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Style a path with fills and strokes

Last updated: September 8, 2026 · 4 min read

Adjust a path’s fill, outline, end markers and shadow.

Fill styles the interior and stroke styles the outline. End markers and stroke alignment depend on whether the path is open or closed.

Follow these steps

  1. 1

    Choose a fill

    PropertiesFill

    Use the fill color control to select a solid color, a gradient or transparency. For an outline-only drawing, choose a transparent fill and enable a stroke.

  2. 2

    Set the stroke

    PropertiesStroke

    Set stroke width above 0. Choose its color or gradient, then select Solid, Dashed or Dotted. Set the width to 0 to remove the stroke.

  3. 3

    Set a dash pattern

    PropertiesDash pattern

    With Dashed selected, enter alternating dash and gap lengths separated by spaces. For example, 6 3 repeats six units of line followed by three units of space.

    The field appears only when the stroke is enabled and set to Dashed.

  4. 4

    Align a closed outline

    PropertiesStroke align

    For a single closed path, choose Inside, Center or Outside to position the stroke relative to the outline.

    This control is not shown for open paths or objects with multiple path pieces.

  5. 5

    Add markers to an open line

    PropertiesStart cap

    For a single open path, set Start cap and End cap separately. Choose None, Arrow, Circle or Square.

    A visible stroke is required for these markers.

  6. 6

    Choose caps and joins

    PropertiesCap

    Choose Butt, Round or Square for Cap; choose Miter, Round or Bevel for Join. These change how stroke ends and corners look.

    To round the actual path geometry, use Corner radius while editing points.

  7. 7

    Tint an image fill

    PropertiesApply over image

    If the path contains an image, enable Apply over image to layer the fill color or gradient on top. Adjust Fill intensity to control the effect.

    Adding and positioning images is covered in the masking lessons.

  8. 8

    Adjust the shadow

    PropertiesShadow

    Open Shadow. Use X and Y to offset it, blur to soften its edges, and spread to change its size. Adjust color and opacity for intensity. The reset icon in the section heading resets offset, blur and spread.

  9. 9

    Select similar paths

    PropertiesSelect similar

    Open Select similar. Enable Stroke color, Stroke width or Fill to select matching paths on the current page. With several criteria enabled, a path must match all of them.

Controls

The controls used in this lesson.

ControlWhere?What it does
FillPropertiesSolid color, gradient or transparency.
StrokePropertiesOutline color, width and style.
Dash patternPropertiesRepeated dash and gap lengths.
Stroke alignPropertiesInside, centered or outside on a single closed path.
Start cap / End capPropertiesMarkers on a single open path.
Apply over imagePropertiesLayers a fill over an image.

Result

The path’s appearance changes without redrawing its geometry.

Troubleshooting

Arrow markers are missing
Check stroke width. Markers are available on a single open path.
The fill covers my photo
Turn off Apply over image or reduce Fill intensity.

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