# Canvas

Canvas-level controls for ratio, crop, position, transforms, and background setup.

The canvas is where you set the final look of your image before export.

## [What you can change on the canvas](/content/docs/transformations-and-limits#what-you-can-change-on-the-canvas/index.html)

- Aspect ratio and crop behavior
- Position and scale
- Tilt and perspective transforms
- Orientation adjustments
- Background and frame context

## [Main settings](/content/docs/transformations-and-limits#main-settings/index.html)

| Setting                | Range or options      | Default |
|------------------------|-----------------------|---------|
| Position X             | `-20..120`            | `50`    |
| Position Y             | `-20..120`            | `50`    |
| Scale                  | `75..400`             | `100`   |
| Tilt rotation          | `-15..15` degrees     | `0`     |
| Perspective depth      | `300..2000` px       | `1000`  |
| Rotate X               | `-35..35` degrees     | `0`     |
| Rotate Y               | `-35..35` degrees     | `0`     |
| Quarter-turn rotation   | `0 | 90 | 180 | 270` | `0`     |
| Straighten             | `-45..45` degrees     | `0`     |

### [Aspect ratio presets and common uses](/content/docs/transformations-and-limits#aspect-ratio-presets-and-common-uses/index.html)

| Ratio     | Common use                                |
|-----------|-------------------------------------------|
| `auto`    | Keep the source screenshot ratio unchanged |
| `1:1`    | Square social posts and compact thumbnails |
| `5:4`    | Product cards and store visuals            |
| `4:3`    | Docs images and slide content              |
| `7:5`    | Editorial and blog card visuals            |
| `3:2`    | Landscape post graphics                     |
| `16:9`   | Presentation and video-cover layouts      |
| `19.5:9` | Full-screen iPhone screenshot framing      |
| `2:1`    | Wide banners and hero strips               |
| `21:9`   | Ultra-wide headers and cinematic crops     |
| `4:5`    | Vertical feed posts                        |
| `3:4`    | Portrait cards and tutorial visuals        |
| `5:7`    | Poster-style compositions                   |
| `2:3`    | Tall portrait and print-like layouts      |
| `9:16`   | Stories and short-form vertical content    |
| `9:19.5` | Full-screen modern iPhone portrait output  |
| `1:2`    | Extra-tall poster compositions              |

## [What to know](/content/docs/transformations-and-limits#what-to-know/index.html)

- The crop box stays inside valid bounds and cannot be shrunk below the app minimum (`0.04` in app scale).
- Ratio presets change how crop works:
  - `freeform` lets you crop to any shape.
  - `original` keeps the source image ratio.
- If you enter a value outside an allowed range, Shotwell brings it back to the nearest valid value.
- Rotating to `90` or `270` swaps export width and height.

## [Drill down](/content/docs/transformations-and-limits#drill-down/index.html)

- [Layout and crop settings](/content/docs/editing/layout-and-crop/index.html)
- [Background settings](/content/docs/editing/backgrounds/index.html)
- [Frame settings](/content/docs/editing/frames/index.html)
- [Frame catalog and device support](/content/docs/frames-and-devices/index.html)

### [Common edge cases](/content/docs/transformations-and-limits#common-edge-cases/index.html)

- Position values below `0` or above `100` are valid and useful when you want intentional bleed.
- Strong perspective or tilt usually needs follow-up crop and position cleanup.
- Very tiny crop areas are prevented by the minimum crop size rule.