GraphicDrawX1

• Click an object to select it. Selected objects show blue handles.
• Drag the object body to move it.
• Corner handles resize (hold Shift to constrain proportions).
• Rotate handle (circle above selection) — drag to rotate.
• Shift+click adds to selection. Drag on empty space rubber-band selects multiple objects.
• Double-click a text object to enter inline text editing.
• Double-click a group to enter the group and select individual members.

• Click anywhere on the canvas to add a new text object.
• The context bar (below the action bar) shows font, size, style and color controls.
• Double-click any existing text to enter edit mode — cursor appears for typing.
• Use the Text Editor (Text menu → Text Editor) for multi-style rich editing.
• Text auto-sizes to its content. Use Auto-fit to shrink text to fit a container.

• Creates a bounded text box — text wraps inside the box boundaries.
• Ideal for body copy, descriptions or multi-line blocks.
• Resize the box with handles; text reflows automatically.
• Double-click to edit content inline.

• Click and drag to draw. Release to finish a stroke.
• The resulting path is a fully editable vector object.
• Use Nodes tool to refine the path after drawing.
• Set stroke color, width and style in the context bar before drawing.
• Right-click while drawing to end an open path.

• Select a path first, then activate the Eraser.
• Drag over parts of the path to erase those segments.
• Works on freehand paths and converted vector shapes.

• Click to add a default rectangle. Resize with handles.
• Hold Shift while resizing to constrain to a square.
• Set fill and stroke in the context bar or right sidebar.
• Use Path → To Path to convert to an editable path for node editing.

• Hold Shift while resizing to constrain to a perfect circle.
• Convert to path for node-level editing.

• Adjust stroke width, color, and dash style in the context bar.
• Hold Shift while resizing to constrain to 45° angles.

• Edit nodes to change the shape after placing.
• Convert to path then use the Nodes tool for full control.

• Edit nodes after placing to change point count or inner radius.

• Resize and rotate freely. Convert to path to edit the arrowhead shape.

• Select a path object first, then click Nodes (or press N).
• White circles (●) are anchor points — drag to reposition.
• Orange diamonds (◆) are curve handles — drag to adjust curve shape.
• Dashed lines connect handles to their anchors.
• + Add — insert a new node after the selected one.
• − Delete — remove the selected node.
• Line/Curve — toggle the selected segment between sharp and curved.
• Smooth — mirror handles through the anchor for a smooth curve.
• Reduce — simplify path by removing redundant nodes (enter tolerance).
• Press Esc or click Done to exit node edit.

• When active, objects snap to edges, centers and corners of other objects.
• Orange snap lines appear when alignment is detected.
• Also snaps to canvas edges and center lines.

• Useful for inspecting complex layered designs.
• Helps find hidden objects or stacking order issues.
• Toggle again or press W to return to normal view.

Zoom & Navigation

• Select an object first (the sampled color applies to fill or stroke).
• Click anywhere on the canvas to pick that color.
• The color is applied to the active target (Fill or Stroke) in the sidebar.

File Group

Import & Export

Edit Group

Arrange Group

Align & Distribute

Select 2 or more objects. Alignment is relative to the combined bounding box of the selection.

Selection Tools

File Menu

Edit Menu

Object Menu

Path Menu

Image Menu

Text Menu

Pages Menu

Use the Pages tab in the right sidebar to navigate between pages and see thumbnails.

Tools Menu

View Menu

Colors Tab

The Colors tab contains the ChromaStack color library — 1,341 professionally curated colors including PMS, brand and standard palettes.

• Fill / Stroke toggle — choose which property receives the color.
• Search box — type a color name, hex code or RGB value.
• Family chips — filter by Reds, Blues, Greens, Purples, Browns, etc.
• Closest match chip — appears when searching, shows the nearest named color.
• Click any swatch to apply it to the selected object.
• The color bar along the bottom of the canvas also applies colors on click.

Layers Tab

The Layers panel shows all objects on the current canvas as a stacked list — top of list = front of canvas.

• Click a layer item to select that object on the canvas.
• ↑ Fwd — move selected object forward one layer.
• ↓ Back — move selected object back one layer.
• Drag layer items to reorder them.
• Layer items show the object type icon and a label.

Pages Tab

Manage multi-page projects. Each page has its own canvas and object stack.

• + Add Page — add a new blank page.
• Click a page thumbnail to navigate to it.
• Rename or delete pages using the icons on each thumbnail.
• Page dimensions are set individually via File → Page Size.
• All pages are saved together in a .grdw project file.

Effects Tab (Tools)

Apply visual effects to selected objects.

• Opacity / Transparency — set the overall opacity from 0% (invisible) to 100% (solid).
• Drop Shadow — adds a shadow. Set color, opacity, blur, X and Y offset.
• Outer Glow — adds a colored glow around the object. Set color, opacity and size.
• Blur — applies a Gaussian blur. Set the blur amount.
• Remove All Effects — strips all applied FX from the selected object.

Image Adjustments

Select an image object to enable these controls.

• Brightness / Contrast / Saturation / Hue — standard image corrections.
• Blur — soften the image.
• Grayscale — convert to black and white.
• Sepia — warm vintage tone.
• Invert — invert all colors (negative effect).
• Reset Adjustments — restore original image appearance.

Image Mask, Crop & Remove Background

• Apply Mask — select an image AND a shape on top, then apply to clip the image to the shape outline.
• Release Mask — remove the clipping mask.
• Trim to Content — auto-crop transparent margins from an image.
• Trim White Margins — remove white/light borders.
• Manual Crop — enter exact pixel values for each edge.
• Remove White Background — make white pixels transparent. Adjust Tolerance for near-white pixels.
• Remove Any Color — set the fill color swatch to the target color, then click this.

Vectorize

Convert raster images (PNG, JPG) to vector SVG paths using Potrace.

• Upload — choose an image file from your computer.
• Selected — vectorize the currently selected image on the canvas.
• Canvas — vectorize a screenshot of the current canvas.
• B&W / Color — black & white tracing or multi-color separation.
• Threshold — controls the light/dark cutoff for B&W mode.
• Speckle — ignore small noise areas (higher = smoother result).
• Corner Sharpness — higher values preserve sharp corners.
• Path Fit — how closely paths follow the original image.

Transform & Zoom Panel

The Transform panel is always visible at the bottom of the right sidebar regardless of which tab is active.

• W / H — width and height of selected object in inches. Type a value and press Enter to resize.
• Lock icon () — when checked, W and H resize proportionally together.
• X / Y — position of the object on the canvas in inches from the top-left corner.
• ° (Rotation) — rotation angle in degrees.
• % (Opacity) — object transparency percentage.
• Zoom −/+/⊡ — zoom out, zoom in, or fit page to view.

How To: Create Your First Design

1. Click Templates in the action bar to browse pre-made sign layouts.
2. Click a template to preview it, then click Load Template.
3. Double-click any text on the canvas to edit it.
4. Click the color swatches at the bottom to change colors.
5. Use Save to download a .grdw project file for later editing.
6. Use Export PNG or Export PDF for the final output file.

How To: Add and Style Text

1. Click the Text tool in the side toolbar.
2. Click anywhere on the canvas to place a text object.
3. Type your text. Press Esc to exit editing.
4. With the text selected, use the Context Bar (below the action bar) to change font, size, bold, italic, color, and alignment.
5. For multi-style text, go to Text → Text Editor for a full rich-text editor.
6. To curve text along a path: draw a path, select both text and path, then use Text → Fit Text to Path.

How To: Weld (Combine) Shapes

1. Convert any primitive shapes to paths first: select each shape, then Path → To Path.
2. Position the shapes so they overlap where you want them joined.
3. Select all the shapes you want to combine (Shift+click or rubber-band).
4. Go to Path → Weld (Union).
5. The shapes merge into a single combined outline.

How To: Edit Path Nodes

1. Select a path object (or convert a shape: Path → To Path).
2. Click the Nodes button in the tool rail (or press N).
3. White circles (●) are anchor points — drag them to reposition.
4. Orange diamonds (◆) are curve handles — drag them to adjust the curve.
5. Click Line/Curve in the node toolbar to toggle a segment between straight and curved.
6. Click + Add to insert a new node after the selected anchor.
7. Click − Delete to remove the selected anchor.
8. Click Done or press Esc to finish.

How To: Remove an Image Background

1. Select an image object on the canvas.
2. Open the Effects / Tools tab in the right sidebar.
3. Scroll to Remove Background.
4. For white backgrounds: adjust the Tolerance slider and click Remove White Background.
5. For other colors: set the fill color swatch to the background color, then click Remove Any Color.
6. Enable Smooth edges to reduce jagged edges on the result.

How To: Vectorize a Raster Image

1. Place an image on the canvas or have one ready on your computer.
2. Open the Effects / Tools tab → Vectorize section.
3. Click Selected (if image is on canvas) or Upload to choose a file.
4. Choose B&W for logos/line art or Color for photos.
5. Adjust Threshold (B&W) or Colors count (Color mode).
6. Click Vectorize — the result appears on the canvas as an SVG path.
7. Use the Nodes tool to clean up any unwanted points.

How To: Work with Multiple Pages

1. Open the Pages tab in the right sidebar.
2. Click + Add Page to create a new page.
3. Click any page thumbnail to switch to that page.
4. Each page can have different dimensions — set via File → Page Size while on that page.
5. All pages are saved together in a single .grdw file.
6. When exporting PDF, all pages are included in the output.

How To: Apply Effects

1. Select an object on the canvas.
2. Open the Effects / Tools tab in the right sidebar.
3. Check the checkbox next to Drop Shadow, Outer Glow, or Blur.
4. Adjust the sliders that appear — changes apply in real time.
5. Multiple effects can be active simultaneously.
6. Use Remove All Effects to reset.

How To: Use Select Same

1. Select an object whose properties you want to match.
2. Click Sel Same in the action bar.
3. Choose Same Fill Color, Same Stroke Color, or Same Object Type.
4. All matching objects on the canvas are selected.
5. Now apply a color change, move, or delete to affect all of them at once.

General Shortcuts

Tools & View

Object Movement

General Workflow Tips

• Save your project frequently using Save (Ctrl+S). The browser doesn't auto-save.
• Use Duplicate (Ctrl+D) instead of Copy+Paste — it places the copy immediately without needing to paste.
• Hold Alt while dragging an object to create a quick duplicate in place.
• Use Undo liberally — 50 steps are available. Experiment freely.
• Right-click any object on the canvas for a quick context menu with common actions.
• The Layers panel is great for selecting objects hidden under others — click the layer item instead of the canvas.
• Use Groups to keep related objects together. Double-click a group to edit individual members without ungrouping.

Text Tips

• Keep sign text readable — limit to 2-3 font families per design.
• Use the Text Editor (Text menu) for full control over multi-style text with mixed fonts and sizes in one object.
• Auto-fit Text (Text menu) automatically shrinks text to fit within its bounding box.
• Convert text to paths (Path → To Path) before sending to a sign cutter to avoid font issues.
• Use Paragraph Text Box for body copy — it wraps automatically. Use regular Text for headlines.

Color Tips

• Use the ChromaStack color library (Colors tab) to access 1,341 professional PMS and standard colors.
• Search by hex code (e.g. #ff6600) to find the closest named color match.
• The bottom color bar is a quick-access strip — click to apply to the selected object's fill or stroke.
• Use Select Same → Fill Color to find and update all objects sharing a color in one step.
• High contrast between text and background is critical for readability at a distance on signs.

Export & Print Tips

• Use Export PDF for professional print production — it's vector and resolution-independent.
• Use Export SVG when sending to a sign cutter or vinyl plotter.
• Use Export PNG for proofs, web display, or email previews.
• Convert all text to paths (Path → To Path) before exporting SVG for cutters — this prevents font substitution.
• Make sure objects don't bleed onto the pasteboard — only the white canvas area exports.

Performance Tips

• Group objects you're finished editing to reduce canvas render complexity.
• Very large raster images slow things down — use Vectorize for logos, or resize images before uploading.
• Use Wireframe View (W) on complex designs to speed up editing.
• If the canvas feels sluggish, try reducing the browser zoom level and using the app's internal zoom instead.

Vector & Path Tips

• Always convert shapes to paths (Path → To Path) before using Weld, Subtract, or the Node editor.
• Use Reduce in the node editor to simplify paths after freehand drawing — it removes redundant anchor points.
• The Smooth toggle in node edit makes curve handles mirror each other for smooth continuous curves.
• Use Contour/Offset (Path menu) to add an outline around any shape — great for creating bordered letters or adding bleed.
• Use Break Apart on compound paths (like welded text) to access individual letters as separate objects.