Chapter 2.2.3 LibreOffice Draw¶
LibreOffice Draw is the drawing portion of LibreOffice.
Usage¶
To draw a line left click on the single line button on the toolbar on the left or Shape –> Line. Then click at one point where you want the line to start and move with the mouse to where you want it to end. To draw a rectangle left click on the rectangle button on the left bar or Shape –> Rectangle. Then click on one corner of the rectangle and then more the mouse to the other corner diagonally of where you want the rectangle. To draw an ellipse left click on the ellipse button on the left bar or Shape –> Ellipse. Then left click on one side of the ellipse and move the mouse to where you want the other side of the ellipse to end. At the end of drawing something it will be selected and you can move and resize it as you wish.
To switch to a selection tool left click on the mouse cursor image on the left bar. To move what you have selected left click and drag it to where you want it. To resize an item keeping its proportion left click on a corner of the boxes that show up and click and drag to the desired side. To squish or stretch while resizing something click on corner on the side and the click and drag to the desired size. To delete an selected part press delete while you have it selected.
To draw an arrow click on the Left Pointing Arrow button on the left bar. To choose among many different arrows . To change which type of arrow click on the drop down and left click on the arrow to select that kind. Then left click where to put one end of the arrow and then move the mouse to the other end of the arrow. To draw a few different shapes click the Shape button on the left bar. To choose a different shape click on the drop down next to the shape. The click where you want the shape and move the mouse to choose how big to make the shape. More shapes can also be chosen from .
To change the color of your line press the lines, dots, and drops dropdown menu to choose many different colors. To choose your color for things filled in press the dropdown underlined bucket button on the left bar. To switch to a color left click on it. To switch to a recently used color click on the color under Recent. To select a custom color click on Custom color.
To rotate an object select it and , right click and select . Then left click on the corner to spin an object around. To change the axis of where you are rotating an object move the dot in the center to change the center of rotation.
To flip a shape vertically or right click . To flip a shape horizontally or right click .
To insert a textbox press F2, press the button with a T in a box, or Insert –> Text box. Drag the text box into what shape you want it. Then type the text you want in the text box.
To save your drawing press Control+s, press the Floppy disk button, or . To save your file as a separate name press Control+ shift + s or . To open a file press Control +O, the Folder button, or . To save your file in a different format press the rectangle with the rightward pointing arrow or File –> Export. To export the file into a PDF directly press the button with the black rectangle and a bent corner on a piece of paper or File –> Export As –> Export Directly as PDF.
To undo if you make a mistake press Control + Z, press the u shaped arrow pointing to the left button, or . If you want to redo something you undid press Control+ Y, press the u shaped arrow pointing to the right button, or .
To cut or copy something first select it. Then to copy press Control+C or . To cut press Control+ X or . To paste press Control+ V or .
To toggle showing a grid press the Grid button on the toolbar or View –> Grid and Helplines –> Display Grid. To bring the grid to the front of the drawing .
To zoom in and out there is a zoom bar on the bottom right. To zoom in move the zoom bar towards the +. To zoom out move the zoom bar towards the -. The current zoom is displayed to the right of the zoom bar. To zoom to see the entire page . To zoom to the width of the page . To return to your previous level of zoom :menuselection:` View –> Zoom –> Zoom Previous`. On the bottom right hand corner there is a bar to adjust the zoom. In the right of this bar shows the current zoom. Move the bar to the right to zoom and to the left to zoom out. To set the zoom back to your default view press the four arrows in different directions button. To choose to switch your current zoom right click on your current zoom and select a new zoom.
On the left there is a sidebar that shows your a summary of each page of a drawing. To add a new page right click on the page sidebar and select or . To switch between pages left click on the page you want to switch to on the left hand side. To delete a page right click on the page sidebar and select . To duplicate your page right click on the page on the sidebar and select . To rename a page right click on the sidebar and select .
To toggle showing rulers in LibreOffice Draw press Control+ Shift + R, , or right click and select .
Version¶
Lubuntu ships with version 7.5.6 of LibreOffice Draw.