Drawing and editing

Use the canvas toolbar to draw shapes, paths, and text. Select an element to edit its dimensions and appearance in the properties panel.

Shapes

Press R for a rectangle or O for an ellipse, then drag on the canvas. The Primitives menu also contains Polygon and Icon. Press V to return to the Move tool.

Use W and H in the properties panel for exact dimensions. Rectangles and frames have corner-radius controls under Appearance.

To arrange elements in a container, see Frames and flex layout.

Paths

1. Press P to use the Pen tool
2. Click to add points, or drag as you add a point to create a curve
3. Click the first point to close the path, or press Esc to finish an open path

Select a shape and press Enter to edit its points. Use Cut (X) to split a segment. Double-click a point to switch between smooth and corner. Press Enter to finish editing.

For connecting points and adjusting curve handles, see Path editing shortcuts.

Text and fonts

Press T, click the canvas, and type. Double-click existing text to edit it. Use Typography in the properties panel to choose the font, weight, size, line height, letter spacing, and alignment.

Under Layout → Resizing, choose how the text box grows:

• Auto width fits the text without wrapping
• Auto height wraps at the box’s width and grows vertically
• Fixed size keeps both dimensions fixed

If text does not wrap, choose Auto height and set W. If text extends beyond a fixed-height box, increase H or switch to Auto height.

Open the font picker to search available fonts. Use Add custom fonts (Manage custom fonts after adding one) to import .ttf, .otf, .woff, or .woff2 files. Keep imported font files with the .pen file when moving or sharing the design. Imported fonts are available only in that document.

If Typography reports that a font was not found, click the warning to open Custom Fonts and import the missing font, or choose an available font in the picker. Check the text’s wrapping after replacing a font.

Icons

Choose Icon from Primitives and drag on the canvas. In the properties panel’s Icon section, select a library and open the icon picker to search for a symbol. Use Fill to change its color and W and H to resize it.

Fill, stroke, and effects

Use the + beside Fill or Stroke to add one, then click its swatch to edit it. Use the eye control to hide a fill without removing it, or − on its row to remove it. Use Appearance to change the element’s opacity.

In the fill editor, choose Color, Gradient, or Image:

• Under Gradient, choose Linear, Radial, Angular, or Mesh. For a linear, radial, or angular gradient, edit the colors and positions under Stops and drag the handles on the canvas to position the gradient
• For a Mesh gradient, choose a Grid size, then select and move its points on the canvas. Change selected points’ colors in the fill editor
• Image accepts an imported image or an image path or URL. Choose Fill to cover the shape, Fit to show the whole image, or Stretch to match its dimensions

The fill editor’s blend-mode menu controls how that fill combines with the content beneath it. Under Stroke, set the width and choose Inside, Center, or Outside alignment.

For a shader fill, choose Shader and use Import shader file, or enter a shader path or URL. The shader’s editable inputs appear below the file field after it loads. Shader Gallery… opens examples in Goodies.

Use + beside Effects to add Drop Shadow, Layer Blur, or Background Blur. Click an effect to adjust its settings.

To save an image of the result, select the elements and choose the format and scale under Export. See Import and Export.