Canvas Frame

A Canvas Frame gives free control over layout: objects can be positioned anywhere on the frame, at exact coordinates, and rescaled or moved with drag and drop. Use this frame type when the precise position of your stimuli matters, for example in visual perception tasks, reaction time tasks, or any study where fine-grained control over where things appear on screen is needed.

Optional grid lines help align objects evenly and can be shown or hidden using the checkbox below the frame. The editor also supports zooming in and out on a Canvas Frame, useful when working with precisely positioned small elements.

Canvas Frame properties

In addition to the properties every frame shares (Name, Duration, Background color, Hide Mouse, see Frames), a Canvas Frame has two of its own:

• Frame Height: the height of the frame, in Design Units
• Frame Width: the width of the frame, in Design Units

When to use Canvas over Page

Choose a Canvas Frame when stimulus position or timing precision matters to the design, reaction time tasks, visual search, spatial cueing, anything where "where on screen" is part of what's being measured. For form-like, top-to-bottom content such as questionnaires or instructions, a Page Frame is usually the better fit.

Further Reading