Hand, Zoom, Free & Gradient Transform Tools

View

View is the second section in the Tools panel

There are two icons:

• Hand Tool (H)
• Zoom Tool  (M,Z)

                     

Hand Tool

This tool moves the Stage around

Double click will center the Stage and expands the Stage to fill the Work Area keeping the document width and height in ratio.

Spacebar, press and hold to use Hand tool while another tool is selected.

Zoom Tool

This tool will double the Stage size or reduce by half the Stage size. The current size of the Stage is shown in the Stage View Size window

Stage

Maximum Stage zoom in is 2000%
Minimum Stage zoom out is 8%
Double click to change Stage size to 100%

Ctrl+spacebar, press and hold to use Enlarge Zoom while another tool is selected

Ctrl+Shift+spacebar, press and hold to use Reduce Zoom while another tool is selected   

                                  

Zoom tool has two Options:

• Enlarge (+)
• Reduce (-)

Open a New Document

Layer 1

• Name ‘Stage’
• Draw a small square
• Double click Zoom to set Stage size at 100%
• Options click Enlarge (+)
• Click on square, Stage or Work Area to Enlarge. (Stage is 200%)
• Press/hold Alt key. Zoom tool changes to Reduce (-)
• Click to reduce the Stage. (Stage is 100%)

Each click changes the Stage size either up or down

• Hold/drag Zoom over a corner of the square and release to Enlarge that area
• Double click the Hand icon to center Stage
• Double click the Zoom icon to return Stage size to 100%
• Select Reduce (-) in Options
• Click Stage to Reduce. (Stage is 50%)
• Press/hold Ctrl key

Pointer has changed from the Zoom tool to the Selection tool

• Click Fill to select and move outside of Stroke
• Double click Hand to center
• Double click Zoom to return Stage size to 100%
• Click Hand (H).
• Hold/drag Stage to different positions
• Click Zoom.
• Press/hold Spacebar to use Hand tool

 

Gradients

A gradient is a multicolor fill in which one color gradually changes into another color. You can apply up to 15 color transitions to a gradient for some striking effects.

There are two types of gradients for either the Fill or Stroke:

·        Linear gradients change color along a single axis (horizontal or vertical).  

·        Radial gradients change color in an outward direction starting from a central focal point. You can adjust the direction of a gradient, its colors, the location of the focal point, and many other properties of the gradient.

Radial Fills

• Clear the Stage
• Click Fill Color
• Click No Color icon
• Draw a Circle

Circle has only a Stroke with no Fill

• Fill Color, select the Red Radial fill
• Click the Paint Bucket (K)
• Place the Tip of the Paint Pour where you want the highlight to be.
• Click on circle.

Click in different areas of circle to move highlight

Linear Fills

• Select (V) the Fill and Delete leaving just the Stroke.

• Fill color, select the White to Gray Linear fill
• Click the Paint Bucket (K)
• Click on circle to fill
• Hold/drag Paint Bucket across circle to change direction and look of linear fill.
• The starting point is the hold click. The ending point is the release click.

Gradient Transform Tool (F)

This tool is used to transform a gradient Fill by adjusting the size, direction, or center of the fill.

A bounding box with editing handles is displayed. When the pointer is over any one of these handles, it changes to indicate the function of the handle.

Center point Select and move the center point handle to change the center point of the gradient. The rollover icon for the center point handle is a four-way arrow.

Focal point Select the focal point handle to change the focal point of a radial gradient. The focal point handle is displayed only when you select a radial gradient; the rollover icon for the focal point handle is an inverted triangle.

Size Click and move the middle handle icon on the edge of the bounding box to adjust the size of a radial gradient. The rollover icon for the size handle is a circle with an arrow inside of it.

Rotation Click and move the bottom handle on the edge of the bounding box to adjust the rotation of the gradient. The rollover icon for the rotation handle is four arrows in the shape of a circle.

Width Click and move the square handle to adjust the width of the gradient. The rollover icon for the width handle is a double-ended arrow.

Gradient Transform (F)

• Select (V) the Fill and Delete leaving just the Stroke

Radial Fill

• Fill color, select the Green Radial fill
• Click Paint Bucket (K)
• Click the center of the circle
• Click Gradient Transform (F)
• Click the Fill

Gradient Transform tool appears on the circle

• Move the Focal point back and forth.
• Place the Focal point midway to the left of the Center point
• Move Center point back and forth and up and down
• Move Width in and out
• Move Size in and out
• Move Rotate

Linear Fill

• Select (V) the circle and Delete
• Fill Color, click No Color icon
• Draw a square

Square has only a Stroke with no Fill

• Fill color, select the Blue to Gold linear fill
• Click Paint Bucket (K)

• Click square with linear fill
• Click Gradient Transform (F)
• Click the Fill

Gradient Transform tool appears with side bars

• Rotate horizontal so Gold is on the bottom and Blue is on the top.
• Move center circle half way down toward the bottom
• Move Width bars further apart  to increase white are between Gold and Blue

The square has a ground and sky appearance

Free Transform Tool (Q)

This tool is used to scale, rotate, compress, stretch, or skew lines and shapes. Use the Free Transform tool to compress your drawing.

Moving the pointer over and around the transform bounding box changes the pointer to indicate which transformation function is available.

Handles: Drag to transform

• Select (V) the square and Delete

• Change Fill Color to Blue
• Draw a small square
• Select Free Transform (Q)
• Click the square

The square has the bounding box around it

Moving

• Place the pointer over the square within the bounding box

The pointer has the crossed arrow icon

• Drag the square to a new position. The Fill is moved.
• Drag the square back to the original position

Rotating

• Place pointer on the outside of any corner

The pointer has a circle with arrow icon

• Rotate square to a triangle position. Stroke has not moved

• Move center circle halfway up toward corner
• Rotate square

Center of rotation has changed

• Press/hold the Shift and rotate

Square rotates in 45 degree increments

• Press/hold Alt and rotate

Square rotates from opposite corner

• Place pointer on one of the corners to resize proportionally
• Hold/drag square to a rectangle shape
• Hold shift and drag a corner to increase size.

Rectangle has resized proportionally

• Place pointer on one of the side handles.
• Hold/drag rectangle to increase or decrease the width.

To Skew

• Place pointer on the outline between the transformations handles
• Hold/drag to skew the shape

To Distort

• Press/hold Ctrl. The pointer has changed to an arrow
• Hold/drag a corner or side handle.
• Press/hold Ctrl+Shift. The pointer has changed to an arrow with handle symbol.
• Hold/drag a corner

The opposite corner also moves the same distance.

The Stroke

• Clear the Stage
• Draw a square
• Select (V) the Fill and Delete leaving just the Stroke
• Click Free Transform (Q)
• Double click the Stroke to select the whole Stroke for transformation
• Click outside the Stroke to Deselect
• Click a Stroke line to select that line for transformation

 

“Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.”

Plato