Align, distribute, and Pattern across cells

Summary

Align to artboard and Distribute evenly appear in the inspector only when two or more layers are multi-selected by checkbox, and both act relative to the artboard, not the selection's own bounding box. Pattern across cells is a separate, single-layer feature that tiles an image across the artboard's perforation grid — it is powerful, replaces the original layer, and was observed to freeze the browser tab for several minutes when applied at full grid density.

Use it when

• Use Align to artboard to snap several layers to a shared edge or center line, relative to the artboard.
• Use Distribute evenly to space three or more layers at even intervals along one axis.
• Use Pattern across cells to fill the artboard's perforation grid with repeated, optionally randomized copies of a single image layer.

Before you begin

Align/Distribute need two or more layers selected by checkbox (see Select, reorder, and rename) — they do not appear for a single selection. Pattern across cells needs exactly one image layer selected; it is not available for shape, path, or text layers.

Steps

Align and distribute

1. Check two or more layers' checkboxes in Layers.
2. In the inspector, open Arrange · N selected.
3. Under Align to artboard, select Left, Center, or Right to align horizontally, or Top, Middle, or Bottom to align vertically.
4. Under Distribute evenly, select Horizontal or Vertical to space three or more selected layers evenly along that axis.

Pattern across cells

5. Select a single placed image layer.
6. Select Pattern across cells… in Transform.
7. Choose a Pattern mode: Uniform, Checkerboard, Rows, Columns, Sequential, Radial, or Random.
8. Optionally enable randomized angle, scale, or opacity ranges for unlocked cells, and set a Seed (or select Regenerate unlocked for a new random arrangement).
9. Optionally select Keep source layers on canvas to retain the original layer alongside the pattern.
10. Review Cell layout (Source 1) and the Pattern map preview, which supports clicking a cell to lock or preview it individually.
11. Select Apply pattern to commit, or Cancel to back out. Read the warnings below before selecting Apply.

What changes

• Align to artboard moves each selected layer so its edge or center lines up with the artboard's corresponding edge or center — confirmed directly: Center set every selected layer's X to 3.75in (the exact horizontal center of a 7.5 in artboard), and Left set every selected layer's X to half its own width (its left edge landing exactly on the artboard's left edge at 0).
• Distribute Horizontal/Vertical repositions only the layers between the outermost two in the selection — the leftmost/topmost and rightmost/bottommost stay put, and the ones between are spaced evenly between them. Confirmed with three layers at X = 1, 2, 7 in: after Distribute Horizontal, the middle layer's X became exactly 4 — the midpoint of 1 and 7 — while 1 and 7 were unchanged.
• Pattern across cells replaces the original single layer with pattern copies across the grid, per the dialog's own description: Fills 900 cells. Original layer will be replaced by pattern copies. (900 cells observed for a Classic square artboard at the placeholder 0.25 in grid spacing — 30 × 30.)

Print note

Both Align/Distribute and Pattern across cells change actual layer positions and content, and are fully reflected in exported output — neither is a preview-only effect. The grid spacing Pattern across cells tiles against is explicitly labeled Grid spacing is 0.25" (unconfirmed placeholder) in the dialog itself, matching the placeholder grid note elsewhere in the app — treat exact cell alignment as provisional until that placeholder is resolved.

Warnings and limits

• Applying a full-density pattern can freeze the browser tab for several minutes. In testing, selecting Apply pattern with the default Uniform mode on a Classic square artboard (900 cells, no settings changed) made the page completely unresponsive — even a trivial script evaluation against the page timed out repeatedly — for over three minutes, at which point testing was stopped and the page was reloaded rather than waiting further. There was no progress indicator or way to cancel once Apply pattern was selected. Save your work before using this feature, and expect a long, unresponsive wait on a full artboard.
• Because of the freeze above, this article does not confirm what a completed pattern application actually produces (final layer count and naming, whether reload during generation loses or preserves progress). Treat the resulting layer structure as Needs product confirmation and do not assume it matches the dialog's preview exactly.
• Distribute needs at least three selected layers to have a visible effect — with only two selected, there is nothing between the two endpoints to redistribute.
• Align/Distribute are not available with a single layer selected — select at least two by checkbox, not by name (which replaces the selection instead of extending it).

Desktop and mobile

Align to artboard, Distribute evenly, and Pattern across cells were all confirmed reachable at 390 × 844 — Arrange in the mobile Adjust sheet once two or more layers are checked, and Pattern across cells in the same sheet's Transform group for an image layer. Actual pattern generation was not re-tested on mobile, for the same reason noted above.

Troubleshooting

Related topics

• Select, reorder, and rename
• Size, position, rotation & opacity
• Grid and realistic preview
• Duplicate, hide, lock & delete

Verification note

Verified against Blotter Builder on 2026-07-20.

Source notes

Primary observations — all from the live application at https://blotterbuilder.tdl.fyi, 2026-07-20:

• Observed — checkbox-selecting two or more layers added Arrange · N selected to the inspector, containing Align to artboard (Left/Center/Right, Top/Middle/Bottom) and Distribute evenly (Horizontal/Vertical).
• Observed — three shapes at X 0.88, 2.38, 4.63 in; selecting Center set all three to X 3.75in exactly (half of a 7.5 in artboard). Selecting Left afterward set all three to X 0.38in (each shape's own half-width, landing its left edge at the artboard's left edge).
• Observed — three shapes repositioned to X 1, 2, 7 in; selecting Distribute Horizontal changed only the middle shape's X to 4.00in, leaving 1 and 7 unchanged. Repeated for Y with Distribute Vertical: identical result (middle became 4.00in, endpoints unchanged).
• Observed — Pattern across cells… appeared in Transform for a placed image layer but not for a shape layer.
• Observed — the Pattern across cells dialog's full stated content: description (Assign artwork to perforation cells using pattern modes, optional randomization, and per-cell locks.), the Grid spacing is 0.25" (unconfirmed placeholder) and Fills 900 cells. Original layer will be replaced by pattern copies. notices, a Pattern dropdown (Uniform, Checkerboard, Rows, Columns, Sequential, Radial, Random), a Seed field with Regenerate unlocked, Random ranges (unlocked cells) for angle/scale/opacity each with an enable checkbox, a Keep source layers on canvas checkbox, a Cell layout (Source 1) preview, a Pattern map (click to lock / preview) grid, and Cancel/Apply pattern buttons.
• Observed — selecting Apply pattern with default settings (mode Uniform, no randomization enabled) caused the page to stop responding to any script evaluation for over three minutes continuously; testing was stopped at that point and the page reloaded. Filed as issue #30 for product follow-up rather than guessed at.
• Observed — at 390 × 844, both Arrange (with 2 layers checked) and Pattern across cells (with an image layer selected) were present in the mobile Adjust sheet.

Verification log