Advanced Editor Tools

Intermediate · 6 min read · By Chitmunk Team · Updated Oct 18, 2026

Overview

Some parts of a card need to be exact, not roughly right. Chitmunk's power-user tools cover them: checking print alignment with the print-shop template, sampling a color with the eyedropper, and carrying one style across a full card set.

Eyedropper Tool

The eyedropper lets you sample any color currently visible on the card.

To use it:

1. Click Eyedropper on the tool rail along the left edge of the card area (or press Ctrl+K and search "eyedropper").
2. Click anywhere on the card. The color under the cursor is sampled.

After one click the tool switches back to Select so you can keep working. To reuse a sampled color, add it to your project colors from the color picker.

Measurement Tool

The measurement tool lets you drag across the card to see the exact distance between two points. Click Measure on the same tool rail.

Click and drag anywhere on the card. When you let go, a message shows:

• Pixels: the distance in card pixels at the card's native resolution.
• Inches: the equivalent physical distance at 300 DPI (standard print resolution).

This is useful for verifying that margins are consistent, checking that elements align across card types, and ensuring spacing meets TheGameCrafter's print specifications. The tool switches back to Select after each measurement, so click Measure again for the next one.

Ruler Guides

Ruler guides are draggable lines you can place on the canvas to help align elements precisely. They are visible during editing but do not appear in exports.

To create a guide, press in the ruler strip (turn rulers on under View, Rulers if you do not see them): the top strip for a horizontal guide, or the left strip for a vertical guide, and drag onto the card. The guide appears as a thin colored line that extends across the full canvas.

To reposition a guide, drag it to a new location. To remove one, drag it back onto its ruler. To remove all of them, choose View, Clear all guides (Ctrl+Shift+;).

Guides are especially helpful when you're placing the same element type (like a stat box or icon) in the same position across many card types. Drop a guide at the intended position once, then snap to it on every card.

Context Menu

Right-clicking any element on the canvas opens a context menu with quick actions. The available options depend on the element type and selection:

• All elements: Duplicate, Delete, Lock/Unlock, Hide/Show, Bring to Front, Send to Back, Move Up, Move Down, Show on All Cards, Copy Style, Paste Style.
• Text: Edit Text, Reset Effects.
• Images: Generate AI Image, Change Image, Reset Filters, Download Full Resolution.
• Groups: Ungroup. Generators: Convert to Shapes.
• Two or more selected elements: Group Selected, Align Left/Right/Top/Bottom, Make Same Width/Height/Size. With three or more: Distribute Horizontally/Vertically.

Right-clicking on an empty area of the canvas opens a canvas context menu with: Add text, Add image, Add backdrop, Paste.

Copy & Paste Style

Copy Style and Paste Style let you transfer the full visual styling from one element to another of the same type in a single operation.

To use it: right-click the source element and choose Copy Style. Then right-click the target element and choose Paste Style. Paste Style only appears when a compatible style is on the clipboard.

What gets transferred depends on element type:

• Text: font, size, weight, style, color, alignment, line and letter spacing, background and border, capitalization, and text effects.
• Images: fit mode, opacity, brightness, contrast, saturation, and clip shape.
• Shapes: shape type, fill color and opacity, stroke color, width and dashes, and corner radius.

Position, size, rotation, and content are never affected, only the visual style is copied. This makes it easy to apply a consistent look across a large number of elements without manually matching every setting.

Print-Shop Template Overlay

TheGameCrafter provides official template images showing the exact cut lines, bleed zone, and safe zone for each card size. Chitmunk can overlay this template directly on your canvas so you can see your design and the print guidelines at the same time.

To activate the overlay, open the View menu and turn on Print-shop template (under "Show on the card"). While it is on, a Template overlay slider (0–100%) appears in the inspector so you can dial in how much of the overlay is visible. Set it low (around 20–30%) to see the guidelines without obscuring your design.

Use the TGC template overlay to:

• Confirm that important elements (text, icons, stats) are fully within the safe zone.
• Verify that background art extends all the way to the bleed edge.
• Check that nothing important is too close to the cut line.

Generators

Generators are parametric game components. They produce complex, multi-part visuals from configurable settings: hex grids, score tracks, race tracks, spinners, tech trees, and dozens more types.

Using Generators

• Open the Add panel and click Score track, grids, QR… (under Game parts) to open the full catalog; Stat badges, Resource pips, and Card layout are one click away
• Click any generator to add it: a settings window opens immediately
• Double-click any generator on canvas to reconfigure it
• Quick-edit key properties directly in the inspector
• Right-click → Convert to Shapes to flatten it for manual editing

Interactive Editors

Three generators have canvas-based visual editors inside their configuration modals:

• Race Track: Click to place control points, drag to reshape curves. 6 preset track shapes.
• Point-to-Point Map: Click to place cities, define colored routes between them.
• Tech Tree: Click to add nodes, drag to position, double-click for per-node customization.

Card Style

Click empty canvas space (deselect all elements) and open the Deck style row in the inspector. It is closed until you open it, and it remembers your choice. You can also press Ctrl+K and type Frame style, Card back pattern or Rarity mark.

• Card Frame: 5 decorative frame styles (Classic, Ornate, Art Deco, Fantasy, Sci-Fi)
• Card Back Pattern: 5 tiling patterns, with a Same pattern upside down option so the back looks right whichever way up it is dealt
• Rarity Mark: Common, Uncommon, Rare, or Mythic, with a position (bottom right, bottom left, and more)

For a complete guide, see Parametric Generators.