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Align Tools

The Align tools reposition selected objects to align them along their:

  • Top, bottom, left, or right edges
  • Vertical or horizontal centers
  • Center points

By default, the Align tools move objects in your selection to align them to an edge or center of the last object you added to your selection. For exceptions to that rule, see below.

Align Options

The Align tools are available in the Arrange Menu and Arrange Toolbar.

In the standard Arrange Toolbar, they are presented in dropdown menus for the vertical and horizontal options:

Align tools Arrange toolbar

In the Arrange (long) Toolbar, the Align tools are each presented individually:

The Align tools in the Arrange (long) toolbar

The Align tools appear as a dropdown menu for the vertical and horizontal options in the Arrange Toolbar:

All seven Align options and their actions are listed in the table below.

The hotkeys listed under Windows and macOS will work at any time that you have objects selected.

The hotkeys listed under Edit Window in Focus will only work when the Workspace — the area where you create and edit graphics — is in active focus.

What does it mean for a window to be in focus?

There are several Windows and Toolbars in LightBurn that accept user input — when a window is clicked on, it is in focus, and accepting input.

If a window other than the Edit Window is in focus, click anywhere in the Workspace to bring it into focus.

Align Option Icon Action Windows macOS Edit Window in Focus (All Systems)
Align Centers Align Centers Icon Aligns the center points of selected objects. n/a Option + Fn + Left n/a
Align Vertical Centers Align Vertical Centers Icon Aligns selected objects along their vertical centers. Alt + Pg Up Option + Fn + Up C
Align Horizontal Centers Align Horizontal Centers Icon Aligns selected objects along their horizontal centers. Alt + Pg Dwn Option + Fn + Down E
Align Left Align Left Icon Aligns selected objects along their left edges. Alt + Left Option + Left L
Align Right Align Right Icon Aligns selected objects along their right edges. Alt + Right Option + Right R
Align Bottom Align Bottom Icon Aligns selected objects along their bottom edges. Alt + Down Option + Down B
Align Top Align Top Icon Aligns selected objects along their top edges. Alt + Up Option + Up T

Using the Align Tools

Click a given Align icon or use its hotkey to align selected objects to the last object you added to your selection (exceptions below).

Edges of individual objects are defined according to their farthest points in each direction. For example, the top edge of a triangle is a horizontal line extending from its top point, its left edge is a vertical line extending from its bottom left corner, and so on.

An object's vertical center is defined as a vertical line dividing it halfway along its total width, and its horizontal center is a horizontal line halfway along its total height. Its center point is the location where those lines intersect.

Grouped objects are treated as single objects when using the Align tools — they will always maintain their relative position to one another, and their edges and centers are defined according to the dimensions of the entire Group.

Align Tools Helper

If you're using Beginner Mode, clicking the Align Left icon Align Left Icon in the Arrange Toolbar will open the Align Tools Helper.

Align Tools Helper in Action

Click or hover over any button in the Helper to see a preview of how alignment will change.

Click OK to confirm the changes, or Cancel to discard them.

Alignment Priority

When using any of the Align options, all selected objects move to align to an edge or center of a single object or Group in your selection.

The object that is aligned to is determined according to the following priorities:

  • Selection order: by default, all objects are aligned to the last object you added to your selection.

  • Draw order: if you have nothing selected, then select multiple objects at once, they are aligned to the first object in your selection's draw order. Use Push to front to move an object to the first position in the draw order.

  • Combined order: if you add multiple objects at once to an existing selection, all selected objects are aligned to the first object in the draw order of the objects you added to your selection last.

  • If a single object in your selection is Locked, all objects are aligned to the Locked object.

  • If multiple objects in your selection are Locked, the Locked objects are not moved, and the rest of the objects are aligned according to selection order or draw order.

For more help using LightBurn, please visit our forum to talk with LightBurn staff and users, or email support.