5 min read
selfielab Canvas Keyboard Shortcuts & Power-User Workflow
The canvas rewards fluency. Everything works with a mouse and menus, but the fast path is keyboard-first: slash commands for every action, shortcuts for navigation and selection, and a couple of board-management moves that keep a hundred-shot session tidy. This page is the complete reference — worth one read now and a /keybindings recall later.
step by step
Learn the four navigation moves
Space+drag pans (middle-mouse drag works too), ⌘/Ctrl+scroll zooms to your cursor, Shift+1 fits everything in view, ⌘/Ctrl+0 resets zoom to 100%. These four cover almost all board movement.
Drive actions from the slash menu
Type / in chat to open the command menu: /image, /video, /prompt, /plan, /dialogue, /text, /edit, /describe, /remove background, /stitch and /keybindings. Each shows an inline hint, so the menu doubles as documentation.
Select in bulk
Drag a marquee around multiple nodes, or ⌘/Ctrl+A to select everything. Arrow keys nudge the selection (Shift for bigger steps), G arranges it into a grid, Delete removes it after a confirm.
Keep the board tidy
Group finished sets into grids, label areas with text nodes, and delete rejects as you go. A canvas you can navigate at a glance is a canvas you'll keep coming back to.
The full shortcut reference
MOD means ⌘ on Mac and Ctrl on Windows and Linux. The same list is available in-app any time via /keybindings.
Selection & editing
MOD+A select all · G arrange selection into a grid · Delete remove selection · arrow keys nudge (Shift = bigger steps) · ←/→ previous and next item in preview · Esc cancel drag, close preview, or clear selection.
View
Space+drag or middle-drag to pan · MOD+scroll zoom to cursor · MOD +/− zoom in and out · MOD+0 reset to 100% · Shift+1 fit everything in view.
Chat & modals
/ opens the command menu · Enter sends · Shift+Enter inserts a new line · ⌘/Ctrl+Enter submits from the edit, make-video and extend-video modals.
Selection is an instruction
Selection does more than highlight. Selected completed images become references for your next generation (up to four). Selected videos define stitch order for /stitch. A selected image is the target for /edit, /describe and animation. Getting deliberate about what's selected before you type is the single biggest workflow upgrade on the canvas.
Managing multiple canvases
Boards are cheap to fill and best kept purposeful — one per feed, campaign or character. Free accounts get one canvas; Basic raises it to 5, Pro to 20, Studio removes the cap. Existing boards are never taken away if you change plans. When a project ships, leave its canvas intact: it's your archive of what worked, and /describe can mine it for prompts later.
quick tips
- G (grid arrange) immediately after a batch turns scattered results into a reviewable contact sheet.
- Esc is the universal exit: mid-drag, in previews, or with a selection you no longer want.
- Use text nodes as section headers on the board — "week 32", "approved", "rejects" — and future you will navigate by landmarks.
- In the full-screen preview, ←/→ flip through neighbors — the fastest way to compare takes of the same shot.
questions, answered
Where do I find shortcuts inside the app?+
Type /keybindings in chat — the same reference on this page, in a modal, whenever you need it.
Do the shortcuts work on Windows?+
Yes — every ⌘ shortcut maps to Ctrl on Windows and Linux. The in-app modal shows the right key for your platform.
Can I move many items at once?+
Yes — marquee-select or ⌘/Ctrl+A, then drag the selection or nudge it with arrow keys; G snaps the whole selection into a clean grid.
Is there an undo?+
Deletions ask for confirmation first, and edits never overwrite their source image — the canvas is designed so destructive moves are explicit. Keep originals until you're sure.
keep learning
getting started →
Learn the selfielab canvas in five minutes: drop a character onto the infinite board, chat with the agent, and generate your first AI photo — same face, any scene.
planning a feed →
Go from one idea to a full content feed: ask the agent for a shot plan, pick the scenes you like, and batch-generate them in one go — a week of posts in minutes.
building scenes →
Chips are draggable tiles — characters, outfits, locations, props and poses — that compose your next shot. Learn how to mix, link and toggle them to build any scene.