Complete Guide to Graphics for Mac

Step 1: Create or Open a Project

Method: After launching the software, you will see a “Welcome” window. To create a new file, click “New Document” or use the shortcut Command + N. You can choose from a variety of preset sizes (such as A4, Web, iOS device sizes) or create a custom-sized canvas. To open an existing file, click “Open Existing Document” or use Command + O to select a .graphics or supported file (such as SVG, PDF) from Finder.

Step 2: Drawing and Editing Basic Shapes

Method: Select the “Rectangle Tool” from the toolbar (or press the R key), then drag on the canvas to create a rectangle. Hold the Shift key to draw a square, and hold the Option key to draw from the center.

Once the shape is selected, the “Style Inspector” on the right side becomes active immediately. You can:

• Click the “Fill” color swatch to choose a solid color, linear/radial gradient, or pattern fill.
• Click the “Border” toggle and set the border color, thickness (width), dash style, and more.
• In the “Attributes Inspector,” enter values directly to precisely adjust the width and height.

Other basic shapes (ellipse E, polygon, star, etc.) work similarly. Use the “Selection Tool” (V) to move and transform any object.

Step 3: Drawing Custom Paths with the Pen and Bezier Curves

Method: Select the “Pen Tool” (P). Click on the canvas to create corner points, and click and drag to create smooth Bezier curve points. To close the path, move the cursor to the starting point and click when the small circle icon appears. To edit an existing path, use the “Node Edit Tool” (A) to select the path, and you can:

• Drag nodes or handles to adjust the curve.
• Convert node types (smooth point, corner point) in the inspector.
• Use the “Add Node” or “Delete Node” tools in the toolbar to refine and edit the path.

Step 4: Add and Format Text

Method: Select the “Text Tool” (T), click on the canvas to create point text, or drag a text box to create area text. After entering text, you can set the font, font size, letter spacing, line spacing, color, and alignment under the “Text” tab in the “Style Inspector.” Text objects can also have fill, border, and shadow effects applied to them.

Step 5: Arrange, Align, and Group Objects

Method: Hold the Shift key and use the “Selection Tool” to click multiple objects, or drag a selection box to select multiple items. Then, in the “Arrange Inspector,” use the alignment buttons (align left, horizontal center, align right, etc.) and distribution buttons to precisely position objects. Use Command + G to group selected objects for easy movement and manipulation as a whole; use Command + Shift + G to ungroup. Through the right-click menu or the “Arrange” menu, you can adjust the stacking order of objects (bring to front Command + Shift + ], move up one layer Command + ]).

Step 6: Export the Final Artwork

Method: After completing your design, go to the menu bar File > Export... (or use Command + E). In the export panel:

1. On the left side, select the page or artboard you want to export (if the document contains multiple).
2. From the “Format” dropdown menu on the right, select the export format, such as PNG, JPG, PDF, or SVG.
3. For PNG/JPG, you can set the scale factor (1x, 2x, 3x) and resolution.
4. Click the “Export…” button, choose a save location, and confirm.

You can also use the “Slice Tool” to define specific areas on the canvas and set individual export formats and parameters for each, enabling batch and multi-format export.