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help: |
Creating and Editing Objects |
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Selecting Click on an object in the Edit function in order to select it for editing. Hold down the shift key and click to select more than one object, or to toggle the selection of a particular object. Sometimes you can't see the selection handles of large objects. If you zoom out a bit in the edit view you can see the selection handles on images or other objects that lie partly outside of the design. Click on one of the large or small disc images above or below the zoom slider to fit the design back into the editing area. If you can't select an object you're trying to select, it might be locked (see Locking), or other objects might be in front of it (see Arranging), or it might be in another layer (see Layers). You can try locking objects that get in the way and then selecting again. Moving Click on an object and drag the mouse to move it around. If multiple objects are selected (via shift-click) you can move them all around at once. Hold down the shift key while dragging to constrain the dragging to the closest axis (horizontal or vertical). Duplicating As well as using copy and then paste to duplicate the selection, you can also drag while holding down the option key. This duplicates the objects being dragged, leaving the selected objects in their original positions. Sizing To resize an object, first select it and then click and drag in one of its corner or side handles. Release the mouse button once it is the size you want. You can resize an object proportionally, or constrain dragging to a particular axis (whichever is closest) by holding down the shift key while you resize the object. (Note that for images, resizing is proportional by default (subject to the setting in the Edit tab of Preferences), but they can be resized to any proportion by holding down the option key or using a side handle.) You can resize an object about its center by holding down the command (Apple) key while you resize the object. Locking Using the Lock function from the Arrange menu can help with selection when multiple objects are getting in the way. Locking a troublesome object that you don't want to select allows you to select only the object you want. In DiscLabel's templates you will find the background image is usually locked. Generally doing this or making sure your background images are in the background layer is good design practice. Select the menu item Arrange-Unlock All to unlock all objects so they can be selected and manipulated once again. Layers You can place your objects in several layers. Layers are drawn in order, with the Background drawn first, behind everything else. Every design has at least two layers: Background, and layer 1. You will probably choose to place your text in a foreground layer, and your graphics in the background layer. You can only select objects in the layer you currently have chosen. This allows you to work in the foreground without accidentally selecting objects in another layer. You can also toggle the visibility of one layer by clicking the eye symbols. In some situations turning off one layer can make your work easier to see, or can speed up interactivity if one of the layers is very complex. Note also that when you choose any of the predefined text layouts to apply to a template or to a design that all objects in layer 1 are removed and replaced with the those from the foreground layer of the predefined text layout. This is another reason that you might want to place your graphics in the background layer. Various menu commands are available for layers in ArrangeLayers. One really convient command is ArrangeLayersCopy all Layers, along with its companion ArrangeLayersPaste Layers with Replace. These two commands let you copy all layers from one design element to another. Arranging All objects are drawn in order (back to front). They are also selected in order (front to back). You can change whether an object lies in front of another by using the Arrange menu. Your choices affect only the selected objects within the current layer. Objects in the background layer are always drawn before those in the foreground layer. Rotating You can rotate objects as well as drag them. To do this you use the following palette controls:
You can constrain rotation to discrete increments by holding down the shift key while rotating. By default the increment is 45 degrees, but this can be changed in the Editing Preferences. You can also make a rotated duplicate of the selection by holding down the option key while rotating. Don't forget to click the arrow palette control to drag and size objects normally once again. Importing an Image To import an image click:
A faster way to import a file is to drag and drop it from the Finder (or even a web browser) into the editing area. You can also copy and paste graphics into DiscLabel. Importing a Montage
You can import an image of any size and scale it in DiscLabel to effectively get any resolution you want. So, for example, a 1500 x 1500 image at 72dpi, when scaled across a 5" disc will yield 300 dpi, and a 750 x 750 image at 72dpi will yield 150 dpi, etc. If you import PDF line art into DiscLabel you can still scale and crop it. The picture will scale to maximize use of the resolution of the output device. Drag the selection handles of a selected image to change its size. Images resize proportionally if you resize them using the corner handles (subject to the setting in the Edit tab of Preferences). Use the side handles to resize them to other proportions, or hold down the option key while using the corner handles. Scale or crop your image by double-clicking on the image or by first selecting the image and clicking Crop:
Fill Color, Stroke Outline and Shadow To change the color, stroke, or shadow attributes of an object, first select the object by clicking it. The color control updates to show the present color.
Adding and Editing Text
Edit the text by clicking in it. If the text object is not already selected, the first click selects it so it can be moved or resized, and the second click starts editing. A double-click selects a single word. A triple-click selects the entire text so that typing will replace it completely. Choose format options (including Font) from the Format menu. All format options work on the selected text and require text or a text object to be selected in order to operate. Change the justification of the selected text by choosing FormatText and your desired justification from the menu. Alternatively display the ruler via FormatTextShow Ruler and choose justification via the buttons displayed in the Ruler window. To center circular text around the bottom or top of a design you must first have your circular text selected. Now choose FormatTextCenter. To get your centered text at the top, rotate it around the center of the design with the shift key held down (see Rotating above). Linking Text If you create two text objects, then it is possible to link them together and allow text to flow from one into the other. To do this, select the text object you wish to add to. Click the + button that appears on the bottom right of the text border. Move the mouse over the text object you wish to link to. Valid text objects are highlighted as you move the mouse. Click to make your choice. Click elsewhere if you decide not to link text objects. To unlink text objects, select the one you want to unlink from a subsequent text object. Click the - button that appears on the bottom right of the text border. Text Controls
You can convert text containing tags that shows imported tracks to plain text for easier editing by choosing Convert to Text from the Text part of the Format menu. Convert to text is automatic if you edit text containing tags directly. The Text Palette automatically appears when you are editing text. The Text Palette is used to edit tags for including imported data in your design. Inserting Tags and the Text Palette Tags are used to specify where to place imported data, and are accessed from the Text Palette.
You can put any text between tags you insert in text, and it will appear verbatim. You can remove tags by double-clicking the tag you wish to remove and pressing the delete key. You can add tags via the Insert menu. Place the text cursor where you want to insert your tag, and choose the tag you want from the menu. The tracks displayed automatically update. To add and remove tracks read the section Editing Tracks in the importing and editing tracks part of the help. You can change the font or color of any of the text displayed for each track by selecting the tags and or/text you wish to change, and choosing FormatFont-Show Fonts to change the font or by clicking the color button to show the color palette and change the color. Alignment Controls
Layer Effects are the same as image effects but they apply to an entire layer. Using layer effects allows effects to be applied to any object, including text. To add layer effects to the current layer, make sure no objects are selected and click the Effects button. Alternatively, control click or press the mouse menu button on the layer tab area and choose Layer Effect... from the popup menu. The option is available from Arrange–Layer–Layer Effect... . Once a layer effect is applied to a layer, the layer icon, an eye will change into color to indicate the layer has an effect applied to it.
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