This article explains the four fit modes available on photo layers — Cover, Contain, Fill, and Top Fill — so you can choose the right one for every template slot.
What fit mode controls
Every photo layer has a frame: a rectangle on the canvas that defines where the photo appears and, for most modes, how large the visible area is. Fit Mode decides how the photo is scaled to meet that frame. Get it right and photos look polished with no manual nudging; get it wrong and subjects appear cropped off, distorted, or floating in empty space.
You set fit mode in the properties panel with a photo layer selected. The Fit Mode control appears in the panel directly below the photo thumbnail and Replace/Upload Placeholder buttons.
Cover
Cover scales the photo up (or down) until it completely fills the frame, keeping the photo's original proportions. Any part of the photo that extends beyond the frame is cropped automatically — you won't see gaps at the edges.
- The frame is always fully filled — no empty bands.
- The photo is never distorted; aspect ratio is preserved.
- Some of the photo is lost where it overflows the frame.
Use Cover when the frame must look solid and filled. It is the most common choice for head-shot or action-photo slots in player cards, plaques, and posters.
With Cover selected, a Crop photo button appears in the properties panel (shortcut: c). The Crop dialog lets you pan and zoom inside the frame to choose exactly which part of the photo shows — useful when the default crop cuts off the subject's head or feet.
Contain
Contain scales the photo until its longest edge touches the frame, keeping the full image visible. Where the photo's proportions don't match the frame, the remaining area stays transparent (or shows whatever is behind the layer on the canvas).
- The entire photo is always visible — nothing is cropped.
- Aspect ratio is preserved.
- Transparent gaps appear on two sides when the photo and frame shapes differ.
Use Contain when showing the complete image matters more than filling the frame edge to edge — for example, product photos, sponsor logos, or artwork where cutting any part off would look wrong.
Because transparent gaps show through to layers behind, Contain layers are typically placed over a solid-color shape or background layer that fills those gaps intentionally.
Fill
Fill stretches the photo to exactly match the frame's width and height, ignoring the photo's original proportions. The frame is always fully covered, but the photo will appear squished or stretched unless it already shares the frame's aspect ratio.
- No cropping, no gaps — photo fills the frame completely.
- Aspect ratio is not preserved; the photo distorts to fit.
Use Fill rarely. It is only appropriate when the photo was deliberately shot at the same aspect ratio as the frame, or when distortion is an intentional design effect. For standard sports and event photography, Cover or Top Fill almost always produces better results.
Top Fill
Top Fill is a sports-specific fit mode designed for consistent-looking team composites. It scales the photo to fill the frame's width, anchors the top of the photo to the top of the frame, and crops any overflow at the bottom. By itself it is a straightforward top-anchored fill — the real power comes when you turn on Face placement.
- Photo fills the full width of the frame.
- Overflow at the bottom is cropped.
- With Face placement on: Templified detects each subject's face and sizes every photo so faces land at the same height and scale across all team members — regardless of how each athlete was cropped by the photographer.
Use Top Fill when building team cards, panels, or composites where every athlete's face must line up at a consistent position. After selecting Top Fill, enable the Face placement toggle in the properties panel to activate face detection and alignment controls.
For a complete walkthrough of Face placement setup and tuning, see Consistent team faces: what face placement does & when to use it and Detecting and tuning face placement.
Choosing the right mode
| Mode | Frame always filled? | Aspect ratio kept? | Photo cropped? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cover | Yes | Yes | Edges may crop | Head shots, action photos, most photo slots |
| Contain | No (gaps) | Yes | Never | Product shots, logos, full-image artwork |
| Fill | Yes | No (distorts) | Never | Rarely — matched-ratio photos only |
| Top Fill | Width only | Yes | Bottom crops | Team composites with Face placement |
Changing fit mode on an existing layer
- Select the photo layer on the canvas or in the layer panel.
- In the properties panel, click the Fit Mode dropdown.
- Choose Cover, Contain, Fill, or Top Fill.
- The canvas updates immediately — no save needed to preview the change.
Switching from Cover to another mode clears any manual crop you applied. Switching to Top Fill reveals the Face placement controls. Switching away from Top Fill hides them.
Fit mode and face placement
Face placement only works when Top Fill is the active fit mode. If you select a different mode, the face placement toggle and its controls are hidden in the panel — they don't apply and won't affect the render. To use face placement, first set the layer to Top Fill, then enable the Face placement toggle.
Fit mode and the Crop tool
The Crop photo button (and the c keyboard shortcut) is only available in Cover mode on a layer that already has a photo. Cropping lets you pan and zoom within the frame to control which portion of the photo is shown. In Contain, Fill, and Top Fill modes, the Crop tool is not available — use those modes' inherent behavior to control framing instead.
Comments
0 comments
Article is closed for comments.