Docs & support

Install locally. Compose freely. Publish when needed.

Canvas is a desktop canvas computer powered by TARX. These docs should help you install fast, understand the local workflow, and add publishing workflows only when the work actually needs them.

No account is required to start. TARX powers the free on-device AI workflow. Shopify is a newer optional publishing capability.

Quick links
Start with desktop install, use quick start to build locally, then jump to Shopify publishing only when the work is ready to ship there. If you want the release history and perspective layer, browse the updates archive and editorial hub.

1. Quick start

The default path: download the desktop app, start from a useful format, build the layout locally, and only add a publishing workflow when the finished work needs one.

  • Open Canvas and choose a starter like website hero, email campaign, product detail, or story.
  • Upload images, move them freely, crop, resize, and edit text directly on the canvas.
  • Use critique or recompose while you are still in the local composition phase.
  • Export if you only need the asset, or move into Shopify when the same work needs preview and publish there.

Open the desktop download page

2. Desktop workflow

Canvas is designed to feel like a real local composition surface, not a login wall. The shell supports panning, zooming, direct manipulation, inline text editing, and local export before any store decision.

  • Local persistence: canvases save locally first, so you can reopen and keep working without creating an account.
  • Desktop controls: drag objects, resize from the corners, pan the background, zoom for detail work, and switch between starters or canvases.
  • Runtime posture: desktop can prefer the local TARX path when available, while still falling back safely when it is not.
  • Why the AI is free: TARX is the local supercomputer behind critique and recompose, so the core local workflow is not built around cloud credits.
  • Settings visibility: runtime health belongs in settings so local readiness is visible before you rely on AI-heavy actions.

The desktop app is the preferred serious-work path. The browser surface is best used as proof, support, and review.

3. Connect Shopify when ready

Shopify is the publish step. Do not install first just to test the product. Cross into the Shopify flow only when the canvas is ready to become draft, preview, or live storefront work.

  • When to connect: you need draft import, theme placement, preview, or live publishing.
  • What stays true: billing lives in Shopify for paid plans, and no separate Canvas account is created through the store connection flow.
  • Theme step: after publishing, add the Canvas app block in the theme editor and point it at the correct canvas name.

Once installed, the embedded Shopify app becomes the operational publishing surface. The local app remains the best place to do the creative layout work.

4. Editing & layouts

The editor is built around direct manipulation. The important question is not how the architecture works, but how quickly you can arrange, test, and revise a layout.

  • Canvas starters: use the right shape first instead of starting from a generic blank board.
  • Block editing: every image is a movable block with resize, ordering, opacity, and link controls.
  • Hover behavior: choose Ghost, Lift, Shop, or Reveal depending on the job.
  • Links: blocks can point to products, collections, external URLs, or lightbox view.
  • Desktop & mobile: mobile layouts are independent, so review and adjust them intentionally instead of assuming auto-resize is enough.
  • Preview: use storefront preview when you want to judge the layout in context before publishing.

5. Publish & billing

The clean pricing story is simple: compose locally for free, then enter Shopify billing only when you need the publishing workflow.

  • Free: local composition, critique/recompose, and export.
  • Studio: the main paid path for unlimited publishing and full Shopify workflow.
  • Atelier: the higher-touch path for launch-heavy teams that want rollout help.

You can see the public plan breakdown on the pricing page. The docs should help you understand when the upgrade matters, not pressure you into it too early.

6. Troubleshooting

My canvas is not showing on the storefront

Confirm that you published from Canvas and added the Canvas app block in the Shopify theme editor using the exact canvas name.

Desktop and mobile do not match

Canvas stores separate mobile positions. Switch into mobile view and adjust intentionally rather than relying on desktop placement.

I published but do not see the change

Hard refresh the storefront and give Shopify cache a moment. Preview in context before assuming the publish failed.

The hover effect is not working

Shop hover requires a product link. Other hover modes depend on the current theme extension and make the most sense on desktop where a cursor exists.

Can I recover old work?

Version history and local persistence are the first places to check. If the canvas existed in Shopify already, keep the canvas name stable.

7. Support

If something is blocking you, send the shortest path to the truth. We can move much faster when the ticket includes the exact page, canvas name, and what you expected to happen.

  • Email: howdy@tarx.com
  • Include: your store URL, canvas name, screenshots, and whether the issue happened in desktop or Shopify.
  • Priority support: Atelier customers get the fastest response path.

If you are evaluating whether Canvas is real, not just whether a feature exists, the best companion pages are the ones that explain product momentum and category edges.