Symmetry Tool
The Symmetry Tool mirrors drawing around horizontal, vertical, and two 45° axes. Set up the axes before drawing or creating a selection; enabling an axis does not automatically make existing artwork symmetrical.
Show the Symmetry Tool
Open the View menu or the Symmetry Tool panel and show the directions you need: Horizontal, Vertical, Left 45°, or Right 45°. You can combine directions. Their guides and handles appear on the canvas.
Visible does not mean active mirroring
A direction must be both visible and enabled to participate in mirroring.
| State | Canvas display | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Visible and enabled | Solid guide | Mirroring is active for that direction |
| Visible and disabled | Fainter, dashed guide | Guide remains available, but mirroring is off |
| Hidden | Guide and handle are hidden | Direction does not participate in mirroring |
Click or tap a visible handle to toggle mirroring. If strokes are not mirrored, check both states.
Handles and on-canvas interaction
- Click or tap a handle to enable or disable that direction.
- Drag a handle to move the symmetry axis.
- Lock the tool to prevent accidental axis movement. Locking keeps mirroring active for enabled directions.
- If a handle is offscreen, drag its edge indicator to bring the axis back into view.
Horizontal and vertical symmetry handles sit along the canvas edges; 45° handles sit inside the canvas.
Symmetry-Aware Selections
Create a selection while the intended axes are visible and enabled to select mirrored regions together. Those regions remain linked as you move, rotate, scale, or flip the selected content.
Set axis positions before creating the selection and finish the transform before changing axes. Repositioning an axis does not rebuild an existing selection around the new position. Ordinary pasted content does not automatically acquire this symmetry linkage.
For handles and precise movement, see Free Transform.
Common controls in the Symmetry Tool panel
| Control | Effect |
|---|---|
| Reset to Center | Center the axes on the selection if one is active; otherwise use the canvas center. If the canvas center is offscreen, use the center of the visible canvas area. |
| Lock / Unlock | Prevent or allow dragging axes. Unlock before resetting their positions. |
| Settings | Open Canvas settings |
| Close | Hide all symmetry axes and stop mirroring |
On iOS, resetting also enables the symmetry directions. Desktop and Android keep their existing enabled states.
Adjust the symmetry line color
Open Settings / Preferences ▸ Canvas ▸ Canvas Guide Color, or use Settings in the Symmetry Tool panel to reach Canvas settings.
Choose a color that contrasts with the artwork. This color is shared with other canvas guides; it is not a separate color for each symmetry direction.
When the Symmetry Tool is most useful
Use symmetry to block in faces, masks, badges, front-facing buildings, or repeated 45° shapes. Hide the axes or disable the directions when you are ready to add asymmetrical details.
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