How to use Artboards in Sketch

Summary

This video explains the functionality of artboards, highlighting their usefulness in creating fixed frames for designs, especially for specific devices or screen sizes. It covers how to create, move, resize, and delete artboards, either by using the toolbar or keyboard shortcuts. Additionally, it introduces options like adjusting contents on resize and saving artboards as templates. The video hints at more advanced features, such as resizing constraints, to be explored in future courses, making it ideal for users looking to optimize their design workflow.

Takeaways

• 🎨 Artboards are optional but useful for creating fixed frames on the canvas.
• 📱 They're particularly helpful when designing for specific devices or screen sizes.
• 🖱️ To create an artboard, choose 'Insert > Artboard' from the toolbar or press 'A' on the keyboard.
• ✍️ You can click and drag to create a custom-sized artboard or select a template from the inspector.
• 📝 Entire artboards and their contents can be saved as templates for future use.
• 🔄 Artboards can be moved by clicking and dragging their names on the canvas.
• 📏 Resizing an artboard is similar to resizing other layers, but it won't affect the contents by default.
• ⚙️ The 'Adjust Contents on Resize' option allows resizing constraints, which is covered in another course.
• 🗑️ To delete an artboard, select it and press delete, which also removes its layers.
• 🖇️ If you only want to delete the artboard but keep its contents, select it and choose 'Ungroup' or press 'Shift + Command + G'.

Q & A

What is the purpose of using artboards in design?

Artboards are useful for creating fixed frames on the canvas, especially when designing for specific devices or screen sizes.

How can you create an artboard in the design tool?

You can create an artboard by selecting 'Insert > Artboard' from the toolbar or by pressing the letter 'A' on the keyboard.

What are the two ways to create an artboard on the canvas?

You can either click and drag to draw a custom-sized artboard or choose a template from the inspector.

Can you save an artboard as a template for future use?

Yes, you can save an entire artboard and its contents as a template for later use.

How can you move an artboard on the canvas?

You can move an artboard by clicking and dragging its name on the canvas.

Does resizing an artboard affect its contents by default?

No, by default, resizing an artboard will not affect its contents.

What option can you enable to adjust contents when resizing an artboard?

You can enable the 'Adjust contents on resize' option in the inspector to adjust the contents along with the artboard size.

What are resizing constraints, and how are they related to artboards?

Resizing constraints help control how elements behave when resizing the artboard, but this feature is explained in more detail in another course.

How do you delete an artboard and its contents?

To delete an artboard and its contents, select the artboard and press 'Delete' on the keyboard.

How can you delete only the artboard without removing its contents?

To delete only the artboard and keep its contents, select the artboard and choose 'Ungroup' from the toolbar or press 'Shift + Command + G.'

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Artboards and Their Usefulness

Artboards are optional but useful for creating fixed frames on the canvas, especially when designing for specific devices or screen sizes. To create an artboard, you can select 'Insert Artboard' from the toolbar or press 'A' on the keyboard. You can either draw a custom-sized artboard or choose from pre-made templates. Artboards can be moved and resized similarly to other layers, but resizing an artboard doesn't affect its contents unless the 'Adjust contents on resize' option is enabled. Deleting an artboard will also delete its contents, unless you choose to ungroup the artboard first, which retains the contents but removes the artboard itself.

Keywords

💡Artboard

An artboard is a defined area on a canvas that acts as a fixed frame for creating content. In the context of the video, it is particularly useful for designing specific layouts for devices or screen sizes. Artboards help structure workspaces and keep designs organized.

💡Canvas

The canvas is the workspace where all design elements are placed and manipulated. It serves as the backdrop for artboards and other layers. In the video, the canvas is the area on which the artboard is placed and customized by the designer.

💡Toolbar

The toolbar is a key interface element that contains tools and options for creating and manipulating objects, like artboards. In the video, the user is instructed to access the 'insert artboard' option from the toolbar, making it a central tool for adding new design elements.

💡Inspector

The inspector provides detailed controls for selected objects, such as resizing, formatting, or applying constraints. In the video, it is mentioned as the place to choose templates or activate options like 'adjust contents on resize.' The inspector thus enables customization of artboards and their elements.

💡Template

A template is a pre-defined design layout that can be used to save time. In the video, artboards can be created from templates, and users can also save their own designs as templates to reuse in the future. Templates streamline the design process by providing ready-made frameworks.

💡Resizing

Resizing refers to adjusting the dimensions of an artboard or object. In the video, resizing artboards is done similarly to resizing any other layer, but by default, this action does not affect the contents within the artboard unless the 'adjust contents on resize' option is selected.

💡Adjust Contents on Resize

This option ensures that the elements within an artboard adjust proportionally when the artboard's size changes. It is an advanced feature discussed in the video and works in conjunction with resizing constraints, allowing for flexible design adjustments without manually resizing each component.

💡Resizing Constraints

Resizing constraints are rules applied to design elements to control how they behave when their container (such as an artboard) is resized. The video mentions this feature briefly and indicates that it will be covered more thoroughly in another course. Constraints help maintain layout integrity across different screen sizes.

💡Ungroup

The ungroup function allows designers to separate an artboard from its contents. In the video, this option is useful if the user wants to delete the artboard without affecting the layers within it. Ungrouping ensures flexibility when modifying or organizing design components.

💡Delete

Deleting an artboard removes both the frame and all the layers inside it, unless the designer first uses the ungroup option. In the video, the delete function is accessed through a simple keyboard command, making it a quick way to clear out unused or unnecessary design elements.

Highlights

Artboards are optional but useful for creating fixed frames on the canvas.

They are especially helpful when designing for specific devices or screen sizes.

You can create an artboard by selecting Insert > Artboard from the toolbar or pressing 'A' on the keyboard.

You can click and drag on the canvas to create a custom-sized artboard or choose from a template.

Artboards and their contents can be saved as templates for future use.

You can move artboards by clicking and dragging their name on the canvas.

Resizing an artboard is similar to resizing any layer, but by default, resizing an artboard won't affect its contents.

The 'Adjust contents on resize' option helps to resize both the artboard and its contents.

The resizing constraints feature works with 'Adjust contents on resize' but requires more detailed understanding in another course.

To delete an artboard, simply select it and press delete, which will also delete any layers inside.

If you want to keep the contents and only delete the artboard, use the 'Ungroup' function or press Shift + Command + G.

Artboards allow for organized workflows by keeping work within specific boundaries.

Artboards can be easily resized, moved, and customized according to design needs.

Using templates for artboards can save time when working on repeated or similar projects.

Mastering resizing constraints and content adjustment will enhance design flexibility when working with artboards.

Transcripts

artboards are completely optional but

handy for creating fixed frames on the

canvas to create your work in they're

especially useful if you're designing

for a specific device or screen size to

create an artboard choose insert

artboard from the toolbar or press the

letter A on the

keyboard you can either click and drag

on the canvas to draw a custom siiz

artboard or choose from a template on

the inspector

you can also save an entire artboard and

its contents as a template that you

could use

later you can easily move artboards

around by clicking and dragging their

name on the canvas and resizing an

artboard is a lot like resizing any

other layer but by default resizing an

artboard won't affect its contents

there's an option on the inspector

called adjust contents on resize which

works with a feature called resizing

constraints that we'll dig into in

another

course to delete an artboard just select

it and press delete on the keyboard

doing this will also delete any layers

within it if you want to keep an

artboards content and only get rid of

the artboard itself select it and choose

ungroup from the toolbar or press shift

command G