# Drawing, masks, and crops

> Sketch a visual reference, prepare a mask or crop for an image input, compare results, and keep the original source while you experiment.

Source: https://kaitoi.io/docs/studio/drawing-tools/
Section: Kaitoi Studio / Media tools
Written for: Anyone preparing image inputs or checking an image edit.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-24

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Studio includes a drawing canvas and image controls for supported node inputs
and previews. Use them to prepare visual instructions rather than describing
every region in text.

## Follow the saved artifact


A drawing has editable state; Save to input exports its image into a linked node input. Closing the canvas can preserve drawing state without sending that image. A mask saves after strokes complete and must match the consuming node’s dimensions and selection rules. A crop stores framing metadata when the interaction finishes; it does not universally rewrite the source file. Keep the original and inspect the actual input.

The plant specimen compares editable drawing state and an exported input image, a separate black-and-white mask, and an original image kept beside crop metadata. These artifacts remain distinct from the consuming node’s eventual output.

*Figure: Compare what Drawing, Mask and Crop actually save.*

## Draw a reference

Open **Drawing Canvas** from the graph tools, or an input's drawing action where
offered. Use brushes, shapes, text, and images to sketch a composition or mark
up a reference. Check the canvas size and background before exporting.

Save or export the result in the format the next operation needs. PNG is useful
for a raster image; SVG retains supported vector content. Confirm the exported
image is the input your graph is actually using.

## Prepare a mask

Open the mask editor from a compatible image control. Paint and erase the
region required by the next operation; strokes save after completion. Check that node's
help to understand which mask values it treats as selected: mask interpretation
belongs to the consuming operation.

Zoom to inspect edges, and compare mask dimensions with the image. A visually
correct mask at the wrong dimensions can still produce an unexpected edit.

## Crop an image

Open the crop control from the image preview where it is available. Choose an
aspect ratio or adjust the bounds; crop metadata saves when the interaction
finishes. A crop changes framing;
it does not generate new content outside the original picture.

## Compare before continuing

Use Image Compare where offered to compare two results. Inspect the full-size
image as well as the preview so you can see edge quality, unexpected changes,
and whether the intended subject was preserved.

Keep the original source when experimenting. Save the project and useful output
files before replacing an input with another variation.

## Check what was actually saved

**Drawing:** editable canvas state and exported media are separate; use Save
to input when the drawing should feed a node. **Mask:** strokes save after
completion; let pending saves finish and check consuming-node semantics.
**Crop:** completion stores crop metadata, not a universal destructive rewrite
of the original file.

## Checks and next steps

Drawing state, an image supplied to a node, a mask, and crop metadata are
different artifacts. In an input-linked Drawing Canvas, **Save to input**
exports the drawing into that input. Closing the canvas can preserve editable
drawing state without doing that export. Drawing **Export** also offers PNG,
SVG, and JSON; JSON preserves drawing data rather than serving as a normal
image input.

Mask strokes save asynchronously after a stroke finishes. Let pending saves
complete before running the consuming node, and check its mask interpretation.
Crop interaction saves its rectangle or perspective metadata when the drag or
resize ends; it does not universally replace the original image file.

Keep a source copy and inspect the actual input and output after each edit.
The right mask region, wrong dimensions, or an unsent drawing can all produce
a result that differs from the visible sketch.