EXCALIDRAW

Excalidraw is a user-driven whiteboard with AI support. Free accounts cannot save created “scenes” to the Library, but they can be saved outside the platform as an image or as a proprietary Excalidraw file (for uploading back into the platform for additional editing). Saving to the Excalidraw Library requires a paid account. Also, scenes can be shared amongst multiple users in real-time! (For more on that, please read the section Time to Share.)

IT’S OKAY TO MAKE A SCENE                                                                                              

The Excalidraw scene dedicated to the process of making pizza!

                                                                                           

The process of photosynthesis generated by Excalidraw AI and adapted by a user.

The main tool menu is easy to understand; it features shape, arrow, and text design, along with the ability to write, insert text and images, as well as erase. Different styling can be applied to all the elements.                                                                                                              

Excalidraw’s main tool menu.

WHAT'S COOL ABOUT EXCALIDRAW

                                                                                                                

An example of the default Excalifont.

Here are the standout features:

1. Its style! = I love the “casual” appearance of the default Excalifont (which can be changed) as well as the “sloppiness” you can apply to lines/borders and arrow (refer to Image 5)
2. Board movement - clicking the hand icon in the main menu lets user move the entire scene
3. Real-time sharing and collaboration!
4. AI assistance = the “More Tools” icon (on the far-right of the main tool menu) offers the “Text to diagram” AI feature
1. Enter the prompt and click “Generate”
2. AI generated the “how to make a pizza” flowchart

                                                                                                     

The “More Tools” drop down menu featuring the AI-powered “Text to diagram” option.

TIME TO SHARE

Scene creators can invite additional participants to work on the whiteboard in real time!

• Click the “Share” button in the upper-right hand corner (the “Export to Link” button shares a read-only scene)
• Under “Live collaboration” click “Start session”
• Copy the link and share that with co-workers, colleagues, and team members
• Once receiving the link, recipients can engage in the scene simultaneously
• When the session needs to end, the scene creator can click the “Share” button again to end the session

KNOWING HOW TO SAVE

Open

• Load from file = lets the user open a previously-saved Excalidraw file
• Export as image = Lets the user save the scene as a PNG or SVG file
• A third option copies the scene for pasting in another program - such as WORD or PPT
• Save to disk = saves the Excalidraw-formatted file directly to the user’s device
• Excalidraw+ = saves the scene as an Excalidraw file to the library (a paid account is necessary for this feature)

Save to . . .

• Save to disk = saves the scene as an Excalidraw file to a laptop or any storage device
• Shareable link = generates a shareable, but read-only, hyperlink to the scene
• Excalidraw+ = saves the scene as an Excalidraw file to the library (a paid account is necessary for this feature)

Export Image

• Lets the user save the scene as a PNG or SVG file
• A third option copies the scene for pasting in another program - such as WORD or PPT