Draw Guide 7.5
Preface
This document is Copyright © 2023 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributors are listed 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 for this edition:
Peter Schofield
Socks Eight
Contributors for previous editions:
Elzett Kotze
Jean Hollis Weber
Peter Schofield
Rachel Kartch
Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to the Documentation Team Forum at https://community.documentfoundation.org/c/documentation/loguides/ (registration is required) or send an email to: loguides@community.documentfoundation.org.
Note
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Published July 2023. Based on LibreOffice 7.5 Community.
Other versions of LibreOffice may differ in appearance and functionality.
Anyone who wants to quickly acquire knowledge on LibreOffice Draw and is new to drawing software, or maybe familiar with another office suite, will find this user guide very useful.
LibreOffice is an open-source office productivity software suite containing capabilities for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases, and formula editing. LibreOffice Draw is the vector graphics drawing application for LibreOffice where a wide variety of graphical images can be easily and quickly created. Drawings can be exported in several file formats, for example, PDF, HTML, and numerous graphic formats.
This user guide introduces the main features of LibreOffice Draw. Although Draw is a vector graphics drawing tool, it can also perform some operations on raster graphics (pixels) such as photographs.
A few examples of drawing functions are as follows:
Layer management, snap functions and grid-point system
Dimensions and measurement display
Connectors for making organization charts
3D functions that enable small 3D drawings to be created (with texture and lighting effects), drawing and page-style integration, and Bézier curves.
LibreOffice is a freely available, fully-featured, open source office productivity suite that is compatible with other major office suites and is available on a variety of platforms. The native file format used is Open Document Format (ODF). However, LibreOffice can also open and save documents in many other formats, including those used by several versions of Microsoft Office. For more information, see the Getting Started Guide.
LibreOffice 7.5 requires one of the following operating systems:
Linux x64 (deb) and Linux x64 (rpm)
Mac OS X (Aarch64/Apple Silicon)
macOS x86_64 (10.14 Mojave or higher)
Windows x86_64 (Windows 7 or newer required).
For a detailed list of requirements and operating systems supported, see the LibreOffice website, https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/system-requirements/.
Versions of LibreOffice for Windows, Linux, and macOS are freely available and can be downloaded from https://www.libreoffice.org/download. Linux users will also find LibreOffice included free in many of the latest distributions.
Linux, Vanilla, and other versions may differ in a few features from the descriptions in this user guide. LibreOffice is included in many of the latest Linux distributions, for example Ubuntu. Portable and other versions of LibreOffice are listed on the download page. LibreOffice is also available in the Microsoft Store and Apple Mac App Store at a low and attractive price. The profits from the sale of LibreOffice are invested to support the development of the LibreOffice project.
Information on installing LibreOffice on the various supported operating systems can be found at this web page: https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/install-howto/. When LibreOffice is acquired through official app stores, follow the installation instructions provided by the store.
After installation, to change the default settings (options) in LibreOffice to suit working requirements and preferences, go to Tools > Options on the Menu bar (mac OS LibreOffice > Preferences).
Tip
Some settings are intended for power users and programmers. If it is difficult to understand what an option does, LibreOffice recommends leaving the option on its default setting unless instructions in this user guide recommend changing the setting.
Settings are described in LibreOffice Help and the Getting Started Guide. These two sources provide information on how to customize menus, toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts in LibreOffice Draw, add new menus and toolbars, and assign macros to events.
Functionality can be added to LibreOffice using extensions. Several extensions are installed with LibreOffice and more extensions can be installed from the official extensions repository, https://extensions.libreoffice.org/ or from other sources. See the Getting Started Guide for more information on installing extensions.
This user guide and other LibreOffice user guides, the built-in Help system, and user support systems assume that users are familiar with computers and basic functions such as starting a program, opening and saving files.
LibreOffice comes with an extensive Help system and this can be used as the first line of support. Windows and Linux users can choose to download and install the offline Help for use when not connected to the Internet. Offline Help is installed with the MacOS version of LibreOffice.
To display the LibreOffice Help, press F1 or go to Help > LibreOffice Help on the Menu bar. If the offline help is not installed on a computer, but connected to the Internet, a dialog opens giving the option to Read Help Online. Select this option and the default web browser opens at the LibreOffice online help pages in the LibreOffice website.
The Help menu also includes links to other LibreOffice information, support facilities and resources that may be useful to LibreOffice users.
What's This?
For quick tips when a toolbar is visible, place the cursor over a tool icon to see a small tooltip box with a brief explanation of the tool function. For a more detailed explanation, select Help > What's This? Also Extended Tips can be activated by going to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > General > Help (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > General > Help) on the Menu bar and selecting the option Extended Tips. Extended tips provide a brief description about tools and commands. To display an extended tip, use the keyboard Shift+F1, then point to a tool or command.
User Guides
Opens the default browser at the Documentation page of the LibreOffice website https://documentation.libreoffice.org/en/english-documentation/. This page gives access to the LibreOffice User Guides and other useful information that can be opened in the default browser. Also, the User Guides are available in PDF format as a free download or to buy as printed copies.
Show Tip of the Day
Opens a small window with a random tip on how to use LibreOffice.
Search Commands
Opens a window where typing a few letters, or the name of a Menu bar command, for example, quickly finds where the command is located. Clicking on a command in the resulting list may open a relevant dialog or have other effects.
Get Help Online
Opens the default browser at the Ask LibreOffice forum of questions and answers from the LibreOffice community, https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/questions/.
Send Feedback
Opens the default browser at the Feedback page of the LibreOffice website https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/feedback/. From this page, bugs can be reported, new features suggested and communicated with other users in the LibreOffice community.
Restart in Safe Mode
Opens a dialog window giving options to restart LibreOffice and reset the software to its default settings. Restarting in safe mode also provides an opportunity to restore LibreOffice from a backup.
Get Involved
Opens the default browser at the Get Involved page of the LibreOffice website, https://www.libreoffice.org/community/get-involved/. Choose a topic of interest to help improve the program.
Donate to LibreOffice
Opens the default browser at the Donation page for the LibreOffice website, https://donate.libreoffice.org/ providing an opportunity to make a donation to support LibreOffice.
License Information
Outlines the licenses under which LibreOffice is made available.
Check for Updates
Opens a dialog and checks the LibreOffice website for updates for the software version. The dialog provides an opportunity to download and install any updates to LibreOffice.
About LibreOffice
Opens a dialog and displays information about the version of LibreOffice and the operating system being used. This information is often requested if the community is asked for help or assistance with the software (on macOS, this option is found under LibreOffice on the Menu bar).
The LibreOffice community not only develops software, but provides free, volunteer-based support. See Table 1 and the web page https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/. For comprehensive online support from the community, look at mailing lists and the Ask LibreOffice website, https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/questions/. Other user websites also offer free tips and tutorials.
Table 1: Free support for LibreOffice users
|
Free LibreOffice support |
|
|
FAQs |
Answers to frequently asked questions |
|
Mailing lists |
Free community support is provided by a network of experienced users |
|
Questions & Answers and |
Free community assistance is provided in a Question & Answer formatted web service. Search similar topics or open a new one in https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/questions The service is available in several other languages; just replace /en/ with de, es, fr, ja, ko, nl, pt, tr, and many others in the web address above. |
|
Native language support |
The LibreOffice website in various languages Mailing lists for native languages Information about social networking |
|
Accessibility options |
Information about available accessibility options. https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/accessibility/ |
|
OpenOffice Forum |
Another forum that provides support for LibreOffice, among other open source office suites. https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/ |
Support and training is available through service contracts from a vendor or consulting firm specializing in LibreOffice. For information about certified professional support, see The Document Foundation website: https://www.documentfoundation.org/gethelp/support/.
For schools, educational and research institutions, and large organizations, see https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-in-business/.
LibreOffice runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems, each of which has several versions and can be customized by users (fonts, colors, themes, window managers). The illustrations in this guide were taken from a variety of computers and operating systems. Therefore, some illustrations will not look exactly like what is seen on a computer display.
Also, some dialogs may differ because of the settings selected in LibreOffice. Either use dialogs from the computer system (default) or dialogs provided by LibreOffice.
To change to using LibreOffice dialogs:
On Linux and Windows operating systems, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > General on the Menu bar to open the dialog for general options.
On a Mac operating system, go to LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > General on the Menu bar to open the dialog for general options.
Select Use LibreOffice dialogs in Open/Save dialogs to display the LibreOffice dialogs on a computer display, as shown in Figure 1.
Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog.
Figure 1: Options LibreOffice dialog — General page
Figure 2: Options LibreOffice dialog — View page
The LibreOffice community has created icons for several icon sets, including Breeze, Colibre, Elementary, Sifr, and Tango. Each user can select a preferred set. The icons used to illustrate some of the many tools available in LibreOffice may differ from the ones used in this guide. The icons in this user guide have been taken from a LibreOffice installation that has been set to display the Colibre set of icons.
Change the icon set used in a LibreOffice installation as follows:
On Linux and Windows operating systems, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > View on the Menu bar to open the dialog for view options.
On a Mac operating system, go to LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > View on the Menu bar to open the dialog for view options.
In Icon Theme select Colibre (SVG) from the options available in the drop down list as shown in Figure 2.
In Icon Size, select Small from the drop down lists for Toolbar, Notebookbar and Sidebar, as shown in Figure 2.
Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog.
Notes
Some Linux operating systems, for example Ubuntu, include LibreOffice as part of the installation and may not include the Colibre icon set. This icon set can be downloaded from the software repository for the Linux operating system being used.
Some previously included icon sets are now available only as extensions; see https://extensions.libreoffice.org/?Tags%5B%5D=49 or search for specific ones. For example, the People Gallery is available from https://extensions.libreoffice.org/en/extensions/show/people-gallery.
Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows and Linux. Table 2 below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this user guide. For a more detailed list, see the application help.
Table 2: Example of macOS keyboard shortcuts
|
Windows or Linux |
macOS equivalent |
Effect |
|
Tools > Options on Menu bar |
LibreOffice > Preferences on Menu bar |
Access to setup options |
|
Right-click |
Ctrl+click and/or right-click depending on computer setup |
Opens a context menu |
|
Ctrl or Control |
⌘ and/or Cmd or Command, depending on keyboard |
|
|
Alt |
⌥ and/or Alt or Option depending on keyboard |
Used with other keys |
|
F11 |
⌘+T |
Open the Styles deck in the Sidebar |
This user guide was written by volunteers from the LibreOffice community. Profits from sales printed editions are used to benefit the community.
How is LibreOffice licensed?
Can LibreOffice be distributed to anyone?
Can LibreOffice be sold?
Can LibreOffice be used in a business?
How many computers can LibreOffice be installed on?
Is LibreOffice available in different languages?
How can LibreOffice be freely available?
Can the programming code from LibreOffice be used when developing a software application?
Why is Java required to run LibreOffice? Is it written in Java?
Note
If the LibreOffice features that require Java are to be used, it is important that the correct 32-bit or 64-bit edition matches the installed version of LibreOffice. If Java is not to be used, nearly all LibreOffice features can still be used.
How can users contribute to LibreOffice?
Can the PDF copy of this user guide be distributed, or printed and copies sold?
Donate to LibreOffice: https://www.libreoffice.org/donate/.
The LibreOffice 7.5 Release Notes are available at this link https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/7.5.
Also at this link, the release notes for earlier versions of LibreOffice are located giving more information on the features that are included in LibreOffice.
Noticeable improvements or enhancements to this version include the following:
A new set of application and mime types icons as shown in Figure 3. The icon groups are, from left to right, standard (apps), standard (mime types), macOS specific.
Support for dark and high contrast operating system themes on Windows, macOS and Linux is improved.
The Start Center can now filter recent documents by type.
Figure 3: New application icons
