Getting started with Spaces
Learn how to navigate the canvas, add and connect nodes, run workflows, and manage your spaces.
This guide walks you through the Spaces interface and your first workflow. If you are new to Spaces, start with the Overview to understand the core concepts.
In this article
- The Spaces home screen
- The canvas interface
- Using Spotlight
- Adding nodes
- Connecting nodes
- Running a workflow
- Your first workflow: Text to Image to Upscaler
- Managing your spaces
- Keyboard shortcuts
The Spaces home screen
Open freepik.com/pikaso/spaces or click Spaces in the main navigation bar. You land on the dashboard, which shows all your existing spaces and templates.
- Start from scratch — click New Space then Blank Space to open an empty canvas.
- Use a template — browse the template gallery on the dashboard. Click any template to preview it, then Use Template to create a copy in your account.
- Return to recent work — your saved spaces appear under My spaces.
The canvas interface
Once inside a space, the interface has three main areas.
| Area | What it is |
|---|---|
| Canvas | The infinite workspace where you place and connect nodes. |
| Node panel — left sidebar | The full list of available nodes, organized by category: Media, Text, Image, Video, Audio, Utilities, and Designer. |
| Toolbar — top bar | Space title, run controls, sharing options, and zoom level. |
Navigating the canvas
| Action | Mouse | Trackpad | Keyboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pan | Middle-click + drag | Two-finger drag | — |
| Zoom in | Scroll up | Pinch out | Cmd/Ctrl + = |
| Zoom out | Scroll down | Pinch in | Cmd/Ctrl + - |
| Fit to view | — | — | Cmd/Ctrl + 0 |
Minimap
A minimap appears in the bottom-right corner of the canvas. It shows a bird's-eye view of all your nodes and your current viewport. Click anywhere on the minimap to jump to that area, or drag the viewport rectangle to pan quickly across large workflows.
Using Spotlight
Spotlight is the fastest way to add nodes to your canvas. Think of it as a command palette for AI tools.
Opening Spotlight
Press Space bar or / anywhere on the canvas. Spotlight opens as a floating panel with a search field and category tabs.
Finding nodes
- Search by name or keyword — type upscale, remove background, flux, or any term. Results update as you type.
- Browse by category — use the tabs at the top of the Spotlight panel to filter by Image, Video, Audio, Text, Utility, and more.
Base nodes vs model variants
When browsing Spotlight, you will see two kinds of entries.
- Base nodes — for example, Image Generator. These add a generic node and let you pick a model later.
- Model variants — for example, Image Generator with Flux Ultra. These add a node pre-configured with a specific model, so you can skip the model selection step.
Variants save time when you already know which model you want.
Rich tooltips
Hover over any item in Spotlight to see a detailed tooltip with a description of what the node does, supported features, and credits cost per run.
Placing a node
- Press Enter — the node appears at the center of your current viewport.
- Drag — click and drag an item from Spotlight directly onto the canvas to place it exactly where you want.
Port connection mode
This is a powerful shortcut: drag from an output port into empty canvas space. Spotlight opens automatically, filtered to show only nodes whose input ports are compatible with the port you dragged from. Select a node and it is placed and connected in one step.
Spotlight keyboard navigation
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Up / Down arrows | Navigate through results |
| Enter | Place the selected node |
| Tab | Switch between category tabs |
| Esc | Close Spotlight |
Adding nodes
There are three ways to add a node to the canvas.
- From Spotlight — press Space bar or /, search for the node, and press Enter or drag it onto the canvas.
- From the node panel — click any node in the left sidebar to place it.
- From the canvas — click the + button or right-click anywhere to open the node picker.
Once placed, a node appears as a card on the canvas. Each node has one or more input ports on the left and output ports on the right that you use to connect it to other nodes.
Connecting nodes
Making a connection
Hover over the output port
Hover over the output port on the right side of the first node until it highlights.
Drag to the input port
Click and drag to the input port on the left side of the second node.
Release to connect
Release to create the connection. A line appears between the nodes, representing the data flow.
Data types and color coding
Ports are color-coded by data type. You can only connect ports of matching types.
| Color | Data type |
|---|---|
| Blue | Text |
| Purple | Image |
| Green | Video |
| Orange | Audio |
If you try to connect incompatible ports, the connection will not snap — the line disappears when you release.
Connection rules
- One connection per input port. If you drag a new connection to an input that is already connected, the old connection is replaced automatically.
- Multiple connections per output port. A single output can feed into as many downstream nodes as you need.
- Auto-connect. Drag a node close to another node with a compatible port — the connection snaps into place automatically.
Running a workflow
Once your nodes are connected, click the Run button on any node. You will see three execution modes.
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Run Node | Executes only the selected node. Useful for testing a single step with pre-existing inputs. |
| Run Workflow | Executes the entire connected chain from start to finish, in order. |
| Run Downstream | Executes the selected node and everything connected after it. Useful when you change a prompt mid-chain and want to re-run from that point forward. |
Workflow states
Each node shows its current state while running.
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Idle | Waiting to be run |
| Pending | Queued for execution |
| Running | Currently processing |
| Paused | Execution paused. Can be resumed or cancelled. |
| Cancelled | Execution stopped by the user. Completed nodes keep their output. |
| Completed | Finished successfully — results visible on the card |
| Failed | An error occurred — click the node for details |
Viewing results
Results appear directly on the node card. For image nodes, you see a thumbnail. For text nodes, the generated text. For video nodes, a playable preview.
Generation history
Use the arrow buttons on a node card to browse previous generations. Every time you run a node, the result is saved to its history, so you can compare outputs or go back to an earlier version.
Your first workflow: Text to Image to Upscaler
Let's build a complete three-node workflow from scratch.
Step 1 — Add a Text node
Open Spotlight
Press Space bar to open Spotlight.
Search and place
Type Text in the search field and press Enter.
Write your prompt
Click the text area on the node card and type your prompt — for example: A futuristic city skyline at golden hour, volumetric clouds, ultra detailed.
Step 2 — Add an Image Generator
Open Spotlight again
Press Space bar.
Search for the node
Type Image Generator — or pick a specific variant like Image Generator with Flux Ultra.
Place and connect
Press Enter to place it, then connect the Text node output port to the Image Generator prompt input port by dragging from right to left.
Step 3 — Add an Image Upscaler
Open Spotlight
Press Space bar one more time.
Search and place
Type Upscaler and press Enter.
Connect
Connect the Image Generator image output to the Upscaler image input.
Step 4 — Run the workflow
Click Run
Click the Run button on the Upscaler node.
Select Run Workflow
This executes the entire chain from start to finish.
Watch it flow
The Text node passes your prompt to the Image Generator, which creates an image, which then flows into the Upscaler for enhancement.
See the result
The final upscaled image appears on the Upscaler node card.
Managing your spaces
Auto-save
Every change you make is saved automatically to your Freepik account. There is no save button — just work, and your space stays up to date.
Renaming
Click the space title at the top of the canvas to rename it. The new name is saved immediately.
Sharing
Click the Share button in the top-right corner to invite collaborators by email or generate a share link. You can set permissions to control who can view or edit. For full details, see Collaboration.
Duplicating and deleting
From the Spaces home screen, hover over any space and click the three-dot menu to duplicate or delete it. Deleted spaces cannot be recovered.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open Spotlight | Space bar or / |
| Select all | Cmd/Ctrl + A |
| Delete selected | Backspace or Delete |
| Undo | Cmd/Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z |
| Fit canvas to screen | Cmd/Ctrl + 0 |
| Zoom in | Cmd/Ctrl + = |
| Zoom out | Cmd/Ctrl + - |
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