Lucidchart's drag and drop interface and simple styling tools make it easy for you to build beautiful diagrams from scratch. Whether you are looking for shape styling basics or more advanced tips and tricks, this article will teach you how to work with shapes in the Lucidchart editor so that you can build beautiful visuals to match your specific needs.

For information on how to use shape libraries to organize your shapes, please see the Create and Manage Shape Libraries article.

Shape Styling FAQs

How do I change the style of a shape?
You can customize a shape's style by selecting it and modifying the settings in the properties bar at the top of the editor. See the "Shape Styling Basics" section below for more information about shape styling.

How do I change the default style for new shapes added to my canvas?
If you would like to change the default properties applied to new shapes added to your canvas, un-select any selected objects by clicking anywhere on your canvas and then change the style settings. Any new shapes added to the document will display this custom style.

Can I change a shape on my canvas to a different shape while retaining its style properties?
Yes! You can change a shape on your canvas to another shape in the same shape library. To do this, right-click on the shape and select "Change Shape." Choose the new shape from the menu that appears.

Can I apply the style properties of one shape to another shape on the canvas?
Yup! To apply the style of one shape to another, right-click the first shape and select "Copy Style." Then right-click the second shape and select "Paste Style."

How do I lock down a shape's properties to prevent further modification?
To lock down a shape's position, size, and/or style, select the shape and click the lock

icon in the properties bar OR right-click on the shape and select "Lock" from the dropdown menu.

How can I remove a border from a shape?
You can remove a shape's border by making it transparent. To do so, select the shape, click the Line Color

icon in the Properties bar, and click on the top left color swatch.

Add a Shape to Your Canvas

There are several ways you can add a shape to your canvas.

Drag a shape from one of the shape libraries in your toolbox and drop it onto the canvas.
Drag a line from a shape that is already on your canvas and select a new shape from the auto-prompt menu.
Upload a shape from your device.

Move, Resize, and Rotate a Shape

After adding a shape to your diagram, you can move, resize and rotate it directly on the canvas or in the Shape Options menu

of the properties bar.

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To move a shape, simply drag it with your cursor or select it and move it using your arrow keys. Hold down "Shift" while using your arrow keys to move your shape in smaller increments.

To resize a shape, select it and drag one of the blue squares along its border. Hold down "shift" to maintain the shape's dimensions while resizing.

To rotate a shape, select it and drag it clockwise or counter-clockwise using the handle in the top left corner of its border.

Shape Styling Basics

Shape Fill
To add a fill color to a shape, select the shape, click the Fill Color

icon, and select one of the color swatches.

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If you do not see a color that you want, you can click the color wheel

and manually pick a color by adjusting the HSB and RGBA values in your color space, or by typing the hexidecimal code of the color you desire into the text box next to the # symbol.

To match your shape's color to an exisitng color on your canvas, click the wand

and then click the object to which you want to match. Adjust the opacity of the shape fill by sliding the blue dot along the opacity bar or adjusting the value to its right.

Border Color, Style, and Thickness
To modify a shape's border color, select the shape, click the Line Color

icon, and select one of the color swatches.

Use the Line Style

and Line Width

menus to the right to modify the border style and thickness.

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Shadow
To add a shadow to a shape, select the shape and and then click the Shape Options

icon. Click "Shadow" at the bottom and then toggle the shadow option from off to on. You can then adjust the shadow's distance from the object, blur, color, and angle with the surrounding settings.

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Roundedness
To round the corners of a shape, select the shape and then click the Shape Options

icon. Toggle the arrows or type a pixel value in the "rounded" box at the bottom.

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Fill a Shape with a Gradient or an Image

In addition to solid colors, you can fill a shape with a color gradient or an image. You can find these options by clicking "More" at the bottom of the Fill Color

window.

You can add more color stops to your gradient by clicking on the color bar. You can move these stops by dragging them and change their color by clicking on them and selecting a new color swatch. You can also adjust the angle and radius of the gradient with the options below the color bar.

Adjust the scale of an image with the "image scale" menu. You can also adjust the saturation, contrast, and brightness of the image by clicking the "effects" icon. Click the "crop" icon to crop the image.

Create Advanced Custom Shapes

In addition to the basic shape styling options described above, here are some advanced ways to use Lucidchart to create custom shapes.

Group Multiple Shapes into One
You can combine two or more shapes into one by selecting them, right-clicking on the selection box, and then selecting "Group." Right-click on the shape and select "Add to Custom Shape Library" to save the shape for future use.

Link Data to Custom Shapes
Want to link data to custom shapes? You can find instructions on how to create custom shapes in the Link Lucidchart Diagrams to Spreadsheet Data article.

Modify the Flex Polygon You can create a custom shape using the Flex Polygon, which you can find under "Shapes" in your toolbox.

You can adjust the shape of your Flex Polygon by dragging the purple squares along the edge of the shape.

Visualize Data with Dynamic Shapes

The new Dynamic Shapes shape library allows you use data to dictate the display of your shapes. Please see the Visualize Data with Dynamic Shapes article for more information!

User Story: Design Medical Concepts with Lucidchart Shapes

There are many creative ways to customize shapes in Lucidchart. A medical student named April, for example, uses Lucidchart to create intricate, visual notes for her classes. In one section of her notes, she modifies the standard circle shape to build representations of complex cell formations and other medical concepts. Take a look at the cluster of antibodies that she created below.

Here is a cluster of antibodies that she created.

While designing something like this from scratch might seem daunting, it really only takes a few easy steps and a splash of creativity. Don’t believe us? Follow these steps to try it yourself:

Drag out a basic circle and resize it to form an oval.
Increase the border thickness and add a fill color.
Duplicate the shape by holding down alt while clicking and dragging.
Group the duplicated shapes together.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 as many times as needed.

See this blog post to learn more about April's story!
Once you’ve followed the above steps and understand how to stretch and style shapes, the possibilities become limitless. As you know, the visible world around us is comprised of endless combinations of colors and shapes, and like any other artistic medium, Lucidchart provides a platform for you to experiment with visual representations of our geometric reality. For example, you could create a moon shape that looks like this:

Although you won’t find this moon shape in standard shape libraries, you can easily create this exact moon by combining four circle shapes: a green circle, a dark yellow circle, and two light yellow circles. The dark yellow “crescent” moon is actually a normal circle shape with a larger light yellow circle shape behind it and a smaller light yellow circle above it.

By placing multiple shapes above one another, you can add depth to your diagrams and even recreate masterpieces like Van Gogh’s Starry Night:

No special tools or skills are needed to design a diagram like this one. All you really is a vision and some patience to combine multiple small shapes together on the Lucidchart canvas. Click on the image above to take a closer look at all the shapes that make up this masterpiece. Whether you want to ace your medical school exams or replicate your favorite painting, custom shapes empower you to use your imagination and create dynamic, collaborative, and beautiful visualizations with Lucidchart.

Resources

Course (English only)

Design Hacks for Wow-Worthy Diagrams