# Design tools (zoom, align, scale, move)

> Navigate your design and size elements precisely with the zoom, canvas drag, scale, and align tools.

Source: https://bluepic.io/help/design-elements-and-tools/design-tools  
Language: en  
Category: design-elements-and-tools  
Last updated: 2026-06-12

The **Toolbar** holds the tools for getting around your design and sizing elements precisely.

## Zoom

Use the zoom dropdown in the Toolbar to set the zoom level, from 50% up to 200%. Zoom in to work on detail, or out to see the whole canvas.

## Cursor modes

The cursor dropdown changes what dragging on the canvas does:

- **Select** (the default): click an element to select it, drag to move it, and drag its handles to resize its bounding box.
- **Canvas Drag**: pan around the canvas. You move your view, not the elements.
- **Scale**: scales elements proportionally (see below).

## Scale

Scale is the most useful tool to understand, especially for text.

In **Select** mode, dragging a handle resizes the **bounding box** (its size and position), but it leaves the element's intrinsic properties alone. For a text element, the **max font size** doesn't change. **Scale** changes those too: the **font size** of text and the **stroke width** of shapes scale together with the element. For text especially, this is the reliable way to land on the size you want.

You can scale in two ways: switch the cursor to **Scale**, or hold **Shift** while dragging a handle.

![](https://imagedelivery.net/mudX-CmAqIANL8bxoNCToA/c4e88265-9918-4529-1e39-2e7031387000/max)

## Align

Align positions the selected element with one click. It becomes available once you have a selection, with options to **Center horizontal**, **Center vertical**, or align **Relative to top / right / bottom / left**.

- With **one element** selected, it aligns relative to the **canvas**.
- With **several elements** selected, they all align relative to the **last one you selected**.

![](https://imagedelivery.net/mudX-CmAqIANL8bxoNCToA/8811ecd5-fced-4388-b0f9-046b35f05d00/max)