A method for a montage application, comprising: receiving a montage to present on a presentation surface on a display, the montage comprising multiple presentation tiles and a reference layout comprising a grid, and the presentation surface comprising a grid and having a panning direction; the presentation surface and the reference layout each having a fixed dimension; the grid of the presentation surface and the grid of the reference layout each having a number of grid blocks; wherein the grid blocks of the grid of the presentation surface are arranged in a number of lines and rows; determining when a fixed grid dimension perpendicular to the panning direction is smaller on the display than a corresponding grid dimension in the reference layout by comparing the number of grid blocks in the fixed grid dimension of the presentation surface and the number of grid blocks in the corresponding grid dimension of the reference layout, wherein the panning direction is a horizontal direction and the fixed grid dimension perpendicular to the panning direction is a vertical direction; modifying positions of the multiple presentation tiles on the grid, while preserving a spatial characterization of the presentation tiles to each other, comprising placing a presentation tile on the grid of the presentation surface; determining the spatial characterization of a following presentation tile relative to the presentation tile; and if the spatial characterization of the following tile is "right" to the presentation tile, placing the following presentation tile adjacent and to the right of the presentation tile; if the spatial characterization of the following presentation tile is "down" to the presentation tile, comparing a vertical dimension of the following presentation tile to the number of blank rows of the grid of the presentation surface below the bottom edge of the presentation tile; and if the vertical dimension of the following presentation tile exceeds the number of blank rows of the grid of the presentation surface below the bottom edge of the presentation tile, placing the following presentation tile in the first available column of the grid of the presentation surface right to the presentation tile; or, if the vertical dimension of the following presentation tile does not exceed the number of blank rows of the grid of the presentation surface below the bottom edge of the presentation tile, placing the following presentation tile below the presentation tile; and presenting a user interface view of the presentation surface with the multiple presentation tiles in the modified positions. receiving a montage to present on a presentation surface on a display, the montage comprising multiple presentation tiles and a reference layout comprising a grid, and the presentation surface comprising a grid and having a panning direction; the presentation surface and the reference layout each having a fixed dimension; the grid of the presentation surface and the grid of the reference layout each having a number of grid blocks; wherein the grid blocks of the grid of the presentation surface are arranged in a number of lines and rows; determining when a fixed grid dimension perpendicular to the panning direction is smaller on the display than a corresponding grid dimension in the reference layout by comparing the number of grid blocks in the fixed grid dimension of the presentation surface and the number of grid blocks in the corresponding grid dimension of the reference layout, wherein the panning direction is a horizontal direction and the fixed grid dimension perpendicular to the panning direction is a vertical direction; modifying positions of the multiple presentation tiles on the grid, while preserving a spatial characterization of the presentation tiles to each other, comprising placing a presentation tile on the grid of the presentation surface; determining the spatial characterization of a following presentation tile relative to the presentation tile; and if the spatial characterization of the following tile is "right" to the presentation tile, placing the following presentation tile adjacent and to the right of the presentation tile; if the spatial characterization of the following presentation tile is "down" to the presentation tile, comparing a vertical dimension of the following presentation tile to the number of blank rows of the grid of the presentation surface below the bottom edge of the presentation tile; and if the vertical dimension of the following presentation tile exceeds the number of blank rows of the grid of the presentation surface below the bottom edge of the presentation tile, placing the following presentation tile in the first available column of the grid of the presentation surface right to the presentation tile; or, if the vertical dimension of the following presentation tile does not exceed the number of blank rows of the grid of the presentation surface below the bottom edge of the presentation tile, placing the following presentation tile below the presentation tile; and presenting a user interface view of the presentation surface with the multiple presentation tiles in the modified positions.