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Draw perfect lines, curves, and shapes

Goodnotes helps you turn hand-drawn lines or shapes into perfect geometric ones. Helping your notes look cleaner and more professional and improving legibility. 

Draw a shape or line

There are two ways you can draw shapes:

With the Pen/Highlighter Tool

Use the Pen to draw a shape in one stroke, but pause at the end of the stroke, and Goodnotes will perfect the shape for you. As soon as the shape is created, if you keep holding the stylus and move its tip, the shape will change accordingly.

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With the Shape Tool

Use the Shape Tool to draw a shape in one stroke, without needing to pause at the end of your stroke. You can access the Shape Tool in the Handwriting Toolbar.

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Supported shapes

    • Lines
    • Ovals / Circles
    • Rectangles / Squares
    • Triangles / Polygons
    • Curves 

Edit or move a shape

1. While the Pen tool is selected, tap on the shape with your finger (not your Apple Pencil). Alternatively, choose the Shape tool and simply tap on the shape.
2. Adjust the points of the shape, or move the whole shape around the page. 

 

Color-filling a shape

If wanted, you can fill each shape with a block color. You can find these options in the Shape Tool pop-up menu.

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When enabled every closed shape you draw will be filled transparently with the selected color. If you have already created your shape, and now need to Fill Color, you can select a shape with the Lasso tool, tap the selection, and choose Color to change the color of both the outline and the filling.

 

Other Settings for Shape Tool

Require Hold to Snap (Shape tool setting only): Disable this if you want to draw completely vertical or horizontal lines without holding the pen.

Fill Color

Snap to Other Shapes: Drawing a line or curve and holding the stylus tip close to an endpoint of another line/curve will connect both of them automatically. This is great for drawing tables or a closed shape, for example. A closed shape can then be adjusted and moved as a whole.