A space-owned Canvas has an online saved copy, and it can also have changes that are still in progress. Live collaboration and browser recovery help you continue working, but seeing an edit on screen is not the same as confirming it is saved online.

Know Which Kind of Document Is Open

Create or reopen a Canvas through its space area to work on the shared file. It remains associated with that area and its access rules.

Opening an imported image, PSD, SVG, or .vscanvas project as a document starts a local project session. Duplicate Image also creates a local copy. These actions do not create another shared Canvas in the explorer. Save that local work as a project file; use placement into a space-owned Canvas when the goal is to add artwork to a shared project.

Let Autosave Finish

Canvas collects routine edits for about 30 seconds from the first unsaved change. Continuing to work does not keep restarting that wait. If you are in the middle of a gesture, saving waits for it to finish safely.

Healthy collection can be quiet; the absence of an active saving message is not by itself a save confirmation. Choose More > Save when you want to save now, then read the result before closing the document or switching devices. Edits you make during a save may still need their own save afterward.

Pay attention to these distinctions:

A status such as Autosave delayed. Changes stay local. calls for keeping the current browser and artwork available while saving recovers. If local recovery itself fails, follow that error rather than assuming the browser has protected the work.

Recover Interrupted Work

Canvas can retain a recovery draft in the same browser. This helps with an interrupted connection or failed save, but it is not a replacement for the online file or a downloaded project.

Keep browser data intact while a draft remains unresolved. Let retry or reconnection finish, and inspect the resulting artwork before making further changes if Canvas reloads the latest version. For an important handoff, check the saved work from another authorized browser or device after the save completes; reopening in the same browser may simply restore its local draft.

A downloadable .vscanvas copy preserves an editable project when you need a portable copy. Canceling or failing a download does not save that copy, and downloading a project does not by itself prove that the shared file was updated.

Collaborate Without Painting Over Each Other

People viewing the same Canvas can receive layer changes and live pixel updates. Collaborator pointers help show where someone is working. Their movement does not take over your zoom, selected tool, or workspace position.

Overlapping pixel edits are resolved by arrival order: later changes can replace earlier ones in the same region. Agree which layer or part of the image each person is editing when working together. Use a single editor for a delicate correction where overlap would be difficult to repair.

Undo is useful for your editing actions, but it is not a shared version archive or a way to recover every collaborator's overwritten pixels. Local project files can retain supported history; reopening the online file should not be treated as restoring an unlimited editing history.

Use Article for the brief and Comments for discussion about the document. Comments are not attached to an individual brush mark or mask. For live review during a call, see Use Canvas in a meeting.

Access and Storage

Creating a Canvas requires Canvas access and Coordinator access in an eligible area. Reading and editing retain the space and private-area access rules; a link alone does not grant access. View-only access does not enable editing.

The current saved Canvas and its assets use space storage. Open Doc Details in the editor or Details from the file's context menu to inspect its saved storage total. Unsaved edits and old versions are not included in that displayed total.

Common Questions

Why did another person see my stroke before saving finished?

Live updates and completed saves are separate. Wait for the save result before assuming the same artwork will appear after a fresh open.

Why is my imported project absent from the explorer?

Opening a file from your device creates a local editing session. It does not automatically add a shared Canvas to the area.

Does creating a Canvas publish it?

No. It creates a paired draft article; publishing is a separate action. Access to the Canvas still depends on its owning space and area.

Follow Create, save, and reopen Canvas artwork for the complete shared-file workflow.