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Every block in the email editor has its own settings, separate from the email-level styles set in the Styles panel. This lets you customize individual blocks without affecting the rest of your email. To access block settings, select a block and click Block Settings in the sidebar.
Block Settings panel showing background, padding, corner radius, margin, and border settings

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Background Color

Set a custom background color for the block. This color appears behind the block’s content and is independent of the email’s overall background color.

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Background Image

Add a background image behind the block’s content.
  • Choose an image from your asset library.
  • Set the image position: top, center, or bottom alignment.
Background images work best when card style is turned off in Email Styles. For a background image that spans multiple blocks, use a 1-column layout and apply the background to the column.

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Padding

Control the space inside the block, between the block’s edge and its content. Use the slider to set a uniform value on all sides. Click the expand icon to the right of the slider to set each side individually (top, right, bottom, left).
For edge-to-edge images, set padding to 0 in the block settings.

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Corner Radius

Round the corners of a block. Use the slider to set a uniform radius for all four corners. Click the expand icon to configure each corner independently (top-left, top-right, bottom-right, bottom-left).

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Margin

Control the space outside the block. Use the slider to set a uniform value, or click the expand icon to set each side individually.

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Borders

Add borders to any block. Choose a border color and set the width using the slider. Click the expand icon to set a different width for each side (top, right, bottom, left), which is useful for effects like a thick bottom border or an accent line on one edge.
Block with per-side border widths creating a neo-brutalism shadow effect

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Visibility

Limit a block to people on — or not on — a specific Planning Center list. In Block Settings, click + Add visibility condition, choose whether recipients must be on the list or not on the list, and pick a list. When the email is sent, only recipients who match the condition get the block; everyone else gets a version of the email without it. The content is removed from their email entirely — not hidden with CSS — so it never appears in their inbox or their view-in-browser page.
  • On the list sends the block only to people on the list — for example, an update just for volunteers.
  • Not on the list sends the block only to people who aren’t on the list — for example, a sign-up pitch hidden from people who already signed up.
  • Blocks with a visibility condition show a small filter badge on the canvas and next to the Block Settings title.
  • To apply a condition to several blocks at once, select multiple blocks (shift-click or cmd/ctrl-click) and use Add Visibility Condition in the sidebar.
  • Recipients are matched by their Planning Center person. Recipients imported from a CSV aren’t on any list, so blocks limited to a list are removed for them, and blocks hidden from a list are included. When you send a conditional-block email to a CSV audience, we’ll warn you about this on the send confirmation.
  • Public email archives and RSS feeds show the email as someone on none of the lists would receive it: content limited to a list is never published publicly, while content hidden from a list is included.
  • Moving a block into a column layout removes its visibility condition (conditions only work on top-level blocks) — you’ll see a warning when this happens.
The editor preview and test sends always show the full email with every block included.

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Tips

  • Combine a background image with padding to create breathing room around your content.
  • Use corner radius on image or card blocks to create a softer, rounded look.
  • Margin is helpful for creating visual separation between blocks without adjusting the block gap in your column layout.