Introduction
In Gamma 5, the editor's layout model has been rebuilt. Every slide is laid out on a canvas, your content is organized with grids, and anything you want to place freely lives in a freeform box. Together, these give you precise control over where things go while keeping layouts that adapt cleanly as you edit.
🌀Insight: You do not need to learn the new model before you can work. Move, resize, and rewrite directly, and the layout adapts around you. The concepts below explain what the editor is doing underneath.
How the canvas works
Slides in Gamma 5 lay out on a fixed-size 16:9 canvas. Because every slide shares the same frame, your gamma looks the same in the editor, in Present mode, and when you export, with no surprises from content reflowing between surfaces.
What happens when content runs long depends on your gamma's layout setting:
Fixed slides keep their size. When content runs long, the slide scales the content down to fit, down to a minimum readable size.
Fluid slides keep the content size and grow taller instead, like a document page.
🔷 Note: This choice applies per gamma, so presentations can stay fixed while documents and webpages stay fluid.
Working with grids
Grids are the primary way content is laid out on a slide in Gamma 5. A grid divides your slide into proportional sections that hold your text, images, and other blocks. Grids replace the separate columns, smart layouts, and card layouts from the classic editor with one flexible system.
With grids you can:
Arrange content side by side in proportional sections instead of fixed-width columns.
Add columns, rows, and more for precise layouts, then resize a section and watch the rest of the grid adjust around it.
Duplicate content to speed up your workflow, or drag to rearrange without fussing over pixels.
Let content flow naturally in order, so nothing overlaps or gets orphaned when you edit.
Style individual cells with background fills, border colors, padding, and more.
Give a cell an image background, which replaces accent images, and layer text over it if you need to.
Switch between layout presets instead of rebuilding a slide by hand.
💎 Pro Tip: Click Layouts to see suggested layouts for your slide. You can also ask the AI to restructure a layout for you. Open the chat area and try "turn this list into a three column grid" or "make slide 4 a two column comparison."
Working with freeform boxes
Not everything belongs in a grid. Freeform boxes let you place content anywhere on the slide, at an exact position, independent of the grid. Use them for callouts, labels, overlapping elements, and design accents.
To create a freeform box, or convert an existing block to freeform, select the Freeform button in the top right corner of the block.
Drag a freeform box anywhere on the canvas and it stays exactly where you put it.
Resize and rotate freeform boxes like you would in a traditional design tool.
Shapes you insert in Gamma are placed as freeform blocks, so they behave the same way.
🔷 Note: Once a block is converted to freeform, it cannot be turned back into a grid. If you convert one by mistake, use Undo right away.
FAQs & Common Issues
What happened to my existing gammas?
Nothing. Gammas created before Gamma 5 open unchanged in the classic editor, and they keep the layout behavior they were built with.
You can still edit an older gamma with the AI agent if you want to bring it into the new experience.
What happened to columns, smart layouts, and card layouts?
In Gamma 5, grids replace them as one unified layout system. Layout variety now comes from grid presets rather than separate block types.
Classic gammas keep their existing columns and smart layouts.
Do slides still resize to fit my content?
It depends on your gamma's layout setting. Fixed slides keep their 16:9 size and scale content down to fit. Fluid slides grow taller to hold your content, like before.
How do I put something exactly where I want it?
Use a freeform box. Select the Freeform button in the top right corner of a block to convert it. Unlike grid content, a freeform box holds an exact position on the canvas and does not reflow when the content around it changes.
Will my layout break when I move or resize things?
No. Grid content reflows in order as you move and resize it, and the AI keeps your layout intact when it makes edits.
Does the fixed canvas change how exports look?
Fixed slides export at the same 16:9 frame you see in the editor, so PowerPoint and PDF exports match what is on screen.