Draw Guide 7.6
Chapter 1, Introducing Draw
Drawing Vector Graphics in LibreOffice
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
Contributors for previous editions:
Elzett Kotze
Jean Hollis Weber
John A Smith
John Cleland
Kees Kriek
Martin Fox
Peter Schofield
Rachel Kartch
Regina Henschel
Socks Eight
Vipul Gupta
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Note
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Published November 2023. Based on LibreOffice 7.6 Community.Other versions of LibreOffice may differ in appearance and functionality.
Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows and Linux. Table 1 below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this user guide. For a more detailed list, see the application help.
Table 1: Example of macOS keyboard shortcuts
|
Windows or Linux |
macOS equivalent |
Effect |
|
Tools > Options |
LibreOffice > Preferences |
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 |
LibreOffice Draw is a vector graphics drawing program, that can used with raster graphics (pixels). Using Draw, a wide format of graphic images are easily and quickly created.
Vector graphics store and display an image as an assembly of simple geometric elements such as lines, circles, and polygons, rather than a collection of pixels (points on the screen). Vector graphics allow for easier storage and image scaling.
Draw is fully integrated into the LibreOffice suite simplifying exchanging graphics with all LibreOffice modules. 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 functions and tools from Draw.
The functionality of LibreOffice Draw is extensive. Draw was not designed to rival high-end graphics applications, but possesses more functionality than the drawing tools that are generally integrated with the majority of office productivity suites. A few examples of 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 a reference work and is used 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 are covered in more detail in the Getting Started Guide.
In Draw, drawings can be split over several pages with multi-page drawings used mainly for presentations. The Pages pane, on the left side of the Draw main window, provides an overview pages created in a drawing. If the Pages pane is not visible, select View > Page Pane on the Menu bar. To make changes to the page order, drag and drop one or more pages displayed in the Pages pane.
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 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 and the page size that that can be set and used in the printer connected to the computer.
The Sidebar in Draw has five main decks and is similar to the Sidebar in the other LibreOffice modules. 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, select View > Sidebar on the Menu bar, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F5 (macOS ⌘+F5).
Properties
Styles
Gallery
Navigator
Shapes
The Status Bar (Figure 2) is located at the bottom of the Workspace in all LibreOffice modules. To hide the Status Bar, select View on the Menu bar and deselect Status Bar from the submenu.
Note
The measurement units shown on the Status Bar are set by going to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Draw > General (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > General) on the Menu bar. These measurement units can be different to the measurement units set for the rulers.
Slide (drawing) number
Information area
Master drawing
Cursor position/Selected object size
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 object size (width and height).
Figure 2: Status Bar
Slide (drawing) number
Information area
Master drawing
Cursor position
Selected object size
Document scaling factor
Unsaved changes
Digital signature
Fit drawing
Zoom slider
Zoom percentage
If an object is selected, the position numbers shows the X and Y coordinates of the upper-left corner and the object size number pair displays the object size. These numbers do not relate to the object itself, but to the selection outline, which is the smallest possible rectangle that can contain the visible object part or parts. 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 and Size dialog. See Chapter 4, Changing Object Attributes for more information.
Scaling factor of the document
Unsaved changes
Digital signature
Fit drawing
Zoom slider and Zoom percentage
A layer is a workplace where drawing elements and objects can be inserted. By default, the Workspace consists of three layers (Layout, Controls and Dimension Lines) and the tabs for these default layers appear at the Workspace bottom. 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 Workspace bottom. Use the Layers bar to navigate between layers, add layers as required, or delete layers that have been created. For more information on layers, see Chapter 11, Advanced Draw Techniques.
Rulers are positioned on the Workspace upper and left-hand sides. If the rulers are not visible, select 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 double lines (highlighted in Figure 3). Also, rulers are used to manage object handles and guide lines when positioning objects.
The page margins in the drawing area are represented on the rulers. Change the margins directly on the rulers by dragging them with the cursor. The margin areas are normally indicated by a grayed out area on the rulers as shown in Figure 3, but this does depend on computer operating system and setup.
Figure 3: Rulers showing object size
Figure 4: Ruler measurement units
To change the ruler measurement units, right-click on a ruler and select the measurement unit from the drop down list, as shown in Figure 4 for the horizontal ruler. Measurement units for the horizontal and vertical rulers can use different measurement units.
To display or hide the various Draw toolbars, select View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select the toolbar required from the submenu. For example, the Standard and Drawing toolbars are shown by default, but the Line and Filling, Text Formatting, and Options toolbars are not shown.
The appearance of tool icons on toolbars depends on the computer operating system and the selection of icon style and size in Tools > Options > LibreOffice > View (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > View).
The tools available on a toolbar are indicated, either, highlighting around the tool icon, or a check mark as shown by the example in Figure 5. For more information about working with toolbars, see Appendix B, Toolbars and the Getting Started Guide.
The four main toolbars used in Draw are as follows:
Standard toolbar
Figure 5: Example of Visible Buttons
Figure 6: Standard toolbar
Figure 7: Drawing toolbar
Drawing toolbar
Line and Filling toolbar
Text Formatting toolbar
Figure 8: Line and Filling toolbar
Figure 9: Text Formatting toolbar
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 in the submenu that opens 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.
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 of available tools (Figure 10).
This palette, or sub-toolbar, can be turned into a floating toolbar. Click the area at the top of the toolset (highlighted in Figure 10) and drag it across the screen to a convenient location, then release the cursor. To close a floating toolbar, click on the X on the right of the toolbar title.
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.
Figure 10: Example of available toolsets
Figure 11: Example of toolbar handles
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 tool icon on a screen may differ from the tool icon shown in this guide.
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. The locking status of toolbars is indicated by dotted handles at the left end of horizontal toolbars, as shown highlighted in Figure 11. For vertically positioned toolbars, these dotted handles are positioned at the toolbar top.
Notes
Make sure that all toolbars are docked into the required position in the LibreOffice window before using Lock Toolbars or Lock Toolbar Position.
No dotted handles on toolbars indicates that the toolbars are locked and the following procedures have to be used to unlock toolbars.
All toolbars available in LibreOffice can be locked into position. This overrides any unlocking of individual toolbars. To unlock or lock all the toolbars, use the following procedure:
1) Make sure all open LibreOffice documents have been saved.
2) To unlock all toolbars, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select Lock Toolbars from the context menu.
3) Select Restart Now from the warning message that opens and all toolbars can now be individually unlocked. Toolbar handles now appear on individual toolbars that are not locked.
4) To lock all toolbars, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select Lock Toolbars from the context menu.
5) Select Restart Now from the warning message that opens and all toolbars are now locked into position. Toolbar handles are no longer displayed.
Individual toolbars can be unlocked or locked using the following procedure:
6) To unlock a toolbar, right-click in a blank area on the toolbar and select Lock Toolbar Position from the context menu. A toolbar handle appears at the end of the toolbar, indicating that the toolbar is unlocked and can be moved.
7) 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 end of the toolbar.
Note
There is no selection indication on Lock Toolbars, or Lock Toolbar Position in the context menus. The locking indication is only indicated by the toolbar handles.
When Draw is opened, the Standard and Drawing toolbars, by default, are already docked into their positions on the main Draw window. These toolbars can be undocked creating floating toolbars as follows:
1) Make sure the toolbar handle is displayed indicating that the toolbar is unlocked. If there is no toolbar handle displayed, see “Unlocking and locking toolbars” on page 1 for more information.
2) Move the cursor to the far left of the toolbar and over the toolbar handle. The cursor changes shape, normally to a grabbing hand, depending on computer setup and operating system.
3) Click and drag on the toolbar handle and move the toolbar until it is undocked and becomes a floating toolbar. This floating toolbar capability is common to all components of LibreOffice.
To dock a floating toolbar use one of the following methods:
Press and hold the Ctrl key (macOS ⌘), then double click on the toolbar title. The toolbar moves into available space at the top of the Draw main window.
Click in the toolbar title and drag the toolbar to the docked position required. This can be the top, bottom or one of the sides of the Draw main window.
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 in addition to using “Adding and removing tools” on page 1. For more information on adding new commands, modifying toolbars, or creating toolbars, see Appendix B, Toolbars and the Getting Started Guide.
The Color Palette (Figure 12) provides quick access to a standard set of colors to use for selected objects and text in a drawing.
Figure 12: Color Palette (Color Bar)
4) Go to View on the Menu bar and select Color Bar to open the Color Palette.
5) Select an object or text.
6) Left click on the color required for the area fill, or text, and change the color of the object or text.
7) Right click on the color required for the object, or text box border, and change the border color.
8) Go to View on the Menu bar and deselect Color Bar to close the Color Palette.
Note
The box with the X at the bottom left of the Color Palette corresponds to none (no color).
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 and Filling 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.
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.
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 the grid 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 Grid, or 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 and resolution 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 object position while moving and makes positioning an object much easier. 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 drawing area edges.
For more information on the grid, snap guides, snap functions, and helplines, see Chapter 3, Working with Objects and Object Points.
