How to Use the Markup Tool

Annotate your Canvas with freehand drawings, highlights, and visual comments to communicate design ideas effectively.

Overview

The Markup Tool allows you to draw freehand on your Canvas, making it easy to highlight elements, create visual annotations, and add emphasis to your design presentations. Use this tool to communicate ideas clearly with clients and team members through visual cues and callouts.

Accessing the Markup Tool

1. Open your Canvas project

2. Locate the Markup icon in the top toolbar; the icon appears as a wavy/squiggly line in the main toolbar at the top of the screen

3. Single-click the icon to activate the Markup Tool for a single use (tool will deactivate after one markup)

4. Double-click the icon to activate the Markup Tool in persistent mode (tool stays active for multiple markups)

5. When activated, a tooltip will appear showing "Markup" and the keyboard shortcut "M"

6. The Markup Tool options panel will then appear, showing thickness controls and color options

Creating Markups

Once the Markup Tool is activated:

1. Click and hold anywhere on the Canvas

2. Drag your cursor to draw freehand lines

3. Release to complete the line

4. Your markup will appear in the color and thickness you selected

Note: By default, the Markup Tool will deactivate after drawing one line, returning you to the Selection Tool. To make the tool persist for multiple markups, double-click the Markup Tool icon instead of single-clicking it.

Editing Existing Markups

Selecting a Markup

1. Click on the Selection Tool (arrow icon) in the toolbar

2. Click on any markup to select it

3. Selection handles will appear around the markup

Selecting Colors

1. Select your markup on the canvas

2. Click the line icon in the markup toolbar

3. Choose from the grid of preset colors

4. For custom colors, click the color picker icon to access the advanced color selector

5. The advanced color picker offers:

   • A color spectrum for visual selection

   • Hue and opacity sliders

   • A HEX code field for precise color input (#FB1919 in the example)

6. Your selected color will be highlighted with a purple border in the preset grid

Adjusting Line Thickness

1. Select your markup on the canvas

2. Click the line icon in the markup toolbar

3. Drag the purple slider dot left for thinner lines or right for thicker lines

4. The thickness setting is immediately applied to new markup lines

Moving a Markup

1. Select the markup you want to move

2. Click and drag to reposition

3. Release to place in the new position

Deleting a Markup

1. Select the markup you want to remove

2. Press Delete/Backspace on your keyboard

3. Alternatively, right-click and select "Delete" from the context menu

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Activate Markup Tool	M
Delete Selected Markup	Delete
Undo Last Markup	Ctrl+Z (Windows) / Cmd+Z (Mac)
Redo Markup	Ctrl+Shift+Z (Windows) / Cmd+Shift+Z (Mac)