Getting started with Canvas | Plot Party Help Center

Canvas is an infinite board for working shot by shot. Every prompt result, uploaded reference, clip and voice line is a node; wires between nodes say what feeds what, so an image can become the first frame of a video, and that video can become the source for a depth capture, without ever leaving the board. A Copilot can build whole workflows for you, and the Director Console lets you stage a shot in 3D before you render it. This guide covers your first board.

[Screenshot: A canvas with prompt, image and video nodes connected by wires]

1. Open a canvas

From the home page, pick the Free Canvas tab in the create box. Leave it empty and click Open Canvas for a blank board, or describe what you want (type / to pick a skill, attach reference images or a zip) and click Start Creating to have the Copilot begin from your brief.

Every canvas you own is on the Works page under Canvas, together with a Create New Canvas card. A new canvas is saved the moment you place your first node; after that the board autosaves as you work, so there is no Save button. Click the title at the top, Untitled Canvas, to rename it.

2. Place your first node

An empty board says Drop your first node and offers quick-start cards for Image, Panorama, Video, Character Views and Director Console. Otherwise:

Right-click anywhere empty, or click Add at the top of the left toolbar. The menu has Upload for your own image, video or audio, then Image, Panorama, Video, Audio, Character Views and Director Console, and a Tool submenu with the utility nodes listed below.
Drop a file from your computer onto the board. JPG, PNG and WebP images, video and audio are accepted.
Open Asset Library in the left toolbar to bring in something you generated elsewhere on Plot Party.

3. Generate from a node

Select a node and a prompt bar docks under it.

Pick a model from the pill on the left. It reads Auto Model or Select Model until you choose. Models above your plan carry a PRO or Platinum lock and open the plan dialog instead; Coming Soon models are listed but disabled.
Write the prompt. The placeholder tells you what the node expects, for example Describe the video you want to generate, then adjust the generation settings below.
Set the model's options in the pills: aspect ratio, duration, Resolution, Voice for audio, and whatever else the model offers. Models with first-frame, last-frame or reference slots show the slots here; fill one from a connected node, or click it to upload.
Check the coin pill next to the send button. It shows the exact cost in Plot Points and updates as you change the settings; a discounted model shows the regular price crossed out.
Click the round Send arrow. The node shows a progress overlay while it runs and the result appears in place. If your balance is too low the plan dialog opens and nothing is charged; failed runs are refunded automatically.

A node keeps every version it has produced. Click its History button to step back to an earlier result or download one.

[Screenshot: The prompt bar of a generation node with the model picker and the Generate button showing the cost]

4. Connect nodes

Hover a node and a + port appears on its left and right edge.

Drag from a port to another node to wire them. The upstream node's output becomes an input of the downstream one.
Click a port for the Quick Create menu, which adds a ready-connected node in one step. From an image: Next Image, Image to Video, Image Split, Upscale, Re-angle, Story Deduce, Nine Grid, Character Views, Compare and more. From a video: Next Video, Merge Video, Video Frame, Depth Motion Capture, Compare. From audio: Cover Image, Audio Visual, Next Audio.
When the target model has more than one slot the wire could fill, a Connect as… popover asks which: Context, Reference, First frame, Last frame, Mask, Control or Audio track. The default is marked.
Select several nodes and use the single port on the selection box to wire them all into one node, for example three references into a video.
Hover a wire to delete it. Hide connections in the bottom-right cluster tidies the view without removing anything.

Some pairings are not allowed and the board tells you why, for example Audio can only connect to a video or merge node or Compare has no output, connect images or videos into it instead.

5. The tool nodes

Tool nodes take a connected image or video and do one job. Each shows what it needs, such as Connect an image, until you wire it.

Tool	What it does
Image Split	Cuts an image into a grid of segments.
Upscale	Enlarges a connected image.
Re-angle	Generates the same shot from a new camera angle.
Story Deduce	Deduces a four-frame story grid around an image; you can hint at the Past and Future.
Nine Grid	Rolls a 3x3 grid of variations.
Grid Upscale	Picks cells from a grid image and clarifies them into full frames.
Character Views	Front and back views plus a face close-up card, for keeping a character consistent.
Merge Video	Joins several clips into one; connect audio to it for a soundtrack.
Video Frame	Captures a still from a video, handy as the next shot's first frame.
Depth Motion Capture	Turns a video into a depth-map video of its motion, ready to drive a character.
Compare	Shows connected images and videos side by side, videos in sync.
Panorama	Generates a 360° environment, which can also serve as the Director Console's backdrop.

6. Let the Copilot build it

The Copilot pill sits in the bottom-right corner. Open it, type / to pick a skill, describe your goal and attach references. The Copilot confirms each step and then places and wires the nodes on the board for you. Before it spends on video it stops and shows the estimate, for example 3 videos ready to generate, est. ~450 credits, with Generate videos and Cancel; adjust the video nodes first if you want to change anything. You can also turn a good conversation into a reusable skill with Create from this chat.

7. Stage a shot in the Director Console

Add a Director Console node from the add menu or the empty-canvas cards. Wire a Panorama into it for a 360° backdrop and Character Views nodes for the cast, then click the node's button. The 3D stage opens in a new tab with a guided tour: set the background, add characters and props, drag them into position, add camera angles, tune focal length and aspect ratio, and check the clean final preview. Then capture the 3D viewpoint, record a viewpoint video, or generate a frame from the viewpoint. Every capture and frame lands back on your canvas as a new node. Control camera with phone shows a QR code that turns your phone into a handheld camera rig for recording takes.

8. Keep, organize and export

Favorites. The heart on a node's toolbar saves it to Favorites on your Works page, where every other tool can pick it up as a reference.
Download. Right-click a node, or select several and use Download in the selection toolbar.
Tidy up. Auto Arrange Canvas lays out the board; select nodes and click Group to keep a scene together; Node Directory lists everything on the board.
Timeline. Click the timeline icon on video nodes to collect them in the Timeline panel, then Package to download them as a zip, Merge to add a Merge Video node, or Editor to open them in the video editor for the final cut. The editor's export can Add to canvas so the finished video comes back as a node.
Duplicate and Share. The menu in the header duplicates the canvas. On a canvas that belongs to your organization group, Share gives members view or edit access and a link.

Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Pan canvas	Space + drag, or middle mouse
Add node	Right-click empty area
Generate from node	Right-click node
Focus node	Double-click node
Zoom	Ctrl + scroll, or Cmd + / Cmd -
Select all	Cmd/Ctrl A
Multi-select	Cmd/Ctrl click
Delete	Backspace
Undo delete	Cmd/Ctrl Z

The same list is under the keyboard icon in the bottom-right corner of the board.

Credits

Each generation on a canvas is paid in Plot Points at the model's normal rate, shown on the coin pill before you send. Uploading, wiring, arranging and downloading are free. See what Plot Points are and how they are spent.