Hi there, and welcome to Lucidchart.
In this video we'll give you a quick tour of the document Editor and point out some
of the newest features.
Once you've decided to create a new document or open an existing diagram, you are inside
the Editor.
The most import areas of the Editor are the Toolbox or Shape Library, the 'Menu' bar,
the 'Properties' bar, the Dock, and, of course, the Canvas.
We have a lot of great features to work with, so I'll give you a high level overview and
then you can take some time on your own to click around.
The Toolbox is the place to start.
If you don't see the shapes you want, click the 'More Shapes' button at the bottom and
select which libraries you'd like accessible.
Once those shapes are out, you can drag and drop shapes from the Toolbox to start building
your diagram, and then use the areas of the Editor to modify them.
At the top of the Toolbox, you can use the Google search bar that searches through Google
images, icon finder, and the entire Shape Library.
If you want to add your own images, simply drag them straight onto the Canvas from your
computer.
Or click the '+' button in the user images library.
Both open the Image Manager, which lets you upload images from your desktop, social media
sites, and search engines.
If you are in a team environment, you will also see your team members' public images.
Don't worry about the resolution or size of your image.
We'll show you the ideal resolution for optimum Editor speed and export the high resolution.
If you want to see the high resolution while working, use the 'View' menu to 'Display High
Quality Images.'
Now that you know where to get your objects, let me show you how to customize them.
This will take place from the 'Properties' bar, Dock, and the 'Menu' bar.
The 'Properties' bar is meant to style your text, shapes, or lines in the Editor and is
activated when you select one of those items.
If text is selected, you can change the font type, color, size, and other formatting.
If you've selected a shape, you can change the border color, fill color, add shadows,
or get more technical by adding a link action to the shape.
Lines are similar to shapes, so you can change the thickness and color.
But you can also choose if you want the line to be round, elbowed, or straight.
The arrow style options are in the drop-down menus.
If you need to reverse the options, just click the button between drop-downs.
That covers the 'Properties' bar.
Now the Dock on the right side of the Editor breaks down into panels for the various functions
you might need.
One.
Use the Navigator to zoom in and out and select what part of the diagram is shown.
Two.
Use the Graphic panel is used to style objects and lines, similar to the 'Properties' bar.
But it also let's you be a little more detailed with opacity, drop shadow, direction, gradients,
and even inserting an image inside an object.
The 'Theme' table let's you set a default style for the document.
Three.
The Metrics panel gives you the pixel-perfect position and size of your object with the
ability to modify the fields, as well as rotate and flip the shape.
Four.
The Text panel provides more advanced settings for padding, indenting, and spacing the highlighted
text.
Five.
Use the Page Layout and Settings panel to change the dimensions, orientation, or margins
of each page and assign rules to shapes.
Use the second tab to choose how the shapes behave on a grid, what increments you want
the shapes to move in, and how large content appears on the page.
And whether or not the document automatically adds panels to each page.
Use the controls below the line to apply a background color, gradient, or image to the
entire document.
Six.
Master Pages makes it easy to replicate static content across multiple pages without needing
to copy and paste.
Seven.
Revision History is available to Pro, Team, and Enterprise accounts and provides a chronological
history of the document.
See who made the changes, when, and what it looked like at the time.
Then revert to that version or create a new document from it.
Eight.
The Layers panel is commonly used with wireframes or mockups and lets you put more content on
top of existing content.
Use layers in conjunction with Hotspots to toggle, show, or hide a layer at the click
of a mouse, putting your viewer in control.
Create a layer, give it a description, and you'll be dropped into a special mode for
editing that layer.
Use the 'Page' breadcrumb in the black bar across the top of the Canvas to navigate back
to your actual page.
Or hit 'Escape' to stop editing and go back.
If you don't want the layer to show, hide the eye in the checkbox and sync your changes
with the button next to the demo control.
The 'Demo' button puts the diagram into a presentation mode, hiding all toolbars and
reflecting user interaction created with Hotspots.
Nine.
The last button lets you search for a tutorial while in the Editor.
You can access the Help Center and submit a question to Support by opening the 'Help'
tab on the menu bar.
Now at the bottom of the Canvas, you will notice two great communication tools: the
Comment bar and the Chat box.
The Chat box integrates with Google Hangouts for real-time conversations with other collaborators
who are also editing the file.
And the Comment bar is perfect for leaving notes for collaborators to reply to later.
Just @Mention a user on your team and an email notification will be sent to that user with
a link to the document.
Comments are only saved inside the document and can be replied to, resolved, and attached
to specific objects.
That concludes our tour of the Editor.
Thanks for watching.