# Strokes: add outlines around your design

URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/strokes
Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/strokes.md
Section: Pipelines
Summary: Add one or more stackable colored outlines around your design, sticker-style.

**Strokes** adds a colored outline around the visible part of your design — like the border around a sticker. You can stack several outlines in different colors and widths for a layered, sticker-style look.

## When to use it

- Give a cut-out design a clean edge so it pops on any product color.
- Make sticker-style art with one or more colored rings.
- Add a thin dark line to sharpen a soft edge.

## How to use it

1. Add **Strokes** to your pipeline (remove the background first with Color Removal V2 so the outline follows your subject).
2. Set the first stroke's **Width**, **Color**, and **Opacity**.
3. Click **Add Stroke** to stack another outline outside the first.
4. Reorder or remove strokes until it looks right.

## The settings

| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Expand canvas to fit stroke** | When on, the image grows so thick outlines don't get cut off at the edges. |
| **Width** (0–200 px) | How thick each outline is. |
| **Color** | Each outline's color. Click the swatch or paste a hex code. |
| **Opacity** (0–100%) | How solid each outline is. |
| **Order** | Strokes stack outward in order — the first sits closest to your design, each next one outside it. Move them up / down or remove them. |
| **Choke** (−500 to +500 px, default 0) | At the bottom of the panel, after **Add Stroke**. Moves where the first stroke starts: **positive** values push the stroke inward so it covers the edge of your artwork; **negative** values open a transparent gap between your design and the outline. |

## Tips

- For a classic sticker, use two strokes: a thick white one first, then a thinner dark one outside it.
- Turn on **Expand canvas to fit stroke** so wide outlines don't get clipped.
- Add Strokes after background removal so the outline hugs your real subject, not the old background.

## What to read next

- **[Frames](frames)** — add a decorative border instead
- **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — clear the background first
- **[All tools at a glance](all-tools)**