Manual builder

Sometimes you want to put your hands directly on the design. The manual builder gives you full control over your email's content and HTML, so you can fine-tune exactly what you need while still keeping the AI tools one click away.

When to go manual

The AI flow is the fastest path for most emails, but hands-on editing shines when you want to:

Adjust precise spacing, alignment, or inline styles.
Paste in an existing HTML snippet or block you've used before.
Make a single small change without describing it to the AI.
Audit and clean up the exact markup that will be sent.

Editing directly

The manual builder works on the same standard, responsive HTML that the AI produces, shown in a syntax-highlighted code view alongside the live preview. Make a change and the preview updates so you can confirm the result immediately. Because there's no proprietary block format, what you edit is exactly what gets delivered.

Hands-on editing in the syntax-highlighted code editor: the email's full HTML with line numbers and Apply Changes, Copy HTML, and Export HTML File controls — Direct HTML editing — standard, portable markup with apply, copy, and export controls.

tune

Manual and AI editing aren't separate worlds. Build the bulk of the email with AI, then drop into the code view for the finishing touches — they stay in sync.

The element inspector

You don't have to touch the code for precision work. Click any element on the visual canvas and the inspector opens beside it with structured controls for exactly that element:

Breadcrumb — the element's ancestor chain; click a crumb to walk up and select a containing row or cell.
Heading level — switch an h1–h6 in place without retyping the text.
Typography — font size, line height, letter spacing, transform, color, and alignment.
Spacing — per-side margin and padding in pixels.

Every inspector change is written as an email-safe inline style — no stylesheets or classes that email clients might strip — and lands in the same undo history (Ctrl/⌘+Z) and version history as everything else, so nothing you try is irreversible.

The element inspector docked beside the visual canvas: a selected heading with breadcrumb, heading level, typography, and per-side spacing controls — Select any element on the canvas to edit its type, typography, and spacing — all changes stay email-safe inline styles.

Staying email-safe

Email clients are notoriously inconsistent, so the safest designs use simple, well-supported HTML and inline styles. If you're editing by hand, lean on the live preview to catch layout issues early, and keep images and buttons resilient on small screens. When in doubt, ask the AI to clean up or restructure a section for you.

Combine with the rest of the Studio

Even in manual mode you can call on image remix to refresh visuals and Remix for My Brand to re-apply your identity after structural changes. When the design is ready, attach it to a campaign or an automation.

Frequently asked questions

Do I lose AI help if I edit by hand? Not at all. Manual edits and AI edits work on the same email and stay in sync, so you can switch between them at any time.

Is hand-written HTML safe to send? Yes, as long as you stick to simple, well-supported markup and inline styles. Use the live preview to catch rendering issues before you send.

When should I prefer the AI flow? For most emails, start with AI generation — it's faster and produces clean, responsive HTML. Reach for the manual builder when you need precise control over a specific detail the AI got almost right.