How to move around and set the size of your locator map

This is part of a five-part series on how to create locator maps:

1 – Introduction: How to create a locator map
2 – Move around the map and set the map size
3 – Add markers
4 –  Design the map
5 –  Annotate and give your map a key

In this part, we're going to talk about how to navigate on the map and how to set the size of your map. To do all of this, you can use the tools below the map:

How to move a map

To move around the map, place your mouse pointer on the map, then drag and drop (like you're used to from e.g. Google Maps). 

How to zoom in and out of the map

To zoom, place your mouse pointer on the map and scroll (as you'd do on a website). If you want to zoom into a specific part of the map, click Shift and drag a rectangle on the map. You can also use the + and - buttons below the words "Zoom Level," or type in a specific zoom level:

• "0" is the zoom that shows the whole world — it's not possible to zoom out even more. 
• The zoom levels 4 to 5 show most countries in their entirety. Levels8 to 11 show most cities in their entirety and around zoom level 15 to 17, we're on the block level. 

How to rotate a map

By default, all our maps have north at the top. But sometimes your markers would fit better in your final map format if you rotated the map. To do so, bring your mouse pointer in the map, then press the control key on your keyboard (it might be marked "ctrl," or "strg" in German) and move your pressed mouse to the left and right. You can also specify degrees between -180 and 180 by which your map should be rotated: 

• 0 degrees means that north is at the top. 
• 180 degree or -180 degrees will bring north to the bottom and south to the top. 

You can reset the map to the default 0-degree rotation by clicking the little ⟲ symbol behind the "Rotate" label.

How to tilt a map

By default, our maps are tilted by zero degrees — that is, not at all. You get the normal map experience, where you see a map from directly above. But, especially when using 3D buildings, you might want to tilt your map a bit. To do so, bring your mouse pointer in the map, then press the control key on your keyboard (it might be marked " ctrl, " or " strg " in German) and move your pressed mouse up and down. 

You can also specify degrees between 0 and 60 by which your map should be tilted. The higher the degree, the more the map is tilted. You can reset the map to the default 0-degree tilt  by clicking the little ⟲ symbol behind the "Tilt" label.

How to make sure you don't accidentally destroy your carefully crafted map view

Once you set markers, you can drag them around on your map. To make sure you don't accidentally drag around the map instead, you can lock your current map view. To do so, click on the little lock symbol next to the "Tilt" feature: 

Click on it again to enable changes to your map view.

How to set the size of your map

In the first version of our locator map, you can set an aspect ratio for your map that will stay the same across mobile, tabloid and desktop devices. You can set this aspect ratio below the map:

An aspect ratio of 50% of width means that your map will be twice as wide as it is tall. 100% would mean that your map is a square, while 200% makes your map twice as tall as it is wide. 

As mentioned, this aspect ratio will stay the same regardless of whether your readers see your map on a mobile device or a desktop device. You can check how your map will look on mobile, tablet, and desktop devices by clicking on the buttons below "Responsive Preview":

After learning how to navigate this map, let's place some markers on it. We will cover this in another article: How to create a locator map: Add markers