Custom Styles
Custom styles let you save your own reusable looks alongside the built-in canvas themes (Clean, Sketch, Comic, Blueprint). A custom style captures the visual treatment of your diagram — fills, strokes, shadows, roughness, fill patterns, and more — so you can apply a consistent, polished look to any document with a single click.
Note: Custom styles extend the Autostyles system and are a PRO feature.
Opening the Custom Styles Editor
- Open the Autostyle menu in the toolbar (or View → Canvas Theme)
- Choose Customize…
The Custom Styles editor opens with two columns:
- Left — a master list of styles, split into Built-in (read-only) and Custom (editable)
- Right — an editable parameter form for the selected style
Creating a Custom Style
You have two starting points:
- Duplicate a built-in — select a built-in style (e.g. Sketch) and click Duplicate to create an editable copy. This is the easiest way to start, because you inherit a complete, working style.
- Start fresh — click New Style (the + button) to create a new editable style.
Use the toolbar beneath the list to manage your styles:
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| + (New Style) | Create a new custom style |
| Duplicate | Copy the selected style into an editable custom style |
| Rename | Rename a custom style |
| − (Delete) | Remove a custom style |
Built-in styles can't be renamed or deleted — duplicate one if you want to modify it.
Editing a Style
Select a custom style to edit its parameters on the right. Depending on the style, you can adjust:
- Fills — solid colors and gradients
- Strokes — color, width, and dash
- Shadow — depth and softness
- Roughness and fill patterns — the same hand-drawn parameters used by the Autostyles (hachure, cross-hatch, dots, bowing, multi-stroke, and so on)
Changes are saved to your app-wide style library, so your custom styles are available in every document.
Applying a Style
Custom styles appear in the Autostyle menu (and View → Canvas Theme) right below the built-in themes. Selecting one applies it to your document instantly.
From the Custom Styles editor you also have two apply modes in the footer:
- Apply — apply the style while preserving any manual per-object overrides you've made
- Reset & Apply — clear manual overrides first, then apply the style cleanly
Replicating a Style from an Image (MCP)
If you connect an AI assistant via the MCP server, you can hand it a reference image and ask it to reproduce the look. The assistant creates a matching custom style (and, where shapes are involved, a matching custom template) that you can then apply like any other.
Custom Styles vs. Shape Styles vs. Copy Style
| Feature | What it does | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Styles | Reusable, document-wide visual style (a custom canvas theme) | Saved in your style library, available everywhere |
| Shape Styles | Quick per-shape style presets and defaults | Per document / per shape type |
| Copy Style | One-off copy of one element's look onto others | Ad hoc |
Tips
- Duplicate, don't start from zero — beginning from a built-in style gives you a complete, working baseline
- Name styles by use — "Brand Light", "Workshop", "Print" are easier to find than "Style 2"
- Combine with color schemes — pair a custom style with a color scheme for full control over palette and treatment
- Use Reset & Apply for a clean slate — when a document has accumulated manual tweaks, Reset & Apply gives you a consistent result
Related Topics
- Autostyles (Canvas Themes) — the built-in styles custom styles are based on
- Shape Styles — per-shape presets and defaults
- Copy & Apply Styles — the format painter
- AI Integration — replicate a style from a reference image