Photo Impact Tips
Working with objects
1. Press the [Shift] key while resizing an object to maintain its aspect ratio.
2. Use Object: Shadow to add a shadow to an object. To edit the object and the shadow independently, separate them into individual objects by using Object: Split Shadow.
3. Use Object: Match Background Color to seamlessly blend an object with a background of similar color information.
4. Fill an image with a tiled object by pressing [L] while dragging the object to the document.
5. Create a duplicate object by pressing [Ctrl] while dragging the object.
6. You can drag an object from one edit window to another.
7. You can drag an object to your workspace to create a new image.
8. To drag an object horizontally or vertically in a straight line, hold the [Shift] key while dragging the object.
9. Use the Measure Tool to easily determine the exact position, size, distance, and angle of your objects, selections, or any area within your image.
10. Rotate an object by using the Transform Tool - Rotate Freely. Click Copy rotate in the Attribute Toolbar to duplicate and rotate an object simultaneously.
11. To manually set the width and height of selected objects, enter the new dimensions on the Attribute Toolbar of the Transform Tool.
12. Maintain the proportions of an object when resizing it by clicking Keep aspect ratio on the Attribute Toolbar of the Transform Tool.
13. Move an active object pixel by pixel by pressing the arrow keys.
14. The Object: Edit Object command changes according to the type of the selected object. For example, when a Component Designer object is selected, the command will show Object: Edit Component Designer Object.
15. Select all objects by pressing [Shift+Ctrl+A].
16. Use Edit Active Objects Only to paint on or modify active objects without affecting other elements in the document.
17. Select multiple objects by clicking each object while holding down the [Shift] or [Ctrl] key.
18. To group objects, select Object: Group, right-click then select Group, or press [Ctrl+Alt+G]. To ungroup, select Object: Ungroup, right-click then select Ungroup, or press [Ctrl+Alt+U].
19. Show or hide the bounding box around objects by selecting View: Show Box Around Objects or by pressing [Shift+F12].
20. Modify the alignment of single or multiple objects by using Object: Align.
21. To display grouped objects as a single thumbnail in the Layer Manager, click on the Layer Manager Toolbar.
22. Change an object's layer order by dragging its thumbnail to the desired sequence in the Layer Manager. Alternatively, you can select Object: Arrange Order then choose the desired order.
23. Show or hide an object by clicking on the eye icon of an object's thumbnail in the Layer Manager.
24. Fix an object in its current layer position by clicking on the lock icon of an object's thumbnail in the Layer Manager.
25. Assign custom names to your objects for easier management by clicking the name field of an object in the Layer Manager and entering a new name.
26. To add objects from the libraries in the EasyPalette to your image, drag the object thumbnail onto your image. To open it as a separate image, drag the object thumbnail to the workspace.
27. Store an object for later use by dragging the object to one of the object libraries in the EasyPalette or by selecting Object: Copy to Object Library.
Stamp Tool
1. To paint a trail of stamp objects onto your image with the Stamp Tool, select Angular Order and Trail Placement on the Attribute Toolbar.
2. Make a trail of stamped objects as a single object by clicking the Object - Single object icon on the Stamp's Attribute Toolbar.
3. To make stamp objects appear in a variety of colors, select Hue shift in the Color tab of the Tool Settings panel and choose how to vary the colors.
4. Set the spacing between stamped objects by adjusting the Spacing parameter in the Advanced tab of the Tool Settings panel.
5. To see a list of available objects of a selected stamp, click View on the Stamp Tool's Attribute Toolbar.
6. To import picture tube files, click Stamp menu - Import Picture Tube from the Stamp's Attribute Toolbar, then select all the *.tub files you want to import.
7. To paint stamp objects around a selection or object, select Effect: Creative - Paint on Edges while the Stamp Tool is active.
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