Canvases
A canvas helps you understand something, not just get an answer. Each question becomes a conversation on a map; branch from any sentence, add a diagram or an animation, and publish a clean edition for others to read.
1. Start a canvas
Press ⌘⇧N, or click + next to Canvases.
Tap New canvas on Home, or + next to Canvases in the drawer.
Click + next to Canvases.
2. Choose how to begin
What would you like to understand?
- One question: an answer you can read, branch and visualize.
- Guided walkthrough: Gelim plans sections and explains each one while you read. Choose Short, Standard or Deep, then Plan sections.
3. Add context (optional)
Attach a paper (PDF, text or Markdown). On the Mac, choose Folder to ask about a folder (Canvases over a folder). On the iPhone, add a Photo or screenshot or A recording.
4. Ask
Type your question and send. Search, Deep research, Model and Effort work as they do in chats. The canvas is named after its first answer.
Explore the answer
| Do this | How |
|---|---|
| Read it comfortably | Read on a card, or ⌘R. Previous and Next move between conversations |
| Go deeper on one sentence | Select it and choose Explain this (⌘⇧B). A linked conversation opens beside it |
| Ask a follow-up | Keep exploring… at the foot of read mode |
| Start a new line of questions | Branch on a card |
| See it | Visualize: a Diagram, an Animation, a Picture or a Custom visual |
| Change an answer | Edit answer in read mode's More menu (Mac and web) |
| Add a document for every conversation | Context → Documents, up to 25 per canvas |
Publish an edition
Publish from the Mac or the web.
- Choose Publish and export (or Publish… in the sidebar's row menu).
- Choose what readers get. Everything complete is selected; one item is the Main article. An edition holds up to 100 conversations.
- Decide Listed in Explore: on, anyone can find it; off, only people with the link.
- Build preview, check nothing private is quoted, then Publish this edition.
Later, the Published edition panel shows readers and copies, Copy link, Update edition when you've changed things, Export (Markdown or Canvas ZIP), and Unpublish…. Readers' private copies stay theirs.
On each device
| Mac | iPhone | Web | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start and ask | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Read mode and map | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Folders | Yes | Read only | Read only |
| Publish and export | Yes | — | Yes |
| Explore | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Duplicate | Row menu, More menu | Row menu | Row menu, More menu |
Limits and notes
- Papers: PDF, text or Markdown, up to 25 MB each; scanned PDFs are read too. Up to 10 documents and 4 images per question.
- Deleting a canvas takes its published edition down; restoring it brings it back unpublished.
Next steps
- Published canvases: Explore and making a private copy.
- Canvases over a folder: ask about your own files.
- Search and deep research: research inside a canvas.