Drawing tools: over 80 ways to mark up a chart

Step by step

1. Open the drawing toolbar on the left side of the chart. Each icon is a group; click the small arrow beside it to see its tools. Fold the toolbar to a thin rail of icons with the « button at its bottom (» opens it again); in full screen it hides and slides out when the pointer reaches the left edge.
2. Pick a tool, then click on the chart for each point it needs (a trend line needs two clicks; a pitchfork three). Press Esc to cancel. For paths and brushes, double-click or press Enter to finish. Shortcuts: Alt (Option on a Mac) + T trend line, H horizontal line, V vertical line, C cross line, F Fib retracement.
3. Click a finished drawing to select it: drag its handles to adjust, change its color and style, lock it, or delete it.
4. Use the magnet to snap points to the nearest open, high, low or close, so lines sit exactly on price.
5. Hide all drawings, lock all of them, or keep drawing several in a row with the toggles at the bottom of the toolbar.
6. Drawings are saved per symbol and interval, so the lines you draw on the daily chart stay there.

Every control, explained

Lines

Trend line, ray (extends one way), extended line (both ways), info line (shows change and angle), trend angle, horizontal line and ray, vertical line, crossline. How: Horizontal lines are the simplest way to mark support (where price has bounced) and resistance (where it has stalled).

Channels and pitchforks

Parallel and disjoint channels, regression trend (best-fit line with deviation bands), pitchfork variants (standard, Schiff, modified Schiff, inside), pitchfan, flat top/bottom. How: Draw along a trend to see where price tends to turn inside it.

Fibonacci

Retracement, trend-based extension, channel, time zones, speed fan, circles, trend-based time, speed resistance arcs, spiral, wedge. How: Retracement from a swing low to a swing high marks 23.6%, 38.2%, 50%, 61.8% and 78.6% pullback levels many traders watch.

Gann

Gann box, fan, square and fixed square. How: Price and time geometry tools from W.D. Gann.

Patterns

ABCD, XABCD, Cypher, head and shoulders, triangle, three drives, and Elliott waves (impulse 12345, correction ABC, triangle ABCDE, double and triple combos). How: Click each turning point in order; the tool labels the pattern.

Cycles

Cyclic lines, time cycles and sine line. How: Mark repeating time intervals.

Measure, positions and forecasts

Measure (change in price, percent and bars), date range, price range, date-and-price range, long and short position (entry, stop and target with reward ÷ risk), position forecast, bars pattern (copy a stretch of bars), ghost feed. How: The long/short position tool is the fastest way to see a trade's risk and reward on the chart.

Volume tools

Anchored VWAP, fixed-range volume profile, anchored volume profile. How: Anchor VWAP at an important day (earnings, a low) to see the average price since.

Shapes

Rectangle, rotated rectangle, circle, ellipse, triangle, sector, polyline, arc, curve, double curve. How: Box out ranges and zones.

Brushes and paths

Path, brush and highlighter. How: Freehand notes.

Text, notes and markers

Text, note, price note, pin, callout, comment, price label, signpost, arrows and arrow markers, table, image, icon. How: Write your plan on the chart where you'll see it.

Cursors

Cross, dot, arrow, demonstration (a laser pointer for sharing your screen) and eraser (click a drawing to delete it). How: Pick from the bottom of the drawing toolbar.

Fold the toolbar

Shrinks the drawing toolbar to a 28-pixel rail of icons, so the chart gets the room. The choice is remembered. How: Click « at the bottom of the toolbar; » opens it again. Tools still work from the rail; open the full toolbar to pick a specific tool from a group.

Tips

• Draw support and resistance on the daily chart before looking at shorter time frames.
• Use the long/short position tool to check reward ÷ risk before every trade.

Common mistakes

• Drawing so many lines that price always touches one.
• Forcing a pattern onto a chart that doesn't really show it.

Limits to know

• Drawings are per symbol and interval; switch intervals and you'll see that interval's drawings.

Try it: On Bitcoin's daily chart, draw a Fibonacci retracement from the lowest low to the highest high of the last 3 months and note where price is now.

Lebs is for education and research, not investment advice, and it places no orders.