Create an LED Layout in LEDEdit – Manual, Auto & BMP Workflows

The layout is the map LEDEdit uses to translate video frames into pixel data — get it wrong and text comes out mirrored, sections play in the wrong order, or half the wall stays dark. There are three ways to build one: draw manually, generate automatically, or import a BMP plan from Photoshop. This guide covers all three plus the port wiring that connects map to hardware.

What you need

Your LED arrangement, physical data direction, controller model and pixel counts per output. Sketch the wiring before mapping.

LEDEdit Pro 2026: LED Layout Creator with a mapped project.

See a complete project from layout to controller export: Watch the 90-second demonstration. Explore LEDEdit Pro 2026.

Before you draw: the wiring plan

Sketch on paper first: wall dimensions, pixel pitch, where each strip starts and ends, which controller port feeds which section, and the data direction (left-to-right? bottom-to-top? snaked?). Every layout method below encodes this plan — 10 minutes with a pencil saves 2 hours of re-mapping.

Golden rule: the layout must follow the physical data path, pixel by pixel. Software order = wire order. Any deviation mirrors or scrambles the image.

Method 1: manual layout

Best for signs, outlines and small matrices under ~1,000 pixels.

1. New project → set matrix size to your total bounding box (e.g. 128×32 for a text sign).
2. Manual layout window: click-drag to paint pixels where strips physically run. Zoom to fit, enable the ruler, work section by section.
3. Set the port: assign the painted block to the controller port it hangs on.
4. Verify direction: play a left-to-right chase in preview — if it runs right-to-left on hardware, flip the section direction (don’t rewire).

Manual painting is precise but slow past a few thousand pixels — that’s what the auto tools are for.

Method 2: auto layout (AutoLX / AutoAX)

Best for rectangular matrices and regular grids.

• AutoLX fills a rectangle with serpentine (snake) wiring automatically: set width, height, start corner and snake axis, and it generates the full pixel order plus port assignment in one click.
• AutoAX handles linear (non-snake) runs — all rows flowing the same direction — for walls wired with straight feeds.
• After generation, use the quick-remove connection tool to delete stray pixels outside your shape (e.g. corners cut for frames), and the line tool to patch gaps.

Always run the layout check after auto-generation: it flags unconnected pixels, double assignments and port overflows before you export.

Method 3: Photoshop BMP import

Best for irregular shapes — logos, letters, architectural outlines.

1. New Photoshop file sized to your pixel grid (1 px = 1 LED), background black.
2. Draw the shape with the rectangle/line tools in white (or per-section colors matching your wiring plan).
3. Save As BMP, 24-bit, no compression — LEDEdit’s importer chokes on RLE compression and 32-bit alpha.
4. Import in LEDEdit: layout → import BMP → the software converts lit pixels to a pixel map.
5. Assign ports and direction per section exactly as wired, then connect sections in series in the wiring view.

Resolution trap: a 1920×1080 BMP for a 128×32 wall imports as garbage. Size the BMP to the LED grid, not the video grid.

Connecting ports to the layout

The port tool binds map sections to hardware outputs:

1. Select a section → Port tool → click the controller port number.
2. Connect in series for multi-section runs on one port — order matters; section 2’s input is section 1’s output.
3. Failed connection? The red marker means direction mismatch or a gap: flip section direction or paint the missing bridge pixel.
4. Re-run preview chase per port to confirm order before export.

Frame-shaped and irregular layouts

For frames, arches and rings: draw the outline as a 1-pixel path (line tool or BMP), then use manual connection along the path direction. Keep a consistent clockwise or counter-clockwise order — mixing directions in one port splits text and effects at the seam.

Troubleshooting

Related guides

• LED text layout — letters and tickers on your new map
• T-1000S tutorial — from map to hardware
• Power supply guide — feed what you mapped
• Free downloads — LEDEdit installers
• LEDEdit Pro 2026 features — Layout Creator with DXF