> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.imagine.art/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understanding the Workspace

> Three areas where you'll spend almost all your time — learn them once and every later section gets faster.

When you open Ad Studio, you'll see three areas where you'll spend almost all your time. Knowing what each one does will make every later section faster to follow.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="1 · Left sidebar" icon="sidebar">
    The URL-to-Ad tool and all your projects.
  </Card>

  <Card title="2 · Center workspace" icon="display">
    Format examples and the prompt bar where ads are made.
  </Card>

  <Card title="3 · Prompt bar" icon="pen-to-square">
    The core control surface: format, hook, setting, assets.
  </Card>

  <Card title="4 · Top bar" icon="bars">
    Navigation, search, upgrades, and your profile.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/imagineart/4aj7pXwh4Fz6ZU67/images/ad-studio/ad-studio-overview-gaps-step-01.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=4aj7pXwh4Fz6ZU67&q=85&s=021ea2d594a7eb21fee07bef11e40101" alt="Ad Studio home view with featured format examples and the Tools/Projects sidebar" width="2880" height="1800" data-path="images/ad-studio/ad-studio-overview-gaps-step-01.png" />
</Frame>

## The left sidebar

The left sidebar has two important sections:

* **Tools.** Three fast-path entry points: **[URL to Ad](/ad-studio/url-to-ad)** (generate from a product link), **Motion Design** (the same product picker, aimed at motion-graphics-style ads), and **[Ad Reference](/ad-studio/ad-reference)** (remix an existing viral ad with your own product).
* **Projects.** Every ad you build lives inside a project. Use the search box to find existing projects, or click "+" to start a new one.

## The center workspace

The center is where ad creation happens. By default it shows a grid of format examples under "Start from preset" — filterable by categories like Lifestyle UGC, Motion Studio, Creative Studio, TVC, Environments, and Cinematic — that double as inspiration and a quick-start gallery. Opening a project shows the control panel, built around a set of cards:

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/imagineart/h-uTe8-UYsUo6RP0/images/ad-studio/ad-studio-controls-step-01.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=h-uTe8-UYsUo6RP0&q=85&s=24715053a45ab65115780b4ce87afd00" alt="Ad Studio control panel showing Medium, Template, Product, Avatar, Hook, Background, prompt, and output settings" width="2880" height="1800" data-path="images/ad-studio/ad-studio-controls-step-01.png" />
</Frame>

* **Medium.** Switches the whole panel between **Image** and **Video** output.
* **Template.** Shows your currently selected format, with a **Change** button to switch between the 8 real ad formats.
* **Product.** Add the product that will be featured.
* **Avatar.** Add the person, animal, or mascot who appears in the ad.
* **Hook.** Pick from a library of named hook effects, filterable by Stunt, Subtle, and seasonal categories.
* **Background.** Choose where the ad takes place.
* **Describe your advertisement (optional).** Free text for anything the cards above don't cover. Use the **@** symbol to pull in specific products or avatars by name.
* **Output pills.** Aspect ratio, quality, and duration, shown as three separate pills below the description field.
* **Generate.** The big purple button that generates your ad.

See [Building an Ad From Scratch](/ad-studio/building-from-scratch) for the full depth of each of these.

## The top bar

Project navigation, search, contact sales, plan upgrades, notifications, and your profile menu. Standard top-bar functionality — nothing creative happens here.

<Info>
  **Try this** — Before you read further, open a project in Ad Studio and click each of the control cards (Template, Hook, Background) plus the output pills below the description field. Just notice what options appear — you'll get more from the next sections if you've already seen the menus.
</Info>