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How to Insert Images, Videos, and PDFs in Pencil Spaces
How to Insert Images, Videos, and PDFs in Pencil Spaces

Learn how to insert any images, videos, and PDFs to the whiteboard canvas.

Marissa Agno avatar
Written by Marissa Agno
Updated over 2 years ago

To insert any files and place them onto your whiteboard canvas, click the upload button on the very right of the whiteboard toolbar, next to the Formula editor. Alternatively, you can also press the "U" key on your keyboard as a shortcut.

A pop-up will appear that gives you the option to upload files from your computer, add videos from Youtube, and add videos from Vimeo.

If you have access to Pencil Premium, you will also have access to Pencil Files, which gives you 100 GB of file storage and lets you use files across the platform.

Inserting Images

Inserting PDFs

Inserting Videos

Upload from Your Computer

To upload files from your computer, click the button in the center that says "Choose an image, video, or PDF". Then, choose what you want to upload and confirm your choices. The name of the file will appear below the button.

From there, click the blue "Upload" button at the bottom right corner of the pop-up.

If you uploaded an image or a video, it will automatically appear on the same board and you will have the ability to move it anywhere just like you would move an object.

If you uploaded a PDF, it will load on a separate board and its position will be fixed. You can always use the Move Canvas, or Hand tool to move between pages.

Upload from Pencil Files

To insert files from Pencil Files instead of your computer, click the "Pencil Files" tab on the left. You will see all of your folders and previously uploaded files here. Anything that you have uploaded to Pencil in the past gets automatically saved here.

From there, search and choose the image, video, or PDF you wish to use and the "Insert" button at the bottom right corner will turn blue. When you have chosen the file, click the "Insert" button and your file will be added to the board.

Insert Videos from YouTube or Vimeo

To insert videos from YouTube or Vimeo, click on the option on the left-hand side to reveal a blank page with a field for you to add a URL.

From there, find the video you would like to insert from YouTube or Vimeo and copy the link. When you paste the link into Pencil, the "Upload" button will turn blue.

Click "Upload" and wait for the video to be added to your board. From there you can move, resize and delete the video. You can also play it at any time or even draw on top of it.

Note that when you have multiple people in your session, videos do not play at the same time for everyone to account for interruptions.

We hope that you found this article helpful. If you have any other questions, our team is always happy to help!

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