Draw Guide 7.3

Chapter 1,
Introducing Draw

CopyrightThis document is Copyright © 2022 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributors arelisted below. This document maybe distributed and/or modified under the terms of either the GNU
General Public License (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html), version 3 or later, or the Creative
Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), version 4.0 or later.
All trademarks within this guide belong to their legitimate owners.

Contributors
To this edition.
Peter Schofield

Kees Kriek

To previous editions.
Martin Fox
John A Smith
Kees Kriek
Rachel Kartch

John ClelandPeter Schofield
Regina HenschelJean Hollis Weber
Vipul Gupta
Elzett Kotze

Feedback
Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to the Documentation Team
mailing list: documentation@global.libreoffice.org

Note
Everything sent to a mailing list, including email addresses and any other personal
information that is written in the message, is publicly archived and cannot be deleted.

Publication date and software version
Published May 2022. Based on LibreOffice 7.3 Community.
Other versions of LibreOffice may differ in appearance and functionality.

Using LibreOffice on macOS
Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows andLinux. The table below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this document.
For a detailed list, see the application Help.
Windows or LinuxmacOS equivalent

EffectTools > Options
menu selection

LibreOffice > Preferences

Access setup options

Right-click

Control+click or right-click
depending on computer setup

Open a context menu

Ctrl (Control)⌘ (Command)

Used with other keys

Alt

⌥ (Option) or Alt, depending on
keyboard

Used with other keys

Documentation for LibreOffice is available at https://documentation.libreoffice.org/en/Contents
Copyright............................................................................................................................2
Contributors.............................................................................................................................. 2
Feedback.................................................................................................................................. 2
Publication date and software version.......................................................................................2
Using LibreOffice on macOS.....................................................................................................2

Introduction........................................................................................................................4
Draw main window............................................................................................................4Workspace................................................................................................................................ 4
Pages pane............................................................................................................................... 4
Layers bar................................................................................................................................. 5
Sidebar..................................................................................................................................... 5
Rulers....................................................................................................................................... 6
Status bar.................................................................................................................................. 7
Toolbars.................................................................................................................................... 8
Adding and removing tools...................................................................................................9
Available toolsets............................................................................................................... 10
Unlocking and locking toolbars...........................................................................................10
Docked and floating toolbars..............................................................................................11
Customizing toolbars..........................................................................................................11

Choosing and defining colors........................................................................................11
Color palette............................................................................................................................ 11
Specialized color palettes....................................................................................................... 12
Custom colors......................................................................................................................... 12

Grid, snap guides, and helplines...................................................................................12

Chapter 1, Introducing Draw | 3

Introduction
LibreOffice Draw is a vector graphics drawing program, although it can also perform some
operations on raster graphics (pixels). Using Draw, a wide variety of graphical images can easilyand quickly be created.
Vector graphics store and display an image as an assembly of simple geometric elements suchas lines, circles, and polygons, rather than a collection of pixels (points on the screen). Vector
graphics allow for easier storage and scaling of the image.
Draw is fully integrated into the LibreOffice suite, and this simplifies exchanging graphics with allcomponents of the LibreOffice suite. If an image is created in Draw, reusing it in a Writer
document is relatively easy. For example, select and copy the drawing in Draw and then paste
the image directly into a Writer document. Also, drawings can be worked on directly from within
Writer or Impress, using a subset of the functions and tools from Draw.
The functionality of LibreOffice Draw is extensive. Draw was not designed to rival high-end
graphics applications, but it possesses more functionality than the drawing tools that are
generally integrated with the majority of office productivity suites. A few examples of the drawing
functions are as follows:
Layer management
Magnetic grid-point system
Dimensions and measurement display
Connectors for making organization charts and other diagrams
3D functions for creating small three-dimensional drawings
Drawing and page-style integration
Bézier curves
This Draw Guide is not a course book to be worked through from beginning to end. Rather, it is areference work in which can be browsed for guidance on particular topics.
This document describes only the functions associated with Draw. Some concepts, such as file
management or the way the LibreOffice environment works, are mentioned only briefly and arecovered in more detail in the Getting Started Guide.

Draw main window
Workspace
The large area in the center of the Draw main window (Figure 1) is the Workspace where
drawings are created. This drawing area can be surrounded with toolbars and information areas.
The number and position of the visible tools vary with the task being carried out, user
preferences, and computer setup.
The maximum size of a drawing page in LibreOffice Draw is limited by the computer setup andthe page size that that can be set and used in the printer connected to the computer.

Pages pane
In Draw, drawings can be split over several pages. Multi-page drawings are used mainly forpresentations. The Pages pane, on the left side of the Draw main window, provides an overview
of the pages that created in a drawing. If the Pages pane is not visible, go to View > Page Paneon the Menu bar. To make changes to the page order, drag and drop one or more pages
displayed in the Pages pane.

4| Chapter 1, Introducing Draw

Figure 1: Draw main window

Layers bar
A layer is a workplace where drawing elements and objects can be inserted. By default, theWorkspace consists of three layers (Layout, Controls and Dimension Lines) and the tabs forthese default layers appear at the bottom of the Workspace. The default layers cannot be deleted
or renamed, but layers can be added as and when necessary.
Tabs for layers appear in the Layers bar at the bottom of the Workspace. The Layers bar allows
for navigation between layers, adding layers as required, or deleting layers that have beencreated. For more information on layers, see Chapter 11, Advanced Draw Techniques.

Sidebar
The Sidebar in Draw has five main decks and is similar to the Sidebar in the other LibreOfficemodules. To open a deck, click on its icon on the right of the Sidebar, or click on Sidebar
Settings at the top of the Sidebar and select a deck from the drop-down list. If the Sidebar is not
visible, go to View > Sidebar on the Menu bar, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F5(macOS ⌘+F5).
Properties
Contains panels where properties of a selected object in a drawing can be changed: Page,
Character, Paragraph, Area, Line, Effect, Shadow, Position and Size, Columns, andImage. Available panels depend on the selected object.
StylesProvides options to edit and apply one of the available Drawing Styles to objects in a
drawing. When a style is edited or modified, the changes are automatically applied to all of
the elements formatted using that style. In Draw, Presentation Styles are not available.
New drawing styles can be added to a drawing.

Chapter 1, Introducing Draw | 5

GalleryObjects on the Gallery deck can be inserted into a drawing either as a copy or as a link.
The Gallery is divided into themes: Arrows, BPMN (Business Process Model and
Notation), Bullets, Diagrams, Flowchart, Icons, Network, Shapes, and Sounds. New
themes can be added to the Gallery. See Chapter 11, Advanced Draw Techniques for more
information on using the Gallery.
Navigator
On the Navigator deck, pages and objects in a drawing can be quickly selected. It is
recommended to give pages and objects in a drawing meaningful names for easy
identification and location when using the Navigator.
ShapesProvides quick selection of most items that are available on the Drawing toolbar: Lines andArrows, Curves and Polygons, Connectors, Basic Shapes, Symbol Shapes, Block
Arrows, Flowchart, Callout, Stars and Banners, and 3D Objects.

RulersRulers are positioned on the upper and left-hand sides of the Workspace. If the rulers are notvisible, go to View > Rulers in the Menu bar, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+R(macOS ⌘+Shift+R). The rulers show the size of a selected object on the page using doublelines (highlighted in Figure 2). Also, rulers can be used to manage object handles and guide lines
when positioning objects.
The page margins in the drawing area are also represented on the rulers. Change the margins
directly on the rulers by dragging them with the cursor. The margin areas are normally indicatedby a grayed out area on the rulers as shown in Figure 2, but this does depend on computer
operating system and setup.

Figure 2: Rulers showing object size

Figure 3: Ruler measurement units
6| Chapter 1, Introducing Draw

To change the measurement units of the rulers, right-click on a ruler and select the measurement
unit from the drop down list, as shown in Figure 3 for the horizontal ruler. Measurement units forthe horizontal and vertical rulers can be set to different measurement units.

Status bar
The Status Bar (Figure 4) is located at the bottom of the Workspace in all LibreOffice modules. To
hide the Status Bar, go to View on the Menu bar and deselect Status Bar.

Note
The measurement units shown on the Status Bar are set by going to Tools >Options > LibreOffice Draw > General on the Menu bar. These measurement units
can be different to the measurement units set for the rulers.

Figure 4: Status bar•

Slide number – shows the number of the drawing pane that is selected.

•

Information area – shows which action is being carried out, or object type selected.

•

Cursor position and Object size – shows different information depending on whether
objects are selected or not.
– When no object is selected, the position numbers show the current position (X and Y
coordinates) of the mouse cursor.
– When an object is selected and being resized with the mouse, the object size
numbers show the size of the object (width and height).
– If an object is selected, the position numbers shows the X and Y coordinates of theupper-left corner and the object size number pair displays the size of the object.
These numbers do not relate to the object itself, but to the selection outline, which isthe smallest possible rectangle that can contain the visible part or parts of the object;
see Chapter 3, Working with Objects and Object Points for more information.
– When an object is selected, clicking in either of these areas opens the Position andSize dialog. See Chapter 4, Changing Object Attributes for more information.

•

Unsaved changes – indicates that the file needs saving. The icon displayed depends onthe computer operating system and setup. Clicking on this icon opens the Save as dialog
if the file is new and has not been saved before. If the file has been saved already, thenclicking on this icon automatically saves the file after any changes have been made.

•Digital signature – indicates if the document is digitally signed. The icon only appears if
the drawing has a digital signature certificate. After the file has been saved, double
clicking on this icon opens the digital signatures dialog. See LibreOffice Help for more
information on digital signature certificates.

•

Fit drawing – resizes the drawing so that the whole drawing appears in the Workspace.

•

Zoom slider and Zoom percentage – adjusts and indicates the zoom percentage of theWorkspace displayed. Double clicking on zoom percentage opens the Zoom & View
Layout dialog.

Chapter 1, Introducing Draw | 7

Figure 5: Example of Visible buttons on a toolbar

Toolbars
To display or hide the various Draw toolbars, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and selectfrom the drop-down menu the toolbar required. For example, the Standard and Drawing toolbars
are shown by default, but the Line and Filling, Text Formatting, and Options toolbars are notshown.
The appearance of the tool icons on toolbars depends on the computer operating system and theselection of icon style and size in Tools > Options > LibreOffice > View.
The tools available on a toolbar are indicated, either, by a shaded outline around the tool icon, ora check mark as shown by the example in Figure 5. For more information about working withtoolbars, see Appendix B, Toolbars and the Getting Started Guide.
The four main toolbars used in Draw are as follows:Standard toolbar
The Standard toolbar (Figure 6) is similar for all LibreOffice components and is notdescribed in detail in this chapter. By default, it is locked into position at the top of the Draw
main window.

Figure 6: Standard toolbar
Drawing toolbar
The Drawing toolbar (Figure 7) contains all the necessary functions for drawing various
geometric and freehand shapes, and for organizing them in the drawing. By default, it islocked into position on the left of the Draw main window. It is described in detail in
Chapter 2, Drawing Basic Shapes.

8| Chapter 1, Introducing Draw

Figure 7: Drawing toolbar
Line and Filling toolbar
The Line and Filling toolbar (Figure 8) is used to modify the main properties of a drawing
object. The tools and pull-down lists vary according to the type of object selected. For
example, to change the style of a line, click on the up and down arrows for Line Style andselect the required style.
The functions on the Line and Filling toolbar are used to change the color, style, and widthof the line drawn, the fill color and style, and other properties of a selected object. If theselected object is a text frame, the Line and Filling toolbar is replaced by the Text
Formatting toolbar. For more information, see Chapter, 4 Changing Object Attributes.

Figure 8: Line and Filling toolbar
Text Formatting toolbar
The Text Formatting toolbar (Figure 9) is similar to the Formatting toolbar in Writer. It is only
available when text or a text object has been selected in a drawing, replacing the Line andFilling toolbar. For more information, see Chapter, 4 Changing Object Attributes, andChapter 9 Adding and Formatting Text.

Figure 9: Text Formatting toolbar

Adding and removing tools
The default set of tools on each toolbar can be modified using Visible Buttons. Adding or
removing a tool is as follows:
1) Either, right-click in an empty area on the toolbar, or click on the triangle ▼ in the toolbar
title and select Visible Buttons from the context menu.
2) Click on a tool name to add or remove the tool.

Note
For more information on the available tools that can be added to a toolbar, see
Appendix B, Toolbars and the Getting Started Guide. When a tool is added to a
toolbar, its position on the toolbar (from left to right) is the same as its position in the
Visible Buttons context menu.

Chapter 1, Introducing Draw | 9

Figure 10: Available toolsets

Available toolsets
Some tools on a toolbar have a triangle ▼ to the right side of the tool icon indicating that the tool
has additional tools available in a sub-toolbar. Clicking on this triangle ▼ displays the full set ofavailable tools (Figure 10).
This palette or sub-toolbar can be turned into a floating toolbar. Click the area at the top of thetoolset as shown in Figure 10, drag it across the screen to a convenient location and release themouse button. To close a floating toolbar, click on the X on the right of the toolbar title.

Note
When a sub-toolbar is made into a floating toolbar, the tool on the existing toolbar
remains in the toolbar and always shows the last tool used. This means that the toolicon on a screen may differ from the tool icon shown in this guide.

Tip
When double-clicking on a tool, the command corresponding to that tool becomes
active and remains active. The tool command can be repeated as often as required.
To exit from this mode, press the Esc key or click on another tool. Please note that
this may not work for every tool on every toolbar.

Unlocking and locking toolbars
By default when Draw is opened, any docked toolbars are locked into position and have to be
unlocked before becoming floating toolbars or repositioned on the Draw main window.
To unlock a toolbar, right-click in a blank area on the toolbar and deselect Lock Toolbar Position
from the context menu. A toolbar handle, as shown in Figure 11, appears at the left end of thetoolbar, indicating that the toolbar is unlocked and can be moved.
To lock a toolbar into position, dock the toolbar into position, then right-click in a blank area on
the toolbar and select Lock Toolbar Position from the context menu. The toolbar handle
disappears from the left end of the toolbar.

Figure 11: Toolbar handles
10| Chapter 1, Introducing Draw

Docked and floating toolbars
When Draw is opened, the Standard and Drawing toolbars, by default, are already docked andlocked into their positions on the main Draw window. These toolbars can be undocked creating
floating toolbars as follows:
1) Right-click in an empty space on the toolbar and deselect Lock Toolbar Position.
2) Move the cursor to the far left of the toolbar and over the toolbar handle (Figure 11). The
cursor changes shape, normally to a grabbing hand, depending on computer setup andoperating system.
3) Click and drag on the toolbar handle to move the toolbar until it becomes a floating
toolbar. This floating toolbar capability is common to all components of LibreOffice.
To dock a floating toolbar, press and hold the Ctrl key (macOS ⌘), then double click on the title ofthe toolbar. The toolbar moves into available space at the top of the Draw main window.
An alternative method of docking a toolbar is to click in the toolbar title and drag the toolbar to thedocked position required. This can be the top, bottom or one of the sides of the Draw main
window.

Customizing toolbars
Draw toolbars can be customized by adding or removing commands to or from a toolbar. Also,
customization allows the creation of toolbars for specific purposes. Customizing toolbars is inaddition to using “Adding and removing tools” on page 9. For more information when adding a
new commands, modifying toolbars, or creating toolbars, see Appendix B, Toolbars and theGetting Started Guide.

Choosing and defining colors
Color palette
The Color Palette (Figure 12) provides quick access to a standard set of colors to use forselected objects and text in a drawing.
1) Go to View on the Menu bar and select Color Bar to open the Color Palette.
2) Select an object or text.
3) Left click on the color required for the area fill or text and change the color of the object ortext.
4) Right click on the color required for the object or text box border and change the color of
the border.
5)

Go to View on the Menu bar and deselect Color Bar to close the Color Palette.

Figure 12: Color Palette (Color Bar)
Chapter 1, Introducing Draw | 11

Note
The box with the X at the bottom left of the Color Palette corresponds to none (nocolor).

Specialized color palettes
In addition to the standard Color Palette, Draw has several specialized color palettes available,
giving a greater choice of color: for example, chart-palettes, material, html, and so on. After
selecting an object or text in a drawing, use one of the following to access the specialized color
palettes.
•

Area or fill color – Color page in the Area dialog, Fill Color on the Drawing or Line andFilling toolbar, or Fill in the Area section in the Properties deck on the Sidebar.

•

Line color – Line page in the Line dialog, Line Color on the Drawing or Line and Filling
toolbar, or Color in the Line section in the Properties deck on the Sidebar.

•

Text color – Font Color tool on the Text Formatting toolbar, or Font Color in the
Character section in the Properties deck on the Sidebar.

For more information on selecting a color and a color palette for an object or text, see Chapter 4,
Changing Object Attributes, Chapter 9, Adding and Formatting Text and Chapter 11, Advanced
Draw Techniques.

Custom colors
In Draw, custom colors can be created using the Color Picker dialog, CMYK values, or RGB
values to match specific color schemes used, for example, by a company. For more detailed
information on creating custom colors and color palettes, as well as more information on CMYK
and RGB color schemes, refer to Chapter 11, Advanced Draw Techniques.

Grid, snap guides, and helplines
The grid, snap guides, and helplines in Draw act as drawing aids when moving and positioning
objects in a drawing. These drawing aids can be turned on or off as follows:•Line and Filling toolbar – click on Display Grid or Helplines While Moving to turn thegrid or helplines on or off.

•

Options toolbar – click on Display Grid, Display Snap Guides, or Helplines While
Moving to turn the grid, snap guides, or helplines on or off.

•

Go to View > Grid and Helplines on the Menu bar and select or deselect Display Gridor Helplines While Moving on the submenu.

•

Go to View > Snap Guides on the Menu bar and select or deselect Display Snap
Guides on the submenu.

The grid and snap guides are displayed only on the screen and are not shown on a printed
drawing or when the drawing is used in another LibreOffice module. The color, spacing andresolution of the grid points can be individually chosen for each axis. Draw also offers several
snap functions to position objects exactly in a drawing.
Helplines show the position of the object while moving and makes positioning an object mucheasier. If this function is activated, pairs of vertical and horizontal lines enclosing the object are
shown while moving the object. These helplines extend to the edges of the drawing area.
For more information on the grid, snap guides, snap functions, and helplines, see Chapter 3,
Working with Objects and Object Points.

12| Chapter 1, Introducing Draw