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Chart Customization

Make your visualizations perfect with natural language styling and formatting commands.

Overview​

Once you've created a chart, you can customize every aspect—colors, fonts, labels, axes, and more—just by describing what you want. No need to learn charting libraries or configuration syntax. The AI understands design requests and applies them.

Chart Customization

Before and after customization example

How to Customize Charts​

Through Main Chat​

After creating a chart, continue the conversation:

Make the bars blue
Increase the font size to 14px
Add data labels to each bar

The AI knows which chart you're referring to based on context.

  1. Right-click the chart node
  2. Select "Quick AI" (or press Cmd+K)
  3. Enter customization requests
  4. Preview and apply

This keeps customization commands out of your main chat history.

Quick AI for Charts

Quick AI modal for chart editing

Multi-Edit with Bulleted Lists​

Request multiple changes at once:

Update the chart:
- Change bars to green
- Rotate x-axis labels 45 degrees
- Add a subtitle with date range
- Increase title font to 18px bold

The AI applies all changes together.

Common Customizations​

Colors​

Single color:

Make the bars blue

Gradient:

Use a green-to-red gradient based on values

Custom palette:

Use colors: #FF6B6B for Category A, #4ECDC4 for Category B, #45B7D1 for Category C

Color by category:

Color each bar by product category

Color Customization

Different color schemes applied to the same data

Axes​

Titles:

Label the x-axis "Month" and y-axis "Revenue (USD)"

Rotation:

Rotate x-axis labels 45 degrees

Range:

Set y-axis range from 0 to 10000

Scale:

Use logarithmic scale for the y-axis

Format:

Format y-axis as currency with dollar signs

Axis Customization

Customized axis labels and formatting

Labels and Text​

Title:

Change the title to "Q4 2024 Revenue by Region"

Subtitle:

Add subtitle "Data as of December 31, 2024"

Data labels:

Add data labels showing values on each bar

Label formatting:

Show data labels as percentages

Font sizes:

Make the title 20px, axis labels 12px

Font weight:

Make the title bold

Text Customization

Title, subtitle, and label customization

Grid Lines and Backgrounds​

Add grid lines:

Add horizontal grid lines

Remove grid lines:

Remove all grid lines

Grid styling:

Make grid lines light gray and dashed

Background color:

Set background to white

Plot area background:

Make the chart area light gray

Legends​

Position:

Move the legend to the bottom

Visibility:

Remove the legend

Styling:

Make legend text 10px

Orientation:

Show legend items horizontally

Legend Customization

Different legend positions and styles

Markers and Lines​

Add markers:

Add circle markers at each data point

Marker size:

Make markers larger

Line thickness:

Increase line width to 3px

Line style:

Use dashed lines

Trend lines:

Add a linear trend line

Chart-Specific Customizations​

Bar charts:

Add spacing between bars
Make bars 80% of available width

Pie/donut charts:

Show percentages on each slice
Increase the donut hole size
Start at 90 degrees (12 o'clock position)

Scatter plots:

Size bubbles by revenue
Color points by category with a legend
Add a trend line

Heatmaps:

Use a blue-to-red color scale
Show values in each cell

Advanced Customizations​

Annotations​

Add reference lines:

Add a horizontal line at y=5000 labeled "Target"

Add text annotations:

Add text "Peak Season" at November

Highlight regions:

Shade the background for Q4 months

Annotations

Chart with reference lines and annotations

Tooltips​

Customize tooltip:

Show product name and revenue in the tooltip

Format tooltip:

Format tooltip values as currency

Interactive Features​

Add zoom:

Enable zoom and pan

Clickable elements:

Make bars clickable to filter other charts

(Advanced - depends on dashboard setup)

Styling for Different Contexts​

Presentation Mode​

Optimize for presentation:
- Larger fonts (title 24px, labels 16px)
- High contrast colors
- Remove grid lines for cleaner look
- Bold titles

Dashboard Display​

Optimize for dashboard:
- Compact layout
- Clear legend
- Concise title
- Efficient use of space

Print/Export​

Prepare for print:
- Black and white friendly colors
- High contrast
- Larger labels
- Clear gridlines

Context-Specific Styling

Same data styled for different contexts

Draft Mode for Edits​

When you request customization:

  1. AI generates updated chart (draft version)
  2. You see preview alongside current version
  3. "Update chart" button to apply changes
  4. Or "Cancel" to discard

This lets you experiment safely.

Draft Preview

Side-by-side preview of chart changes

Iterative Refinement​

Make adjustments step-by-step:

  1. Initial chart: Basic bar chart
  2. First refinement: "Make bars blue"
  3. Second refinement: "Add data labels"
  4. Third refinement: "Rotate x-axis labels"
  5. Fourth refinement: "Increase title font size"

Each change builds on the previous version.

Tips & Best Practices​

Be specific: "Make bars #4ECDC4" is clearer than "make it teal"

Reference examples: "Color like a traffic light (red/yellow/green)" helps the AI understand

Request one thing at a time for complex changes: Easier to dial in exactly what you want

Use multi-edit for batches: When you know all changes upfront, list them together

Check the preview: Always review before applying changes

Keep it readable: Don't over-customize—clarity matters more than decoration

Match your brand: Use consistent colors and fonts across all charts in a Workbook

Consider accessibility: Use high-contrast colors, avoid relying solely on color to convey meaning

Understanding Vega Customization​

Behind the scenes, Shadowfax generates Vega specifications. The AI translates your natural language requests into Vega config. You don't need to know Vega, but if you're curious, you can view the JSON spec by exporting the chart.

Common Requests by Chart Type​

Bar Charts​

  • Horizontal vs. vertical orientation
  • Bar colors and gradients
  • Data labels on/above bars
  • Spacing between bars
  • Sorted order

Line Charts​

  • Line colors and thickness
  • Markers at data points
  • Multiple lines with legend
  • Shaded areas under lines
  • Trend lines

Pie/Donut Charts​

  • Slice colors
  • Percentage labels
  • Slice ordering
  • Donut hole size
  • Exploded slices (separated from center)

Scatter Plots​

  • Point size and shape
  • Color encoding
  • Trend lines
  • Axis scales (linear, log)
  • Bubble sizing