with a white default background (#FFFFFF) that does not blend with other elements. (“Fake White”).

The background Fill ~ic-fill~~ic-fill~ color can be toggled on or off. Vectornator displays a white Artboard ~ic-artboard~~ic-artboard~ background color per default if the background Fill color is toggled off. The background fill for Artboards is toggled off by default.

You can set a custom background color for an Artboard by tapping the Parent Layer in the Layers Panel. This action then displays a content-aware Fill Section in the Inspector.

You can set the background Fill color by tapping the Color Well or setting a numeric value in the Hex Field.

Additionally, you can set the numeric alpha value of the Artboard background color in the Fill Section.

If you use a transparent background while applying blend modes to your layers, it is advised to add blended coverage.

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How to Move Elements Between Artboards

You can move elements between Artboards in two ways:

1. From the canvas, select the element(s) you want to move from Artboard 1 and then drag and drop it (them) onto Artboard 2.
2. In the Layers Tab, select the element and drag it from Artboard 1 to Artboard 2.

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How to Print Artboards

Learn more how to print your Artboards directly from Vectornator.