Add lines and shapes

The Freeform app includes a wide variety of pre-designed “clip art” shapes that you can use in your projects, including basic shapes, geometric shapes, objects, animals, food, nature scenes, symbols, educational illustrations, art and science images, people, places, activities, transportation, work-related images, and decorative ornaments. These shapes are organized into categories for easy browsing.

You can customize the shapes in a number of ways to suit your needs. For example, you can stack multiple shapes on top of one another using the layering feature, change the color of the shapes, draw over them with the drawing tools, resize them using drag and drop gestures, break the component pieces apart and manipulate them individually, add various borders, group them together, adjust the opacity, and more.

Add lines, arrows, and curves

  1. On a board, tap the Add Shape button.
  2. Choose a line type from the Basic tab.
  3. Tap on the line to bring up the formatting tools. Different types of lines have different options. Tap any of the following:ToolDescriptionthe Set Stroke buttonChange the line style.Note: The color of the line button changes to reflect the current color of the line.the Set Line Ends buttonTurn lines into arrows, or add other styles of endings.the Set Connection Line buttonChange the connection line style.Note: This button appears only for curves and connection lines.
  4. Tap the line to display a series of dots. Drag the blue dots to alter the shape’s size or proportions. For connection lines, you can use the blue dots to attach an endpoint to something else on the board. To adjust the arc on connection lines, drag the green dot.A Freeform board with a curved line selected and the formatting tools visible. A menu for selecting the style for the start and end of the line appears above the formatting tools.

Add shapes

The shape library has an abundance of shapes, including many from different categories. There are hundreds of shapes available in the shapes library.

  1. Open a board then tap the Add Shape button, then choose a shape.
  2. To insert text into a shape, double-click inside the shape and enter your desired text. To modify the text after insertion, double-tap the shape again.
  3. With the shape selected, tap to show the formatting tools, then tap any of the following:ToolDescriptionthe Set Fill buttonChange the color.Note: The color of the button changes to reflect the current fill color.the Set Stroke buttonChange the border.Note: The color of the button changes to reflect the current border color.the Modify Text buttonFormat text.
  4. Editable shapes can be resized and reshaped by tapping on them to reveal dots. Drag the blue ones to change the size and proportions of the shape, and the green dots to alter aspects specific to the shape, like its number of sides.A talking bubble shape selected with the formatting tools and green and blue dots visible. A pop-up menu for text formatting appears above the formatting tools, and the button for changing the font is labeled.

Put an image into a shape

You can use a shape as a mask or frame.

  1. Insert a shape, position it over an image, then select both the shape and the image.
  2. Tap the More button, then tap Mask with Shape.

Or drag an image onto a shape to use it as a frame.

Combine shapes

You can make a new shape by combining one shape with another, or you can also subtract shapes from each other, or even remove the overlapping area between them.

  1. To connect multiple shapes, touch and hold one shape, then tap any other shape you’d like to add.
  2. Tap the Arrange button, then tap an option to unite, intersect, subtract, or exclude.

Split shapes apart

It’s possible to divide a compound shape into its components, allowing you to edit each one separately. For example, if you have a map of the United States (located below the Places tab), you can separate each state and change its individual color, providing a unique visual effect.

  1. Tap the shape to select it, then tap it again to see the formatting tools.
  2. Tap the More button, then tap Break Apart.
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