In this guide, we’ll walk you through the main areas of the Ad Studio, the Stage, the Header, the Left sidebar, and the Properties bar, which together form your new workspace.
The Stage
The stage is where all your sizes will be displayed and where the editing will occur. If you are working on a single creative, the stage will consist of a grey dotted area, and if you're working with a design set, a new section will appear below the grey dotted area.
You will notice that some sizes will be displayed on the stage's top part while others are on the bottom. The sizes on the top will be the main layouts used as a reference for each type of orientation. The sizes displayed on the bottom party are general layouts listed in columns underneath the corresponding main for each of the three orientations (square, vertical, and horizontal). You can learn more details about working with main and general layouts here.
The listing in columns according to orientation is done so you can easily tweak the design on an entire group or similar layouts. The classification of layouts in squares, verticals, and horizontals is done on all sizes, whether predefined or custom-created by you.
The Header
The header is displayed at the very top of your screen. From here, you can access file management functionalities, feedback forms, zoom controls, preview, collaboration, and design distributing options.
File Management Functionalities
These functionalities are located on the left side of the header. Here's what you can find:
- Burger menu. From here, you can create a new design or template, make a copy, use the ruler, and use undo/redo options.
- Name your design.
- Resize. This option is enabled only when working on a single design.
Proofing and Distribution Options
These options are located on the right side of the header, and include:
- Preview and Comments. This will open a share link, giving you an overview of your creative(s) and collaboration through comments.
- Distribution and Export. You can use the share function to distribute your creative(s) and choose the right file type of your export.
- Ad Serving. From here you can set up your ad serving options.
- Zoom options. You can use the dropdown menu to set the zoom options or use the keyboard shortcuts as an alternative. The choice is yours.
Layout Selector
Enabled when working on a design set and displayed in the middle of the header, the layout selector helps you make edits easily between the layouts and sizes within your set.
Switch back to Legacy App and Feedback
Under the Ad Studio Beta button, you can find options to return to the previous editor and share your thoughts regarding your experience with Ad Studio.
The Left Sidebar
The sidebar on your screen's left side is your toolkit. Here, you can access all sorts of functionalities that enable you to enhance the complexity of your design.
Add Content
- Insert. Located on the top of the left sidebar, the Insert functionality allows access to various creative resources, ranging from text, media, and graphic elements to buttons and widgets.
- Brand Kit. Brand assets are available under the Brand Kit tab to easily access your brand assets and streamline your design process.
- Templates. If you are looking for ready-made designs that you can easily tailor according to your needs, you can also find an extensive selection of templates grouped according to themes.
- Cloud integration. The Apps feature allows you to seamlessly connect your Google Drive or Dropbox account with Creatopy, enabling you to upload and access assets from your cloud storage.
Manage Layers and Slides
- Layers. The layer list helps you maintain control, structure, and flexibility when working on a design or design set. Any element you add to the stage will be available in the layer panel.
- Slides. If you want to enhance the storytelling capabilities of your creative, you can do so by using multiple slides.
Animation Presets and Advanced Customization
- Animator. This is the place to start if you want to animate your ads, as multiple animation presets are available here under the Animator tab.
- Timeline. This tab can be found at the bottom of the left sidebar. From here, you can have an overview of all the layers of your design, and you can easily customize the animation according to your needs visually. When working with a design set, the timeline can only be opened in Focus mode.
Manage sizes
Resizing your layout and adding or removing sizes from your set can be done from the Sizes tab. Here, you can view the whole library of preset sizes, create custom sizes, and select entire seize categories (e.g., Display) to generate design sets easily.
Help
The Help tab contains an array of support materials, such as an onboarding tour that you can easily launch if you prefer an assisted course using the editor, a link to the help center, keyboard shortcuts, and video tutorials.
The Properties Bar
The properties bar is located on the right-hand side and enables you to customize the elements in your ad as you please. Its contents will vary according to the element that is currently selected on the stage, meaning that it will display all properties available for that specific layer type.
When working with multiple layouts, you can change the elements' properties on all or some layouts simultaneously using the properties bar together with the layout selector, which can dramatically speed up your workflow.