# Place and import pictures, PDFs and SVGs

> Bring artwork into PlexiiDraw. Place a picture or a PDF page, import or open an SVG, drag files in, trace over a template and paste SVG copied from Figma.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-place-and-import
Section: Office > PlexiiDraw
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-21

PlexiiDraw can take in artwork from elsewhere: a photo or screenshot to work over, a page from a PDF, or an SVG drawing whose shapes you want to keep editing. The **File** menu has a command for each, and you can also drag files straight onto the artboard.

## Before you start

- Placing and importing are on every plan.
- Open an artwork. See [Start an artwork and set up the artboard](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-start-artwork).

## Which command to use

| To do this | Use | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Add a picture to this artwork | **File** > **Place…** | The picture, at its real size, where you click. |
| Add one page of a PDF | **File** > **Place…** | That page, as an image. |
| Add an SVG's shapes to this artwork | **File** > **Import SVG…** | One group of shapes, named after the file. |
| Start a new drawing from an SVG | **File** > **Open SVG…** (`⌘` `O`) | A new drawing at the SVG's size, every shape editable. |
| Trace over a picture | **File** > **Place as template…** | The picture on its own dimmed, locked layer. |
| Bring in several files at once | Drag them from Finder | Each file lands where you drop it. |

## Place a picture

1. Choose **File** > **Place…** and pick a picture, such as a PNG.
2. A preview of the picture follows the pointer. Click where you want it.

The picture appears at its real size.

## Place a page from a PDF

1. Choose **File** > **Place…** and pick a PDF.
2. The **Place PDF** box asks which page to place. Type the page number and click **Place**.
3. Click the artboard where you want the page.

The page is placed as an image, and a note says so. Its text and drawings are part of the picture, not separate shapes.

## Import an SVG

Choose **File** > **Import SVG…** and pick an SVG file. The drawing arrives as one group, named after the file, with its shapes ready to edit. Double-click the group to work on the shapes inside it. See [Groups, clipping masks and compound paths](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-groups-masks-compound-paths).

Some SVG content, such as filters and effects, cannot be edited as shapes in PlexiiDraw. That part comes in as an embedded picture so it still looks right, and the **Import report** lists what was turned into a picture.

## Open an SVG as a new drawing

Choose **File** > **Open SVG…**, or press `⌘` `O`, and pick an SVG file. A new drawing opens with its artboard at the SVG's size, and every shape in it is editable.

Use **Open SVG…** when the SVG is the whole artwork, such as a logo you want to rework. Use **Import SVG…** to add it to an artwork you already have.

## Drag files onto the artboard

Drag one or more files from Finder onto the artboard. You can drag SVGs and pictures together, such as an SVG and a PNG. Each one lands where you drop it.

Dropping several files at once is one step to undo: one `⌘` `Z` removes them all.

## Trace over a picture

Choose **File** > **Place as template…** and pick a picture. The picture goes onto a layer of its own, with a name that starts with "Template:". The layer is dimmed, so your own lines stand out over it, and locked, so you cannot move the picture by accident while you draw. Add a new vector layer above it and trace with the pen or pencil. See [Layers and blend modes](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-layers-and-blending).

## Paste SVG from Figma

1. In Figma, select what you want and use **Copy as SVG**.
2. In PlexiiDraw, press `⌘` `V`.

A group named "Pasted SVG" appears, made of editable shapes.

## Common questions

**The PDF page is a picture. Can I edit its text?** No. A placed PDF page is an image of that page. To edit the shapes of a drawing, bring it in as an SVG instead.

**Why is part of my SVG a picture?** PlexiiDraw turns anything it cannot edit as shapes, such as filters and effects, into an embedded picture, so the drawing still looks the same. The **Import report** lists those parts.

**I cannot select my template.** The template layer is locked on purpose. Unlock it in the layers panel to move or remove the picture.

**If I place the same picture twice, are the two linked?** No. Each thing you place is its own copy, so editing one never changes another.

## Related tasks

- [PlexiiDraw overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-overview)
- [Start an artwork and set up the artboard](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-start-artwork)
- [Groups, clipping masks and compound paths](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-groups-masks-compound-paths)
- [Layers and blend modes](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-layers-and-blending)
- [Cut, copy and paste](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-copy-and-paste)
- [Export artwork](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-export)