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Choose a shape tool and drag the mouse from the start to the end of the shape. Release the mouse to end the shape.

Most shapes are drawn from a corner to the diagonally opposite corner. Ellipses, arcs and polygons are drawn from the center to the outside edge.

Choose the ''Pen'' tool and click to start a new path, or click on an endpoint of an open path to continue an existing path. Move the mouse and click again to draw a line segment.

Drag to draw curve segments. Each curve has two curve handles which determine the shape of the curve. Drag out the first curve handle from a point, move the mouse to the end point, and drag out the second curve handle.

Press Esc or the Space Bar to end an open path, or click on the start point to close the path.

You can also sketch your ideas with the ''Freehand'' tool instead of drawing lines and curves with the ''Pen'' tool.

To import a graphic, choose ''Place Graphic'' from the ''File'' menu. Select a graphic from the ''Open'' file selector. Click ''Open''. The ''Place Graphic'' dialog box will appear. Select options, if applicable, and click ''Place''.

When importing an EPS illustration created in Adobe Illustrator® or Art Expression®, you can choose the ''Illustrator'' filter or ''Art Expression'' filter, as applicable, in the ''Place Graphic'' dialog box instead of the regular ''EPS'' filter. This will interpret the EPS illustration and import it as a drawing. Drawings can be dissolved and edited, whereas EPS illustrations are non-editable objects that can only be printed to PostScript printers.

To apply an effect to a picture, select the picture with the ''Object'' tool and then click on the ''FX'' button in the ''Edit Palette''. A dialog box will open to allow you to select an effect to apply. After choosing an effect, select or set its options as applicable. Click ''Perform'' to apply the effect to the picture.

Effects cannot be applied to external pictures. If you want to apply an effect to only part of a picture, apply the effect in BME instead of PageStream.

To select an object, choose the ''Object'' tool and click on the object with the mouse pointer. If the object is unfilled, you must click on its outline; if the object is filled, you can click anywhere on it. You can modify object selection with the following modifier keys:

• Toggle selection: Shift click
  
• Select backmost object: Control click
  
• Select all in stack: Option click
  
• Deselect all objects: Space Bar

You can also select one or more objects by dragging around them: choose the ''Object'' tool and then drag the mouse pointer around the object(s). Any object that is all or partly inside the area you choose will be selected.

You can modify object selection with the following qualifiers:

• Toggle selection: Shift drag
  
• Add to selection: Control drag
  
• Remove from selection: Shift Control drag

If an object is beneath the point from which you wish to start dragging, you would normally move the object by mistake. You can force PageStream to drag select rather than move with the following qualifiers:

• Forced drag selection: Option drag
  
• Forced toggle selection: Shift drag
  
• Forced add to selection: Control drag
  
• Forced remove from selection: Shift Control drag

To move an object, choose the ''Object'' tool and drag the object to a new position. To move more than one object at once, select the objects and then move any one of them to move them all.

If you drag the objects without pausing, only the outline of the objects will be shown. If you wait until the mouse pointer changes to a 4-way arrow, the actual objects' shapes will be shown. This is slower but offers a more realistic preview.

To move an object a precise distance, select the object and choose ''Move'' from the ''Object'' menu, or enter the offset into the ''Edit Palette'''s ''X'' or ''Y'' text boxes. For example, if the current horizontal value is 5.102" and you want to move it 2.843" to the left, enter 5.102"-2.843 and press Return.

Ellipses and polygons are measured from their centers. Enter the offsets into the ''CX'' and ''CY'' text boxes.

If you move an object onto the pasteboard surrounding a page, the object will no longer be considered part of that page and will be visible on all pages in the chapter. Use the pasteboard as a convenient way to move objects between pages, and to store them for later use.

To scale an object, choose the ''Object'' tool and select the object. Drag any of the eight size handles around the object to a new position.

If you scale the object without pausing, only the outline of the object will be shown. If you wait until the mouse pointer changes to a 2-way arrow, the actual object's shape will be shown. This is slower but offers a more realistic preview.

To scale an object a precise amout, select the object and enter the scale factor or amount into the ''Edit Palette'''s ''W'' or ''H'' text boxes. For example, if the current width value is 5.302" and you want to make it 2.843" wider, enter 5.302"+2.843 and press Return. To make it twice as wide, enter 5.302"*2. To make it half as wide, enter 5.302"/2.

Ellipses and polygons are measured from their centers. Enter the scale amount or factor into the ''RX'' and ''RY'' radius text boxes.

Select the objects with the ''Object'' tool. Choose ''Group'' from the ''Object'' menu.

To ungroup a group, select the group and choose ''Ungroup'' from the ''Object'' menu.

Imported drawings are non-editable drawing objects. To edit the components of a drawing, you must dissolve it. To dissolve a drawing, select the drawing with the ''Object'' tool and choose ''Dissolve Drawing'' from the ''Drawing'' submenu in the ''Object'' menu.

To make objects into a drawing, select the objects with the ''Object'' tool and choose ''Make Drawing''. To add an object to an existing drawing, select the drawing and the object and choose ''Add to Drawing''.

Choose the ''Reshape'' tool and select the path to reshape. Point handles will appear at the points joining each segment.

• To select a point: Click on a point handle. If the point is attached to a curve segment, curve handles will appear.
  
• To move a point: Drag a point handle.
  
• To reshape a curve: Drag its curve handles.
  
• To add a point: Hold down Option and click anywhere on the path.
  
• To delete a point: Select the point and press Delete.

To crop a graphic, choose the ''Crop'' tool and select the graphic. Drag a size handle inward to reduce the amount of the graphic that is visible, or drag it outward to increase the amount shown.

To change the portion of the graphic shown inside its frame, drag the contents of the graphic within the frame.

To crop a graphic irregularly, position a shape over a bitmapped graphic, select both of them with the ''Object'' tool and choose ''Mask Graphic'' from the ''Mask'' submenu of the ''Object'' menu.

Select the object with the ''Object'' tool and choose the ''Text Wrap'' command from the ''Object'' menu. Select from one of the six wrap methods, enter the horizontal and vertical offsets, select whether the text should wrap around the shape or the object's bounding box, and click ''OK''.

Note: For text wrap to work, the object must be in front of the text frame. If it is not in front of the text frame, bring it to the front with the ''Bring to Front'' command from the ''Stack'' submenu of the ''Object'' menu. The text from the frame should then flow around the object according to the options set in the ''Text Wrap'' dialog box.

Normally, if you wrap text around a bitmapped graphic, the text will flow around the rectangular edges of the graphic because all bitmapped graphics have a rectangular shape. However, with PageStream's ''Generate Mask'' feature, you can clip a bitmapped picture around the non-white parts of the graphic, enabling you to wrap text around the bitmapped graphic's subject.

To automatically clip a picture around its subject, first make sure that the subject is on a pure white background. If it's not, you will have to change the background color of the picture with an image processor.

Import the picture with the white background, select it with the ''Object'' tool and choose the ''Generate Mask'' command from the ''Mask'' submenu of the ''Object'' menu. This will clip the picture around the non-white parts of the graphic, making it ready to wrap text around it.

Note: Do not do this to overlay a bitmapped graphic over a background because the masks generated by PageStream are not pixel-accurate. If you need to do this, first blend the graphic and the background together with an image processor before importing them into PageStream as a single object.

Select the objects with the ''Object'' tool and choose ''Align'' from the ''Object'' menu. Select how you want to align objects and Click ''OK''.

You can align objects to guides by creating guides by choosing ''Set Page Guides'' from the ''Layout'' menu and then selecting ''Snap-to-Guides''. Objects moved close to guides will 'snap' to them automatically.

The drawing grid is also an excellent tool for aligning objects. Choose ''Set Grid'' from the ''Layout'' menu to specify the grid spacing, and then choose ''Snap-to-Grid''. Objects can then be moved only in increments of the grid spacing.

Select the object(s) to rotate with the ''Object'' tool. Choose ''Rotate'' from the ''Object'' menu and set the rotation, slant and twist values.

You can also rotate copies of an object. Choose ''Transform'' from the ''Object'' menu. Enter the number of copies into the ''Transform'' dialog box, as well as the offsets and desired rotation angle of each successive copy.

Select the objects with the ''Object'' tool and choose ''Line & Fill'' from the ''Object'' menu. Select the line and fill styles and color. Click ''OK''.

You can also apply line and fill colors with the ''Color Palette''. Choose ''Show Color Palette'' from the ''Window'' menu to use this palette.

   
Select the object(s) to copy with the ''Object'' tool. Choose ''Copy'' from the ''Edit'' menu to copy the objects to the clipboard without affecting the objects, or choose ''Cut'' to remove the object(s). Choose ''Paste'' to paste a copy of the objects on the page. Hold down Shift while choosing ''Paste'' to paste them at their original position rather than the center of the window.

To make a quick copy of selected object(s), choose ''Duplicate'' from the ''Object'' menu.

To make multiple copies of selected object(s), choose ''Transform'' from the ''Object'' menu. Enter the number of copies into the ''Transform'' dialog box, as well as the offsets and desired rotation angle of each successive copy.

Select the ''Eyedropper'' tool. Hold down Shift and click on the object whose attributes you want to copy. Release the Shift key and click on the object you want to copy the attributes to. All object attributes will be copied to this object.

You can continue clicking to copy the formatting to other objects, or you can Shift click to copy other attributes.

You cannot copy and paste object attributes for text frames or blocks, because this will copy text attributes instead.

 

How do I...?  Sub-Section  url:PGSuser/questions5#anchor439442
  created:2006-04-16 12:20:21   last updated:2006-08-15 15:52:17
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