Suppose you are looking for an app designed with creativity and innovation in mind, armed with collaborative functionality.
In that case, the Freeform app’s digital canvas is your one-stop shop for composing designs, brainstorming ideas, and organizing various projects.
Freeform provides a platform that serves as a digital space where you can transform your thoughts into visualizations, helping manifest projects from your imagination to your canvas, organize your thoughts, and share them with others.
You might have never heard of Freeform, or if you have, you may not know much about it. But if you are curious to learn, join us as we talk about how to use the Freeform App.
How to Set Up Freeform
Freeform is available on iPad, iPhone, and Mac computers so that you can access and use its collaborative features on any device.
The initial setup of the app is simple.
- Start by downloading the Freeform app from the App Store to your device of choice. In the App Store, search for Freeform and tap the Get button to begin the installation.
- Once it is installed, open the Freeform app from your Home Screen.
- You will be prompted to sign in with your Apple ID, which will sync the app across any connected Apple devices.
- The app will ask for permissions to provide a full user experience, such as access to your device’s microphone and camera, so accept these at your discretion.
Freeform Components
The Freeform interface’s design is user-friendly and intuitive. Its three primary components are the canvas, sidebar, and toolbar.
- Canvas: This is the open space provided to you where all of the visualizations will be done.
- Sidebar: This is present on larger devices (Macs and iPads), where you can easily access tools that will assist the organization and quickly access existing projects.
- Toolbar: Placed at either the bottom or the top of the screen, this contains the set of tools available to you for creating, editing, and reviewing the content on their canvas.
Getting Started With Your First Freeform Project
Ready to get your first project in Freeform off the ground? All you need to do is tap the Plus (+) icon to create it. You will be prompted to name the project.
For easier access when you need to find it again, name the project something reflective of its purpose.
Once the project is created, you can start adding content to it. That content can take several forms, though they can coexist next to, around, or alongside each other and can be maneuvered and reformatted in many ways.
The types of content include:
- Text
- Images
- Shapes
- Drawings
- Sticky notes
Also: 10 actually cool Apple Mail features you should try that will make you finally quit Gmail for good
Text
To enter text into your canvas, click the text icon, usually represented by a box with an “A” in it.
Then click on the space on your canvas where you want to start typing and begin to enter your ideas, notes, or labels there.
Images
For images, you can either tap the image icon, which will take you to your device’s photo library to select from there, or, if you are looking for a new image, you can open your device’s camera and use it to facilitate new images.
Charts
If your project requires flowcharts, brackets, diagrams, or partitioning, you can achieve those by adding shapes.
Tapping the shapes icon will allow you to insert squares, circles, and most other two-dimensional geometric shapes.
You can also use it to create pointers (arrows) that easily connect one shape to other shapes, images, texts, etc.
Drawing
Aside from preexisting images, you can create your own on the Freeform canvas by drawing.
You can sketch, doodle, diagram, and annotate existing items using either your finger or an Apple pencil.
Some parts of your project may need additional context or reminders next to them to help you with future actions.
For this, you can use colorful sticky notes that can be added by clicking the note icon on the toolbar.
Also: 5 ways you can use Apple’s Journal app to help reduce stress and improve peace of mind
Content Organization
As a blank canvas at the start, Freeform’s arrangement limitation is limited only by your imagination and the bounds of your screen.
In addition, you can move, group, and manipulate the dimensions of any of the canvas’s contents to help optimize your project’s intuitiveness.
To move items, simply tap and hold them down, then drag them to another space on the canvas. If you hold items and drag them over additional items, you can group them when you click “Group.”
If you want to resize an item, select the interesting item with a tap and drag the corners to resize it to what suits your needs. You can resize individual items as well as groups.
Collaborative Projects
Your project may often be a team effort. To that end, you can share it with other collaborators simply by tapping the share icon, selecting “Invite People,” and entering the email addresses of others who should have access to the project.
You can control whether each collaborator can edit or just view the project with the permissions set as you are ready to share it.
The most exciting part of collaboration is that it can happen simultaneously, with multiple collaborators joining the project at once.
That means each participant will be able to see the cursors and actions of other users in real-time, with a handy comment feature that allows for organized discussions and alignment.
The Bottom Line
Freeform is as powerful as it is versatile. It can transform how you approach brainstorming ideas and planning, individually or collaboratively.
With this guide, you can learn how to acquire the app, open your first project, add content, and utilize many of the design and collaborative options available.
But that is just the beginning. As you explore the Freeform app, you will discover many more helpful features and utilities.
