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Give classroom titles and shapes a coordinated look. Learn which elements share the Appearance controls, how to adjust each effect, and what to check when a control is missing.
About 9 minutesBeginner friendlyShared styling controls
1. Which elements support these effects?
Appearance depends on the selected element. A heading made with Decorative text can use effects inside and around its letters. A shape can use the same fills within its silhouette. Image-based artwork keeps the colors already present in the image.
Element | Fill options | Outline and shadow options |
|---|---|---|
Decorative text | Color, Pattern, and Gradient inside the letters. | Stroke, Second Stroke for an individually selected text element, Outer Shadow, and Inner Shadow. |
Current Shapes Library shapes | Color, Pattern, and Gradient inside the silhouette. | Stroke with Inside or Outside position, Outer Shadow, and Inner Shadow. No Second Stroke. |
Regular text | Solid Text color, with font and paragraph formatting. | No shared Stroke, Second Stroke, or shadow effects. |
Clipart and uploaded images | The image's own colors; no shared Color, Pattern, or Gradient fill. | No shared outline or shadow effects. |
Letter sets and Word Builder artwork | The letters' existing artwork colors. | Image-based letters do not use Decorative text's shared effects. |
2. Open Appearance and choose a fill
Select a supported element on the canvas or in Layers. The selection toolbar offers three fill buttons: a solid-color circle, a gradient circle, and a striped pattern circle. Clicking one opens the corresponding controls in the inspector's Properties → Appearance section.
Under Fill mode, choose Color, Pattern, or Gradient. One fill mode is active at a time. Stroke and shadows are separate effects, so you can keep them while changing the fill.
For a solid fill, choose a Fill color swatch, open its color picker, or type a hex value such as #126B63. Press Enter or click outside the field to commit a typed value.
3. Blend colors with a gradient
Choose Gradient under Fill mode, then select linear or radial. Both use Start and End colors, which you can set with swatches, pickers, or hex fields.
Choose two colors. Related colors give a gentle blend; strongly different colors create a more noticeable transition.
For linear, set Angle. This turns the direction of the blend across the element.
For radial, set Center. Click within the center-position square to move the origin of the blend. The X and Y percentages show its position.
Adjust Scale. A larger scale spreads the transition over a broader area; a smaller scale makes it tighter. Compare the result directly on the canvas.
4. Choose and position a repeating pattern
Choose Pattern under Fill mode and open the repeat-pattern library. The picker offers Patterns, Clipart, Name Tags, and My Uploads. Use the search field or the Free filter to narrow the choices. Premium assets are marked with a crown and require a plan that includes them.
Selecting an asset here applies it as the selected element's repeating fill. The same artwork added through the Clipart tool would be a separate image element with different styling controls.
Pattern control | What it changes |
|---|---|
Pattern color | The motif color, when the asset supports recoloring. Full-color images retain their artwork colors. |
Background color | The base beneath the pattern, visible through transparent gaps or a faded pattern. |
Scale | The size of the repeated artwork. A larger value makes larger motifs. |
5. Add outlines with Stroke and Second Stroke
In Appearance, turn on the Stroke switch. Click the section label or chevron to expand its settings. Enabling the effect and expanding the section are separate actions.
Choose Stroke color and adjust Stroke width. Current library shapes also offer Stroke position: Inside places the edge within the silhouette, while Outside extends it around the shape. Decorative text does not have this position selector.
For an individually selected Decorative text element, enable Second Stroke to add another outline around the first. Give it its own color and width. The heading in this guide uses a white Stroke with width 8 and a blue Second Stroke with width 12.
Turn an effect's switch off to hide it while retaining its settings. Leave enough room around neighboring elements and board edges for thick outlines.
6. Add depth with outer and inner shadows
Decorative text and current library shapes support Outer Shadow and Inner Shadow. Turn on the effect you want, then expand the section to adjust it. You can use both together.
Outer Shadow adds depth around the element. Inner Shadow shades within its letters or silhouette, giving an inset appearance.
Color: choose the shadow's color.
Opacity: control how strong the shadow appears.
Angle: set its direction in degrees.
Distance: set the offset from the element's edge.
Glow size: adjust softness. Smaller values give a crisper edge; larger values give a softer spread.
Start with a low opacity and compare the effect on and off. Heavy shading can reduce the clarity of small lettering or detailed patterns.
7. Know which Opacity you are changing
Several controls share the name Opacity, but affect different parts of the design.
Where you find it | What fades |
|---|---|
Properties → Basics → Opacity | The whole element, including its fill, outline, and effects. |
Appearance → Pattern → Opacity | The repeated pattern over its background color. |
Outer Shadow or Inner Shadow → Opacity | Only that shadow effect. |
To quiet a busy pattern while keeping a clear outline, lower the pattern's opacity. To soften a shadow, use that shadow's opacity. Lower Basics opacity when you want the complete element to become more transparent.
8. Style multiple elements, groups, and repeating tiles
To make matching elements consistent, select several Decorative text elements or several current library shapes. You can select multiple elements through Layers using Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on Mac. Shared fields may show Mixed or a blank value when the selected elements have different settings.
Changing a shared field applies that value across the selected compatible elements. For example, choosing one Stroke color makes their outlines match. A Mixed value simply tells you the current settings differ. Unlock locked elements before bulk editing. If a mixed selection of different element types hides the controls you need, select matching types separately.
For a group, use Edit Group in the selection toolbar; it may be under More selection actions. Choose the individual element in the group's element list or Layers, then scroll to its Appearance controls. A shape child offers shape styling, while an image child keeps its image-specific controls.
9. Check readability and finish
If a styling control is missing, first check the selected element against the support table. Then check whether you need to enter a group or choose a repeating tile. Select a single supported element and unlock it if the controls are disabled.
Use Fit to screen to judge the full composition, then zoom in to inspect edges. If patterned text is hard to read, enlarge the motifs, reduce their contrast, or add a clear outline. Keep body text over a quieter fill.
