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How to Contact Us

Our main office

(UK, Europe):

The Software Centre

PO Box 2000, Nottingham,

NG11 7GW, UK

Main: (0115) 914 2000

Registration (UK only): (0800) 376 1989

Sales (UK only): (0800) 376 7070

Customer Service/

Technical Support:

http://www.serif.com/support

General Fax: (0115) 914 2020

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(USA, Canada):

The Software Center

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NH 03031, USA

Main: (603) 889-8650

Registration: (800) 794-6876

Sales: (800) 55-SERIF or 557-3743

Customer Service/

Technical Support:

http://www.serif.com/support

General Fax: (603) 889-1127

Online

Visit us on the web at: http://www.serif.com/

International

Please contact your local distributor/dealer. For further details, please contact us

at one of our phone numbers above.

This User Guide, and the software described in it, is furnished under an end user License Agreement,

which is included with the product. The agreement specifies the permitted and prohibited uses.

Trademarks

DrawPlus is a registered trademark of Serif (Europe) Ltd.

All Serif product names are trademarks of Serif (Europe) Ltd.

Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All

other trademarks acknowledged.

Windows Vista and the Windows Vista Start button are trademarks or registered trademarks of

Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Adobe Flash is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other

countries.

Wacom, the logo and Intuos are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Wacom Company, Ltd.

Copyrights

TrueType font samples from Serif FontPacks © Serif (Europe) Ltd.

Portions graphics import/export technology © LEAD Technologies, Inc. & Eastman Kodak Company.

PANTONE® Colors displayed in the software application or in the user documentation may not match

PANTONE-identified standards. Consult current PANTONE Color Publications for accurate color.

PANTONE® and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc. © Pantone, Inc.,

2005.

Pantone, Inc. is the copyright owner of color data and/or software which are licensed to Serif (Europe)

Ltd. to distribute for use only in combination with DrawPlus. PANTONE Color Data and/or Software

shall not be copied onto another disk or into memory unless as part of the execution of DrawPlus.

form without the express written permission of Serif (Europe) Ltd.

Companies and names used in samples are fictitious.

Contents

1. Welcome .......................................................... 1

Existing features ............................................................................................... 4

New features.................................................................................................... 12

Installation ........................................................................................................ 15

2. Getting Started ............................................... 17

Startup Wizard ................................................................................................ 19

Starting with a design template ................................................................ 20

Starting with a new drawing ...................................................................... 21

Opening a saved document ....................................................................... 22

Opening other file types .............................................................................. 24

Saving your work ........................................................................................... 27

Closing DrawPlus ........................................................................................... 28

3. Working with Pages ........................................ 29

Setting up a document ................................................................................ 31

Using the page and pasteboard ................................................................ 32

Setting measurement units and drawing scale .................................... 33

Using snapping ............................................................................................... 37

Viewing pages ................................................................................................. 42

Adding and deleting pages ........................................................................ 44

Using design aids ........................................................................................... 46

Updating defaults .......................................................................................... 51

Contents

4. Lines, Curves, and Shapes ............................ 55

Selecting one or more objects ................................................................... 57

Drawing lines and shapes ............................................................................ 59

Editing lines and shapes ............................................................................... 65

Using QuickShapes ........................................................................................ 72

Converting a shape to editable curves .................................................... 73

Applying perspective .................................................................................... 74

Applying envelopes ....................................................................................... 75

Connectors ....................................................................................................... 76

Adding dimension lines and labels........................................................... 80

Using the Gallery ............................................................................................ 83

5. Using Brushes ................................................ 85

Selecting brushes ........................................................................................... 87

Applying brush strokes ................................................................................. 89

6. Working with Text ........................................... 93

Entering text .................................................................................................... 95

Editing text ....................................................................................................... 97

Fitting text to frames and shapes .............................................................. 99

Fitting text to a path ................................................................................... 101

Spell-checking .............................................................................................. 102

7. Working with Objects ................................... 105

Copying, pasting, cutting, and deleting objects ............................... 107

Cloning an object ........................................................................................ 107

Cropping an object ..................................................................................... 110

Copying an object's formatting .............................................................. 113

Moving objects ............................................................................................ 114

Cutting up objects ...................................................................................... 114

Contents

Erasing and adding to objects ................................................................. 117

Resizing objects ............................................................................................ 118

Rotating and shearing objects ................................................................. 120

Flipping objects ............................................................................................ 122

Locking/unlocking an object.................................................................... 122

Grouping objects ......................................................................................... 123

Combining, cropping, and joining objects .......................................... 124

Aligning and distributing objects ........................................................... 126

Ordering objects .......................................................................................... 127

Working with layers ..................................................................................... 128

8. Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency ......... 135

Setting fill properties .................................................................................. 137

Setting line properties ................................................................................ 141

Sampling colours ......................................................................................... 144

Defining line and fill colours ..................................................................... 146

Working with gradient fills ........................................................................ 149

Working with bitmap and plasma fills ................................................... 152

Working with mesh fills .............................................................................. 154

Setting opacity .............................................................................................. 155

Using transparency effects ........................................................................ 157

9. Working with Pictures ................................... 161

Importing pictures ....................................................................................... 163

Using Image Cutout Studio....................................................................... 165

Autotracing .................................................................................................... 169

Applying PhotoLab filters .......................................................................... 173

Importing scanner images ........................................................................ 180

Contents

10. Applying Special Effects ............................... 181

Creating borders .......................................................................................... 183

Creating blends ............................................................................................ 184

Creating rough edges ................................................................................ 186

Adding drop shadows ............................................................................... 187

Applying 2D filter effects .......................................................................... 189

Using 3D filter effects ................................................................................. 192

Applying paper textures ........................................................................... 195

Applying dimensionality (Instant 3D) ................................................... 196

Applying Pseudo 3D ................................................................................... 199

11. Creating Animations ..................................... 203

Getting started with animation .............................................................. 205

Working with Stopframe animation ...................................................... 207

Working with Keyframe animation ........................................................ 211

Storyboard control ...................................................................................... 216

Keyframe object control ............................................................................ 219

Applying actions (keyframe animation) ............................................... 224

Affecting change over time (keyframe animation) ........................... 228

Exporting animations ................................................................................. 231

12. Publishing and Sharing ................................ 235

Previewing the printed page ................................................................... 237

Basic printing ................................................................................................ 237

Printing special formats............................................................................. 239

Publishing as PDF ........................................................................................ 242

Exporting objects and drawings ............................................................. 243

Sharing via DRAWPLUS.COM ................................................................... 249

Contents

13. Pressure sensitivity and pen tablets ............. 253

Pressure sensitivity ...................................................................................... 255

Using pen tablets ......................................................................................... 259

14. Index ............................................................. 263

Contents

Welcome

2 Welcome

Welcome 3

Welcome to DrawPlus X4—the design and illustration solution from Serif,

packed with all the features expected of award-winning design software. From

decorative page elements and logos to full-page illustrations, scale drawings,

multi-page publications, and Stopframe or Keyframe animations—DrawPlus

X4 does it all. With the power of scalable vector graphics at your command,

you'll see the creative possibilities open up right before your eyes! Whether

you're a beginner or an expert, you'll find easy-to-use tools you can use right

away. With this version, DrawPlus has broken the price-performance barrier

once again!

If you've upgraded from a previous version, this new edition of DrawPlus

includes a host of exciting new features (see p. 12) which complement

DrawPlus's existing features listed overleaf.

Don’t forget to register your new copy, using the Registration Wizard on the

Help menu. That way, we can keep you informed of new developments and

future upgrades!

4 Welcome

Existing features

As you might expect from powerful design software, DrawPlus is packed with a

comprehensive range of design tools and options in an easy-to-use user

environment.

Document

• Multipage Document Support

From startup to printout, the versatile DrawPlus engine sustains your

creativity. Choose from a wide range of preset document types,

including booklets and folded documents. Work on pages right side

up... automatic imposition assures correct order and orientation of

your output. Use DrawPlus's always-at-hand collection of popular

design templates to create designs quickly.

• Import PDF

Unlock the contents of third-party PDF drawings using DrawPlus’s

impressive “open PDF” feature—objects can be brought into a new

drawing with a single-click for immediate editing.

• Layers

Each page can have multiple layers so you can assign elements to

different layers for modular design. Each layer entry hosts a

hierarchical tree view of associated thumbnailed objects.

• Rotate Canvas

Let your canvas rotate through any angle, just like an artist would do

in real-life. Great for artists with tablets, for drawing freeform curves

at any orientation, and for getting a different perspective of your

drawing!

• Pseudo 3D Projections

Project objects isometrically onto Top, Front, or Right planes via a

Standard toolbar. For more advanced projections, take advantage of

editable Dimetric, Trimetric, Oblique projections, or even create your

own Custom projection.

Welcome 5

• View Quality

Draw in one of several drawing modes to view objects at optimum

quality (Normal mode), unsmoothed (Draft) or as single-pixel outlines

(Wireframe).

• Professional-Standard Drawing Features

Features like converting text to curves, defining custom envelopes,

fully customizable drop shadows, layers, and scalable vector graphics

give complete creative power. Combine two shapes into one... Subtract

for cropping and masking... Intersect to carve out unique shapes and

regions.

Design

• Cropping

Any object can serve as a "cookie cutter" for trimming one or more

other objects into a single shape... and the effect is reversible so you

won’t lose your originals. Great for creating “reflections” of complex

scenes!

• Vector editing tools

Tools such as Knife Tool cuts through objects, leaving them in

multiple parts, still as vectors. The Erase Tool removes areas under a

brush line of variable nib width to redefine object boundaries! The

opposite of the Erase Tool, the Freeform Paint Tool "adds to" current

vector objects (shapes, text, bitmaps).

• Comprehensive Design Gallery

The Gallery tab provides an impressive selection of instantly available

Arts & Crafts, Cartoons, ShapeArt, Connecting Symbols (family trees,

electronics, computers), and Layout Symbols (garden and interior

design), and many more. Use the Gallery to additionally store and

organize your own favourite designs for future use!

• Picture Import and Adjustments

Import pictures from hard disk, CD/DVD, PhotoCD, digital camera or

scanner. Use image adjustments for quick fixes (or special effects)

including Red Eye Tool, Auto Levels, Auto Contrast,

Brightness/Contrast, and many more. Apply adjustments singularly or

in combination.

6 Welcome

• Object Default control

Set your intended object’s default line colour/style, fill, and

transparency before even drawing your object! As a more powerful

default control, Synchronize Defaults lets you adopt a currently

selected object’s attributes for future objects; For example, select a red

brush stroke, to subsequently paint in red, then a green brush stroke to

paint in green; all or selected attributes can be affected. Global and

object-specific defaults can be reset independently.

• Resource Management

Swap out your already placed bitmaps or text fragments in Drawing

mode or any Animation mode from the new Media tab; a Keyframe

animation’s movie or audio clip can also be replaced.

Colour and Transparency

• Design Power with Colour Gradient Fills

The Gradient Fill Editor allows you to adjust gradient contour and tint

any portion of the colour spread, locate key colours precisely... and

select from RGB, HSL, CMYK, PANTONE® or Registration colours via

a Colour Selector.

• Advanced Fill Support

Simply apply solid colours from the Studio’s Colour tab or Swatches

tab onto a fill path to add or replace colours for more subtle gradients.

Choose colours from different colour mixing modes in the Colour

tab—HSL Wheel, HSL Square, RGB Sliders, CMYK Sliders or Tinting

all offer different ways to mix colour. Load RGB, CMYK and

coordinated "themed" palettes from within the Swatches tab. Apply

high-end linear, radial, conical, ellipse, three colour, four colour,

square, and plasma fills to any text or shape for exciting, professional

results. Use bitmap fills for textures and backgrounds. Add, view, edit,

or delete colours used in your current drawing from within a saveable

Document Palette. Even import your own bitmaps and use them as

fills on DrawPlus objects! Plus Mesh Fills for impressively varied

gradients using a path-node network. Define new colour sets based on

a base colour—this linkage can transform the drawing's colour scheme

instantly, by simply modifying that base colour!

Welcome 7

• Transparency Effects

Transparency can make the difference between flat, ordinary visuals

and sparkling realism! And DrawPlus provides it all—a full range of

transparencies for shading, shadows, reflections, depth effects, and

more.

Lines, brushes, and shapes

• Versatile Line Drawing

Sketch using calligraphic lines with an adjustable pen angle. Add

rounded corners when and where you need them... and choose

different end caps and joins. Create decorative chain lines for

marching footprints, themed borders, and much more.

• Dimension Lines and Scale Setting

Click a couple of times to take linear or angular measurements of any

object on the page—DrawPlus displays the dimension using your

choice of ruler units, at your specified scale (say, one inch to two feet).

Dimensions update when objects are moved or resized! Design room

layouts, make maps, draw scale models, and more.

• Connectors

For drawing dynamic flow diagrams, schematics, family trees, and

organization charts, connector objects let you link your boxes and

symbols and then rearrange at will. Connection points stay put on

each object... keeping connections intact. Auto Connectors

intelligently display bridges at line crossings, and even route

themselves around obstructive objects.

• Natural Curve Editing

Simply click and drag to break and redraw a curve at any node. Apply

smoothing selectively to freeform curves to eliminate that “shaky

hand” appearance.

• Intelligent Curve Tracing

Simply “connect the dots” to trace around curved objects and

pictures... the Pen Tool features Smart segments that use automatic

curve-fitting to connect each node!

8 Welcome

• Brushes

Unleash the painter within you, with DrawPlus's powerful Paintbrush

Tool and the supporting Brush tab's galleries! Pick from natural media

brush types such as acrylic, charcoal, dry paint, pastel, pen, and

watercolour, or create your own. Using a pressure-sensitive pen tablet?

Pressure sensitivity is supported (via a Pressure tab) with preset or

custom pressure profiles and control over the maximum and

minimum pressure applied.

• QuickShapes

QuickShapes work like intelligent clipart… or the most powerful set of

drawing tools you’ve ever envisaged. Even extremely complex shapes

like spirals, stars, and webs are simple to draw and customize using

QuickShapes. Type text directly into any shape!

Text

• Working with Text

Apply and edit artistic, frame, or shape text right on the page... apply

basic formatting from the always-at-hand Text context toolbar.

Control advanced properties like text flow (wrap), kerning, leading,

paragraph indents, above/below spacing. Need foreign language

support? Simply paste text in Unicode format as either formatted RTF

or unformatted plain text. Font substitutions during the opening of

DrawPlus or PDF files offers an interactive means of managing

missing fonts. Use Spell Checker to proof your output—check any text

against an editable user dictionary.

Effects

• Perform Powerful Blends

The Blend Tool allows adjustment of blend steps, transform, and

attribute profiles (rate of change). Objects can be multiply-blended

(to/from other blends) to create truly stunning illustrations.

• Instant 3D with on-screen transforms

Transform 3D objects with in-situ 3D rotational control and editing.

Apply awesome multi-coloured lighting effects (with directional

control), along with custom bevel and lathe effect profiles to create

your very own unique contours. Hardware-accelerated rendering

boosts redraw performance (hardware dependent).

Welcome 9

• Perspective Effects

Get a new slant on things... With a context toolbar flyout full of presets

plus a built-in tool for freeform adjustments, the Perspective Tool lets

you tilt and skew text (or any other object) for truly “spatial” results!

• Roughen Tool

For jagged, jaunty edges on text, lines, or QuickShapes, just drag the

tool up or down for subtle or bold results.

• Border Wizard

Vastly flexible Border Wizard instantly adds borders to the page or to

individual objects. Choose a border from the extensive library, or be

creative and let Border Wizard guide you through building a unique

design.

• Filter Effects

Drop shadows starting to wear a bit thin? Enliven your text with fully

adjustable Inner Shadow, Glow, Bevel, and Emboss filters... easy to

apply and sure to impress. Apply soft edges with the Feathering filter

effect—great for blends, montages, vignetted photo borders, and much

more.

• Astounding 3D Lighting and Surface Effects

Advanced algorithms bring flat shapes to life! Choose one or more

effects, then vary surface and source light properties. Adjust

parameters for incredible surface contours, textures, fills. The Studio's

Effects Tab offers preset 3D effects you can apply and customize as you

wish.

Web and Animation

• Web Image Slices, Image Maps, Rollover States

Beat the pros at their own game by using these techniques to add links

to your Web graphics! With a few clicks, divide images into

segments—each with its own hyperlink and popup text—or add

hotspots to specific regions. Even let DrawPlus create interactive

rollover Web graphics that highlight or change state when users mouse

over or click!

10 Welcome

• Stopframe Animation

Tap the power of QuickShapes to turn out Web stopframe animations

in no time—using advanced features like onion skinning,

backgrounds, overlays, and frame management.

• Keyframe Animation

Produce smooth, professional and quick-to-design animations as

Adobe® Flash® files, all from within the Storyboard tab. The Easing tab

defines editable envelope profiles for defining the rate of change of an

object's transformation and attributes. The Actions tab can assign

"events" (mouse click, hover over, and many more) and an associated

action (e.g., jump to a named URL or animation marker); develop

directly in ActionScript for the more adventurous! Use the Keyframe

Camera to pan, zoom, or rotate around your animation's keyframes.

Add sound and movies to any Keyframe animation. Export to Flash,

Flash Lite/i-Mode, screensaver or a choice of video formats.

Export and Print

• Image Export

Image Export lets you see how your image will look (and how much

space it will take up) before you save it! Its multi-window display

provides side-by-side WYSIWYG previews of image quality at various

output settings, so you can make the best choice every time. Use

Dynamic Preview to work in an edit-and-preview mode at a given

DPI, file format, and number of colours.

• PDF Export

Step up to the worldwide standard for cross-platform, WYSIWYG

electronic information delivery. Your PDF output will look just like

your DrawPlus document... in one compact package with embeddable

fonts, easily printable or viewable in a Web browser.

Welcome 11

• Professional Print Output

PDF publishing to the PDF/X-1 or PDF/X-1a file format is a great

choice for professional output from DrawPlus. Deliver with

confidence to your print partner, safe in the knowledge that your

single composite print-ready PDF drawing includes all fonts and

colour information for spot or process colour separation. Select file

information, crop marks, registration targets, and densitometer/colour

calibration bars for inclusion in your PDF. Spot or process colour

(CMYK) separations for full colour printing are possible. You have full

control over prepress settings for output.

12 Welcome

New features

Ease of Use

• Snapping power for fine positioning (p. 37)

Align objects relative to nearby objects by using colour-coded dynamic

guides; vertex snapping let's you snap to an object's natural corners

and points. Great for engineering drawing, flow charting, and general

precision layout. An in-built candidate system for snapping to objects

"in focus" is used.

• Add text to a path easily (p. 101)

Make your text fit to any line and shape's outline easily—simply draw

then type text directly on the object's path.

• At-a-glance object properties (see online Help)

For a breakdown of each object's properties, use the Properties tab. To

fine-tune a whole range of object properties, edit directly from within

the tab!

• Tailor your keyboard shortcuts (see online Help)

Take advantage of customizable keyboard shortcuts for enhanced

productivity—assign your own keystrokes to toolbar and menu

commands! Use single-key keyboard shortcuts for easy tool access.

Quality

• Near photo-quality effects

Truly impressive display quality of filter effects (p. 189) and brush

strokes (p. 87) gives great results at any magnification.

• Supersample on export (p. 243)

Use super sampling for superior quality export with stunning

realism—great for ensuring fine detail in your exported drawings.

Design

• Blend modes (p. 184)

Use blend modes such as Multiply, Erase, Colour Dodge, and more,

for appealing object-over-object colour effects. Great for blending

brush, fill, or line colours over textured backgrounds.

Welcome 13

• Colour Palette Designer (p. 146)

Create your own palettes from colour spreads based on accepted

colour theory (Monochromatic, Complementary, Triadic, and

more). You can add suggested colours automatically, or mix your own

colours to create the new palette. Spreads are perfect for simulating

various skin and natural tones.

• Colour Picker Tool (p. 144)

Sample colours directly under the cursor or, for artefacted, halftone or

dithered images, by averaging colours under a shaped region. Don't

forget to try colour gradient sampling, for sampling sunsets, metal or

glass surfaces, and more.

• Brushes get more powerful! (p. 87)

Paint more realistic brush strokes by using brush-specific pressure

properties—especially good for natural brush textures. Now recolour

photo brushes in an instant!

• Lines get pressure sensitive! (p. 255)

For cartoons and line art, pressure sensitivity now encompasses

freeform lines and curves, with weight and opacity control.

• Intuitive connector tools (p. 76)

Now even easier to use, with direct editing of connectors. Perfect in

combination with the Gallery tab's exciting range of office flow chart

symbols or with ever dependable QuickShapes. Overlapping target

object's connection points are now colour-coded for easy

differentiation. Now create branched connectors!

• Pressure Studio for pen tablets (p. 260)

Calibrate and test your tablet's input devices, even setup function

keys, rings, wheels, and sliders from within DrawPlus—all in one

easy-to-use studio! For Wacom Intuos4

™ users, take advantage of

OLED touch-sensitive shortcuts, where illuminated DrawPlus tool

icons show in your tablet's Functions area.

14 Welcome

Images

• PhotoLab for non-destructive adjustment and effect filters (p. 173)

The powerful PhotoLab studio packs a punch with an impressive

selection of editable adjustments, creative, and artistic effects (pencil,

water colour, oil, and more). Use integrated Red-eye and Spot-repair

tools for easy retouching. Apply filters to selected areas of your photo

by using brush-based masking. Apply adjustment/effect

combinations or save your own as favourites for future use.

Importing and Exporting

• Open, import and export Scalable Vector Graphics (p. 243)

Use web-ready svg files—open as a new document or import to

complement your existing DrawPlus design. Optionally, share your

design among the vector art community by exporting.

..and some other enhancements you've requested

• New dimensioning tool (p. 80)

Simple to use and powerful, the Auto Dimension Line Tool can place

dimension lines vertically, horizontally, and diagonally, with

automatic label placement on the line—snap to connection points or

dynamic guides. Dimension labels can be edited and formatted easily.

• Import PDF improvements (p. 24)

Import all PDF pages (including oversized pages) while enjoying more

compatibility, accuracy and text positioning control.

• Display RGB colours in Hex (p. 137)

Great for designers with web development in mind, the Colour tab

reports the Hex equivalent for RGB colours.

• Gradient and plasma fill rotation (p. 149 and p. 152)

Rotate object fills in 90° increments.

• Document Palette improvements (p. 147)

Now store any fill (gradient, plasma, mesh, or bitmap) in your Swatch

tab's Document Palette, which can now be categorized for better

colour and fill management.

Welcome 15

Installation

System Requirements

Minimum:

• Pentium PC with DVD/CD drive and mouse

• Microsoft Windows® XP (32 bit), Windows® Vista, or Windows® 7

operating system

• 512MB RAM

• 689 MB (recommended full install) free hard disk space

• 1024 x 600 monitor resolution

Additional disk resources and memory are required when editing large or

complex documents.

To enjoy the full benefit of brushes and their textures, you must be

using a computer whose processor supports SSE (most modern

computers do). On brush selection, an on-screen message will

indicate if your computer is non-SSE.

Recommended:

As above but:

• Dual-processor PC technology

Optional:

• Windows-compatible printer

• TWAIN-compatible scanner and/or digital camera

• Pressure-sensitive pen tablet (Serif GraphicsPad or equivalent)

• 3D accelerated graphics card with DirectX 9 (or above) or OpenGL

support

• Internet account and connection required for accessing online

resources

16 Welcome

First-time install

To install DrawPlus X4 simply insert the DrawPlus X4 Program CD into your

DVD/CD drive. The AutoRun feature automatically starts the Setup process.

Just answer the on-screen questions to install the program.

Re-install

To re-install the software or to change the installation at a later date, select

Control Panel from the Windows Start menu and then click on the Programs -

Uninstall a program option. Make sure the DrawPlus X4 Program CD is

inserted into your CD/DVD drive, then select Serif DrawPlus X4, click the

Change button and simply follow the on-screen instructions.

Use equivalent options for Windows XP.

Getting Started

18 Getting Started

Getting Started 19

Startup Wizard

Once DrawPlus has been installed, you're ready to start. Setup adds a Serif

DrawPlus X4 item to the All Programs submenu of the Windows Start menu.

• Use the Windows Start button to start DrawPlus (or if DrawPlus is

already running, choose New>New from Startup Wizard... from the

File menu) to display the Startup Wizard.

The Startup Wizard offers different routes into the program for you to explore:

The above options are described as follows:

• Start New Drawing, to create a drawing from scratch.

• Stopframe Animation, to create a Stopframe animation.

• Keyframe Animation, to create a Keyframe animation.

• Open Saved Work, to open and edit your saved DrawPlus drawings.

• Design Template, to create an instant drawing or animation from a

design.

• Sample Designs, load some example drawing files to boost your

imagination!

20 Getting Started

• Import PDF, to create a design from an existing PDF file.

• Learning Zone, to access videos, tutorials, support information, and

more.

Use the Choose Workspace drop-down menu to choose your workspace

appearance (i.e., Studio tab positions, tab sizes, and show/hide tab status). You

can adopt the default workspace profile <Default Profile>, the last used profile

<Current Profile>, a range of profile presets, or a workspace profile you've

previously saved.

As you click on different profiles from the menu, your workspace will

preview each tab layout in turn.

The Startup Wizard is displayed by default when you launch DrawPlus. You can

switch it off via the Don't show this wizard again check box on the Startup

Wizard screen, or on again via Startup Wizard in Tools>Options... (use User

Interface>Ease of Use menu option).

You can also access the Startup Wizard at any time from New>New from

Startup Wizard... on the File menu.

Starting with a design template

It's so much easier creating

drawings with a little bit of

help—DrawPlus can utilize

a whole range of design

templates which will speed

you through the creation

of all types of drawings and

animations! Templates can

be thought of as “object

factories.” They let you

pick a design and leave you

with one or more new

objects on the page.

Getting Started 21

If the design is exactly what you want then all that is left is for you to print it or

export it. If you want to personalize the design or add to it then you need to

know how to work with lines, shapes, and text.

To create a drawing from a design template:

1. Launch DrawPlus, or choose New>New from Startup Wizard... from

the File menu. You'll see the Startup Wizard.

2. Select Open>Design Template.

3. From the dialog, select a drawing category on the left, and examine the

designs on the right. Click the thumbnail that's closest to the one you

want, then click Open.

The design is loaded and forms the basis of your new unsaved drawing or

animation. When you make any changes, you'll be prompted to save the drawing

or animation to a file name.

Starting with a new drawing

The first time you launch DrawPlus, you'll see the Startup Wizard, with a menu

of choices. The Start New Drawing option offers an easy way to create your new

drawing and takes care of the initial setup for the particular type of document

you'll be producing.

Choose from a wide range of preset document types, including booklets and

folded documents. Work on pages right side up... automatic imposition assures

correct order and orientation of your output.

To start a new drawing from scratch using the Startup Wizard:

1. Start DrawPlus (or choose File>New>New from Startup Wizard... if

it’s already running).

2. Select Start New Drawing from the Startup Wizard.

22 Getting Started

3. Select a document category from the left-hand pane (and a sub-

category if applicable). Categories contain preset document types or if

you select Regular, you can choose from standard document sizes

presented in Portrait or Landscape sub-categories. For custom sized

pages, choose the Custom Page Setup... button at the bottom of the

dialog.

4. Select a document type thumbnail from the right-hand pane and click

OK. The new document opens.

To start a new drawing during your DrawPlus session:

• Click New Drawing on the Standard toolbar (if Startup Wizard

is disabled).

- or -

Choose New>New Drawing from the File menu.

You'll get a new drawing in a new window each time you choose this method—

the default page size is adopted.

You can always adjust the page size and document format later via

File>Page Setup....

To start with a new animation, see Getting started with animation

on p. 205.

Use Import PDF from the Startup Wizard to unlock the contents of

third-party PDF drawings.

Opening a saved document

You can open an existing DrawPlus drawing from the Startup Wizard, Standard

toolbar or the File menu. Once a drawing is opened in its own document

window, the window (and drawing) can be made currently active from a

Document tab or via the Window menu.

Getting Started 23

To open an existing document from the Startup Wizard:

1. Select Open Saved Work. In the Documents pane of the Open Saved

Work dialog, you'll see either your computer's folder structure for

navigation to your DrawPlus drawings (Folders tab) or a list of most

recently used drawings (History tab). Preview thumbnails are shown

in the adjacent pane.

2. Select a thumbnail from the pane, then click Open.

To open an existing document via toolbar or menu:

1. Click

Open on the Standard toolbar, or select File>Open....

2. In the Open dialog, navigate to, then select the file name and click the

Open button.

Displaying drawings

Click on a Document tab at

the top of the workspace to

make it active (e.g., the

unsaved drawing

"Lorem3.dpp"). Drawings that

are not active are not

highlighted. Unsaved

drawings are indicated by an

asterisk.

Alternatively, jump between

drawings by selecting the

drawing's window name from

the Window menu. Asterisks

indicate unsaved documents

in the window; the currently

active window is shown with a

tick.

24 Getting Started

Opening other file types

Opening images as a new document

DrawPlus allows a comprehensive range of image file formats to be opened, each

as a separate DrawPlus document. From the document, you can add your own

text captions, lines, shapes, or apply image adjustments and effects. You can save

your design changes as a new project or just export the image (with or without

adjustment), while preserving its original properties.

To open an image:

1. Click

Open on the Standard toolbar.

2. Change the file type drop-down menu to display All Image Files,

locate and select the file, and click Open. The image occupies your

workspace such that page dimensions are adjusted to match the image

dimensions (a Custom page size is adopted; in pixels).

3. (Optional) You can modify the image—modify the document as for

any other document or double-click the image to load PhotoLab (then

apply one or more effects or adjustments).

4. Click

Save to save the document as a DrawPlus .dpp project, or

File>Export>Export as Image... to export it to the same or a different

file format (the original image's name, dpi, colour depth, and

transparency settings are maintained for export).

Importing PDF

It is possible to import PDF files—once opened, you can save your page content as

a DrawPlus Drawing (.dpp). The character formatting, layout and images in the

original PDF document are preserved to allow for editing of the imported content.

For PDF import, any fonts used in the original PDF document but not available on

your computer can be substituted for suitable replacement fonts of your choosing.

This is possible during the import process via a PDF Import Options dialog.

Getting Started 25

To import a PDF:

1. From the Startup Wizard, select Import PDF.

2. Navigate to, then select the name of the file, and click Open.

3. From the dialog, you can perform font substitution, choose text

control options, import individual or all pages in the PDF file, and

auto crop to the PDF page area.

• The font list shows the fonts which are needed to represent

the imported PDF text accurately and their current status,

i.e.

Font Status The font is...

Installed installed on your computer.

Substitute not installed on your computer so a

suggested substitute font is selected for

you. Instead, to use a different

substituted font, click the

Substitutions button.

26 Getting Started

4. Choose a Text option, where Tight attempts to preserve the physical

position of text in the original PDF (by preventing text wrapping),

while Flow makes text editing easier, but at the expense of original text

accuracy (by allowing text to wrap, making paragraphs from lines, and

applying list formatting).

5. Enable Import only page to choose an individual PDF page to import.

Otherwise, all PDF pages will be imported.

6. Check Crop contents to page area to remove unwanted areas outside

the PDF page such as printer marks (crop marks, registration targets,

colour bars) or additional text instructions.

7. Click OK.

Opening Adobe® Illustrator® and Scalable Vector Format

files

To open:

1. Click

Open on the Standard toolbar.

2. Change the file type drop-down menu to display Adobe Illustrator

files (*.ai) or a Scalable Vector Format (.svg, .svgz).

3. Locate and select the file, and click Open.

You can only open Adobe Illustrator files of Version 9 or above,

which have also been saved within Adobe Illustrator as being PDF

compatible.

Scalable vector format files are editable and are ideal for sharing

between vector applications. They can be uncompressed (.svg) or

compressed (.svgz). DrawPlus allows editing of original vector

graphic art from both formats.

Getting Started 27

Opening AutoCAD files

DrawPlus opens AutoCAD® .dwg and .dxf files quickly and easily. Using the

same process as that for PDF files, this creates an opportunity to not only view

engineering layouts and designs (up to AutoCAD 2006) in DrawPlus, but to edit

the drawn objects and to save the drawing as a DrawPlus drawing (.dpp).

On file open, a DXF/DWG Options dialog provides options to scale the

imported file objects, position the artwork on the page and merge objects onto

one layer.

To open an AutoCAD file:

1. Click

Open on the Standard toolbar.

2. Change the file type drop-down menu to display AutoCAD files

(*.dwg,*.dxf), locate and select the file, and click Open.

3. In the dialog, specify scaling and positioning options. Uncheck Merge

Layers to retain the layer structure of the original AutoCAD file—

layers will automatically be shown in the Layers tab.

4. Click OK. The AutoCAD drawing is imported.

Saving your work

DrawPlus saves its documents as .dpp (Drawing), .dpx (Template) or .dpa

(Animation) files (for Stopframe and Keyframe animation modes).

To save your work:

• Click Save on the Standard toolbar.

- or -

To save the document under its current name, choose Save... from the

File menu.

- or -

To save under a different name, choose Save As... from the File menu.

28 Getting Started

Closing DrawPlus

To close the current document:

• Choose Close from the File menu or click the window's Close

button.

- or -

If you have a middle mouse button (wheel), click it when you hover

over the document tab at the top of your workspace.

If the document is still unsaved or there are unsaved changes, you'll be prompted

to save changes.

To close DrawPlus:

• Choose Exit from the File menu.

For each open window, you'll be prompted to save any changes made since the

last save.

Working with

Pages

30 Working with Pages

Working with Pages 31

Setting up a document

A document's page size and orientation settings make a fundamental difference

to its layout, and are defined when the new document is first created (see

Starting with a new drawing on p. 21). If the Startup Wizard is turned off, or you

cancel the setup dialog, a new document defaults to A4 (Europe) or Letter size

(US) in Drawing Mode. You can adjust the document layout at any time—but as

a general rule, it's best to make page setup one of your first creative tasks.

For scale drawings, you can set the ruler units independently of the page

measurement units. See Setting measurement units and drawing scale on p. 33.

To adjust the basic layout of the document (Drawing mode):

1. Choose

Page Setup from the context toolbar (shown with Pointer

or Rotate Tool selected; objects must be deselected).

2. Select a document category: Regular, Large (for example, banners or

posters), Small (for example, business cards), Booklet, or Special

Folded (greetings cards).

• Where applicable, click in the document list to preview available

formats for the selected category. Watch the preview window for

an example of each type.

• If you select Large or Small, you can define a custom document

format by clicking Create Custom... and entering the

desired settings.

• If you select Regular or Booklet, you can check Facing Pages to set

up the document using paired, side-by-side pages. This is

appropriate if you're creating a document where you need to see

both the left-hand (verso) and right-hand (recto) pages, or one that

employs double-page spreads where a headline or other element

needs to run from the left-hand page to the right-hand page.

3. Select a Document Size, set the orientation (Portrait or Landscape)

and enter a Width and Height (if a custom setup).

You can change this later via the Pages context toolbar.

32 Working with Pages

4. Adjust the document Margins to your specifications. You can set the

left, right, top, and bottom margins individually, or click the From

Printer button to derive the page margin settings from the current

printer settings. The dialog also provides options for Balanced

margins (left matching right, top matching bottom) or for two

Mirrored margins on facing pages where the "left" margin setting

becomes the "inside," and the "right" margin becomes the "outside."

Note: Page margins are represented on the page area by solid blue

guides (top, bottom, left and right).

5. Click OK to accept the new dimensions. The updated settings will be

applied to the current document.

Using the page and pasteboard

Most of the DrawPlus display is taken up by a page or "artwork" area and a

surrounding pasteboard area. This arrangement is an electronic equivalent of

the system used by traditional graphic designers. They kept design tools and bits

of text and graphics on a large pasteboard, and then carefully pasted final

arrangements of text and graphics onto a page-sized "artwork" sheet pinned

down in the middle of the board.

(A) Page and (B) Pasteboard

The page area is where you put the text and graphic elements that you want to

be part of the final output. The pasteboard area is where you generally keep any

elements that are being prepared or waiting to be positioned on the page area.

Working with Pages 33

Setting measurement units and drawing scale

For precision drawing, you need techniques that allow you to position and draw

accurately without effort, that will also be of use at any scaled size. Such

techniques make use of rulers and guides for actual-size or scaled drawings.

Rulers

The DrawPlus rulers mimic the paste-up artist's T-square, and acts as a

measuring tool and guide creator. The rulers that surround the page allow you to

measure the exact position of an object.

Ruler units used by DrawPlus determine the units displayed on the rulers and

the reported units shown when positioning and scaling objects (either around

the object or on the HintLine). You can change the ruler units without altering

the document's dimensions. Unit settings are saved with your DrawPlus

document; as a result loading different documents, templates, etc. may change

your working measurement units.

To change the page unit:

• Choose Options... from the Tools menu (Layout>Display), then select

from the Ruler Units drop-down list.

Ruler Units are equivalent to Page Units unless you're working on a

scale drawing. For example, at 100% zoom, one ruler centimetre

equals one centimetre on the printed page.

Moving rulers

By default, the horizontal ruler lies along the top of the DrawPlus window and

the vertical ruler along the left edge. The default ruler intersection is the top-left

corner of the pasteboard area. The default zero point (marked as 0 on each

ruler) is the top-left corner of the page area.

To move either ruler to a different position,

click and drag on the ruler intersection button

(showing the type of measurement unit).

34 Working with Pages

To set a new ruler origin—simply drag the

tab onto the page and release to

set the position of your new origin (cross-hair guides and the HintLine toolbar

help this positioning). Double-click on the intersection to reset the origin back

to its default position. All guide positions are recalculated as the origin changes

position.

Double-click on the ruler intersection to make the rulers' zero point jump to the

top left-hand corner of the selected object.

This comes in handy for measuring page objects. If the rulers have already been

moved or the object is deselected, double-clicking on the intersection will send

the rulers back to the default position.

Rulers as a measuring tool

The most obvious role for rulers is as a measuring tool. As you move the mouse

pointer, a small line marker along each ruler displays the current horizontal and

vertical cursor position. When you select an object the rulers not only show its

position, but also its extent by a lighter coloured area (also showing the object's

dimensions).

Working with Pages 35

Creating guides

If you want to position objects repeatedly on the same horizontal or vertical

boundary then guides can be used. DrawPlus lets you set up horizontal and

vertical guides—non-printing, red lines you can use to align one object with

another. Guides are “sticky” as long as you have Snap to Guides turned on (via

Tools>Options; Layout>Snapping), i.e. a moved object will behave as if it is

attracted to a guide as you move it close to the line. Guides also attract the object

when you are changing its size.

To create a guide:

• For a horizontal or vertical guide, click on the horizontal or vertical

ruler, respectively, and drag onto the page while fine-tuning the guide

into its position.

Hold down the Alt key before guide creation to produce a

horizontal guide from a vertical ruler and vice versa.

To manage guides:

• To move a guide, click and drag it into position with the Pointer Tool.

• To remove a guide, drag and drop it onto the respective ruler.

• To lock the guides and prevent them from being moved, choose

Options... from the Tools menu, and from Layout>Grid and Guides,

check the Lock Guides box (or right-click on a ruler).

• To show or hide guides, check or uncheck Layout Tools>Guides from

the View menu (or use Tools>Options; Layout>Grid and Guides).

36 Working with Pages

Drawing scale

You can create scale drawings (such as a garden design or model diagram) by

setting a ratio other than 1:1 between page units and ruler units. For example,

you might wish to set one page centimetre equivalent to 0.5 metre, a good

scaling ratio for designing gardens of a typical size.

Use Dimension tools (above) in conjunction with scale drawings for

on-the-page measurements, which automatically update as you

move objects.

To change the drawing scale:

1. Choose

Drawing Scale from the context toolbar (shown with

Pointer or Rotate Tool selected).

- or -

Choose Options... from the Tools menu and select the

Layout>Drawing Scale option.

2. Check the Scale Drawing box.

3. Use the input boxes to set the drawing scale as a proportion between

the Page Distance (in page units that define the document's actual

printing dimensions) and the Ruler Distance (in on-screen ruler units

that represent the "real world" objects you're depicting). Units and

object dimensions update and scale accordingly.

Working with Pages 37

For clarity, the dialog also reports the Printed page size (in page units, as shown

in the Page Setup dialog) and the Scaled page size (in "real world" ruler units).

When creating graphics for the computer screen, as opposed to the

printed page, it's useful to set a drawing scale ratio of one inch

(Page Distance) to 96 pixels (Ruler Distance).

Using snapping

The Snapping feature simplifies placement and alignment by "magnetizing"

moved or resized objects to various page layout aids and elements. Aids include

guide lines and snapping grid, while elements include page margins, rows,

columns, page edge, and page/margin centres.

Dynamic guides can be used to align and resize objects to existing object edges,

centres, and vertices. Guides appear automatically as you drag objects. For

technical/engineering drawing use, dynamic guides further support snapping to

object vertices (e.g., the points of a star, shape nodes and line/curve nodes. See

Using dynamic guides on p. 40.

To turn snapping on and off globally:

• Click

Snapping on the Standard toolbar, check or uncheck

the Snapping box.

Alternatively, switch Snapping on or off via the Arrange menu.

To turn individual snapping controls on and off:

• Click the down arrow on the Snapping button (Standard

toolbar) and check/uncheck a specific snapping option via the drop-

down list (e.g., Snap to Guides).

38 Working with Pages

All snapping options are described as follows:

Snap to Guides

Objects will jump to visible ruler guides.

Snap to Margin

Objects will jump to align with defined

page margins.

Snap to Page Edge

Objects will jump to the absolute page

edge.

Snap to Grid

Objects will jump to align with a visible

grid's dots, lines or dashes.

Working with Pages 39

Snap to Margin Centres

Objects jump to margin centres (i.e., the

centre of the page in relation to the page

margins).

Snap to Page Centre

Objects jump to the page centre (i.e., the

centre of the page in relation to the page

edge).

Snap to Units

Objects will jump to snapping

measurement units, independent of ruler

measurement units. For example, a shape

can be resized by pixel on a supporting

pixel grid.

40 Working with Pages

Use dynamic guides

A moved object can be aligned precisely

with an already placed object, using

optional vertex snapping.

See Snapping with dynamic guides below.

Using the snapping grid

The Snapping Grid, when enabled, appears as a matrix of dots, lines or dashes

covering the page. It's especially useful as an alignment aid on the page when

Snap to Grid is also enabled.

To show or hide the snapping grid:

• From the Standard toolbar, click Overlays and

select Snapping Grid from the drop-down list. A grid is overlaid over

your page.

- or -

Choose Layout Tools from the View menu and check or uncheck on

the submenu.

- or -

Choose Options... from the Tools menu, select Layout>Grid and

Guides, then check or uncheck the Display Grid box.

Snapping with dynamic guides

For accurate object alignment and resizing, you can use dynamic guides instead

of either setting ruler guides manually or performing selection, transform, and

alignment operations. These guides automatically display between the object

being moved and the object to be aligned to, "visually suggesting" possible

snapping options, and allow snapping to the object's left, right, centre, top, right,

bottom, page centre, or vertices.

In technical/engineering drawing, dynamic guides are especially useful when

snapping to object vertices, i.e., the natural points and corners of irregularly-

shaped objects, lines/curves, and rotated bitmaps.

Working with Pages 41

Snapping to QuickShapes (Quick Star)

Snapping to irregular drawn shapes

Snapping to line/curve nodes

Snapping to rotated pictures

For ease of use, dynamic guides always use a candidate system where objects

previously selected, hovered over, or newly created become the focus for

snapping. All other objects can't be snapped to until they are "activated"; The last

several "activated" objects are included in each snapping operation.

If snapping to vertices isn't needed, perhaps during less technical design, you can

switch the option off. Dynamic guides can also be switched off entirely if

required.

42 Working with Pages

To disable dynamic guides and snapping to vertices:

1. Click the down arrow on the

Snapping button (Standard

toolbar) and select Options....

2. From the dialog, uncheck Dynamic guides or just Snap to Vertex.

Viewing pages

The HintLine toolbar at the bottom of the screen displays the current page

number and provides a number of controls to let you navigate around your

pages. As an alternative, the Pages tab shows your pages as thumbnails, which

when selected, will display that page in your workspace.

Once you've got a page in view, you can use the scrollbars at the right and

bottom of the main window to move the page and pasteboard with respect to the

main window. As you drag objects to the edge of the screen the scroll bars adjust

automatically as the object is kept in view.

To go to a specific page:

1. Click

Add/Delete Pages on the HintLine toolbar.

2. On the Page Manager's Go to Page tab, select the page number to go

from the drop-down list and click OK.

- or -

1. Display the Pages tab (docked at the bottom of your DrawPlus

workspace) by clicking the

button.

2. Click on a thumbnail to jump directly to that page.

To navigate pages:

• Click Previous Page, Next Page, First Page or Last

Page on the HintLine toolbar.

Working with Pages 43

Zooming

The HintLine toolbar also allows the user to view and/or edit the page at

different levels of detail. You can zoom in/out step-by-step or by a user-

defined/preset amount. Panning is also possible.

The Current Zoom setting on the toolbar displays the current zoom

percentage, with 100% representing an actual-size page. Click over the value,

then type to enter any zoom percentage up to 5000% or select a preset zoom

from the flyout list (includes fit to Full Page or Page Width).

To zoom to a particular view:

• Click Zoom Out or Zoom In to decrease/increase the

current zoom percentage with each click.

• Click Zoom Tool and drag out a rectangular marquee on the page

to define a region to zoom in to. To zoom out, hold down the Shift key

when dragging or just right-click on the page. You can also pan

around a zoomed-in page while the Ctrl key is pressed. To zoom to the

current selection, choose Selection from the View menu.

• Click Pan Tool to use a hand cursor to click anywhere on the

page and drag to reposition the page in the window.

• Click Fit Page to adjust the zoom percentage so the entire page

area is displayed in the window.

If you're using a wheel mouse, you can scroll the wheel forward or back to move

up or down the page, or move horizontally left or right by using the Shift key

and scrolling together. Try combining the Ctrl key and scrolling up or down for

immediate in/out zoom control.

44 Working with Pages

Adding and deleting pages

DrawPlus lets you add one or more pages before or after a currently selected

page; you can even make use of an object "cloning" feature which copies objects

from a chosen page.

To add one or more new pages:

1. Select a page from which to add page(s) before/after.

2. Click

Add/Delete Pages on the HintLine toolbar.

3. On the Page Manager's Insert Page tab, specify the following:

• The number of pages to add

• The page before (or after) the new pages should be added

• Whether to duplicate a particular page by copying objects from it

4. Click OK.

The document format (as determined in File>Page Setup...) will

determine whether or not you can add or delete pages. For

example, Folded documents have a fixed number of pages.

To delete one or more pages:

1. On Page Manager's Delete Page tab, specify the following:

• The number of pages to delete

• The page after which pages should be deleted

2. Click OK.

To duplicate a page:

• On the Page Manager's Insert Page tab, you can specify how many

pages to add, and where to add them. Check Copy objects from page

if you want to duplicate a particular page.

Working with Pages 45

To make a page a background for other pages:

• From the Pages tab, right-click the intended background page and

choose Set as Background (to undo choose Unset as background). The

page is named Background and is applied to other pages already present.

Anything you subsequently add to the background page will be replicated to

other pages immediately.

46 Working with Pages

Using design aids

DrawPlus provides a number of design aids to assist you as you draw. Each is

designed to improve stroking lines/brushes, page composition, and focused

design on specific areas on the page.

• Rotating your canvas

• Applying the Rule of Thirds

• Using divine proportions

• Isolating an object

• Using multiple document windows

Rotating your canvas

Rotating your canvas helps you to maintain natural flow when drawing freeform

lines, curves, or brush strokes, where the artist uses the wrist as a pivot

(especially when using a pen tablet). If you rotate the canvas by a chosen angle

then the drawing becomes easier—taking advantage of the natural arc of the

drawing hand.

The above example illustrates how grass-like brush strokes can be added more

easily to a canvas once it has been rotated 30°!

Working with Pages 47

To rotate your canvas:

Either:

1. Click

Rotate Canvas on the HintLine toolbar (don't click the

down arrow).

2. Hover over your workspace until you see the cursor, then drag to

rotate the canvas clockwise or anti-clockwise.

3. Once you're happy with the degree of rotation, release the mouse

button to reposition the canvas.

- or -

• Click the down arrow on the Rotate Canvas button (HintLine

toolbar) and choose a preset angle from the drop-down list.

You can also select an object and then choose To Object from the

Rotate Canvas drop-down list. The canvas adjusts so that the

object is positioned square to the X and Y axes.

To reset your canvas:

• With the button enabled, double-click anywhere on the canvas to

reset.

Applying the Rule of Thirds

Traditionally a technique used in photography, the

Rule of Thirds grid can also be applied to your

design to help with its composition.

For example, note the way the primary object

(pear) is vertically aligned between the top- and

bottom-left intersecting points, i.e. under the stalk

and core. The secondary object (orange) is located

under the opposite intersecting line to offer some

balance to the design.

48 Working with Pages

By aligning objects to intersecting horizontal and vertical lines (rather than just

centring objects on the page) you can create designs with greater visual interest.

When a grid is applied to your page the displayed context toolbar lets you alter

the grid's colour and opacity, and reset or delete the grid. (See online Help.)

The grid is actually an overlay which appears as an ‘Overlay Layer’ in

the Layers tab. As such you can use the Visible layer control to

temporarily show/hide the grid.

To apply a Rule of Thirds grid:

1. From the Standard toolbar, click

Overlays and

select Show/Hide Rule of Thirds from the drop-down list. A coloured

grid is overlaid over your page.

2. (Optional) For selected objects, drag a corner (or edge) handle to

resize the grid or reposition the grid by dragging. The grid can be

manipulated just like an object.

3. Place pictures, frames, or vector objects under any of the intersecting

blue lines.

Once applied, the grid stays selected. Clicking away from the grid will deselect it,

but it can be reselected at any time (e.g., for repositioning later).

To select the grid:

• From the Standard toolbar, click Overlays and choose Select

Rule of Thirds.

Working with Pages 49

Using divine proportions

Divine proportions in DrawPlus involve

overlaying a grid over your design for aesthetic

proportioning of design elements. The grid uses the

classic golden ratio principle commonly

encountered in:

• classic drawings (e.g., da Vinci's

Vitruvian Man).

• musical instruments (opposite).

• buildings (Athen's Parthenon).

• modern iconic design (Apple iPod).

The golden ratio can be understood

using a cello as an example—the ratio

(0.618) is that between the instrument's

neck and its body.

"Golden" Spirals, Rectangles, and Tangents make up the grid, each differently

coloured for easy distinction. Their colours can be changed and each grid

component can be hidden from the context toolbar.

To apply a Divine Proportions grid:

1. From the Standard toolbar, click

Overlays and

select Show/Hide Divine Proportions from the drop-down menu.

The grid is overlaid over your page.

2. (Optional) Resize, rotate, or reposition the grid over your design (or

planned design area) by dragging corner or edge handles.

3. Begin drawing, using the guide lines to draw objects proportionately.

To select the grid (once deselected):

• From the Standard toolbar, click Overlays and choose Select

Divine Proportions.

50 Working with Pages

Isolating an object

For focused editing, DrawPlus X4 provides the Solo mode. This allows you to

temporarily isolate selected object(s) on the page that you are currently

designing (all unselected objects disappear!). In doing so, you avoid having to

move objects to other layers or lock object unnecessarily.

To isolate an object:

• Select the object, then click Solo Mode on the HintLine toolbar.

After editing, click the button again to return to normal editing mode.

Using multiple document windows

Multiple document windows can be

used effectively for comparing the same

drawing, at different magnification

levels. As you make fine adjustments to

a specific area of your design in a new

magnified window, you'll be able to use

the original window to see how your

changes look in the context of the

whole drawing.

Working with Pages 51

To create a new document window:

• Select New Window from the Window menu. The same drawing

shows in a new window (e.g., Drawing1:x where x represents the

window number).

You will need to position your windows and set your magnification level for

side-by-side comparison.

Updating defaults

When you create new objects in DrawPlus, the way they look depends on the

current default settings for that particular type of object. DrawPlus stores

defaults separately for (1) lines/shapes (including connectors and QuickShapes),

(2) brushes, (3) artistic/frame text, (4) 3D filter effects, and (5) dimension lines.

Defaults for shape text (as contained in shapes) are distinct from those for

artistic/frame text, and are defined along with other shape defaults (they are

subsumed under other shape properties). For any object, default means the

properties of the object that will be applied to the next new object (of the same

type) you create.

You can adopt two approaches to controlling your defaults according to your

preferred way of working, i.e.

Synchronize

Defaults

(from flyout

on Standard

toolbar)

On Defaults are changed dynamically by

synchronizing to the colour, style, transparency, or

effect of the currently selected item (or tab

setting). For example, when painting, you might

want to reuse the colour of a previously painted

brush stroke.

This is the default mode of operation.

Synchronize

Defaults

Off Defaults are changed by manually updating to the

current item selection, and apply until they are

manually updated again.

Normally, fill and line colours, line styles, and line/brush transparency will adopt

the former approach. Brush strokes take a line colour, so they also synchronize

to the currently set colour. Text attributes and filter effect defaults adopt the

latter approach.

52 Working with Pages

To see what the current defaults are for a particular object type,

simply create a new object of that type.

Although you can switch Synchronize Defaults on or off globally, it is also

possible to independently switch on or off attributes which synchronize with, or

update to, the currently selected object.

To change which attributes synchronize:

1. Choose Synchronization Settings... from the

Defaults flyout

(Standard toolbar) to optionally select attributes (e.g., fill colour, line

colour, transparency, etc) from which new defaults will be made.

2. Check or uncheck the check boxes to switch on or off the

synchronization of defaults for that attribute.

To switch synchronize defaults off (for manual default control):

• Uncheck Synchronize Defaults on the Defaults flyout of the

Standard toolbar.

Working with Pages 53

To set object defaults manually:

1. With Synchronize Defaults disabled, create a sample object (the

object type matching the set of defaults you’re updating, and alter it to

use the specific properties you plan to use as defaults.

- or -

Use an existing object that already has the right properties.

2. Right-click the object and choose Update Defaults (or choose Update

Object Defaults from the Format menu).

When you update defaults from a shape, all default shape

properties, including shape text attributes, are reset at the same

time.

Shape text properties are stored along with other shape defaults,

such as line and fill. To avoid altering these settings when updating

shape text defaults, create a new sample shape and modify only its

text.

Normally, each time you close a document, object default settings are recorded

as "master settings" to be used in future documents. To stop DrawPlus from

recording the defaults as master settings, choose Tools>Save Settings... and

uncheck the Object Defaults box.

Resetting defaults

A reset of defaults is useful if you feel the need to get back to basics and return to

your original default settings.

• Select Reset Object Defaults from the Defaults flyout

(Standard toolbar). With no objects selected, this acts globally, i.e. it

resets all objects back to their default settings. With an object(s)

selected, it resets only those object types back to their default.

54 Working with Pages

Lines, Curves, and

Shapes

56 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 57

Selecting one or more objects

Before you can change any object, you need to select it using one of several tools

available from the top of the Drawing toolbar.

Pointer Tool

Click to use the Pointer Tool to select, move, copy, resize, or rotate

objects.

Rotate Tool

Click to use the Rotate Tool to exclusively rotate

an object around a centre

of rotation. You can also use the Rotate Tool to move or copy objects.

Node Tool

Click to use the Node Tool to manipulate the shape of objects, or move or

copy objects.

To select an object:

• Click on the object using one of the tools shown above. For the Pointer

and Rotate Tools, small "handles" appear around the object indicating

selection.

For the Node Tool, editable nodes are displayed for lines—sliding

handles are additionally shown for adjustment of QuickShapes and

text. If objects overlap, click repeatedly (without double-clicking) until

the desired object is selected.

When you draw an object it is initially selected for you so that you

can modify it.

If you select an image with areas of transparency, you'll be able to

manipulate the image's outline, i.e. convert to curves, apply line

properties, effects, etc.

58 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

Selecting multiple objects

It is also possible to select more than one object, making a multiple selection

that you can manipulate as if it were one object, or turn into a grouped object

(p. 123).

To select more than one object (multiple selection):

1. Choose the Pointer Tool or Rotate Tool.

2. Click in a blank area of the page and drag a "marquee" box around the

objects you want to select.

Release the mouse button. All of the objects within the marquee box

are selected and one selection box, with handles, appears around the

objects. To deselect, click in a blank area of the page.

- or -

1. Click on the first object for selection.

2. Press the Shift key down then click on a second object.

3. Continue selecting other objects to build up your multiple selection.

Handles (or a bounding box, depending on the tool) appear around

the multiple selection.

To select all objects on the page:

• Choose Select All from the Edit menu (or use Ctrl+A).

To add or remove an object from a multiple selection:

• Hold down the Shift key and click the object to be added or removed.

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 59

Selection using a lasso

For more detailed multiple object selection, using a fixed marquee or Shift-select

may be too inflexible. Instead, you can draw an irregular-shaped lasso around

one or more objects in a complex design.

To select using a lasso:

1. Choose the Pointer or Rotate Tool.

2. With the Alt key pressed, draw a "lasso" around the objects you want

to select.

3. Release the mouse button. All of the objects within the lasso region are

selected.

Drawing lines and shapes

Lines can be either straight or curved, and can have properties like colour and

weight (thickness). They can also adopt specific line styles, ends, and caps.

60 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

Choose one of the line tools shown below from the Drawing toolbar.

The Pencil Tool is used to sketch freeform lines.

The Straight Line Tool is used to draw straight lines.

The Pen Tool is used for drawing complex, combination curves and

shapes in a highly controlled way by using a series of "connect the dots"

mouse clicks.

As soon as you draw a line, or choose one of the line tools when a line is selected,

you'll see the line's nodes appear. Nodes show the end points of each segment in

the line. Curved lines usually have many nodes; straight lines have only two.

If you're using a pen tablet or using simulated pressure sensitivity (with

DrawPlus's Pressure tab), you'll be able to draw realistic lines of varying width

and opacity using pressure sensitivity—just like drawing with real drawing tools

and brushes. See Pressure sensitivity on p. 255.

Drawing lines

To draw a freeform line:

1. Choose the

Pencil Tool from the Drawing toolbar.

2. Click once, then drag across the page, drawing a line as you go. The

line appears immediately and follows your mouse movements.

3. To end the line, release the mouse button. The line will automatically

smooth out using a minimal number of nodes. Note the little squares

indicating its nodes—at the two ends, and at each point where two line

segments come together.

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 61

4. (optional) To set the degree of smoothing to be applied to the line (and

subsequent lines), set the Smoothness value on the context toolbar

above your workspace.

Click its right arrow to display a slider—drag right, then left. You’ll see

your drawn line—still selected—smooth out (with fewer nodes) as you

drag right, and become more jagged (with more nodes) as you drag

left. For the smoothest curves the next time you draw a freeform line,

leave the sliding arrow towards the right of the slider.

To draw a straight line:

1. Click the

Straight Line Tool from the Drawing toolbar's Line

Tools flyout.

2. Click where you want the line to start, and drag to another point while

holding down the mouse button, then release the mouse button. The

straight line appears immediately.

To constrain the angle of the straight line to 15° increments, hold

down the Shift key down as you drag. (This is an easy way to make

exactly vertical or horizontal lines.)

Any kind of open line (that is, one that hasn’t been closed to create a shape) can

be extended, and you can use any of the three line tools to do so. Use the Pointer

Tool and then the line’s drawing tool to resize or reshape lines once you've

drawn them.

62 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

To extend a line:

1. Move the cursor over either of the end nodes, a small cursor will

appear. Click at that location.

2. The line that you drag out will be a continuation of the existing line, as

a new line segment.

To draw a curved line:

1. Choose the

Pen Tool from the Drawing toolbar's Line Tools

flyout.

From the displayed context toolbar, choose to create your

drawn segments in Smooth joins or Sharp joins creation mode. By

default, you'll be in Smooth joins mode (i.e., drawing Bézier curves

segment-by-segment). Sharp joins would create a zig-zag line without

curving through nodes.

3. Click where you want the line to start (1).

4. Click again for a new node and drag out a pair of control handles

which orbit the node (2). (Control handles act like "magnets," pulling

the curve into shape. The distance between handles determines the

depth of the resulting curved line.) Release the mouse button to create

your curve segment (3).

(1) (2) (3)

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 63

5. To extend an existing line, click beyond the end of your current curve to

create a new node (thus creating another curve segment). Normally, curve

segments end in a symmetric (evenly rounded) corner (4), with control

handles locked together.

(4) (5)

6. However, you can press the Alt key while drawing the segment to define a

"cusp" or sharp corner (5). This locks the control handle on the last created

node. See Changing nodes and line segments on p. 69.

7. To end the line, press Esc or choose a different tool.

Drawing shapes

When a line (or series of line segments) forms a complete, enclosed outline, it

becomes a new closed object called a shape. Because shapes have an interior

region that can be filled (for example, with a solid colour or a bitmap), they have

fill properties as well as line properties.

You can make a shape by closing a curve—extending a freeform line or a

segmented straight line back to its starting point. Shapes have an interior which

is filled with the current default fill (see Setting fill properties on p. 137) when

the shape is closed.

64 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

To close an existing curve (with a straight line):

1. Select the curve with the Node Tool, Pencil or Pen Tool.

2. Click Close Curve on the context toolbar. A Straight segment

appears, closing the curve.

To close a curve (without new segment):

• Select the curve with the Node Tool, and drag from an end node (note

the

Node cursor), moving the line, onto the other end node (a Close

cursor will show); releasing the mouse button will create a shape.

If you're trying to draw a cartoon outline made

up of many independent curves (e.g., a

cartoon ear, rose, etc.) and you want to retain

the fill colour, you can fill each curve without

closing them. This is made easy by using the

Fill-on-Create feature.

To fill an unclosed curve automatically:

• Select the Pencil Tool, Pen Tool, or Paintbrush Tool.

• Enable Fill-on-Create from the context toolbar, and select a

suitable fill from the Colour tab. You'll also need to ensure Select-on-

Create is enabled on the context toolbar (Freehand and Paintbrush

tools only).

• Draw a freeform line, pen line, or brush stroke into a curve. The

resulting curve is closed automatically and filled with the current fill

colour.

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 65

Editing lines and shapes

To edit lines or shapes, you can manipulate their segments and/or nodes,

allowing you to:

• Redraw part of a curve

• Reshape a line (or curve)

• Simplify a line (remove nodes)

• Enhance a line (add nodes)

• Change the type of node or line segment

• Convert to straight line segments

• Adjust a shape

• Join two lines together

Redrawing part of a curve

With the Pencil Tool, it's easy to redraw any portion of a curve.

To redraw part of a selected curve:

1. Select the line, then the

Pencil Tool. Hover the displayed cursor

on the line where you want to begin redrawing. The cursor changes to

indicate you can begin drawing.

2. Click on the line, and a new node appears.

66 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

3. Keep the mouse button down and drag to draw a new line section,

connecting it back to another point on the original line. Again, the

cursor changes to include a curve when you’re close enough to the line

to make a connection. When you release the mouse button, the

original portion is replaced by the newly drawn portion.

Reshaping a line

The main tool for editing lines and shapes is the Node Tool. In general, you first

use the Node Tool to select one or more nodes on the object, then use the

buttons on the tool's supporting context toolbar.

To reshape a curved line:

1. Click the Node Tool on the Drawing toolbar.

2. Select any curved line on your page. The line’s nodes appear, and the

context toolbar also pops up.

3. Hover over a segment and drag the segment to form a new curve

shape.

-or-

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 67

Select nodes and drag. Selection can be by one of the following methods:

Hover over a single

node and click to

select the node.

Shift

-click for

multiple nodes.

Drag out a marquee

to select multiple

neighbouring nodes

Drag out a lasso

(with

Alt

key

pressed) to select

multiple nodes

otherwise difficult to

select via a marquee.

Once selected, a node becomes highlighted and control

handles for the adjacent line segment(s) will appear.

Note that each segment in the line has a control handle at either end, so when

you select an end node or interior node, indicated below, you'll see either a

control handle on each selected end node (one segment) or a pair of handles at a

selected interior node (two segments), respectively, i.e.

4. Drag any selected node to reshape adjacent segment(s). All selected nodes

move in the same direction, so you can reshape the curve in complex ways

by selecting specific nodes. Shift-drag to constrain the movement to

horizontal or vertical.

5. Drag one or more control handles to produce very precise changes in the

curvature of the line on either side of a node. You can shorten or lengthen

the handles, which changes the depth of the curve (that is, how far out the

curve extends), or alter the handle angle, which changes the curve’s slope.

68 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

When using the Pen Tool, pressing Ctrl while clicking a node lets you

edit the curve directly. You can't edit multiple nodes simultaneously.

By changing the type of node you can change how the adjacent

segments behave.

As a shortcut when selecting nodes, you can press Tab or Shift-Tab

to select the next or previous node along the line (following the order

in which nodes were created).

Simplifying or enhancing a line

The more nodes there are on a line or shape, the more control over its shape you

have. The fewer nodes there are, the simpler (smoother) the line or shape. You can

adjust the Smoothness to refine the curve most recently drawn (as long as the line

is still selected). It is also possible to add or delete nodes to simplify or enhance

curves, and even clean curves (removing unnecessary nodes automatically).

To adjust the smoothness of the most recent pencil line:

1. Choose the Pencil Tool and draw a freeform line.

2. Click the right arrow on the Smoothness option and drag the

displayed slider left to increase the number of nodes (you can also add

absolute values into the input box).

3. To make the curve less complex, i.e. smoother, drag the slider right to

decrease the number of nodes.

To add or delete a node:

• To add a node, click along a line segment with the Node Tool or Pen

Tool to add a new node at that point. The new node will be created

and will be selected (complete with attractor nodes as necessary).

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 69

• To delete a node, select the line with the Node Tool then the

node itself and click the Delete Node button on the context toolbar (or

press the Delete key). The node will be deleted, along with any

associated attractor nodes, and the line or shape will jump to its new

shape. With the Pen Tool selected, you can also delete a node by

clicking on it.

You can also use the Node Tool to reposition the nodes, and reshape the line or

shape, by dragging on the new handles.

Changing nodes and line segments

Each segment in a line has a control handle at either end, so at each interior or

"corner" node (where two segments join) you'll see a pair of handles. The

behaviour of these handles—and thus the curvature of the segments to either

side—depends on whether the node is set to be sharp, smooth, symmetric, or

smart. You can quickly identify a node's type by selecting it and seeing which

button is selected in the displayed context toolbar. Each type's control handles

behave differently as illustrated below.

To change one or more nodes to a different type:

1. Select the object with the Node Tool, followed by the node(s) you want

to change.

2. Click one of the node buttons (described below) on the displayed

context toolbar.

A Sharp Corner means that the line segments to either side of the

node are completely independent so that the corner can be quite

pointed.

A Smooth Corner means that the slope of the line is the same on

both sides of the node, but the depth of the two joined segments can be

different.

70 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

At a Symmetric Corner, nodes join line segments with the same

slope and depth on both sides of the node.

Note: Normally, Custom segments you draw with the Pen Tool end in a

symmetric corner.

Smart Corner nodes automatically determine slope and depth for

a rounded, best-fitting curve. If you attempt to adjust a smart corner's

handles, it reverts to a symmetric corner. You can always reset the node

to smart—but to maintain smart nodes, be careful what you click on!

You can also use the context toolbar to define a line segment as either straight or

curved.

To change a line segment from straight to curved, or vice versa:

1. With the Node Tool, select the leading node of the line segment (the

node nearer the start of the line).

2. Then, either:

• To make a line segment straight, click

Straighten Line on

the context toolbar. The selected segment immediately jumps to a

straight line.

- or -

• To make a line segment curved, click one of the node buttons on

the context toolbar: Sharp Corner, Smooth Corner, Symmetric

Corner, or Smart Corner. You can then adjust the curvature of

the newly created curved segment.

To convert to straight lines:

1. With the Node Tool, select the curve.

2. From the context toolbar, choose

Convert to Straight Lines. The

curve segments are replaced by straight line segments throughout the

line.

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 71

Adjusting a shape

As described on p. 64, you can easily turn a curve into a shape by connecting its

end nodes. You can go the other way, too—break open a shape in order to add

one or more line segments.

To break open a line or shape:

1. With the Node Tool, select the node on the closed curve where you

want the break to occur.

2. Click

Break Curve on the context toolbar so that the line will

separate. A shape will become a line, with the selected node split into

two nodes, one at each end of the new line.

3. You can now use the Node Tool to reposition the nodes and reshape

the line by dragging on the handles.

Joining lines together

You can connect any two straight or curved lines to form a new line.

To join two lines together:

1. Select both lines by Shift-clicking with any selection tool.

2. Choose Join Curves from the Tools menu. The end control node of

one line is connected with the start control node of the other.

72 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

Using QuickShapes

QuickShapes are pre-designed objects that you can instantly add to your page,

then adjust and vary. QuickShapes are added from a flyout containing a wide

variety of commonly used shapes, including boxes, arrows, hearts, spirals and

other useful symbols.

To create a QuickShape:

1. Click the down arrow on the QuickShape button on the

Drawing toolbar, then select a shape from the flyout. The button takes

on the icon of the shape you selected.

2. At your chosen cursor position, either:

• Double-click to place a default-sized QuickShape.

- or -

• Click and drag on the page to draw out your QuickShape to a

chosen size (use the Shift key to lock the aspect ratio; the Ctrl key

to scale from its centre point; or both together).

New QuickShapes adopt the currently set line and fill in DrawPlus.

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 73

All QuickShapes can be positioned, resized, rotated, and filled. What's more, you

can "morph" their designs. For example, dragging the handles on a Quick

Polygon will change the number of sides to make a triangle, pentagon, hexagon,

or other polygon.

To adjust the appearance of a QuickShape:

1. Click on the QuickShape to reveal sliding handles around the shape.

These are distinct from the "inner" selection handles. Different

QuickShapes have different handles.

2. Drag any handle to change the appearance of the QuickShape.

For example, by dragging the top sliding handle to the right on the pentagon

below will quickly produce an octagon:

You can use the QuickShape context toolbar to swap the

QuickShape type for another, as well as the object's line properties;

use the Colour or Swatch tab to apply the QuickShape's fill.

Converting a shape to editable curves

The conversion of QuickShapes to curves provides you with a starting point for

your own shapes, whereas converting text to curves is one way of incorporating

editable letter-based shapes into designs.

To convert an object into curves:

1. Select your QuickShape or text object.

2. Click

Convert to Curves on the Arrange tab.

3. Edit the curve outline using the Node Tool (see Editing lines and

shapes on p. 65).

74 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

However they were created, all converted objects behave in a similar manner.

For example, you can create some text with the Artistic Text Tool, convert it to

curves, then use the Node Tool to edit the curves that make up the letters, just as

if you had drawn the letter shapes by hand using the line tools.

The conversion process loses all of the special properties inherent in

QuickShapes and text.

Applying perspective

The Perspective Tool, like the adjacent Envelope Tool, produces an overall

shape distortion. Perspective gives you the visual impression of a flat surface

being tilted (or skewed) in space, with an exaggerated front/back size

differential.

To apply a perspective effect:

1. Select an object and click

Perspective Tool on the Drawing

toolbar's

Transform flyout. The Node Tool becomes the active

tool and an adjustment slider appears above the object.

2. Drag the

“3D” cursor over the selected object or drag the special

adjustment slider handle left or right to see it respond by tilting in all

sorts of orientations. Use Undo if you’re not happy with a particular

adjustment.

- or -

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 75

• From the context toolbar, select an item from the Perspective

Presets flyout closest to the effect you’re after. The first item, User

Defined perspective, retrieves the last drawn custom perspective

shape used in your current DrawPlus session. You can still use the

cursor and handles for adjusting perspective.

Applying envelopes

An envelope distortion is one that you can apply to any object to change its

shape without having to edit its nodes. You can use envelopes to bend text into a

wave, arch, trapezoid, or just about any other shape. You can edit envelopes into

custom shapes and apply them to other objects for corresponding effects.

With the Envelope Tool, an object’s nodes can be moved in order to create

custom envelopes or to allow preset envelopes to be applied to the selected

object. The displayed context toolbar, shown while the tool is active, offers

various options to customize the envelope—envelope shape, line colour, weight,

and style can all be altered. It also lets you pick from a range of pre-defined

envelopes of various shapes, remove the selected object's envelope or apply curve

adjustments on the envelope's boundary.

To apply an envelope:

1. Select the object(s) you want to be enveloped.

2. Click

Envelope Tool on the Drawing toolbar's

Transform flyout.

3. From the context toolbar, select an envelope preset from the

Preset Envelopes flyout. The first item, User Defined envelope,

retrieves the last drawn custom envelope shape used in your current

DrawPlus session.

76 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

To remove an envelope:

• Select the envelope with the Envelope Tool, then choose Remove

Envelope from the Envelope context toolbar.

To create/edit your own envelope:

• Select the object(s) with the Envelope Tool.

• Drag the nodes and handles accordingly.

DrawPlus automatically selects the Node Tool when an envelope is applied. The

Node Tool along with the displayed curve buttons on the Envelope context

toolbar lets you reshape the envelope by dragging its corner nodes and attractor

nodes, as when editing curved lines. (To review these concepts, see Editing lines

and shapes on p. 65.) The only difference is that you cannot add or delete corner

nodes to an envelope. Envelopes always have exactly four line segments, one on

each side.

Connectors

Connectors are special lines

that you can anchor to objects,

where they remain attached

even if one or both objects are

moved or resized. Using

connectors, you can easily

create dynamic diagrams and

charts that show relationships,

such as family trees,

organization charts, and flow

charts. If you need to rearrange

the elements, the connections

are preserved.

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 77

Try the Gallery tab (Office folder) for flow chart (above), network,

and organization chart symbols, then simply add connectors

between objects.

A key feature of connectors is that if you move any connected object at a later

date, the connectors will follow.

To create a connection:

1. Select

Connector Tool on the Line Tools flyout (Drawing

toolbar). Hover over an object so that default connection points

become visible.

Each DrawPlus object has default connection points, displayed

whenever you select one of the connector tools and hover over the

object. These default points can't be moved or deleted, and are always

diamond shaped.

2. From the displayed context toolbar, select

Auto Connector Tool.

This creates intelligent Auto Connectors.

78 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

3. Click the connection point on the object and drag to the destination

object—you'll see potential "target" connection points display (in red)

on the destination object. When the pointer is over a chosen

connection point release the mouse button. (You’ll see a box appear

around the point when a connection is imminent.) A connector line

will appear between the two connection points.

Once you've created a connector, DrawPlus makes it easy to adjust the

connector's path or edit the properties of a connector.

To adjust a selected connector's path:

• (For Auto connectors) Drag the line from the displayed arrows into a

new position.

• (For Auto, Right Angle, or Custom connectors) Drag a node(s) to a

new position on the page.

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 79

To edit the selected connector's properties (line weight, colour, weight,

style, and end):

• Select options from the Connector context toolbar at the top of your

workspace.

Connector types

We've used the Auto Connector Tool exclusively so far. However, this tool

exists among a selection of connector tools, each designed for different uses.

The Connector Tool, when selected, offers the different types of connector tool

on the Connectors context toolbar situated above the workspace.

Choose the Auto Connector Tool for an adaptable auto connector that

intelligently adjusts its shape to route around "obstructive" objects. Unlike

the other connectors, Auto connectors automatically form "bridges" when

crossing each other, so they're perfect for complex diagrams with

interwoven pathways. See Using Auto Connectors in online Help.

Choose the Direct Connector Tool to draw a single, straight-line

connector between any two connection points.

Choose the Right Angle Connector Tool for a connector with only

vertical and horizontal segments (the connector shape is made up of

right angles).

To change the connector type:

1. Select the connector with the Pointer Tool.

2. Select an Auto, Right Angle, Direct, or Custom connector type from

the context toolbar.

- or -

• Right-click the connector and choose equivalent options from the

Connectors flyout.

80 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

Adding dimension lines and labels

DrawPlus lets you add dimension lines with text labels showing the distance

between two fixed points in a drawing, or the angle formed by three points. For

example, you can draw a dimension line along one side of a box, measuring the

distance between the two corner points. If you resize the box, the line

automatically follows suit, and its label text updates to reflect the new

measurement.

You’ll find dimension lines indispensable for planning garden designs (e.g., a

garden gazebo plan), technical diagrams, floor plans, or any drawing where exact

measurements and scale are important.

Although they can be drawn anywhere on the page, dimension lines are at their

most accurate when attached to connection points on objects (see p. 76) or

when snapped to dynamic guides (see p. 40).

• Connection points

When you choose one of the Dimension tools, connection points on

page objects become visible on hover over, i.e. when you move the

mouse pointer directly over a connection point, a small box appears

around it when a connection can be made. The line can then be

connected to the object's connection point.

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 81

• Dynamic guides

You can snap a dimension line to a dynamic guide, creating "free-

floating" dimension lines that don't actually touch objects (as above).

Use this for neatly presenting horizontal or vertical dimension lines.

Guides will be offered to snap to when your line approaches objects on

the page.

To draw a dimension:

1. Select the

Dimension Tool from the Drawing toolbar’s

Connecting tools flyout. (The flyout shows the icon of the most

recently selected tool.)

2. Either, for a linear dimension, click the respective tool from the

Dimension context toolbar:

• Auto Dimension Line Tool.

Use to draw vertical, horizontal, or diagonal dimension lines in

any direction, with automatic placement of the dimension label

adjacent to the line.

•

Vertical Dimension Line Tool.

Ideal for vertical dimension lines, the label information is always

presented vertically with the option to move the label by

dragging. Extension lines are used to present the dimension line

vertically and to allow for an optional offset.

•

Horizontal Dimension Line Tool.

As above but for horizontal dimension lines.

•

Slanted Dimension Line Tool.

Designed specifically for drawing diagonal dimension lines.

82 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

Click where you want to start the dimension line (e.g., on a connection

point), then drag and release the mouse button where you want to end the

line (maybe on another connection point). The illustrations below show the

result of dragging between connection points on two QuickSquares

A pair of parallel extension lines

with end nodes appears from the

two points. Between the two

extension lines, the dimension line

and its label "float." Click the blue line

box to position the floating line and

label; drag the red circle within.

Release when the line and label are

where you want them. (You can

always change the positions later.)

Click away to reveal the dimension

line.

- or -

For an angular dimension, click the

Angular Dimension Line

Tool then click on a point along one side of the desired angle, then

drag and release the mouse button at a point along the other side of

the angle (points A and B in the illustration). Click again at the vertex

of the angle (point C). These three points define the starting and

ending sides of the angle. Between the two sides, the angle's arc and its

label "float," awaiting final positioning. Click again to position the

floating elements.

Angles are measured anti-clockwise from the starting to the ending

side, so choose your three nodes accordingly

Lines, Curves, and Shapes 83

To complete the dimension line, move the mouse again to position the

floating line or arc and its label—note that they respond independently—

and click when they are where you want them. (You can always change the

positions later.) The dimension line appears.

Once you've added a dimension line, you can freely adjust node/label positions,

format the line, and format the label text via context toolbars.

Using the Gallery

The Studio's Gallery tab contains pre-

built design objects and elements you'd

like to reuse in different drawings. You

can choose designs stored under Clipart,

Home, Office, School, and ShapeArt

folders, as well as from garden, interior,

and technical planning folders.

The Gallery tab has two parts: an upper

Folder/Categories drop-down menu and

a lower Designs window where you can

select and drag a copy of the design onto

your page.

The Gallery tab also lets you store your own designs in a My Designs section if

you would like to reuse them—the design is made available in any DrawPlus

document. You can add and delete your items within each category, with the

option of naming elements to facilitate rapid retrieval.

84 Lines, Curves, and Shapes

To view your Gallery:

• Click the Studio's Gallery tab.

• Select a folder or category from the drop-down menu. The items from

the folder's first listed category are displayed by default.

To use a design from the Gallery:

• Drag any preset design directly onto the page. You can modify, then

drag the design back into your own custom category.

To copy an object into the Gallery:

1. Display the Gallery tab's My Designs (or sub-category of that) where

you want to store the object.

2. Drag the object from the page and drop it onto the gallery.

3. You'll be prompted to type a name for the design. (You can name or

rename the design later, if you wish.) By default, designs are labelled as

"Untitled."

4. A thumbnail of the design appears in the gallery, labelled with its

name.

To delete or rename a custom design:

• Right-click its gallery thumbnail and choose Delete Design... or

Rename Design... from the submenu.

You can create your own folders and categories from the Gallery

tab's Tab Menu.

Using Brushes

86 Using Brushes

Using Brushes 87

Selecting brushes

DrawPlus supports a wide range of brushes, all capable of producing:

Stroke brush effects:

• Draw (graphic

pencil, marker pen,

pen, pencil)

• Paint (bristle,

stipple, wash)

Spray and photo brush

effects:

• Airbrush, splats,

spray can

• Effects (bubbles,

glitter, neon, smoke,

fur, clouds)

• Grunge

• Nature (fog, grass,

snow)

• Photo (rope, chains,

zippers, flowers,

embroidery,

textured edges)

Painting inherits the principles of Drawing lines and shapes (see p. 59).

The drawing freedom of the Pencil Tool is adapted for brushwork using the

dedicated Paintbrush Tool. You can pick up colour for your brushes as you

would for other object, by simply selecting the Paintbrush Tool, choosing your

brush type from the Brushes tab and picking a brush colour from context

toolbar, Colour or Swatch tab.

88 Using Brushes

The Brushes tab lets you select a brush type from a range of categories. You can

also view brushes currently being used in your document, and edit brushes

(p. 91) or create your own brushes (see online Help).

Stroke and spray brush types are indicated by and

symbols, respectively.

To make sense of all the brush types available to the user, the preset brushes are

stored under a series of pre-defined categories under the name Global—the

brushes are available to all DrawPlus documents currently open. The Document

category shows the brush types currently in use in the DrawPlus drawing and is

used to “bookmark” brushes for easy reuse in the future.

At some point, you may want to edit, copy or create your own stroke or spray

brush type. See online Help.

Brush strokes can be applied directly to the page by using your mouse or pen

tablet; the latter method is ideally suited for applying pressure-sensitive strokes

to your drawing. However, painting with the mouse still provides a viable

alternative to the tablet, where pressure sensitivity is controlled via the Pressure

tab or set on a per brush basis.

Using Brushes 89

Applying brush strokes

The Paintbrush Tool is used exclusively to apply

brush strokes to the page. The tool is used in conjunction

with the Brushes tab, and a supporting context toolbar.

To apply a brush stroke:

1. Select the

Paintbrush Tool from the Drawing toolbar.

2. Display the Brushes tab and choose a category from the drop-down

list, then a brush.

3. Select a Colour, Width, or Opacity from the Brush context toolbar.

4. (Optional) For spray brushes, adjust Flow to control the density of

paint laid down as you apply it, like "layering up" a brush then

painting.

5. (Optional) From the context toolbar, adjust Smoothness (to set how

smooth your stroke is applied).

90 Using Brushes

6. (Optional) Enable

Select-on-Create to leave the brush stroke

selected on the page. If disabled, the stroke is left deselected.

7. (Optional) Enable

Fill-on-Create to fill the unclosed curve

produced by the brush stroke with the default fill colour.

8. With the

brush cursor, drag across your page to create a brush

stroke.

Photo brushes, available from the Brushes tab (Photo category), can

be recoloured just as any other brush type.

You can also apply a brush stroke around an object's outline

(shape, artistic text, picture, etc.) via Brush Stroke on the Line tab.

See Setting line properties on p. 141.

After this first brush stroke, there are two ways in which you are likely to paint

subsequently, depending on the extent to which you plan to edit brush strokes as

you go. To assist you, the Select-on-Create button on the Brushes context

toolbar can be used:

• Edit then Paint. With the button disabled, the brush stroke is laid

down and is immediately deselected. The stroke needs to be reselected

to perform any editing. Use when you’re happy to set all the brush

properties (colour, brush type, width, etc) before painting (as above),

especially if you intend to paint repeatedly with the same brush stroke.

• Paint and Edit. With the button enabled, a painted brush stroke will

remain selected, meaning that the brush stroke can be fine-tuned via

the context toolbar immediately. Use when changing your brush

properties frequently, e.g. when adjusting a brush stroke’s colour,

width, opacity or shape. The ESC key deselects the current brush

stroke.

Setting Brush Defaults

See Updating defaults on p. 51.

Using Brushes 91

Editing brush strokes

It's possible to alter any previously drawn brush stroke with respect to its

properties, brush type, and shape.

To change brush stroke properties:

• Use the Brushes context toolbar to adjust the properties of a brush

stroke once applied to your page.

To change brush stroke type:

1. Select the brush stroke.

2. Go to the Brushes tab and select firstly a brush category, then a brush

type from the displayed gallery. The brush stroke adopts the newly

chosen brush.

Brush types currently applied to your brush strokes are handily

listed in the Document folder of the Brushes tab.

To change the shape of your brush stroke:

A brush stroke possesses very similar characteristics to a plain line. Any

brush stroke can therefore be edited, extended, or redrawn with the Node Tool

(Drawing toolbar) just as for a straight or curved line (see Editing lines and

shapes on p. 65). Use for fine-tuning your brush strokes after application.

92 Using Brushes

Working with

Text

94 Working with Text

Working with Text 95

Entering text

You can create different types of text in DrawPlus, i.e. Artistic Text, Frame

Text, or Shape Text, all directly on the page.

Artistic Text

Frame Text

Shape Text

It's easy to edit the text once it's created, by retyping it or altering properties like

font, style, and point size.

In general, artistic text (as an independent object) is better suited to decorative

or fancy typographic design, frame text is intended for presenting text passages

in more traditional square or rectangular shaped blocks; shape text lends itself so

well to blocks of body text where shape and flow contribute to the overall layout.

Artistic text behaves more independently than Shape and Frame Text and its

individual letters can be stretched, rotated, sheared, enveloped, and combined

with other objects. Shape text lacks a line property, but it conforms to the

containing shape, and you can achieve unique text flow effects by varying the

container’s properties. (See Fitting text to frames and shapes for details on p. 99.)

Default settings (p. 51) are stored separately for artistic text and frame text.

96 Working with Text

To enter new artistic text:

1. Select

Artistic Text on the Drawing toolbar's Text

flyout.

2. To create artistic text at the current default point size, click where you

want to start the text.

- or -

For artistic text that will be automatically sized into an area, click and

drag out the area to the desired size.

3. To set text attributes (font, size, etc.) before you start typing, make

selections on the Text context toolbar. For colour, set the Line/Fill

swatches on the Studio's Colour or Swatch tab.

4. Start typing.

To create frame text:

1. Select

Frame Text on the Drawing toolbar's Text flyout.

2. From the positioned cursor, either:

• Double-click on the page or pasteboard to create a new frame at a

default size.

- or -

• Drag out a frame to your desired frame dimension.

3. (Optional) Set text and colour attributes as for artistic text before you

start typing.

4. Start typing within the frame.

To enter new shape text:

1. Create a QuickShape either from the QuickShape flyout or by closing a

drawn line.

2. With a shape still selected, select

Artistic Text (Drawing

toolbar) just start typing.

For existing shapes without shape text, select the shape, then the Artistic Text

tool, then begin typing.

Working with Text 97

Working with Unicode text

On occasion, you may wish to import text in a foreign language, e.g. you may

want to include a foreign quote in its original language. To work outside the

standard ASCII character set, DrawPlus allows Unicode characters to be pasted

(using Edit>Paste Special...) from the clipboard into your drawing.

To retain formatting, use "Formatted Text (RTF)" or for plain text use

"Unformatted Unicode Text."

Editing text

Once you've entered either artistic, frame or shape text (see Entering text on

p. 97), you can retype it and/or format its character attributes (font, point size,

bold/italic/underline, etc.), paragraph properties, and text flow. Text objects

have graphic properties, too: artistic text behaves like an independent graphic

object (it can be scaled), while shape or frame text conforms to its container or

frame.

Artistic text, text frames, and shapes containing text can all be rotated, skewed,

moved, and copied. You can also apply line and fill colour independently, brush

strokes/edges, or apply opacity and transparency effects, for interesting text

effects.

Colour can be applied to selected text as a solid, gradient or bitmap fill—for a

solid fill, simply select one or more characters and apply a solid colour from the

Studio's Colour tab (ensuring the fill swatch is set) or the Character dialog. See

Setting fill properties on p. 137.

For a gradient or bitmap fill, use the Studio's Swatch tab. See p. 149 or p. 152,

respectively.

Similarly, opacity is applied from the Colour tab (see p. 155); gradient and

bitmap transparency from the Transparency tab.

98 Working with Text

Retyping text

You can either retype artistic, frame or shape text directly on the page, or use the

Edit Text window—great for managing large amounts of text (overflowed shape

text or otherwise) in a simple word processing environment.

To retype text on the page:

1. Select the object and then select Artistic Text (from the

Drawing toolbar's

Text flyout) in either order.

2. Type new text at the selection point or drag to select text, then type to

replace it. To cut, copy, and paste, use the toolbar buttons or standard

Windows keyboard shortcuts.

To create a new line:

• At the position you want to start a new line, press the Enter key.

Formatting text

You can change text formatting (character, paragraph, bullets/numbering and

text flow properties) either directly on the page or via the Edit text window

(right-click Text>Edit Text...).

In addition, artistic text characters have line properties, expanding their creative

possibilities.

To format selected text on the page:

1. Use the

Pointer Tool to select the text you want to change.

Alternatively, drag select on any text with

Artistic Text (from

the Drawing toolbar's Text flyout).

2. Use the Text context toolbar to change text properties (font, point size,

bold/italic/underline, text alignment, bullets and numbering, levels,

and text fitting).

- or -

Choose Character..., Paragraph..., Tabs..., Bullets and Numbering...,

or Text Flow... from the Format menu (or the right-click menu).

Working with Text 99

The Node Tool can be used for special adjustments on artistic

text.

For greater control over the shape of the artistic text characters, try

converting the artistic text to curves. As curves, you can position

every character individually and even edit the character shapes,

exactly as if you had drawn the character shapes by hand using the

line tools. For details, see Converting a shape to editable curves

on p. 73.

Fitting text to frames and shapes

Text overflow

If there's too much text to fit into a text frame or shape, the Overflow

button appears beneath the shape; DrawPlus stores the overflowing text in an

invisible overflow area.

To make all the text fit you might edit the story down to allow text to fit in the

frame or shape. However, scaling the text to fit may be preferable where you can

scale the shape or frame text size so it fits exactly into the available frame.

100 Working with Text

To scale the frame or shape text:

• Click Overflow to autofit the frame or shape text to its container.

This first applies small point size changes, then small leading changes,

then adjustments to the paragraph space below value, until the text

fits. Other settings are not affected.

- or -

• Use Autofit on the Text context toolbar.

For incremental scaling, use the

Enlarge Text or Shrink Text buttons

on the same toolbar.

Positioning

• Vertical alignment (right-click Text>Text Flow...) moves existing

text to the Top, Bottom, or Centre of the container (alternatively you

can justify text vertically). The setting anchors a particular part of the

object—for example, a "Top" setting anchors the top line and forces

new text to come in below, while a "Bottom" setting anchors the

bottom (most recent) line and pushes previous lines up as you type

new lines.

• To add white space around your text, you can indent text from the

frame or shape edge via right-click Text>Text Flow.... Values can be

set to indent from Left, Right, Top and/or Bottom.

Resizing

• You can resize frame or shape text (change its point size)

automatically when resizing frame and shapes. First make sure the

Scale text with object box is checked in the Text flow dialog (right-

click Text>Text Flow...) then drag a corner of the selected text object.

Working with Text 101

Fitting text to a path

DrawPlus allows you to make artistic text conform to a curved baseline (such as

a drawn freeform line or curve), custom shape or a preset shape (QuickShape).

To fit text to a path:

1. Select the curve or shape.

2. Select Artistic Text on the Drawing toolbar's Text flyout.

3. Hover over the curve or shape's outline until you see a

cursor,

then click at the point on the line where your text is to begin.

4. Begin typing your text. The text will be placed along the curve or

shape.

To flow text along a preset path:

1. Select your artistic text.

From the context toolbar, click the down arrow on the Preset

Text Paths button and select a preset curve from the drop-down menu

on which the text will flow.

You can edit the baseline curve with the Node Tool.

102 Working with Text

Spell-checking

The Spell Checker lets you check the spelling of selected artistic, frame, or shape

text, as well as all text sequentially throughout your DrawPlus document.

Multilingual spell checking is supported by use of over 10 spelling dictionaries.

By default, the spelling dictionary is set on program install (according to

Windows Control Panel's Regional and Language Options), i.e. your dictionary

is set to the operating system's language.

Any detected spelling mistakes or any word not present in the language's

dictionary will appear underlined with a red zigzag line.

Alternatively, you can use the Spell Checker to check through your document,

checking for mistakes/unknown words page-by-page.

To enhance the power of spell checking, you can add words to the current

dictionary that spell checking doesn't yet know about. These could include

uncommon words, technical words, or even acronyms and abbreviations.

To check spelling:

1. (Optional) To check specific text, select the artistic, frame or shape text

in advance.

2. Choose Check Spelling... from the Tools menu.

3. (Optional) In the dialog, click Options... to set preferences for

ignoring words in certain categories, such as words containing

numbers or upper/mixed case characters.

4. Enable Check currently selected objects only or Check all text radio

buttons depending on if you want to spell check text selected

previously or all text.

5. Click Start to begin the spelling check.

Working with Text 103

When a problem is found, DrawPlus highlights the problem word on the page.

The dialog offers alternative suggestions, and you can choose to Change or

Ignore this instance (or all instances with Change All or Ignore All) of the

problem word, with the option of using Add to add the problem word to your

dictionary. DrawPlus will also let you Suggest an alternative.

6. Spell checking continues until you click the Close button or the spell-

check is completed.

To change to a different spelling language:

1. Go to Options... from the Tools menu, and select Text>Spell

Checker.

2. Choose a different Language from the drop-down list, and click OK.

Spell checking can be turned off by selecting "None" as a language

type—this could be useful when working with text containing an

unmanageable number of unusual terms (perhaps scientific or

proprietary terminology).

To check the spelling of a single word:

1. With Underline mistakes as you type checked and a language selected

(in Tools>Options; Text>Spell Checker), select in a marked word,

then right-click. You'll see alternative spellings on the context menu.

2. To replace the word, choose an alternative spelling from the menu.

3. To tell DrawPlus to ignore (leave unmarked) all instances of the

marked word in the document, choose Ignore All.

4. To add the marked word (as spelled) to your personal dictionary,

choose Add to Dictionary. This means DrawPlus will ignore the word

in any drawing.

You can also run the Spell Checker from the context menu by choosing Check

Spelling....

You can make your own custom dictionary via Tools>Options...

(Text>Spelling Dictionary).

104 Working with Text

Working with

Objects

106 Working with Objects

Working with Objects 107

Copying, pasting, cutting, and deleting objects

To copy one or more objects to the Windows Clipboard:

1. Select the object(s).

2. Click the Copy button on the Standard toolbar.

If you're using another Windows application, you can usually copy and paste

objects via the Clipboard.

To paste an object from the Clipboard:

• Click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar.

The standard Paste command inserts a clipboard object onto the page.

To select the type of object to be pasted from the Clipboard, choose

Paste Special... from the Edit menu.

To cut one or more objects to the Clipboard:

1. Select the object(s).

2. Click the

Cut button on the Standard toolbar.

The object is deleted from the page and a copy is placed on the Windows

Clipboard.

To delete one or more objects:

• Select the object(s) with the Pointer, Rotate or Node Tool and press

the Delete key.

Cloning an object

DrawPlus lets you "clone" or duplicate objects easily using drag-and-drop, and

duplicate multiple copies of any object. For duplication, a copy is displayed at

the new location and the original object is still kept at the same position—your

new copy also possesses the formatting of the original copied object.

108 Working with Objects

Making duplicates

• Select the object while holding down the Ctrl key, then drag the copied

object to a new position.

Use duplication when rotating or shearing an object—the result is a

new copy at a new angle, possibly overlapping the original object.

Making multiple copies in a grid

If you need to clone single or multiple objects,

you can use the Replicate feature to avoid

repetitive copy and paste operations. For

example, you can specify three columns and

three rows, for nine identical copies (opposite).

To replicate an object:

1. Select an object. Remember to size the object to be cloned and place it

in a convenient starting position—usually the top-left of the page.

2. Choose Replicate... from the Tools menu.

3. In the dialog, set the Grid size by choosing number of columns or

rows. Objects are cloned into this grid arrangement (but can be moved

subsequently into any position).

4. Set an X and Y spacing (horizontal and vertical gap) between objects if

necessary. The feature comes in handy for creating repetitive patterns

or producing artwork for label sheets.

5. Click OK.

Working with Objects 109

For replicating multiple objects on different layers, enable the Edit

All Layers button on the Layers tab. Now, instead of working with

the layers one at a time, we can include all objects (once selected)

on all layers, permitting perfect replication.

Applying a transform

The Transform feature lets you make

multiple copies of one or more selected

objects, with a transformation applied to

each successive copy in the series.

For example, a butterfly can be made to fly

with a transform of 15° rotation, 113%

scaling, 4 copies, and an X offset of 2.2cm.

To create a transform:

1. Select an object then choose Transform... from the Tools menu.

2. From the dialog, specify the type of transformation (rotation and/or

scaling), the number of copies, and a positional offset between copies.

Transforms are a quick way to generate elements for a stopframe

animation sequence involving rotation or directional changes (see

Animation tips and tricks in online Help).

Making "in-between" copies of two objects

Blending is yet another useful way of making multiple copies by in-betweening

two different objects for a "morphing" effect. For details, see Creating blends on

p. 184.

110 Working with Objects

Cropping an object

DrawPlus includes the Crop Tool for cropping objects (and images) on the page.

Cropping discards unwanted "outer" regions of an object while keeping the

remainder visible.

To crop an object:

1. Select an object and then on the Drawing toolbar, click the Crop

Tool.

2. Click and drag an edge or corner handle towards the centre of the

object.

As an aid, applying a Rule of Thirds grid helps the composition of your design

during cropping.

To apply the Rule of Thirds:

1. Select your object and click the Crop Tool.

2. On the Crop context toolbar, click

Show/Hide Thirds Grid.

Working with Objects 111

3. A 3 x 3 grid is superimposed on top of the object.

4. Drag a corner or edge grid handle to crop the image. As you do so, the

grid repositions itself.

5. Manipulate the image to improve its framing.

• Click and drag on the crop window

to pan the image. For best results,

aim to position your main subject of

interest at a point where any two

gridlines intersect.

• To rotate or

zoom into or out

of the object, use

the adjacent

control bar.

112 Working with Objects

Zoom In/Out

Rotate anti-

clockwise/clockwise

• To select the crop window

Select

Crop from the control

bar.

• To select cropped objects

Click

Select Cropped Object(s)

from the control bar. The original

object is selected.

• To uncrop a cropped area

Click Uncrop with the crop

window selected.

• To crop an object using a

preset shape

With the crop window

selected, choose a QuickShape from

the Crop Shape drop-down menu.

• To reshape a cropped area.

With the crop window selected...

• Choose Convert to

Curves on the Arrange

tab.

• Select the Node

Tool, then drag the

window's nodes. For

details, see Editing lines

and shapes (p. 65).

Working with Objects 113

Copying an object's formatting

Format Painter is used to copy one object’s line and fill properties directly to

another object, including between line/shape and text objects.

To apply one object's formatting to another:

1. Select the object whose formatting you wish to copy.

2. Click

Format Painter on the Standard toolbar. When you click

the button, the selected object's formatting is "picked up."

3. Click another object to apply the first object's formatting to it. The

second object becomes selected.

4. To select another object without pasting the formatting, click it with

the Shift key down.

5. To cancel Format Painter mode, press Esc, click on a blank area, or

choose any tool button.

For copy formatting from one text object to another, a number of other text

properties (font, style, and so on) besides line and fill are passed along at the

same time.

114 Working with Objects

Moving objects

You can move any selected object anywhere you want and drop it back onto the

page or pasteboard by releasing the mouse button.

To move one or more objects:

1. Select the object(s).

2. Click and drag the

Move button. The object moves.

- or -

Click within the selection and drag. Note that the Pointer cursor

changed to become a Move cursor.

Use the keyboard arrows to move in increments.

To set exact horizontal and vertical positions, use the Transform tab.

Cutting up objects

It is possible to cut any object (or image for that matter) by using the Knife

Tool (Drawing toolbar). You can cut along a freeform or straight line drawn

across your object(s), leaving you with separate fragments of the original.

freeform cut (using Bump profile) straight line cut

Working with Objects 115

Cutting with a freeform or straight line is possible by drawing the line across the

object (or by sweeping the knife cut in and out of the object multiple times in a

zig-zag pattern). By hovering over resulting "split" fragments you can click an

unwanted fragment to delete. Alternatively, you can deselect the Knife Tool to

move the cut fragments apart (see carrot illustration).

Up to now you may have only performed straight cuts, but you can use the Knife

Tool's context toolbar to cut with more sophisticated "shaped" cutting profiles

(e.g., Wavy, Shark Fin, Bump, plus many more) or preset knife paths (cookie

cutters) based on QuickShapes. The context toolbar is also used to modify any

applied cutting profile.

To cut selected objects (freeform or straight line):

Ensure Edit All Layers button on the Layers tab is enabled if you

want to cut through selected objects on multiple layers.

1. Select the Knife Tool on the Drawing toolbar's Vector

Edit flyout.

2. (Optional) Use Smoothness on the tool's context toolbar to set how

regular the freeform cutting line is—click the right arrow and drag the

slider right for increasing smoothness.

3. (Optional) By default, you'll get a straight cutting profile, but for

regular-shaped cuts, pick a Cutting Profile from the context toolbar.

If required, adjust the Wavelength and/or Amplitude for your shaped

cut.

116 Working with Objects

4. Using the cursor, drag a freeform line across any object(s) you would

like to split (unselected objects on which the line traverses will not be

split). Instead, press the Shift key as you drag for a straight line.

5. Hover over, then click to remove the unwanted cut area(s).

- or -

With the Pointer Tool, drag the newly split fragments apart instead.

Instead of performing a freeform (or straight) cut, you can cut using preset

cutter shapes. The cutting shape can be resized or "morphed" to fit your object

design, just as for QuickShapes (see p. 72).

To cut out selected objects using cookie cutters:

1. From the Knife Tool's context toolbar, click to expand the Preset

Knife Paths flyout.

2. Click a preset shape to apply it to your object as a cutout.

The first and second options offer an easy way to jump between

freehand and straight line cutting.

3. The shape is applied to the object. Adjust the size and shape using the

surrounding square handles and round nodes, respectively.

Working with Objects 117

4. Click the Cut button in the lower-right corner, then click the

unwanted area under the cursor to create your new cutout shape.

Erasing and adding to objects

DrawPlus lets you take a "virtual" eraser to your

drawing, letting you remove portions of your

selected object(s) on an individual layer or

across multiple layers. The extent of erasing can

be controlled depending on the tool's currently

set erasing nib width and pressure setting (if

using a graphics tablet).

The flipside of erasing is "adding to" (i.e.,

augmenting), a technique to add or "grow" a

vector objects' boundaries—great for reshaping

an existing object or to grow a vector shape

from scratch. This may be especially useful

when creating an unusual filled shape.

To erase portions of a selected object:

1. Select the

Erase Tool on the Drawing toolbar's Vector

Edit flyout.

2. (Optional) From the context toolbar, choose a Nib style (circle, square,

or diamond) and/or set a Width to define the erase width that will be

cut.

3. Position the cursor, and drag over an object's edge. You'll see the area

to be erased area being drawn temporarily (use the Ctrl key to redefine

the erase area while drawing).

4. Release the mouse button to erase the area drawn.

118 Working with Objects

To add to a selected object:

1. Select the

Freeform Paint Tool on the Drawing toolbar's

Vector Edit flyout.

2. (Optional) From the context toolbar, set a Width to define the nib

width which will be drawn.

3. (Optional) Disable Select-on-Create if you want to create new objects

every time you use the tool (you might want to create a series of shapes

without switching tools).

4. Position the

cursor over the object and drag over an object

boundary. You'll see blue shading which represents the area to be

added. (You can use the Ctrl key to redefine the painted area while

holding down the mouse button).

5. Release the mouse button to reshape the object to include the newly

drawn area.

If you add to or erase from a bitmap, QuickShape, or artistic text,

they will be converted to curves, preventing further editing in their

original form.

For Stopframe animation, consider using either tool as a quick way

to modify object shapes frame-by-frame.

Resizing objects

It's fairly likely that you may want to resize an object to fit into your current

design. DrawPlus offers a range of resizing options directly on the object, as well

as more precise resizing via keyboard arrows or the Transform tab.

Most objects in DrawPlus maintain their aspect ratio when being resized. One

exception is when resizing QuickShapes, as their versatility lend themselves to

being resized without constraint.

Working with Objects 119

To resize an object to a fixed aspect ratio:

1. Select the object(s) with the Pointer Tool.

2. Position the cursor over one of the object’s handles—you will notice

that the cursor changes to a double-headed Size cursor.

3. Drag from a corner handle (above) to resize in two dimensions (by

moving two edges), while maintaining the selection's aspect ratio

(proportions).

To resize to any aspect ratio, with the Shift key depressed, drag

from an object's corner handle. This resizes in two directions. If you

drag an object’s side handles, you’ll stretch or squash the object in

one direction.

To resize about the object centre instead, press the Ctrl key as you

drag.

You can also make fine resizing adjustments via the keyboard or

from the Transform tab.

To resize QuickShapes:

• As above but the object's aspect ratio is not maintained by default on

resize.

You can use the Shift key as you resize to maintain aspect ratio.

120 Working with Objects

Rotating and shearing objects

The Rotate Tool lets you both rotate and shear (slant) one or more objects.

To rotate one or more objects around a centre point:

1. Click

Rotate Tool on the Drawing toolbar's Selection

flyout.

2. Click to select the object, then hover over a corner handle and, when

you see the cursor change, drag in the direction in which you want to

rotate the object then release the mouse. (Use Shift key for rotating in

15 degree intervals.)

You'll notice the angle of rotation displayed around the object's centre

of rotation

. Note that when rotating objects, dimensions will be

temporarily displayed during the operation.

To change the centre point of rotation:

1. Move the centre of rotation

away from its original position to any

position on the page. The marker can also be moved to be outside the

object—ideal for rotating grouped objects around a central point.

2. Drag the rotate pointer to a new rotation angle—the object will rotate

about the new pivot.

Besides being able to rotate an object, the Rotate Tool allows you to skew or

“shear” it.

Working with Objects 121

To rotate selected object by set degrees:

• For 90° anti-clockwise: click Rotate 90° on the Standard toolbar.

• For 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°, 180°, 275° anti-clockwise: click the

down arrow on the Arrange tab's Rotate button and select a value.

Once set, clicking the button will rotate the object by the chosen value

incrementally.

To shear or copy shear an object:

1. Select

Rotate Tool on the Drawing toolbar's Selection flyout.

2. Click to select the object(s), hover over any side handle (not a corner

handle) until you see the Shear cursor.

3. Hold the mouse down and drag the pointer in the direction in which

you want to shear the object, then release.

- or -

• Select the object, go to the Transform tab and enter a Shear value.

To copy shear, use the Ctrl key while dragging—this preserves the original

object, while shearing the new copied object as you drag.

To undo the rotation or shear (restore the original object):

• Double-click the object.

122 Working with Objects

Flipping objects

You can flip selected objects horizontally or vertically.

To flip an object:

• Select the object(s) with one of the selection tools (Pointer, Rotate, or

Node).

• To flip the selection left to right, click Flip Horizontal on the

Standard toolbar. (Top and bottom stay the same.)

• To flip the selection top to bottom, click Flip Vertical on the

same toolbar. (Left and right stay the same.)

You can use equivalent options on the Arrange tab (or Arrange

menu).

Locking/unlocking an object

If you’re happy with your objects and don’t want to risk moving, resizing or

deleting them further, you can lock them to prevent accidental changes from

occurring.

To lock/unlock an object:

1. Select the single or grouped object.

2. Choose Lock Position or Unlock Position from the Arrange menu.

When you lock the object, the cursor changes to a lock symbol.

Working with Objects 123

You can still alter a locked object’s fill, line, or transparency

properties.

Grouping objects

The advantage of converting a set of

objects into a group is that it is easier to

select and edit the objects all at the same

time. The only requirement for grouping

is that multiple objects are selected in

advance (see p. 58).

To create a group from a multiple selection:

• Click Group below the selection.

To ungroup (turn a group back into a multiple selection):

• Click Ungroup below the selection.

To ungroup multiple groups within a group:

• Select Ungroup All from the Arrange menu.

Once grouped, simply clicking on any member of a group selects the group

object. In general, any operation you carry out on the group affects each member

of the group. Property changes applied to a group—such as changing line or

fill—will alter all the objects that make up the group.

Objects within groups can be selected with the Ctrl key and edited

without having to ungroup your grouped objects.

124 Working with Objects

Combining, cropping, and joining objects

DrawPlus includes some powerful tools to carve new shapes out of old shapes—the

Combine, Crop, Clip, Add, Subtract, and Intersect buttons on the Arrange tab.

Combine

Merges two or more objects into a composite

object, with a clear “hole” where their filled

regions overlap. The composite takes the line

and fill of the bottom object.

Click the button again to break apart.

Crop and Clip flyout

Provides cropping or clipping functions, where

you create a temporary composite object where

two or more component objects used to overlap.

This combination, like a group, can be broken

apart later with Crop>Uncrop on the Arrange

menu.

• Crop to Top Object

The bottom object is cropped to the outline of

the top object.

• Crop to Bottom Object

The top object is cropped to the outline of the

bottom object.

• Clip to Top Object

The bottom object is clipped to the outline of the

top object.

• Clip to Bottom Object

The top object is clipped to the outline of the

bottom object.

Working with Objects 125

Add

Creates one new object that’s the sum of any two

selected objects, whether or not they overlap.

Add, along with Subtract an Intersect, are Join

commands, where you actually produce a

permanent new object out of any selected

objects. The action can’t be reversed, except by

using the Undo command. A Joined object can

be edited with the Node Tool, while a combined,

cropped or clipped object cannot.

The objects need not be overlapping.

Subtract

Discards the overlap between the top and

bottom object. The top object is also discarded.

Useful as a quick way of truncating shapes and

pictures with another object.

Be sure the objects are overlapping!

Intersect

Like Subtract, requires overlapping objects—it

retains the overlap and discards the rest.

126 Working with Objects

Aligning and distributing objects

Alignment involves taking a group of selected objects and aligning or

distributing them, or both—the operation is applied to all of the objects selected.

To align two or more objects:

1. Using the Pointer Tool, Shift-click on all the objects you want to

align, or draw a marquee box around them (or use Edit>Select All), to

create a multiple selection.

2. From context toolbar, Align tab, or Arrange>Align Objects, select an

option for vertical alignment (Align Top, Centre Vertically, or Align

Bottom) or horizontal alignment (Align Left, Centre Horizontally,

Align Right) of an object. Object means the last selected object for

Shift-click multiple selection or the farthest back in Z-order for

marquee multiple selection.

To align one or more objects with a page edge:

• Follow the steps above, but check the Include Page option.

If selected, the page is added to the set of objects included in the alignment, e.g.

selecting Align Top aligns all of the objects in the selection to the top of the

page. If only one object is selected, page-edge alignment is automatic.

You can distribute objects, so that your objects (as a multiple selection) are

spread evenly between the endmost objects on your page. Alternatively, check

the Spaced option and corresponding measurement value to set a specific

distance between each object.

Working with Objects 127

To distribute two or more objects:

1. Using the Pointer Tool, Shift-click on all the objects you want to

distribute, or draw a marquee box around them, to create a multiple

selection.

2. In the Align tab, select

Distribute Horizontally or

Distribute Vertically to distribute objects vertically or horizontally,

respectively.

3. Check the Spaced option to set a fixed distance between vertically or

horizontally distributed objects (otherwise the objects distribute evenly

between endmost items).

Ordering objects

Think of the objects on a page as being stacked or piled on top of each other. The

front-most object is the one on top of the stack. Each time you create a new

object, it goes in front of the objects already there. But you can move any object

to any level in the ordering sequence, and obtain sophisticated drawing effects

by learning how to manipulate the front/back relationship of objects.

As an example, we've used a camera lens to illustrate ordering.

Notice how the lens possesses a "realistic" look by

blending overlapped composite objects.

Gradient and solid fills combine to simulate

three-dimensional objects (with reflections,

highlights and shading).

Don't confuse the concept of object ordering with that of layers in

the document. Layers are created by the artist to logically separate

sections of a design for better drawing management.

128 Working with Objects

To change the object's order:

• To shift the selected object's position to the front of other

objects (on top), choose Bring to Front on the Standard toolbar (or

Arrange tab).

• To shift the selected object's position behind other objects (on

the bottom), choose Send to Back on the Standard toolbar (or

Arrange tab).

• To shift the object's position one step toward the front, choose

Forward One on the Arrange tab.

• To shift the object's position one step toward the back, choose

Back One on the Arrange tab.

Working with layers

If you are drawing something simple, you don’t really need to make use of

layers—you can do all your work on the single layer that every new document

has. However, if you’re creating something a little more tricky then layers can be

a vital aid in separating objects into independent sets. You can think of layers as

transparent sheets of paper upon which you can draw your objects.

Layers are useful when you're working on a complex design where it makes sense

to separate one cluster of objects from another. The whole drawing is produced

by piling up the layers and viewing all of the objects on all of the layers; you can

Working with Objects 129

choose which layer you are editing and thus make changes without fear of

modifying anything on another layer. In essence, by building up your drawing

from multiple layers you make it much easier to edit.

Each layer is situated along with other

layers (if present) within a stack on the

Layers tab—the uppermost layer is

applied over any lower layer on the

page. You can also expand each layer

entry for a tree view of objects

associated with that layer. Each object

entry can be clicked to select the object

in your workspace, and you can name

your objects at any time.

The tab allows layers to be created, renamed, deleted, reordered, "frozen," and

merged.

Thumbnail previews of each layer or object show before each entry—hover your

cursor over the thumbnail for a larger preview.

In order to create a new object on a particular layer, you'll first need to "activate"

(select) that layer.

To select a particular layer:

• Click a layer name in the Layers tab.

To add a new layer:

• In the Layers tab, click the Add Layer button to add a new layer

above the currently selected layer.

To rename a layer:

• To rename a layer to something more meaningful, click on the selected

layer's name and type to add your new name (you can also make an

insertion point to edit the existing text). A good example would be to

rename the initial Layer 1 to be called Sky (as above).

130 Working with Objects

To delete a layer:

• In the Layers tab, select the layer’s name and click the Delete

Layer button.

If you delete a layer, all of the objects on it are lost! So if you want to

keep any of them, move them to another layer first.

You can move layers up or down in the stacking order to place their objects in

front or behind those on other layers, move objects to specific layers, and even

merge layers.

To move a layer in the stacking order:

• In the Layers tab, select the layer's entry, then click

the Move Layer Up or Move Layer Down button to move the layer up

or down in the list, respectively.

- or -

• Drag the selected layer to a new position in the layer stack.

Remember that objects on layers are drawn in the order in which the layers were

initially added to the Layers tab. Put another way: the bottom layer in the Layers

tab stack is drawn first then the second bottom, third bottom etc. A background

layer should be the bottom layer in the Layers tab stack.

The standard object ordering commands (Forward One, Back One, etc.) can be

used on a layer, affecting an object's level within the layer it currently occupies.

For more information, see Ordering objects on p. 127.

At some point you may be confident that objects on separate layers can be

managed on the same layer without compromising layer control. Merging layers

enables this and will help to keep your layer management simpler. This

rationalization is possible via the Merge button.

Working with Objects 131

To merge a layer:

1. Activate the layer you want to merge to by clicking its entry. The layer

is highlighted in blue. (Note that the active layer becomes uppermost

in the workspace.)

2. With the Ctrl key pressed, select a single or multiple layers that you

want to merge into the activated layer.

3. Click the

Merge button. The contents of the merged layer(s)

appear on the active layer and the previously selected layers disappear.

If you're working on an especially complex document you can temporarily

"freeze" a layer (and its objects) finished with to speed up performance. The layer

is rasterized to a user-defined DPI (96 DPI by default) and is not editable until it

is unfrozen (although it remains visible).

Layer Properties

Layer properties allow you to assign paper textures, make layers invisible, and/or

locked.

See Studio: Layers tab in online Help for more details.

Managing objects on layers

A useful feature of the Layers tab is that you can see objects or even groups of

objects, under the layer on which they were created. This gives you the option of

selecting an object or group from the tab as opposed to from the page itself.

Either group or object can be named, and once named, located on your page.

To add objects to a particular layer:

• When drawn, objects are added to the selected layer automatically.

This is why it is a good idea to check which layer you are currently

working on!

132 Working with Objects

To select objects on a particular layer:

• In the Layers tab, if the Edit All Layers button is disabled, click

the chosen layer and either:

• Click the layer's object on the page.

- or -

• In the Layers tab, click the Expand icon on the chosen layer entry to

reveal all associated objects. You'll see objects named automatically,

e.g. "Curve, 2 Nodes", "Closed Curve, 5 Nodes", "Quick Rectangle", etc.,

each with their own preview. The frontmost object in your drawing

always appears at the top of the layer's listed objects (the order reflects

the Z-order).

This tree view greatly improves the ability to select and manage nested

objects in more complex drawings. It's also great for visualizing your

object order.

The object on the page is selected when selection handles appear on the object

and the displayed bounding box reflects the selected layer's colour.

Working with Objects 133

To select any object on any layer:

Initially, objects which are on layers that are not selected are also visible, but you

may find that you can’t select an object as it is on a different layer. This can be

slightly confusing at first as you frantically click on an object to no effect! But of

course, you can change this state of affairs.

• If View All Layers is enabled (the default), all layers set as visible

appear in the edit window, regardless of which layer you're currently

working on. Disabling this button lets you see only objects on the

current layer, as long as it's visible. (If both Visible and View All

Layers are unchecked, you won't see anything!)

• If Edit All Layers (available only if View All Layers is enabled) is

disabled (the default), you can only select objects in the current layer.

Enabling this button lets you select any object on any visible layer. You

can press the Tab key repeatedly to cycle between objects in order.

• If Auto-Select Layer is enabled (available only if Edit All Layers

is enabled), you'll automatically select an object's layer and the object

entry in the Layers tab as you select it on the page. This stops you from

having to jump back to the Layers tab to set the layer to be active after

object selection.

To change an object's or group's name:

1. In the Layers tab, expand the layer entry to which an object or group

belongs.

2. Select the object/group, then click on its name.

3. At the insertion point, type a new name then either press Enter or

click away from the tab.

Trouble locating your named object or group? Search for it by using

Find Objects... on the Edit menu. (See Finding objects in online

Help).

134 Working with Objects

To move an object to another layer:

• Select the object, right-click and choose Move Object to Layer....

From the dialog, select the specific destination layer.

- or -

• Select the object, right-click and choose Move Object to Active Layer.

The object moves to whichever layer was previously active.

Fill, Lines, Colours,

and Transparency

136 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 137

Setting fill properties

Any closed shape, such as a closed curve or QuickShape, or text has an interior

region that can be filled. The fill type can be solid, gradient, bitmap or plasma.

Those that use a single colour are solid fills. Let’s take a moment to run through

them.

Fill types fall into several basic categories, illustrated above:

• Solid fills, as their name implies, use a single colour.

• Gradient fills provide a gradation or spectrum of colours between two

or more "key" colours. Mesh fills work like gradient fills but with a

more complex fill path.

• Bitmap and Plasma fills apply bitmapped images or patterns to the

object, each with unique properties. Think of bitmap fills as named

“pictures” that fill shapes. Plasma (or “fractal”) fills use randomized

patterns, useful for simulating cloud or shadow effects.

Solid colours

Applying a fill is easy, whether you’re selecting

a colour from the Colour tab or the

Swatch tab.

The Colour tab can operate in several modes

available from a drop-down menu—HSL

Colour Wheel (shown), HSL Colour Box, HSL

Sliders, RGB Sliders, RGB Sliders (Hex), CMYK

Sliders and Tinting. We’ll concentrate on the

HSL Colour Wheel which is very popular

amongst drawing professionals.

138 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

The HSL Colour Wheel is made up of four key components—the line/fill

swatches, the outer Hue wheel, Saturation/Lightness triangle, and an Opacity

slider.

The Line/Fill swatches govern whether the selected colour is applied as a line

colour, solid fill, or both simultaneously.

The small circles shown in the wheel and triangle indicate the current setting for

hue and saturation/lightness, respectively. Drag either circle around to adjust the

overall HSL value.

A Tinting option in the Colour tab’s drop-down menu (not shown above)

allows a percentage of shade/tint to be applied to your colour.

By comparison, the Swatch tab hosts a

vast array of preset colour swatches for

solid, gradient, plasma, and bitmap fills.

Swatches are stored in palettes which

can be managed from within the tab.

You can even create your own palettes

and palette categories.

To apply a solid fill colour via the Colour tab:

1. Select the object(s) and display the Studio's Colour tab.

Set the Line/Fill Swatch at the top-left of the tab so the Fill

Swatch appears in front of the Line swatch. This defines where the

colour will be applied. Alternatively, apply colour to both line and fill

simultaneously by clicking

Link on the swatch.

3. (Optional) Choose a colour display mode from the drop-down menu.

4. Select a colour from the display.

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 139

To apply a solid fill colour via the Swatch tab:

1. Select the object(s) and display the Studio's Swatch tab.

Set the Line/Fill Swatch at the top-left of the tab so the Fill

Swatch appears in front of the Line Swatch.

Pick a thumbnail from either the Document Palette or

from another palette shown in the Palettes drop-down list (drag from

the thumbnail onto the object as an alternative).

To change a fill's shade/tint (lightness):

1. Select the object and set the Line/Fill Swatch as described for

the Colour tab above.

2. From the tab's colour mode drop-down menu, select Tinting.

3. Drag the Shade/Tint slider to the left or right to darken or lighten

your starting colour, respectively (the original colour is set at 0%).

You can also enter a percentage value in the box (entering 0 or

dragging the pointer back to its original position reverts to the original

colour).

To apply a gradient, bitmap, or plasma fill to one or more objects:

As for applying a solid colour fill with the Swatch tab but:

• Instead of using a solid colour palette, pick a relevant

category from the Gradient or Bitmap galleries, and pick your

required thumbnail from the displayed presets (drag from the

thumbnail onto the object as an alternative).

For solid, gradient or plasma fills, you can then edit colour(s) and shade/tint

(lightness). For gradient and plasma fills, the fill path (coverage) can also be

edited (see Working with gradient fills on p. 149).

140 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

To edit an object's fill colour(s) and tint:

1. Right-click the object and choose Format>Fill....

2. (Optional) From the dialog's Model drop-down menu, choose a

different colour model (e.g., RGB sliders).

3. Depending on the selected colour mode, use the Colour Wheel,

Colour Picker, or combination of slider and colour spectrum (or use

the input boxes) to set your colour value. When using the colour

spectrum, click anywhere in the window then drag the marker around

to fine-tune your colour selection.

4. Click OK.

An Opacity level can be applied to your fill at the same time that a

colour is applied; this leads to powerful colour/opacity

combinations on solid fills, or on gradient and plasma fill paths. (See

Setting opacity on p. 155.)

For gradient or bitmap transparency effects (see p. 157), use the

Transparency Tool or Transparency tab.

Exact colour values can be set in a Colour Selector dialog available

from Format>Fill....

To apply no fill:

Set an empty interior for objects by using the:

• Colour tab: Click No Fill in the bottom-left corner of the Line/Fill

Swatch, which represents either None (an empty interior for objects

with line/fill properties) or Original (for pictures only, to reset the

object to its original colours).

- or -

• Swatch tab: Choose the first swatch, None, from any gallery.

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 141

Blend modes

The Colour tab hosts a Blend Mode drop-down list for blending overlapping

object colours together in various ways. You'll find blend modes described in

detail in Understanding blend modes in online Help.

Setting line properties

All lines, including those that enclose

shapes, have numerous properties,

including colour, style, line ends, weight,

join (corner), and cap (end).

Using the Studio's Line tab, you can adjust plain line properties for any

freeform, straight, or curved line, as well as for the edge of a shape, image or

artistic text.

To change line colour, see Setting fill properties on p. 137.

142 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

Changing line style

A series of buttons arranged along

the top of the Line tab set the line

style. No line, Solid, Dash,

Double, and Calligraphic styles

can be applied to freeform lines,

and outlines of shapes, images and

artistic text alike.

The last two effects,

Brush Stroke and Edge Effect apply brushed

or fringed edges to images and text with stroke/spray or edge brushes,

respectively.

To change line style:

• Simply click a button to set the line style—only one style can be set any

one time. Pick another button to jump to that style.

Once a style is selected you can choose line ends for most styles (except Brush

Stroke and Edge Effect). For some styles, variations are also available. For

example, for a Dash or Double line style, additional dash patterns (below) and

double line options can be selected.

To select a line end:

• From the drop-down menus, pick a line start and end.

Other styles such as Dash and Calligraphic offer further customization of the

chosen style.

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 143

Two styles called

Brush Stroke and Edge Effect let you apply a brush,

chosen from the Brushes tab, to your line or your object's edge. You'll see your

current brush shown in the Line tab. Both effects look great when applied to

artistic text titles or to picture edges (see Scarlet illustration).

In the above example, a white brush is used around the title text and a stylish

"painted" edge has been applied (remember to pick from the Edges category in

the Brushes tab).

Changing line caps and joins

The Line tab also lets you vary a line's Cap (end) and the Join (corner) where

two lines intersect. Both properties tend to be more conspicuous on thicker

lines; joins are more apparent with more acute angles.

Changing line width

On a selected line, curve, or shape (opposite),

drag the Weight slider in the Line tab. To

turn off the line, set the box to 0.0pt.

144 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

Sampling colours

Use the Colour Picker tool to sample (and then reuse) any colour in your

DrawPlus workspace. The picked colour can then be made the current line or fill

colour in DrawPlus.

Various sampling methods can be used depending on the type of object fill or

screen area to be sampled.

Point sampler

Use for picking up an individual pixel

colour directly under the cursor.

Square/circle sampler

Use for sampling halftoned images,

dithered GIFs, or images with undesirable

colour artefacts. The colours within the

shaped black outlined region in the

magnification area are averaged, rather

than using a specific pixel colour.

Use a square or circle shape depending on

the shape of the region to be sampled.

Gradient sampler

Use for picking up colour gradients

present in images. Great for sampling

colours in sunsets.

Use the Colour tab's Colour Picker to sample colours anywhere on

your computer screen.

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 145

To sample colours (via Colour Picker Tool):

1. On the Drawing toolbar, click

Colour Picker.

2. From the context toolbar, choose a colour picker type (e.g., Point

Sampler).

Square and Circle Sampler types allow you size the sampling region by

using the Colour Picker Size option.

Gradient Sampler offers a Gradient Picker Sensitivity option, for

controlling the level or detail to which the gradient is sampled.

3. Hold the mouse button down, and drag to the target area then release.

For gradient sampling, rather than clicking, you sample by dragging a

line across your chosen colour gradient.

The sampled colour(s) is picked up in the Colour tab's Picker Colour

swatch.

4. Click the Colour tab's Line or Fill swatch, then the Picked Colour

swatch to transfer the colour to the chosen swatch. You can then apply

the colour to any object (this will then be stored automatically in the

Swatch tab's Document Palette for further use).

This method lets you sample anywhere in the DrawPlus workspace, but it's

possible to sample colour from anywhere on your computer screen via the

Colour tab.

146 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

To sample colours (via Colour tab):

• Select Colour Picker, hold the mouse button down, and drag to

the target area then release. The colour under the cursor is picked up

in the adjacent swatch.

• Click the Colour tab's Line or Fill swatch, then the Picked Colour

swatch to transfer the colour to the chosen swatch.

Defining line and fill colours

When you're applying a fill or line colour using the Studio's Swatch tab, you

choose a colour from one of several colour palettes, arranged as a gallery of

colour swatch thumbnails. Different palettes can be loaded but only one palette

is displayed at any one time.

Several of the colour palettes are based on "themed" colours while the remaining

palettes are based on industry-standard colour models, i.e.

• Standard RGB: Red, Green and Blue (default)

• Standard CMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black

Applying a colour from any of the above palettes to an object will add that to

DrawPlus's Document Palette, a set of colours currently in use (or previously

used) in your document. The Document Palette is primarily used to reuse

colours already in your document—great for working to a specific "tailored" set

of colours.

To complement the default standard colours (A) in the Swatch tab's Document

Palette, you can also store other palette colours (B), bitmap fills (C),

gradient/plasma/mesh fills (D), and colour spreads (E).

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 147

Adding colours to the Document Palette

Colours are added manually or automatically from the Colour tab or taken

directly from an object's line/fill into the user's Document Palette.

The palette also stores commonly used colours (e.g., Red, Green, Blue, etc.).

Colours can be added, edited, deleted, or renamed within the Document Palette

as in any of the other Swatch tab's palettes.

Colours in the Document Palette are just saved locally, along with the drawing's

current defaults. That is, the colours don't automatically carry over to new

drawings. However changes to the other palettes are saved globally, in that

colour changes will carry over to new documents automatically.

To add a colour to the Document Palette (from Colour tab):

• Select a colour mixed from the Colour tab.

If the colour doesn't already exist in the Swatch tab's Document Palette, a new

thumbnail appears for it.

To add a new colour (via dialog):

1. Display the

Document Palette on the Swatch tab.

2. Click Palette Menu and select Add New Colour....

- or -

right-click any thumbnail and choose Add....

3. (Optional) From the dialog's Model drop-down menu, choose a

different colour model (e.g., RGB sliders).

4. Depending on the selected colour mode, use the Colour Wheel,

Colour Picker, or combination of slider and colour spectrum (or use

the input boxes) to set your colour value. When using the colour

spectrum, click anywhere in the window then drag the marker around

to fine-tune your colour selection.

5. Click OK. A new swatch is added to the palette.

148 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

To add a colour (from a selected object):

1. Click

Palette Menu and select Add Fill from Selection.

2. In the dialog, choose a name and click OK.

To add a colour (directly from any palette):

• Right-click the palette swatch and select Add to Document's Palette.

To add colour spreads (using Colour Palette Designer):

1. Click Colour Palette Designer on the Document Palette's title

bar.

2. Choose a Base Colour, a Spread (from the drop-down list), and click

either the Add Range or Add All button.

3. Click OK.

For more details, see Creating colour palettes from spreads in online Help.

To modify or rename a palette swatch:

• Right-click the swatch and choose Edit....

To delete a palette swatch:

• Right-click the swatch and choose Delete....

If any existing objects use the fill, if you delete it, the objects will retain it.

Adding fills to the Document Palette

To add a gradient, mesh, or plasma fill (from a selected object):

1. Click

Palette Menu and select Add Fill from Selection.

2. In the dialog, choose a name and click OK.

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 149

To add a bitmap fill (from an imported picture):

1. Click

Palette Menu and select Add Bitmap Fill....

2. In the dialog, navigate to the bitmap, select the file name, and click

Open.

Working with gradient fills

Gradient fills are those that use gradients—small "spectrums" with colours

spreading between at least two defined key values. Specifically, gradient fills

include the Linear, Radial, Elliptical, Conical, Square, Three Colour, and Four

Colour types. Once you've applied a gradient fill to an object using the Swatch

tab (see Setting fill properties on p. 137), you can use the Fill Tool to edit the

object's fill path, defining the placement of the spectrum across the object.

Applying a gradient fill

There are several ways to apply a gradient fill as a line colour or object fill: using

the Fill Tool or via the Swatch tab. Using the Fill Tool, you can vary the fill's path

on an object for different effects.

To apply a gradient fill (Fill Tool):

1. Select a coloured object.

2. Click the Swatch tab and ensure the

Line or Fill swatch is set

accordingly.

3. Click the

Fill Tool on the Drawing toolbar.

150 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

4. Click and drag on the object to define the fill path (a solid line). The

object takes a simple Linear fill, grading from the current colour of the

object, ending in white (objects filled with white will grade from white

to black, to show contrast).

(A) Node (Start key colour), (B) Node (End key colour), and (C) Fill Path

To apply a gradient fill (Swatch tab):

1. Select an object.

2. Click the Swatch tab and ensure the

Line or Fill swatch is set

accordingly.

3. Select the

Gradient button's drop-down menu and pick a

gradient category.

4. Click the thumbnail for the fill you want to apply.

- or -

Drag from the gallery swatch onto any object.

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 151

Editing the fill path

If an object using a gradient fill is selected, you'll see the fill path displayed as

one or more lines, with circular nodes marking where the spectrum between

each key colour begins and ends. Adjusting the node positions determines the

actual spread of colours between nodes. You can also edit the fill by adding,

deleting, or changing key colours.

To adjust the gradient fill path on a selected object:

1. Select an object with a gradient fill.

2. Click

Fill Tool on the Drawing toolbar. The object's fill path

appears.

3. Use the Fill Tool to drag the start and end circular path nodes, or drag

on (or outside) the object for a new start node, creating a new fill path

as you drag. The gradient starts where you place the start node, and

ends where you place the end node.

To constrain the fill path in 15-degree increments, hold down the

Shift key while dragging. On Elliptical fills, Ctrl-constraining also

forces the gradient's aspect ratio to match the object's bounding

box.

Each gradient fill type has a characteristic path. For example, Radial fills have

single-line paths, with the gradient initially starting at the object's centre. Elliptical

fills likewise begin at the centre, but their paths have two lines so you can adjust the

fill's extent in two directions away from the centre. Radial fills are always evenly

circular, while Elliptical fills can be skewed in one direction or another.

Radial Fill Elliptical Fill

152 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

Experiment to discover new effects! For example, you

can widen or narrow the gradient’s extent, even drag

either node completely outside the object. Or, for a

Radial fill on a round shape, try placing the start node

near the figure’s upper edge, off-centre, to create a

reflection highlight.

For details of how to edit and manage gradient fills, see online Help.

Editing the fill spectrum

Whether you're editing a fill that's been already been applied to an object, or

redefining one of the gallery fills, the basic concepts are the same. Whereas solid

fills use a single colour, all gradient fills utilize at least two "key" colours, with a

spread of hues in between each key colour, creating a "spectrum" effect.

You can either edit the fill spectrum directly using the Fill Tool or use

Format>Fill (to access the Gradient Fill Editor dialog). With the Fill Tool

selected, colours can be selected from the Studio's Colour or Swatch tab to

replace a selected node's colour, or dragged from the Swatch tab to create new

nodes on the fill path). Both methods let you define key colours. The Fill Tool

method is more convenient for this, but with the dialog you can also fine-tune

the actual spread of colour between pairs of key colours.

The editing of gradient fills is a complex operation and is covered in greater

detail in the online Help.

Working with bitmap and plasma fills

A bitmap fill uses a named bitmap—often a

material, pattern, or background image. DrawPlus

supplies an impressive selection of preset bitmap

fills on the Swatch tab, and you can import your

own.

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 153

A plasma fill, sometimes called a fractal fill, is a

bitmapped pattern with dark and light regions,

useful for simulating cloud or shadow effects.

Again, the Swatch tab hosts a selection of these

fills.

Once you've applied either type of fill to an object using the Swatch tab (see

Setting fill properties on p. 137), you can adjust the fill's tint with the Shade/Tint

slider in the Colour tab (use Colour mode drop-down menu), and use the Fill

Tool to edit the object's fill path, defining the placement of the fill across the

object.

Editing the fill path

If an object using a bitmap fill is selected, you'll see

the fill path displayed as two lines joined at a

centre handle. Nodes, shown as small filled circles,

mark the fill's centre and edges.

To reposition the fill’s centre, drag the centre handle. To create a skewed or

tilted fill region, drag one or both edge nodes sideways.

Unlike the other fill types, bitmap and plasma fills don't simply "end" at the

edges of their fill path. Rather, they tile (repeat) so you can fill indefinitely large

regions at any scale. By dragging the edge nodes in or out with the Fill Tool, you

can "zoom" in or out on the fill pattern.

For details of how to edit and manage bitmap and plasma fills, see online Help.

154 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

Working with mesh fills

A mesh fill works like a gradient fill but uses a more complex fill path, with a

grid or "mesh" of many nodes representing separate key colours. The overall

effect, especially useful for multifaceted highlighting, arises from the colour

gradients that spread between each of these nodes.

As an example, the Mesh Fill Tool can be used to dramatic effect on a sports

car's bodywork.

To enable the Mesh Fill Tool:

• Select Mesh Fill Tool on the Drawing toolbar's Fill flyout. With

the tool enabled, a mesh of editable patches and nodes are revealed

(above).

A mesh fill is applied to an object via the Swatch tab's Gradient gallery (see

Setting fill properties on p. 137). You can edit the mesh itself with the Mesh Fill

Tool and the accompanying context toolbar to achieve unique results. The path

lines that connect nodes in a mesh fill are actually curves, so editing the mesh is

similar to the method for Editing lines and shapes (see p. 65). Simple warping

effects, colour spread changes and path line curvature can all be affected. The

tool lets you reshape curved path lines by adjusting one or more nodes and their

control handles.

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 155

In addition, the areas between four nodes called "mesh patches” can be

recoloured or moved individually or in multiples. As for curved lines you can

add, delete, and move one or more nodes at any time.

(A) Node and (B) Patches in a mesh fill

Setting opacity

Key point! In DrawPlus, opacity is a property of colour; both can be

set in the Colour tab in combination. Transparency refers to object-

based gradient or bitmap transparency effects, set via the

Transparency tab or Transparency Tool.

Opacity is great for highlights, shading and shadows, and simulating "rendered"

realism. It can make the difference between flat, ordinary visuals and sparkling

realism!

Opacity is the inverse of transparency—fully opaque (100%) is no transparency

(0%), and vice versa. It works rather like fills that use "disappearing ink" instead

of colour. The less opacity in a particular spot, the more "disappearing" takes

place there, and the more the object(s) underneath show through.

156 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

The Opacity slider (Colour tab) can be

used to alter the opacity of a specific

colour, whether that colour is a solid fill

(in an object or on a line), or a node's

colour on a gradient fill path. Opacity

can be applied locally to each object; the

default is 100% opacity, i.e. the object is

fully opaque.

For solid fills, the opacity change will be made uniformly across the object's

interior (see disc illustration). For gradient fill paths, different opacity levels can

be assigned with colour along the fill path. The combination of different colours

and semi-transparency allow interesting colour blends to be made.

100%

opacity

(solid fill)

50%

opacity

(solid fill)

100%-0%-

100% opacity

(gradient

fill path)

Reducing the opacity on solid fills creates a blend between upper and lower

object colours. Similarly, more complex colour blends occur along a gradient fill

path when points along the path (called nodes) have reduced opacity settings.

Gradient fill paths are explained in detail in Working with gradient

fills on p. 149.

Don't get confused between fill paths and transparency paths. The

former is referred to here, but the latter is used to apply different

levels of transparency along a transparency path instead of colour.

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 157

To apply solid opacity:

1. Select the object(s) and display the Studio's Colour tab.

2. Drag the slider to the left for a reduced opacity setting (e.g., 20%); drag

right to increase opacity. This makes objects appear semi-transparent,

or if set to 0%, fully transparent.

To apply solid opacity (to a fill path):

1. Select the object(s) and display the Studio's Colour tab.

2. Click the

Fill Tool on the Drawing toolbar's Fill flyout.

3. Click on any displayed node along the fill path. Use Shift-select for

selecting multiple nodes.

4. From the Colour tab, drag the slider to the left for a reduced opacity

setting. You'll notice the new opacity setting influencing the fill's

appearance (if placed in front of another coloured object).

Using transparency effects

While uniform opacity can be applied along with colour via the Colour tab (see

Setting opacity on p. 155), it's possible to apply gradient transparency via the

Transparency tab or Transparency Tool independent of colour. Bitmap

transparency can also be applied exclusively via the Transparency tab.

Just as a gradient fill can vary from light to dark, a gradient transparency varies

from more to less transparency, i.e. from clear to opaque. Picking a linear

transparency preset from the Transparency tab, and applying it to a shape,

shows the transparency effect.

(A)

Linear Transparency;

(B)

Transparency path;

(C)

Effect on graphic

158 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

Transparency can also be applied along a custom drawn transparency path using

the Transparency Tool, in the same way as the equivalent fill path (see p. 149).

Transparency paths are easily editable.

Transparency effects are applied locally to each object. Applying

different transparency effects won't alter the object's fill settings as

such, but may significantly alter a fill's actual appearance.

Let’s check out the Transparency tab. As

with the Swatch tab, there are galleries

for both gradient and bitmap

transparencies.

Gradient transparency galleries include

Linear (opposite), Radial, Elliptical,

Conical, Plasma, Square, Three Points

and Four Points, ranging from clear to

opaque.

The

Bitmap

transparency gallery hosts texture maps based on the Swatch tab's

selection of bitmaps.

Each preset’s tooltip identifies its category.

To apply gradient or bitmap transparency effects:

1. With your object selected, go to the Transparency tab.

For gradient or bitmap transparency, click the drop

down arrow on the Gradient or Bitmap button, respectively. Select a

category from the flyout, then click a thumbnail in that category.

- or -

Drag the desired thumbnail from the gallery to an object.

3. The transparency is applied to the object(s).

Sometimes objects of a lighter colour will not display their

transparency clearly—ensure the transparency is applied correctly

by temporarily placing the object over a strong solid colour.

Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 159

To apply gradient transparency with Transparency Tool:

1. Select an object.

2. Click the

Transparency Tool on the Drawing toolbar.

3. Click and drag on the object to define the transparency path. The

object takes a simple linear transparency, grading from 100%

transparency to 0% transparency in the direction you drag.

You've freeform control over where the path starts and ends, and the

direction in which the path will be drawn. You can even click again to

redraw the path.

Editing gradient transparency

Once you've applied a transparency, you can adjust its path on the object, and

the level of transparency along the path. You can even create more complex

transparency effects by adding extra nodes to the path and assigning different

levels to each node.

You cannot alter the values in a bitmap transparency.

To adjust the transparency path directly:

• Use the Transparency Tool to drag individual nodes, or click on the

object for a new start node and drag out a new transparency path. The

effect starts where you place the start node, and ends where you place

the end node. For bitmap and plasma transparencies, the path

determines the centre and two edges of the effect.

For details of how to edit and manage gradient transparency, see online Help.

160 Fill, Lines, Colours, and Transparency

Working with

Pictures

162 Working with Pictures

Working with Pictures 163

Importing pictures

Pictures that can be imported into DrawPlus can belong to one of several

groups:

• Bitmapped pictures, also known as bitmaps or raster images, are built

from a matrix of dots ("pixels"), rather like the squares on a sheet of

graph paper. They may originate as digital camera photos or scanned

images, or be created (or enhanced)

with a "paint" program or photo

editor.

• Vector graphics, are resolution-

independent and contain drawing

commands such as "draw a line from

A to B." These are like DrawPlus

drawings, made of many individual

objects grouped together, and you can

edit them in the same sort of way.

You have the choice of ungrouping

the objects in order to edit them

further, or leaving them as a group.

• Metafiles are the native graphics

format for Windows (i.e., Windows MetaFiles) and combine raster

and vector information. Serif also has it own metafile format, Serif

MetaFile Format (SMF) , which is optimized for image sharing

between Serif applications.

Any imported picture ends up as an object you can select, move, scale, shear,

rotate—and even cut or crop using the Knife or Crop Tool on the Drawing

toolbar. The Image Cutout Studio (p. 165) lets you cut out the subject of your

picture out from its background (and vice versa).

164 Working with Pictures

To import a picture from a file:

1. Click

Insert Picture on the Drawing toolbar.

2. From the dialog, locate and select the file to import, then click Open.

The dialog disappears and the mouse pointer changes to the

Picture Size cursor. What you do next determines the initial size,

placement, and aspect ratio (proportions) of the picture.

3. Either:

• To insert the picture at a default size, simply click the mouse.

- or -

• To set the size of the inserted picture, drag out a region and

release the mouse button.

By default, the picture's aspect ratio is preserved. To allow free dragging to any

aspect ratio, hold down the Shift key. To constrain the aspect ratio while scaling

from the picture's centre as you drag, hold down the Ctrl key.

Notes:

• You can import Serif PhotoPlus .spp files directly into DrawPlus. The

file is placed as a flattened bitmap.

• You can import photos directly from your camera's hard disk, which

shows as a removable drive in Windows. However in advance of

import, you may wish to back up your photos to your computers hard

disk, making them permanently available to your DrawPlus project.

• You can import scanner images via TWAIN Acquire (see p. 180).

• For importing from an inserted Kodak PhotoCD, choose

Picture>Photo CD... from the Insert menu.

• Once placed, you can swap the picture by clicking Replace

Picture on the context toolbar.

Working with Pictures 165

• You can always resize a picture as required, after it has been placed, by

dragging its handles. For the finer points of resizing, see Resizing

objects on p. 118.

• The Picture context toolbar appears automatically when you select an

image on the page. Use the toolbar to quickly adjust contrast,

brightness, Red Eye or apply Auto Level or Auto Contrast.

For more advanced image adjustment and effect filters, click the

Picture context toolbar's PhotoLab button. See online Help for further

information.

• If you import an image with areas of transparency, you'll be able to

manipulate the image's outline, i.e. convert to curves, apply line

properties, effects, etc.

Using Image Cutout Studio

Image Cutout Studio offers a powerful integrated solution for cutting objects

out from their backgrounds. Depending on the make up of your images you can

separate subject of interests from their backgrounds, either by retaining the

subject of interest (usually people, objects, etc.) or removing a simple uniform

background (e.g., sky, studio backdrop). In both instances, the resulting "cutout"

image creates an eye-catching look for your design.

The latter background removal method is illustrated in the following multi-

image example.

The white initial background is discarded, leaving interim checkerboard

transparency, from which another image can be used as a more attractive

background. A red tint on the second image's background is used to indicate

areas to be discarded.

166 Working with Pictures

To launch Image Cutout Studio:

1. Select an image to be cut out.

2. Select

Image Cutout Studio from the displayed Picture context

toolbar. Image Cutout Studio is launched.

Your original image, if linked, is unaffected in Image Cutout Studio.

However, embedded images, when cut out, are altered permanently

in the DrawPlus document.

Choose an output

It's essential that you choose an output type prior to selecting areas for

keeping/discarding. Either an alpha-edged or vector-cropped bitmap can be

chosen as your output type prior to selection. The choice you make really

depends on the image, in particular how well defined image edges are.

• Alpha-edged Bitmap: Use when cutting out objects with poorly

defined edges. Transparency and pixel blending are used at the outline

edge to produce professional results with negligible interference from

background colours. The term "alpha" refers to a 32-bit image's alpha

transparency channel.

• Vector-cropped Bitmap: Use on more well-defined edges. A cropped

image with crop outline is created which can be later manipulated with

the crop tools. You can optionally apply feathering and smoothness to

the image edge; the background colour will not be removed.

To create an alpha-edged bitmap:

1. Select Alpha-edged Bitmap from the Output Type drop-down menu.

2. Drag the Width slider to set the extent to which the "alpha" blending is

applied inside the cutout edge.

3. Adjust the Blur slider to smooth out the cutout edge.

Working with Pictures 167

To create a vector-cropped bitmap:

1. Select Vector-cropped Bitmap from the Output Type drop-down

menu.

2. Drag the Feather slider to apply a soft or blurry edge inside the cutout

edge.

3. Drag the Smoothness slider to smooth out the cutout edge.

4. The Inflate slider acts as an positive or negative offset from the cutout

edge.

Selecting areas to keep or discard

A pair of brushes for keeping and discarding is used to enable parts of the image

to be selected. The tools are called Keep Brush and Discard Brush, and are

either used independently or, more typically, in combination with each other.

When using either tool, the brush paints an area contained by an outline which

is considered to be discarded or retained (depending on brush type). A

configurable number of pixels adjacent to the outline area are blended.

Either tool allows the default brush size to be set before you select

areas for keeping/discarding. You can set your own custom size or

use a small, medium, or large preset brush size. Choose from the top

of the Studio workspace.

To aid the selection operation, several display modes are available

to show selection.

Show Original, Show Tinted, and Show Transparent buttons

respectively display the image with:

• selection areas only

• various coloured tints aiding complex selection

operations

• checkerboard transparency areas marked for discarding.

For Show tinted, a red tint indicates areas to be discarded; a green

tint shows areas to be kept.

168 Working with Pictures

For Show transparent mode, a different Background colour can be

set (at the bottom of the Studio) while Show Transparent is

enabled; this may help give better contrast at cut edges while fine

tuning.

To select image areas for keeping/discarding:

1. In Image Cutout Studio, click either

Keep brush or

Discard brush from the left of the Studio workspace.

2. (Optional) Pick a Brush size suitable for the area to be worked on.

3. (Optional) Set a Grow tolerance value to automatically expand the

selected area under the cursor (by detecting colours similar to those

within the current selection). The greater the value the more the

selected area will grow.

4. Using the circular cursor, click and drag across the area to be retained.

It's OK to repeatedly click and drag until your selection area is made—

you can't lose your selection unless you click the Reset button. The

Undo button reverts to the last made selection.

5. If you're outputting an alpha-edged bitmap, you can refine the area to

be kept/discarded within Image Cutout Studio (only after previewing)

with Erase and Restore touch-up tools. Vector-cropped images can be

cropped using standard DrawPlus crop tools outside of the Studio.

6. Click

OK to create your cutout, or Cancel to abort the

operation.

Make your outline edge as exact as possible by using brush and

touch-up tools before committing your work.

You'll see your image on the poster page in its original location, but with the

selected areas cut away (made transparent).

Working with Pictures 169

Autotracing

Instead of manually tracing a design, it's possible to automatically convert

bitmaps back into vector objects by using autotracing. Its main function is for

speedily reworking bitmapped logos (for further design modification), but its

use is not confined to this. In fact, both greyscale and colour photos can equally

be autotraced for eye-catching artistic effects.

For each of these uses, DrawPlus offers a studio environment and a specific

preset profile which will produce optimum results while autotracing artwork of

your chosen type. These profiles are called Logo Image Trace, B/W Image

Trace, and Photo Image Trace.

• Logo Image Trace. For

tracing of vector bitmaps

(e.g., logos, signatures, or

other designs with

antialiasing).

• B/W Image Trace. For

black and white tracings

of photos, scanned

images, and line

drawings.

• Photo Image Trace. For

colour tracing of photos.

170 Working with Pictures

The autotracing process is performed in a studio environment, which makes use

of the above profiles. The studio gives the opportunity to preview before tracing,

and customize chosen profile settings further to your liking. Most profile settings

are unique to the profile.

To autotrace a selected image:

1. Click the drop-down arrow on the

AutoTrace button

(Standard toolbar) and select a profile from the menu.

- or -

Click

AutoTrace and choose a profile from the profile selection

screen.

2. The AutoTrace studio appears with the original artwork displayed,

along with adjustable sliders, a colour palette (logo profile only), or a

collapsible preview window (photo profiles only) showing how your

output will look once traced.

3. (Optional) Adjust the sliders at the right of the workspace (each

unique to the profile used); your profile settings will be modified. If

you want to save these modified settings you must save the changed

profile to a new custom name.

Working with Pictures 171

4. Click

Trace to trace your logo, photo, or other bitmapped

artwork. It's best to keep clicking this button to update your main

window after any adjustment. If you want to abort the autotracing

process, you can click the Cancel button on the progress bar.

5. (Optional) For fine-tuning your traced output, several options are

possible:

• For removing colours in traced logo output, right-click on the

palette colour you want to remove.

You can add a new colour or replace an existing colour by left-

clicking on an empty or occupied colour swatch and dragging the

Colour Selector to any colour on your computer screen.

Remember to click Trace to refresh the view.

• Click

Adjust to access Merge, Fill, and Node tools for fine-

tuning your vector output.

6. When you're happy with your traced output, click

Accept to add

it to the page.

All slider settings are described in full in the Help pane which

accompanies the AutoTrace studio. Also covered are procedures for

tracing greyscale and colour photos.

The autotracing procedure above differs slightly when applied to greyscale or

colour photos, i.e. instead of comprehensive palette control you have a photo

preview.

Using photos in autotracing is covered in the tutorial "Cutting Out

and Tracing."

172 Working with Pictures

Creating custom profiles

Adjusting any slider means that you've modified your chosen preset profile. If

you want to keep the settings for future autotracing you can save the profile to a

new name and reuse it from the drop-down menu (on the profile selection

screen or within AutoTrace studio).

To save a custom autotrace profile:

1. Click

Save Current Profile.

2. From the dialog, enter a custom profile name. The profile appears in

the drop-down menu (in profile selection screen and studio).

To delete an autotrace profile:

1. Select the existing custom profile from the drop-down menu.

2. Click

Delete Current Profile. The profile is removed from the

menu.

Use the upper View toolbar for side-by-side previews and different

outline views. The zoom controls at the bottom of the studio offer

magnification and panning control.

Working with Pictures 173

Applying PhotoLab filters

PhotoLab is a dedicated studio environment that lets you apply adjustment and

effect filters to photos, individually or in combination.

PhotoLab offers the following key features:

• Adjustment filters

Apply tonal, colour, lens, and sharpening filters.

• Effect filters

Apply distortion, blur, stylistic, noise, render, artistic, and various

other effects.

• Retouching filters

Apply red-eye and spot repair correction.

• Non-destructive operation

All filters are applied without affecting the original photo, and can be

edited at any point in the future.

• Powerful filter combinations

Create combinations of mixed adjustment, retouching, and effect

filters for savable workflows.

• Selective masking

Apply filters to selected regions using masks.

• Save and manage favourites

Save filter combinations to a handy Favourites tab.

• Viewing controls

Compare before-and-after previews, with dual- and split-screen

controls. Use pan and zoom control for moving around your photo.

• Locking controls

Protect your applied filters from accidental change, then optionally

apply them to other images on selection.

PhotoLab includes filter tabs, a main toolbar, and an applied filter stack around a

central workspace.

174 Working with Pictures

Photos present in your scrapbook display in the Images tab, which is hidden by

default. To display this tab, as illustrated below, simply click the button

at the bottom of the dialog.

(A) filter tabs, (B) Main toolbar, (C) Main workspace, (D) filter stack, (E) Images tab

Filters are stored in the Favourites,

Adjustments, and Effects filter tabs, and are

grouped into categories.

For example, the Adjustments tab provides

the Quick Fix and Pro Edit categories, while

the Effects tab offers a wide range of creative

effect categories.

On the Favourites tab, you'll find a selection of presets created with individual

and combined filters. You can add your own custom filters to the Favourites

tab. (See Saving Favourites on p. 179)

When you apply a filter from one of these tabs, it is temporarily added to the

Trial Zone that displays beneath the filter stack. This lets you preview and adjust

filters before applying them.

Working with Pictures 175

Applying filters

1. Select the photo you want to work on. (If the photo is framed, select it

and click Select Cropped Object.)

2. Click

PhotoLab on the Photo context toolbar.

3. For ease of use, when you open PhotoLab, the Filters stack on the

right contains some commonly-used filters (such as White Balance

and Lighting). These filters are disabled by default.

To apply one of the default filters, click its

Enable/Disable control

to enable it, and then adjust the filter settings by dragging the sliders.

To disable, reset, and delete a filter, see p. 176.

To add a new filter:

1. Browse the filter thumbnails displayed on the Favourites,

Adjustments, and Effects tabs, and click the one you want to apply.

The selected filter is added to the Trial Zone, and the main window

shows a preview of your photo with the filter applied.

2. Experiment with the filter settings in the Trial Zone—you can drag

the sliders, or enter values directly—to suit your requirements. (Note

that some filters also offer check boxes, drop-down menus, and

additional advanced controls.)

3. (Optional) To replace the trial filter, click a different thumbnail.

Selecting a new filter always replaces the current filter.

4. To apply the filter, click

Commit to add it to the Filters stack.

176 Working with Pictures

5. (Optional):

• Repeat steps 1 to 4 to add more filters to the Filters stack.

Filters are applied to a photo cumulatively, in the order in which

they are added to the Filters stack. The most recently added filter

always appears at the bottom of the stack. (See To reorder filters,

p. 176.)

• Disable, reset, and/or delete filters in the Filters stack. (See

p. 176.)

• Use zoom in/out buttons or a percentage magnification for

detailed work.

• Use the retouch tools to fix red eye, remove blemishes, crop, and

straighten. (See Retouching, p. 177.)

6. To apply all filters in the Filters stack and close PhotoLab, click

OK.

To disable, reset, and delete filters:

• To disable a filter, click . Click to re-enable.

• To reset filter values, click . Changes to settings revert to the filter's

defaults.

• To delete a filter, click .

To reorder filters:

• Drag and drop your filter into any position in the stack. A dotted line

indicates the new position in which the entry will be placed on mouse

release.

To add a filter directly (without trialling):

• Click Add Quick Filter at the top of the Filters stack and choose

a filter from the flyout categories. The filter is applied directly to the

stack without being added to the Trial Zone.

Working with Pictures 177

Retouching

PhotoLab's main toolbar provides some useful retouching tools. These are

commonly used to correct photos before applying colour correction and effects.

• Red-eye tool, to remove red eye from a human subject.

• Spot-repair tool, to remove blemishes from human skin and

material surfaces.

For instructions on using the retouching tools, see online Help.

Selective masking

You may sometimes want to apply a filter to selected regions of a photo, rather

than to the entire photo. In PhotoLab, you can do this by using a “mask” to

define these region(s).

You can apply a mask:

• To the areas to which you want to apply the filter.

- or -

• To the areas you want to protect from the filter.

In the example below, a mask has been used to protect the subject of

the photo from a Stained Glass filter effect.

178 Working with Pictures

To apply a mask:

1. From the

Mask drop-down menu, select New Mask.

2. In the Tool Settings pane, select the

Add Region tool.

3. Adjust the settings to suit your requirements. For example, adjust

Brush Size to paint larger or more intricate regions.

4. In the Mode drop-down menu, choose one of the following options:

• Select: Choose this if you want to apply the filter only to the

regions you paint. This is the default setting.

• Protect: Choose this if you want to apply the filter to all areas of

the photo, except for those that you paint.

5. Using the circular cursor, paint the regions to be masked (selected

areas are painted in green; protected areas in red).

If you've not been as accurate as you'd like while painting, click

Remove Regions then paint over the unwanted painted regions.

6. Click

to save your mask changes, or to cancel.

The mask button changes to yellow when a mask is applied (i.e., ).

Working with Pictures 179

You can create additional masks for the same filter, as above, and then choose

between them. You can only apply one mask at any one time. By using the Mask

menu's New From> option you can also base your new mask on an existing

mask, which may be applied to the current filter or to any other filter in the

stack. This is useful when working with Favourites filters that contain multiple

adjustments.

To edit a mask:

• Expand the drop-down Mask menu and select the mask you want

to edit. Click Edit Mask.

Saving favourites

You can save specific filter settings, or

combinations of filters, as favourites for future

use.

PhotoLab stores all your favourites together in

the Favourites tab. You can even create your own

categories (e.g. My Adjustments) within the tab.

To save and manage favourites:

1. Click

Save Filter.

2. In the dialog, type a name for your filter and choose the category in

which to save it. (Click

to create a new category.)

3. (Optional) To organize your favourites into user-defined categories,

click the

Tab Menu button and choose Manage Favourites.

180 Working with Pictures

Importing scanner images

In recent years, the increasingly more sophisticated image management software

supplied with scanners means that DrawPlus leaves the photo management

aspect of importing scanned images to the manufacturer's software (installed

with the device on your computer). However, what DrawPlus will offer is the

ability to choose between different TWAIN sources, launch the manufacturer's

software automatically and subsequently place any chosen images onto the

DrawPlus page.

To set up your digital device for image acquisition:

• Follow the instructions supplied with the device.

To import pictures from a TWAIN device (i.e., scanner):

1. If you have multiple TWAIN-compatible devices, choose the device

from which your image will be acquired—

Picture>TWAIN>Select Source... from the Insert menu lets you

select your device from a menu.

2. Choose Picture>TWAIN>Acquire from the Insert menu to open the

device’s image management dialog. Follow the device manufacturer’s

instructions, and select the scanned image for import.

3. In DrawPlus, the

Picture Size cursor is displayed which allows

image to be placed at default size (by single-click) or sized (by

dragging across the page).

You can also use the above procedure for importing photos from

cameras that support TWAIN. More typically, modern cameras allow

photo import (see p. 163) directly from their own memory cards,

appearing as a removable disk in Windows.

Applying Special

Effects

182 Applying Special Effects

Applying Special Effects 183

Creating borders

The Border Wizard lets you create a border

around the whole page or a selected object, or

within a specific page region. It's possible to

create your own border from a current object

selection or from a preset border style.

To create a border:

1. (If creating a border around an object) Select the object first.

2. Select Border Wizard... from the Insert menu.

3. From the dialog, choose to select a border from a library of pre-

designed borders (From library) or make your own border (based on

the Current selection). Click Next>.

4. Choose where you want the border to be placed (e.g., Around the

current selection) and click Next.

5. For presets, choose one of the pre-defined border designs from the

scrolling list, and set the border's width. If making your own border,

enable a different border style. The preview window shows what the

border will look like in both instances.

6. Click Finish.

If you chose a whole-page or object border, it appears immediately. With the

"custom" option, use the

cursor to drag out a region to be bordered.

You can create a border on individual pages but not on all pages

simultaneously.

184 Applying Special Effects

Creating blends

Blends enable you to “morph” any shape into any other shape via the

Blend Tool. If the two shapes are separated in space, each step creates an

intermediate shape, to create a kind of morphing effect where the colour,

transparency, and line properties all change along with the object shape during

the blend process.

For more complex blending possibilities, objects can be multiply-blended

(to/from other blends) to create truly stunning illustrations. It is possible to leap

frog between separate shaped objects to create daisy-chained blends (by click

and drag on each object consecutively).

Applying Special Effects 185

To create a blend with the Blend Tool:

1. Select the

Blend Tool button on the Drawing toolbar.

2. (Optional) From the displayed Context toolbar, choose:

• the number of “morph” Blend Steps to be taken between both

points (to increase/decrease the smoothness of the blend).

• a Position or Attribute Profile for non-uniform blends—use for

rate or transform and blend, respectively. (See Using blend

profiles in online Help.)

• a Colour blend type which defines how colour distribution

occurs between the originating and destination object. You can

Fade between colours by default, apply a Clockwise/anti-

clockwise colour spread around the HSL Colour Wheel (from the

Colour tab), or use the Shortest or Longest route between

colours on the HSL Colour Wheel.

3. Hover over the object to display the Blend cursor.

If blending to multiple objects, remember to group them in

advance.

4. Click and drag the cursor, drawing a dashed line as you go, to your

destination point (this must be on an object) and release. Your blend is

created.

5. (Optional) Click the

Convert Blend Object into a Group Object

button on the context toolbar to group all blended objects.

Any blend can be modified or removed via the context toolbar.

To remove, use the Remove Blend on the Current Blend Object

button.

186 Applying Special Effects

Blends in Stopframe animation

For Stopframe animation of simple objects, you can make use of blending

between objects to create frames automatically. You can perform this operation

in Drawing mode (then Convert to Stopframe Animation) or from scratch in

Stopframe Animation mode. See Stopframe animation tips and tricks in online

Help for more information.

Creating rough edges

The Roughen Tool lets you selectively distort an object's outline, turning

smooth-line edges into jagged outlines. The effect can lend cartoon-like flair to

ordinary text or give QuickShapes an irregular appearance ...in fact apply it

whenever it seems to suit the mood of the design.

To apply roughening:

1. Select an object and click the

Roughen Tool on the Drawing

toolbar's Transform flyout.

2. Click on the object and drag up or down. The further you drag, the

more pronounced the effect.

Applying Special Effects 187

Adding drop shadows

You can apply simple drop shadows by using the Shadow

Tool. When applied, the selected object is given a sense of

depth.

The Shadow Tool offers freeform control of the drop shadow effect. With its on-

the-page control nodes and supporting Shadow context toolbar, the tool offers

various adjustments such as Opacity, Blur, and X (or Y) Shear. Nodes appear on

the object for fine control.

Simple shadow

(drag from object

centre)

Node controls:

(

) Shear X/Scale Y, (

) Shear Y/Scale X,

(

) Reposition shadow, (

) Opacity,

(

) Lock Point, (

) Blur.

(showing control nodes)

188 Applying Special Effects

With subtle Shear and Scale adjustments you

can produce skewed shadows for realistic 2D

lighting effects. The example opposite has

had adjustments to Shear X and Shear Y,

with blurring and reduced opacity.

Once you’ve created a basic shadow, you can further edit it as

needed using the Filter Effects dialog.

Applying drop shadows with Shadow Tool

1. Click the Shadow Tool on the Drawing toolbar. You'll notice

control nodes appear which allow adjustment as described in the

annotated illustration above.

2. Drag across the object to create a drop shadow (note additional nodes

being created).

3. Change blur, opacity, shear, or scale accordingly by node adjustment

(or via the displayed context toolbar).

To change a shadow's colour:

• Select the object, choose the Shadow Tool, then select a colour from

the Studio's Colour tab.

To remove the shadow from an object:

• Double-click the object while the Shadow Tool is selected.

For more advanced shadow control on your object, click Filter

Effects on the Drawing toolbar. This provides shadow blend

modes, intensity, and the ability to lock the shadow to the left, right,

top, or bottom of the object.

Applying Special Effects 189

Applying 2D filter effects

You can apply some depth to your objects by applying

an embossing effect.

• From the Effects tab, adjust the Material Thickness setting on your

selected object. The greater the value, the greater the embossed effect.

Making feathered edges

Feathering applies a softer edge to

your objects, such as embellishments

or cut materials. The effect is especially

useful for presenting a photo on the

page.

• From the Effects tab, pick a Feather Edge setting. This is the distance

inside the object's outline within which feathering will be applied.

The Feathering option in the Filter Effects dialog, offers independent control of

Opacity and Blur, which can also be used in conjunction with other 2D filter

effects.

For more advanced control of filter effects, DrawPlus provides a variety of filter

effects that you can use to transform any object. The following examples show

each filter effect when applied to the letter "A."

Drop Shadow Inner Shadow Outer Glow Inner Glow

Inner Bevel Outer Bevel Emboss Pillow Emboss

190 Applying Special Effects

Gaussian Blur Zoom Blur Radial Blur Motion Blur

Colour Fill Feather Outline

DrawPlus additionally provides the Shadow Tool for applying a shadow to an

object directly on your page. Control handles let you adjust shadow blur, opacity

and colour. See Adding drop shadows on p. 187.

To apply 2D filter effects:

1. Click Filter Effects from the Drawing toolbar. The Filter Effects

dialog appears.

2. To apply a particular effect, check its box in the list at left.

3. To adjust the properties of a specific effect, select its name and vary the

dialog controls. Adjust the sliders or enter specific values to vary the

combined effect. (You can also select a slider and use the keyboard arrows.)

Options differ from one effect to another.

4. Click OK to apply the effect or Cancel to abandon changes.

Creating outlines

DrawPlus lets you create a coloured outline around objects, especially text and

shapes (as a filter effect). For any outline, you can set the outline width, colour

fill, transparency, and blend mode. The outline can also take a gradient fill, a

unique contour fill (fill runs from the inner to outer edge of the outline width),

or pattern fill and can also sit inside, outside, or be centred on the object edge.

As with all effects you can switch the outline effect on and off. You'll be able to

apply a combination of 2D or 3D filter effects along with your outline, by

checking other options in the Filter Effects dialog.

Applying Special Effects 191

Colour Fill

The Colour Fill effect applies a colour over any existing fill, and lets you achieve

some effects that are not possible with other controls. For example, you can use

Colour Fill to force everything in a complex group to a single colour, or recolour

a bitmap in a solid colour (effectively ignoring everything but the transparency).

Feathering

Feathering is a filter effect that adds a soft or blurry edge to any object. It's great

for blending single objects into a composition, vignetted borders on photos, and

much more. You can apply feathering in conjunction with other filter effects.

For simple feathering, use the Feather Edge setting on the Effects

tab instead.

Blur

Various blur effects can be applied to DrawPlus objects. The types of blur

include:

• Gaussian: the effect smooths by averaging pixels using a weighted

curve.

• Zoom: applies converging streaks to the image to simulate a zoom

lens.

• Radial: applies concentric streaks to the object to simulate a rotating

camera or subject.

• Motion: applies straight streaks to the object to simulate the effect of

camera or subject movement.

192 Applying Special Effects

Using 3D filter effects

3D filter effects go beyond 2D filter effects (shadows, bevel, emboss, etc.) to

create the impression of a textured surface on the object itself. Keep in mind is

that none of these 3D effects will "do" anything to an unfilled object—you’ll need

to have a fill there to see the difference they make!

The Studio’s Effects tab is a good place to begin experimenting with 3D filter

effects. Its multiple categories each offer a gallery full of predefined effects, using

various settings.

You’ll see a variety of remarkable 3D

surface and texture presets in various

categories (Glass, Metal, Wood, etc.).

Click any thumbnail to apply it to the

selected object. Assuming the object has

some colour on it to start with, you’ll see

an instant result!

Alternatively, you can customize an Effects tab preset, or apply one or

more specific effects from scratch, by choosing Filter Effects. If you want to

keep the effect for future, you can save it. (See Studio: Effects tab in online Help).

For more information about creating 3D filter effects, see online Help.

Applying Special Effects 193

To apply 3D Effects:

• Choose Filter Effects from the Drawing toolbar (or choose

Filter Effects... from the Format menu, or right-click the object and

choose Filter Effects...).

• Check 3D Effects in the Filter Effects dialog.

• Adjust the "master control" sliders here to vary the overall properties

of any individual 3D effects you select.

• Blur specifies the amount of smoothing applied (in point size).

Larger blur sizes give the impression of broader, more gradual

changes in height.

• Depth specifies how steep the changes in depth appear (in point

size).

• The

button is normally down, which links the two sliders so

that sharp changes in Depth are smoothed out by the Blur

parameter. To adjust the sliders independently, click the button

so it's up.

• (Optional) If needed, expand the preview pane by clicking the

Show/Hide Preview button. When expanded, the effects are applied

only in the preview window. While the pane is collapsed (click the

button again), filter effects are applied directly to the object on the page.

The former approach lets you work on your effects in isolation without

other page objects interfering while fine-tuning your effects. Use zoom

in/out buttons or a percentage magnification for detailed work.

• Check a 3D effect in the 3D Effects list which reflects the 3D effect you

can achieve.

3D Bump Map

The 3D Bump Map effect creates the impression of a textured surface by

applying a mathematical function you select to add depth information, for a

peak-and-valley effect. You can use 3D Bump Map in conjunction with one or

more additional 3D filter effects—but not with a 2D Bump Map.

194 Applying Special Effects

2D Bump Map

The 2D Bump Map effect creates the impression of a textured surface by

applying a greyscale bitmap you select to add depth information, for a peak-and-

valley effect. You can use 2D Bump Map in conjunction with one or more

additional 3D filter effects—but not with a 3D Bump Map.

3D Pattern Map

The 3D Pattern Map effect creates the impression of a textured surface by

applying a mathematical function you select to introduce colour variations. You

can use 3D Pattern Map in conjunction with one or more other 3D filter effects.

2D Pattern Map

The 2D Pattern Map effect creates the impression of a textured surface by

applying a greyscale bitmap you select to introduce colour variations. You can

use 2D Pattern Map in conjunction with one or more other 3D filter effects.

Transparency

The uniform transparency of an object (with 3D filter effects applied) can be

controlled via the Colour tab (see first heart example). However, for more

sophisticated transparency control, especially for simulating reflective lighting

effects on glass objects, transparency settings can instead be set within the 3D

filter effects dialog (check the Transparency option). Transparency can be

adjusted independently for both non-reflective surfaces (typically an object's

edge shadows shown when side-lit) and top-lit surfaces (see second example).

Applying Special Effects 195

3D Reflection Map

The 3D Reflection Map effect is used to simulate mirrored surfaces by selection

of a pattern (i.e., a bitmap which possesses a shiny surface) which "wraps

around" a selected object. Patterns which simulate various realistic indoor and

outdoor environments can be adopted, with optional use of 3D lighting to

further reflect off object edges.

3D Lighting

The 3D Lighting effect works in conjunction with other 3D effects to let you

vary the surface illumination and reflective properties.

Applying paper textures

Use paper textures for a natural "paper-like" appearance on your design.

Simulate textures of varying roughness and "feel" by selection of various real

media textures such as Canvas, Cartridge, Embossed, Parchment, and

Watercolour. As a paper texture is applied to all objects on a specific layer you

can apply different paper textures on a layer-by-layer basis.

To apply a paper texture:

1. In the Layers tab, decide on which layer you wish to apply a paper

texture to its objects.

2. Click the

Paper Texture button shown after that chosen layer's

name and, from the dialog, select the Paper Textures category. A

gallery of texture thumbnails is displayed.

196 Applying Special Effects

3. Choose one of the thumbnails and adjust percentage Scale and

Opacity if needed.

4. Click OK. The button will change to indicate that a paper texture has

been applied, e.g.

. Existing or any subsequently new objects will

adopt the paper texture once applied.

To remove a paper texture:

1. Click the button on the layer from which you want to remove a

paper texture.

2. From the dialog, simply click the Remove button. The paper texture is

removed from all objects on the layer.

You can also swap or remove paper textures from within the Layer Properties

dialog (right-click on a layer entry and choose Layer Properties...).

Applying dimensionality (Instant 3D)

Using the Instant 3D feature, you can easily transform flat shapes (shown) and

text into three-dimensional objects.

DrawPlus provides control over 3D effect settings such as:

• bevelling: use several rounded and chiseled presets or create your

own.

• lighting: up to eight editable and separately coloured lights can be

positioned to produce dramatic lighting effects.

• lathe effects: create contoured objects (e.g., a bottle cork) with user-

defined lathe profiles and extrusion control.

Applying Special Effects 197

• texture: control how texture is extruded on objects with non-solid fills.

• viewing: present your object in three dimensions.

• material: controls the extent to which lighting has an effect on the

object's surfaces (great for 3D artistic text!).

An always-at-hand 3D context toolbar hosted above your workspace lets you

configure settings—each setting contributes to the 3D effect applied to the

selected object. For on-the-page object control you can transform in 3D with use

of an orbit circle, which acts as an axis from which you can rotate around the X-,

Y-, and Z-axes in relation to your page. Look for the cursor changing as you

hover over either the circles' nodes or periphery.

rotation

X and Y

rotation

Remember to take advantage of the hover-over cursor text or hintline which

indicate the object's rotation currently or rotation while the operation is in

progress, respectively.

Transform about your 3D objects' axes instead of your pages' axes

by holding the Ctrl key down as you transform.

You can also adjust the angle and elevation of each "active" light on the page by

dragging the light pointer to a position which simulates a light source.

198 Applying Special Effects

To add dimensionality:

1. Select an object and click

Instant 3D on the Drawing toolbar.

The object immediately adopts 3D characteristics with an orbit circle

displayed in the object's foreground. You'll also notice a 3D-specific

context toolbar appear above your drawing.

2. Click a 3D effect category from the first drop-down menu on the 3D

context toolbar (from Bevel, Lights, Lathe, Texture, Viewport,

Material); the other toolbars' options change dynamically according to

the category currently selected. See online Help for more details.

3. Set each drop-down menu or input box for each category in turn. A

little experimentation is advisable.

4. Hover over the object's orbit circle and rotate about the X, Y or Z axis

(or X and Y axes together) by dragging about the circle's periphery

(depending on the currently displayed cursor).

To revert your Instant 3D transform:

• Click Reset Defaults on the context toolbar.

To switch off 3D effects:

• Click Remove Instant 3D on the context toolbar. You can always

select the object again then click the Drawing toolbar's Instant 3D

button to reinstate the effect.

The Bevel and Lathe categories offer several presets that you can apply as your

profile. You can also define your own custom profiles for both bevel and lathe

effects from the Instant 3D context toolbar. (See online Help for more details.)

For high-quality display, you can make DrawPlus display your Instant 3D

objects at higher resolutions. Alternatively, the resolution can be reduced for

quicker redrawing on slower computers.

To change Instant 3D display resolution:

• Select a resolution from the Display Resolution drop-down list in

Tools>Options... (Drawing Quality>View Quality).

Applying Special Effects 199

Applying Pseudo 3D

Pseudo 3D produces a object projection to follow one of three separate planes

(top, front or right), either by using an Isometric projection (default) or other

more complex projection. By bringing together transformed objects on each

plane you produce the illusion of working in three dimensions, from a simple

cube (below) to more complex 3D shapes, text, etc.

Each projection, from the same Quick Square object, can be presented as follows

(with a combined multi-object cube).

Top Plane Front

Plane

Right

Plane

Combined

cube

In DrawPlus, you can specify a plane (Top, Front, or Right) directly from the

Standard toolbar's 3D Planes flyout. While working with the toolbar all newly

created objects will be drawn according to the currently set plane. Only one

plane can be set at any one time.

For more complicated projections, DrawPlus also allows Cabinet Oblique,

Cavalier Oblique, and various Dimetric and Trimetric projections to be

applied; you can also design your own Custom projection. All projections

represent a different object position about the X, Y and Z axes. Here's some

simple cubes to illustrate a simple isometric projection compared to some more

advanced projections.

Isometric

(30,90,30)

Dimetric1

(37,90,37)

Trimetric 1

(12,90,23)

200 Applying Special Effects

Notice how the displayed angles on each of the above projections are shown

after each name.

Practically, projection drawing can be

challenging as it's sometimes difficult to

visualize objects that appear three dimensional.

To aid drawing, you can use the snapping grid

which shows automatically in the page

background; the grid intelligently switches to

the current plane that you're working on.

Whichever plane is set, drawn objects will then

snap to the grid on the same plane.

To apply a Pseudo 3D projection:

1. From the Standard toolbar, click

3D Planes, then select Top

Plane, Front Plane, or Right Plane to set the plane to work on. (You'll

see the snapping grid appear which reflects the currently set plane.)

2. Click a drawing tool and drag out the object (e.g., a Quick Rectangle)

on the plane (an isometric projection is created by default).

3. All subsequently drawn objects are projected onto the currently set

plane, unless it is swapped to a different plane (select a different button

and draw a new object).

If this step-by-step process is followed, it's possible to bring together projected

objects to create a larger object which simulates 3D characteristics.

You can remove any Pseudo 3D projection by selecting No

Projection from the 3D Planes drop-down menu.

From the same drop-down menu, Switch Plane on Select can be disabled to stop

automatically switching to the plane of a projected object when selected.

If you're creating a large number of objects, all on different planes, you can select

all objects which project onto the same plane—useful for changing the colour of

object faces for instance.

Applying Special Effects 201

Selecting objects on the same plane:

• From the Select All On Plane option on the Edit menu, choose None,

Top, Front, or Right from the menu.

To project an object to a different plane:

• Select a previously projected object, and with the Ctrl key

depressed, choose a different plane from the 3D Planes drop-down

menu.

Using Advanced Pseudo 3D

Up to now we've assumed that you've applied a default isometric projection.

However, DrawPlus can create other axonometric projections by changing the

current Projection Properties (from drop-down menu) before drawing objects.

To apply an advanced Pseudo 3D projection:

1. Click Projection Properties on the

3D Planes drop-down

menu.

2. From the dialog, select a projection type from the drop-down list.

202 Applying Special Effects

Creating a custom projection:

• From the Projection Properties dialog, pick a preset projection, and

modify Angle and/or Scale values for one or more axes. The

projection's name changes to Custom.

Saving a custom projection:

1. Click

Save.

2. In the dialog enter a name for the new projection, and click OK. The

entry will appear at the end of the drop-down menu.

Creating

Animations

204 Creating Animations

Creating Animations 205

Getting started with animation

What is animation? Like flip books, Disney movies and TV, it’s a way of creating

the illusion of motion by displaying a series of still images, rapidly enough to

fool the eye—or more accurately, the brain. Professional animators have

developed a whole arsenal of techniques for character animation—rendering

human (and animal) movement in a convincing way.

A clear distinction has to be made between two types of animation techniques,

both possible from within DrawPlus, i.e.

• Stopframe animation: also known as Stop motion animation, involves

the animation of static objects frame-by-frame. In the film industry,

Stopframe animation is used within widely known productions based

on figures made of clay or other bendable material—think King Kong!,

and more recently Wallace & Gromit™ films (Aardman/Wallace and

Gromit Ltd).

• Keyframe animation: performs movement of computer-generated

objects from basic shapes to cartoon characters (used traditionally in

Stopframe animation). Using the power of computing, smooth

playback of animated objects is easily achieved between key moments

in your animation, defined by the user as Keyframes.

DrawPlus lets you export Stopframe or Keyframe animations to a variety of

different formats. For more details, review Exporting animations (see p. 231).

For now we'll look at how to set up both Stopframe or Keyframe animation

within DrawPlus.

To begin a new Stopframe or Keyframe animation (from Startup Wizard):

1. Start DrawPlus (or choose File>New>New from Startup Wizard... if

it’s already running).

2. Select Create>Stopframe Animation or Create>Keyframe

Animation from the Startup Wizard.

206 Creating Animations

3. From the Start From Scratch dialog, select a document category from

the Documents pane (and a sub-category if applicable); categories are

optimized for the animation type. For custom sized pages, choose the

Custom Page Setup button at the bottom of the dialog.

4. Select a document type thumbnail from the right-hand pane and click

Open. The new document opens.

To begin a new Stopframe or Keyframe animation from scratch:

• Either:

• Select New>New Stopframe Animation from the File menu.

- or -

• Select New>New Keyframe Animation from the File menu.

A new document window opens in the respective Animation mode.

To convert an existing drawing to either animation mode:

1. Choose Convert to Stopframe Animation or Convert to Keyframe

Animation from the File menu. You'll be prompted to save changes (if

any) to your existing drawing.

2. Select Yes to save your work, No to convert to an animation or Cancel

to continue working on your current drawing.

To adjust the basic layout of your animation:

1. Choose Page Setup from the context toolbar (shown with Pointer or

Rotate Tool selected).

2. Select a preset page type (e.g., Banner Ad) from the Size drop-down

menu (or keep Custom selected, then set units for page width and

height).

3. Choose Wide or Tall as the page orientation.

4. Choose values for left, right, top, and bottom Margins (for Stopframe

Animation).

5. Click OK. Your page dimensions are expressed in pixels.

Creating Animations 207

You can modify page characteristics such as page size, orientation,

number of pages, and snapping from the Pages context toolbar.

To save an animation:

• Choose File>Save... DrawPlus saves animation documents in the

proprietary .DPA format (Drawings are saved as .DPPs).

Working with Stopframe animation

In Stopframe animation mode you'll be working predominantly with the Frames

tab. It is ideally suited for animation because of its width and easy control of

individual frames (stopframes are spread along the tab for easier management).

Use the Frames tab exclusively to insert, delete, clone or reorder frames, and

access individual frame properties. The tab also lets you preview the animation

and enable onion skinning directly; exporting as a standalone animated GIF or

video is carried out via the File menu.

The Frames tab is designed for Stopframe animation only, and only shows while

in this mode. Don't get this tab confused with the Storyboard tab, used in

DrawPlus's Keyframe animation mode (see p. 211). Each tab hosts distinctly

different tools suited to the respective animation type.

In most cases, your new Stopframe animation will have a single initial frame

(e.g., Frame 1). To create new frames, you can either clone the current frame or

insert a blank frame after the current frame. Choose to clone if you will be

reusing the current frame's contents with a transformation of some kind (the

most common way of simulating change or movement).

Once you've finished creating frames you can preview or export your animation,

just as you would play the frames of a movie.

208 Creating Animations

To view the Frames tab:

• Unless the tab is already displayed, click the handle at the

bottom of your workspace to reveal the tab.

To clone the current frame to a new frame:

• Select a frame in the Frames tab, and choose Clone Frame.

The frame is added after the selected frame.

Alternatively, use the Blend Tool to automatically

create "intermediate" stopframes in steps between objects.

To generate a new blank frame:

• Choose Insert Frame from the Frames tab.

Any new frame appears on the Frames tab to the right of existing frames, and

then becomes the current frame. If you use the Frame Manager (right-click a

frame and choose Insert...) you can choose to add frames before/after any

existing frame.

To navigate between frames:

• Click on any visible frame to display its objects on screen (objects can

then be edited).

- or -

Click the First, Previous, Next, or Last navigation button on the

HintLine toolbar to jump to start/end frame and navigate frame-by-

frame.

To rename a frame:

• Right-click a frame and choose Properties.... In the Name field, type

in a new frame name. The new name is shown on the HintLine

toolbar.

Creating Animations 209

To change frame sequence:

• Drag the selected frame to a new position in the frame order. When

the dragged frame's thumbnail creates a slightly wider space between

two frames than usual, release the mouse button to place the frame to

be moved.

To delete a selected frame:

• Click Delete Frame from the Frames tab.

Onion Skinning

Onion skinning is a standard animation technique derived from cel animation,

where transparent sheets enable the artist to see through to the preceding

frame(s). It's useful for enabling precise registration and controlling object

movement from frame to frame. You can turn the feature on or off (the default

is off) as needed, and set the number of previous frames that will be visible

(normally one).

To turn onion skinning on or off:

1. From the Frames tab, click the

Onion Skinning button to turn

onion skinning on or off.

(Optional) To set more than one previous frame to be visible,

click Properties, then set the number of frames in the Onion

Skinning input box.

The preceding frame's objects will show behind those of the currently selected

frame.

210 Creating Animations

Previewing Stopframe animations

You can preview your animation prior to export at any time either directly from

your Frames tab (shown in a Preview window) or from within your default web

browser.

To preview in the Preview window:

• Click Preview on the Frames tab.

The animation loads into the Preview window and begins playing at its actual

size and speed. Notice that you see only the drawn portion of the animation—

any extra surrounding white space is cropped away. You can use the control

buttons (Play, Stop, etc.) to review individual frames.

To preview in a web browser:

• Select Preview in Browser from the File menu. The animation loads

your default web browser and begins playing.

This actually exports a temporary copy of the animation, using the

current export settings and displays it in your web browser. You can

leave the browser open and DrawPlus will find it again next time you

issue the command.

Creating Animations 211

Working with Keyframe animation

When compared with Stopframe animation (see Getting started with animation

on p. 205), Keyframe animation offers a more powerful and efficient animation

technology—it saves having to declare every frame, letting your computer do the

hard work! Essentially, the technique lets you create only user-defined

keyframes through which objects animate, with each keyframe containing Key

objects which can be assigned a position, rotation, attributes, etc.

Intermediate steps between Key objects are created automatically and produce a

smooth professional-looking inter-object transition (this is called Tweening);

Tweened objects are created as a result. You won't see these intermediate steps

showing tweened objects by default, but they exist transparently between key

objects throughout your animation.

The Storyboard tab is the workspace for laying out your animation "story" in a

chronological keyframe-by-keyframe sequence (from left to right). On export,

your animation will play in this direction. Using the above "bee" animation in

the tab illustration as an example, the bee is animated, while the sun and

"Buzzzz" text remain static objects.

By adding objects (bee and sun) to a starting keyframe it's possible to

automatically copy (or more correctly run forward) those objects forward when

you create subsequent keyframes. This in itself doesn't affect animation, but it's

the repositioning of a run forward object (such as the bee) in later keyframes that

creates "movement."

Once keyframes are created, the animator has a great deal of control over how

objects are run forward (or even backwards). You can introduce objects

anywhere on the storyboard (so they appear for a limited time), and either run

them forward or backwards by a specific number of keyframes (or right to the

start or end of the storyboard). The "Buzzzz" text in the above example will only

show from keyframes 3 onwards (i.e., from 6 seconds).

212 Creating Animations

Supporting tabs

Keyframe animation mode also presents other tabs that support the Storyboard

tab. These are exclusively used within keyframe animation (and do not show in

normal or stopframe animation mode), i.e.

• The Easing tab is used for applying linear or non-linear changes

between key objects with use of editable envelopes (e.g., to change

object position, morph, scale, rotation, skew, colour, and

transparency).

• The Actions tab allows objects and keyframes to be attributed actions

which will run (e.g., go to a URL or designated marker) when an event

is triggered (e.g., MouseOver, Rollovers, etc.).

Advanced keyframe animation

DrawPlus provides a range of features for the more experienced user, i.e.

• Apply actions in response to object events or at a specific keyframe

either via an easy-to-use dialog or develop ActionScript™ code directly.

Actions are great when developing interactive applications or games.

• Use the Keyframe camera for panning, zooming and rotation effects

over keyframes.

• Masking lets you produce cutaways, i.e. punching through a layer(s) to

reveal underlying objects.

• Add and manage sound and movies to enhance your animation.

Manage files from one central location with the Media tab, which also

allows viewing and direct replacement of media.

Creating Animations 213

Getting started

You can enter Keyframe animation mode via File>New>New

Keyframe Animation or by converting your existing drawing by

using File>Convert to Keyframe Animation.

Basic keyframe animations are created in a specific order:

1. Select a Page Setup from the context toolbar specific to your keyframe

animation.

2. Create object(s), either static or for animation, on the page.

3. From the Storyboard tab, insert the number of keyframes and their

duration via a dialog.

4. Reposition objects in subsequent keyframes to effect animation.

5. Export your keyframe animation as Adobe® Flash® (SWF).

Choosing a Page Setup:

1. Choose

Page Setup from the context toolbar (shown with Pointer

or Rotate Tool selected).

2. Either:

• For a custom document size, enter a Width and Height (in pixels) and

set the orientation (Tall for portrait, Wide for Landscape). Ensure the

Custom is set from the Size drop-down menu.

- or -

• For commonly used document sizes, select from the Size drop-down

menu.

Any document size can be changed for another via the supporting

context toolbar.

214 Creating Animations

3. (Optional) Under the Background Colour section, change the

animation's background colour by clicking on the dialog-wide colour

swatch. The dialog lets you pick up a colour from a range of drop-

down colour modes, your Document Palette or via a colour selector

(drag and click anywhere on your computer screen to set). If you

check the Export transparent background to SWF option, then any

exported Flash SWF file will possess a transparent background (even if

a background colour is set).

4. (Optional) Animation Options lets you increase/decrease the Frame

Rate by dragging the slider left/right, respectively.

5. (Optional) To make your animation backward compatible to a specific

version of Flash Player, set the Flash Version via the drop-down

menu. Newer versions offer greater compression in exported Flash

files.

6. (Optional) To reduce Flash file sizes, set the Flash Bitmap Quality to a

lower percentage setting; this drops the resolution of placed bitmaps

and any filter effects applied to objects.

7. Click OK.

Make use of the Startup Wizard's Create>Keyframe Animation or

Open>Design Template options to choose preset page setups or

Web Banner animation templates, respectively.

To view the Storyboard tab:

• Unless the tab is already displayed, click the handle at the

bottom of your workspace to reveal the tab.

We'll assume that you've drawn objects on the first keyframe. You can run

forward these automatically throughout you animation by creation of additional

keyframes—this builds up your animation "story" quickly. Other methods exist

to run objects forward (and backwards) but let's concentrate on the insertion of

keyframes to do this.

Creating Animations 215

To insert keyframes:

1. From the Storyboard tab, select a keyframe and choose Insert.

2. From the dialog, choose the Number of keyframes to add to the

Storyboard tab. Set a default Keyframe duration for each created

keyframe.

3. Choose to add keyframe(s) at a Location before or after the currently

selected keyframe or before/after the first or last keyframe.

4. (Optional) Check Insert blank keyframes if you don't want to include

run forward objects in your keyframes. Blank frames are useful "filler"

frames that add breaks in your animation for messages, logos, etc.

5. Click OK.

An inserted frame will honour any animation runs that may transect it if the

Insert blank keyframes setting remains unchecked (by creating an additional

tweened object). If checked, the blank frame will break any transecting

animation path(s) and not add tweened objects.

Once you've created a keyframe sequence you can sub-divide or split any

selected keyframe further.

To split a selected keyframe:

• Click the Split keyframe button on the Storyboard tab.

• From the dialog, enter the number of divisions that the keyframe is to

be split into, then click OK. Each new keyframe's duration is an equal

division of the original keyframe's duration.

To view or edit a particular keyframe:

• Select a keyframe in the Storyboard tab.

Use your keyboard's Page Up and Page Down keys to navigate

along your animation storyboard.

To delete a keyframe:

• Select the keyframe and choose Delete.

216 Creating Animations

Keyframe duration

Keyframe duration represents the amount of time in

between each individual keyframe. The value is set

according to how the keyframe was created, i.e.

• Inserting keyframes (blank or otherwise) lets

you set the keyframe duration in an Insert

Keyframes dialog (default 1 second).

• A splitting operation will create new keyframes whose duration will be

a division of the selected keyframe's duration (by the number of

keyframes to be split).

A keyframe's duration can be altered manually at any time.

To set the duration of an individual keyframe:

• Click the keyframe's duration (e.g., 1500ms) under its thumbnail, and,

when selected, type a new value then click away.

The total duration of your animation is shown on your last keyframe,

e.g. (5.0s).

Storyboard control

Storyboard control is possible by using a selection of buttons grouped together on

the Storyboard tab (equivalent options are on the Storyboard menu). They operate

across the entire storyboard, rather than on an individual keyframe or key object.

Break

storyboard

Breaks the animation run that transects through a selected

keyframe into two separate runs.

Compact

storyboard

A tool for tidying up your storyboard; any keyframes

containing only tweened objects are removed from the

storyboard.

Scale

storyboard

Expands or shrinks the whole storyboard. All keyframe

durations are automatically adjusted to fit proportionately

to the new Scale duration.

Creating Animations 217

Adding sound

To complement the visual effect of your keyframe animation it's possible to add

audio. Sounds can be added either for the duration of a specific keyframe, or

when an action is applied to an object event (see Applying actions on p. 224 for

details on actions and events).

To add an audio clip:

1. On the Storyboard tab, click on the keyframe's

Sound icon

(located below the frame's thumbnail).

2. From the dialog, navigate to your audio file, select it and click the

Open button.

To remove a selected keyframe's audio clip, right-click and select Clear

Background Sound.

Adding movies

As well as using sound in your keyframe animation, you can introduce movie

clips. The movie is inserted into your chosen keyframe as an object which like

any other object (QuickShape, Text, etc.) will need to be run forward for the

movie to play throughout the animation.

DrawPlus supports various video formats including Flash Video (FLV), Flash

SWF, AVI, WMV, and QuickTime.

To add a movie:

1. Select the keyframe to which the movie is to be added.

2. Select Movie Clip... from the Insert menu.

3. From the dialog, navigate to your movie file and select it.

4. Click Open.

5. Position the displayed

cursor where you want the movie to

appear.

218 Creating Animations

6. Either:

• To insert the movie at the movie's original size, simply click the

mouse.

- or -

• To set the size of the inserted movie, drag out a region and release

the mouse button.

7. (Optional) Use the object toolbar controls to run forward/backward to

the end/start of the storyboard (or by a set number of keyframes).

Previewing keyframe animations

You can preview your animation at any time either in a web browser or in Flash

Player (Version 8.x is a DrawPlus install option). This is a quick way of checking

it prior to export.

To preview:

• Click the down arrow on the button on the Storyboard tab,

then choose to either:

• Preview In Browser.... The option displays a dialog which lets you

preview in your web browser either standalone or by loading a target

HTML page and associated SWF file (the target SWF file, e.g. a

WebPlus banner, will be replaced by the animation to be previewed).

Check Preview using existing HTML file for the latter, then navigate

to and select HTML and SWF files.

- or -

• Preview in Flash Player (default). Use the navigation controls to

review your animation as it would appear as an exported Flash SWF

file. The animation loads Flash Player (if installed) and begins playing

in a Flash Preview window.

Creating Animations 219

Keyframe object control

We've just looked at storyboard control. However, a whole series of important

object control tools are also available in keyframe animation. They are available

on an object toolbar, displayed in-context under any selected object.

Initial grouped objects show run

forward, and grouped object

buttons

Objects along the animation run

show buttons for conversion to key

objects, and object placement and

attributes buttons in both directions.

The insertion of keyframes when you begin your animation will automatically

run objects forward or backward. However, Run Forward and Run Backward

commands let you introduce new objects in your animation which run across a

limited number of keyframes or the entire storyboard.

To run object(s) forward/backward:

1. Select the keyframe which contains your chosen object.

2. Select the object, then click Run forward (or Run

backward if on a later keyframe), located on the object toolbar directly

under the selected object.

3. From the dialog, choose to Run Length either To end of storyboard

or by N Keyframes (enter a number of keyframes to copy to).

220 Creating Animations

Once run forward or backward, you can move an object on any keyframe

(normally the last) to make animation work. Objects that are not moved are

called tweened objects, and show as transparent square nodes (see

illustration; B) which are automatically created between any two key objects (A).

If you move any of these interim tweened objects you change your animation to

follow a non-linear path (see illustration)—as a result, the tweened object

becomes a key object (C).

This takes care of repositioning objects, but what about changing an object's

transform (morph, scale, rotation, and shear) or attribute (colour or

transparency)? Simply, a selected tweened object can be modified just like any

other object—it will be converted to a key object automatically as a transform or

attribute change is applied.

Use Convert to key object to lock a tweened object into

place (by making it a key object). Use the opposite command,

Convert to tweened object, to convert back to a tweened object

(removing any repositioning, transforms, or attributes local to the

object). Both options are on the object toolbar.

The Object toolbar also offers two commands for repositioning objects along the

storyboard. Update placement backward updates a previous object's position to

match the selected key or tweened object's current position. Conversely, Update

placement forward updates later object's position accordingly.

Creating Animations 221

To change object placement:

1. Select the object whose positional information you want to apply

forward or backward.

2. From the object's toolbar, click either:

•

Update placement backward to make a previous object's

position match the selected object's position.

- or -

•

Update placement forward to do the same to later object

positions.

3. From the dialog, choose to Run Length either to the beginning/end of

the storyboard, or to a set number of keyframes before/after the

currently selected object (choose the Run length drop-down menu,

pick N Keyframes and enter a number of keyframes).

4. Click OK.

Like DrawPlus's Format Painter, you can also apply a specific object's attributes

(colour, transparency, filter effects, shadows, etc.) to previous or later objects.

To change object attributes

1. Select the object whose attributes you want to apply forward or

backward.

2. From the object's toolbar, click either:

• The

Update attributes backward button to apply attributes to

previous objects.

- or -

• The

Update attributes forward button to apply attributes to

later objects.

222 Creating Animations

3. From the dialog, choose to Run Length either to the beginning/end of

the storyboard, or to objects a set number of keyframes before/after

the currently selected object (choose the Run length drop-down menu,

pick N Keyframes and enter a number of keyframes to copy to).

4. Click OK.

You'll also find some useful options on the Run menu which can also

be used to manipulate objects between keyframes or along the

whole animation run.

Some other settings affect how objects animate along the animation run. These

are hosted on the Easing tab and control object rotation, temporal tweening,

natural motion, and how keyframes obey a Keyframe camera. The settings are

applied between key object "segments" (and will apply until the next key object)

or throughout the animation's run depending on the Apply to Whole Run check

box setting (unchecked or checked, respectively). When the option is unchecked,

objects can adopt different combinations of settings independently of each other.

To configure a "segment", select the first Key object ( ) then configure settings

in the Easing tab (with Apply to Whole Run unchecked).

Clockwise

Rotation

When checked, any rotation between objects is performed

clockwise. Uncheck to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction.

Temporal

Tween

Check to tween evenly between keyframes or over the whole

storyboard (ignoring individual keyframe's time durations).

Uncheck to honour any keyframe time durations. This is kept

checked in most instances.

Natural

Motion

When checked, animation occurs along a smoothed curving

path through objects. Uncheck to animate along straight

paths, with distinct "cornering" along the object's motion path.

Creating Animations 223

Rotate on

path

Check to allow an object (e.g., an arrow) to automatically

rotate with changes of direction along an animation path.

Uncheck for the object to follow the path but not to re-align

to it.

Obey

camera

If using the Keyframe camera feature, when the option is

checked then a selected object will be panned or zoomed into.

When unchecked, the object remains static, ignoring the

camera. Use when text (company logo, a message, etc.) is to be

permanently presented while panning and zooming is

performed in the background.

Autorun

Although switched off by default, this advanced feature speeds up the animation

process by automatically creating objects, their placement and attributes along

the length of the storyboard, from a specific keyframe onwards. Even when

editing an object, the changes are reflected throughout. Without Autorun

enabled, objects are presented across keyframes by using the Insert button or

clicking the object toolbar's Run forward or Run backward buttons.

The Autorun feature does not "autorun" objects backwards but

instead only runs objects forward.

To autorun objects:

1. Click

Autorun on the Storyboard tab. The button is

highlighted when enabled. Click again to disable.

2. Create or modify an object on a keyframe to see the effect on the

object in subsequent keyframes.

224 Creating Animations

As well as switching the Autorun feature on and off, you can also check one of

the following options (click the down arrow on the Autorun button) to change

how Autorun operates:

Creation and

Placement

By default, an object will be created on every subsequent

keyframe and object placement is mirrored throughout the

subsequent keyframes of your storyboard.

Creation

The object is created on every subsequent keyframe

throughout your storyboard but the object's position on

keyframes remains unaffected.

Placement

The object's position is mirrored on subsequent keyframes

on your storyboard.

Attributes

The attributes (colour, transparency, effects) of an object

are mirrored to the same object on subsequent keyframes

on your storyboard.

Applying actions (keyframe animation)

Selected objects can be assigned an event and corresponding action. The use of

actions provides an interactive experience in response to a user's mouse

up/down/press/release, key press/up/down, roll over, etc. As a typical example,

an event such as a mouse press on an object can initiate an action such as a jump

to a particular keyframe, e.g. an important point in your animation that could

indicate contact details, important messages, etc.

Actions are grouped into a tree menu structure whose categories include:

• Advanced: Begin/End blocks, apply conditions, create variables,

variable control.

• Browser: navigate browser to URL (shown), navigate frame to URL,

open browser with URL.

• Effect: named object control (hide, show, recolour).

• Position: move objects by pixel or to screen areas.

• Pre-loader: rewind animation, object stretch.

Creating Animations 225

• Sound: increase/decrease volume, play/stop sound, set volume.

• Timeline: go to marker, animation frame, animation playback control

(stop, play, rewind).

DrawPlus makes use of ActionScript, a language specifically designed for Adobe

Flash applications, to allow a high level of interactivity between the exported

Flash SWF and the user (e.g., a web visitor).

When an action is applied from the menu you may be prompted for a parameter

setting (pixel width, colour, etc) but you can alter parameters at any time—

without having to view underlying ActionScript code.

Optionally, a new action can be created from scratch within the dialog. Simply

code directly or paste ActionScript into an Edit window.

To apply an action to selected object(s):

1. Select an object on any keyframe.

2. Double-click an event from the Actions tab.

3. From the dialog, navigate the tree menu, expanding the options if

necessary, and click on a chosen action (e.g., Timeline Actions>Go to

marker X).

4. Click the

button to apply the selected action (it moves across into

the Applied Actions box), then repeat for optional additional actions.

You may be presented with a dialog which prompts for object names

or parameter values (colours, number of pixels, marker names, etc.)

required for the underlying ActionScript code to act on.

5. (Optional) For multiple applied actions, you can order the Applied

Actions list with the Up or Down buttons.

6. Click OK. You'll notice the selected event now shown in bold in the

Actions tab.

The applied action can be edited by double-clicking the tab's bold event entry

and, from the dialog, clicking the Params button (with object selected). To

delete an action, use the Delete button to remove it.

226 Creating Animations

We've looked at actions assigned to objects, but a keyframe can equally have an

action associated with it. Especially useful on a starting keyframe, an Effect

Action can be used to hide one or more selected objects before having them

displayed on the second and subsequent keyframe (great for text introductions!).

Actions are applied to keyframes via the Frame Actions dialog, which offers the

same actions as those that can be applied to objects.

To apply action(s) to a keyframe:

• Click on the icon under the keyframe's thumbnail.

The dialog displayed is identical to that used for actions applied to objects.

Follow the above object actions procedure to apply actions to keyframes.

ActionScript, the underlying scripting language for actions, is normally hidden

from the user in the above easy-to-use dialogs—you can view actions, their

settings (as parameters), and select the action but generally not the underlying

code driving it. However, the more experienced and/or adventurous can make

use of a simple text entry system for developing ActionScript code from the

same dialog.

To create custom ActionScript:

1. For a selected object, double-click an event from the Actions tab.

2. Click the New button to add a New Action entry to the Applied

Actions list.

3. With the entry selected, click the Edit button. The Action Script Code

Editor window is displayed.

4. Enter your ActionScript code either by coding directly or by pasting

existing code in the window.

5. Click OK.

Click the Flatten button to rationalize several listed actions into one. A

combined action named "Flattened Code" is created instead. Each code snippet

will be run consecutively.

ActionScript Version 2 is supported in DrawPlus.

Creating Animations 227

Creating markers

Working in a similar manner to bookmarks, markers work along with

actions, allowing jumps to particular keyframes on the storyboard. Markers are

positioned between keyframes along the storyboard and need to be activated for

use. Each marker can be named, which is especially useful for marker

identification when you're using multiple markers along your storyboard.

Additionally, a marker can be used to stop an animation, preventing your

animation from looping—the Stops playhead marker setting will prevent the

animation from continuing past that marker position.

To set a marker:

1. Click a

marker icon after a chosen keyframe.

2. From the dialog, enter an easily identifiable Marker Name.

3. (Optional) Check Stops playhead to prevent your animation from

continuing.

4. Click OK.

5. The marker's appearance will change accordingly, i.e.

Marker not set Marker set

(shown with

blue line)

Marker set (with

Stops playhead

set; shown with red line)

When used in conjunction with the Timeline Actions "Goto marker X" or "Goto

marker X and stop" the exported animation can jump to different section

according to a chosen object's event or the display of a keyframe.

228 Creating Animations

Affecting change over time (keyframe animation)

DrawPlus uses the term envelopes to describe editable motion paths (or profiles)

intended to define the rate of change (acceleration/deceleration) to an object's

transformation or physical attributes (colour or transparency) in your animation

run.

Envelopes are applied, created, modified and saved in the Easing tab. A series of

envelope types can be applied between key objects in your animation or

throughout the entire animation run. Typically, a non-linear Position envelope

would alter how an object speeds up or slows down over the animation run.

Other envelope types can alter the rate of transformation such as Rotate, Morph,

Scale, and Skew.

You can manually edit any profile independently of each other such that you

may have a mix of edited profiles and default linear ones. The Easing tab's

Envelope type drop-down menu lets you select your envelope type, allowing you

to then define a profile shape for that envelope in the pane. In most instances, an

"All Envelopes" option can be used to affect a variable rate of change for all

envelopes simultaneously.

The process or editing an envelope is identical, irrespective of envelope type. By

default, any envelope is applied linearly (i.e., they change at a uniform rate over

time) so you have to manually edit the envelope to apply a non-linear rate of

change.

The differing rates of change of can be illustrated with a Position Envelope

between two simple circles.

linear

(default)

non-linear

(manual editing of profile shape)

Creating Animations 229

To apply an envelope:

1. Display the Easing tab.

2. Select an object from the Storyboard tab to which you want to apply

the envelope.

3. Select a profile from the Envelope type drop-down menu (Easing tab).

The displayed profile will be linear by default, unless you've applied

the envelope previously.

4. Pick a preset profile from the drop-

down menu below the profile window.

- or -

For a custom profile, hover over the turquoise line (the cursor

changes) and drag in any direction to position a newly created red

node. Repeat the process for the number of nodes that you want to add

to make up the profile. You can then fine-tune the profile shape by

adjusting node positions accordingly.

Edit an existing profile from the preset drop-down menu to create

profiles quickly.

DrawPlus will keep the applied profile unless you modify it or you reset the

profile manually. If you'll be using the profile shape in the future you can save

the current settings to your own saved profile.

230 Creating Animations

To reset a selected envelope:

• Click Reset. The profile reverts to be linear (default).

To save your custom profile:

1. Modify the profile shape from an existing preset (or create from

scratch).

2. Select Add Easing Profile from the Easing tab's

Tab Menu button

to save it. The new profile will appear at the bottom of the drop-down

menu below the profile window.

To delete a profile preset:

1. Select Manage Easing Profiles... from the Tab Menu.

2. From the dialog, select the preset entry, click the Delete button, then

click OK.

Creating Animations 231

Exporting animations

Exporting your stopframe or keyframe animation outputs your animation to a

file which can be shared or viewed, either standalone or when included as part of

a web page. DrawPlus lets you export to a variety of formats as indicated below:

Export Stopframe Keyframe

Flash SWF

 

Flash Lite/i-Mode

 

Video

 

Image

 

CAD/CAM

 

Screensaver

 

Flash SWF

The Flash SWF (ShockWave Flash) format has fast become the format of choice

for interactive vector-based graphic animation for the web. Great for creating a

simple or sophisticated animated toolbar for web page navigation, it is

universally supported on web browsers. The files can be easily manipulated

further (scaled, etc.) within Adobe® Flash®.

To export your animation as a Flash file:

1. Choose Export>Export as Flash SWF... from the File menu.

2. From the dialog, provide a ShockWave Flash file name and folder

location, and click the Save button. You'll see an export progress

dialog appear until the Flash file is created.

232 Creating Animations

Flash Lite/i-Mode

Use if you're intending to export a keyframe animation for mobile users

operating mobile phones, personal organizers, and more. The format is

optimized for viewing on smaller screen displays. The outputted file type is the

same as that for Flash export, with a SWF file extension.

To export to Flash Lite/i-Mode:

1. Choose Export>Export as Flash Lite/i-Mode... from the File menu.

2. From the dialog, provide a ShockWave Flash file name and folder

location, and click the Save button. You'll see an export progress

dialog appear until the file is created.

Video

Exported video formats include:

• QuickTime. The QuickTime video and animation format (MOV)

developed by Apple Computer. It can be read on many platforms,

including Microsoft Windows (needs QuickTime Player) and of

course on Apple computers. QuickTime supports most encoding

formats, including Cinepak, JPEG, and MPEG.

• Serif Transparent Video. The STV format is a useful proprietary

format which can export animated text and logos with transparent

backgrounds. The export benefits Serif MoviePlus users who would

like to use their keyframe animation as an overlay (of titles, animated

characters, etc.).

• Video for Windows. The Windows Audio Video Interleave file (AVI)

is ideal for playback on a Windows computer. Defined by Microsoft, it

supports different types of video, audio and image sequences in sync

with a mono or stereo sound track along with compression (via a wide

variety of codecs). AVIs are mainly for viewing on a computer.

Appropriate codecs have to be installed on the computer.

Creating Animations 233

• Windows Media audio and Video. The WMV format is best

supported on PCs running Windows Media Player, although some

other software even on other platforms can play WMV video. WMVs

are Advanced Systems Format (.ASF) files that include audio, video, or

both compressed with Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Windows

Media Video (WMV) codecs.

To export animation as video:

1. Choose Export>Export As Video... from the File menu.

2. From the displayed dialog's Basic tab, select your chosen export type

from the File type and Template drop-down list according to the type

of output video format you require.

3. (Optional) Click Match project settings to set an approximate video

frame size based on your animation project's Page size (set in Page

Setup).

4. Specify a name for file in the Filename box, clicking Browse and

selecting a new location if you first wish to choose an alternate drive or

folder to store your file.

5. (Optional) From the dialog's Advanced tab, make a new video

template with the Copy button, then alter more advanced settings such

as video Frame size (choose Custom then set a Width and Height),

Pixel aspect ratio, Frame rate, Interlacing, Codec settings, and more,

depending on the format to be exported. (See Exporting video

(Advanced) in online Help for more details).

6. (Optional) Set an export Quality.

7. Click the Export button. Your project will then be composed and

converted into the specified format and you will be shown a progress

bar during this process.

234 Creating Animations

Image

Within Stopframe animation, this option lets you create an animated GIF by

default, which we'll focus on here. For keyframe animation, you can export a

single keyframe as any type of image format.

The .GIF format is ideal for web as it's universally supported by web browsers,

and, as it's a multi-part format, it's capable of encoding not just one image but

multiple images in the same file. A .GIF animation player or web browser can

display these images in sequence, in accordance with certain settings (looping,

frame delay, etc.) included in the file. The result—it moves! As with single-frame

GIFs, if you opt to export your animation with the Transparency setting turned

on, any unfilled regions of the graphic will become transparent in the GIF. All

other regions will become opaque. For details on using transparency in GIFs, see

Using transparency effects on p. 157.

To export as an animated GIF:

1. Choose

Export from the Frames tab.

2. The Animated GIF format is pre-selected on the Format drop-down

menu by default; if not, select it. If you choose another format, only

the current frame will be exported. For full details on GIF export

options, consult Exporting objects and drawings on p. 243.

3. Set a size for the GIF animation and whether it is based on the whole

Page, Selected Area or Selected Objects. Leave the dpi setting at 96 for

standard screen resolution.

4. On the Animation tab, which only appears in Stopframe Animation

Mode, you can preview single frames or run the animation sequence,

and make some final playback adjustments to the animation

properties.

5. Click the Export button (or Close to simply record the settings if you

plan to preview in a browser first).

6. Provide a file name and folder location, and click Save. Don't worry if

you have extra white space around your image. Any unused border

area will be cropped automatically, just as you saw in the Preview

window.

Publishing and

Sharing

236 Publishing and Sharing

Publishing and Sharing 237

Previewing the printed page

Print Preview changes the screen view to display your layout without guides,

rulers, and other screen items. Special options, such as tiled output or crop

marks, are displayed. Depending on your currently set printer's capabilities, your

preview will show in either greyscale or colour.

To preview the printed page:

• Choose Print Preview from the File menu.

In Print Preview mode, the lower toolbar provides a variety of view options

(from left to right): Zoom percent, Zoom Out, Zoom slider, Zoom In, the Zoom

(region) Tool, Actual Size, and Fit Page.

To print:

• Click the Print button.

To cancel Print Preview mode:

• Click the Close button.

Basic printing

DrawPlus supports printing directly to a physical printer (e.g., All-in-ones,

Inkjet and Laser printers) or to an electronic file such as Adobe Acrobat PDF.

The printing feature allows scaling, tiling, and many other useful printing

options for either method.

For the moment we'll look at basic printing to "real" printers. However, if you're

working with a service bureau or commercial printer and need to provide PDF

output, see Publishing as PDF on p. 242.

238 Publishing and Sharing

To set up your printer or begin printing:

• Click Print on the Standard toolbar.

The Print dialog appears.

To print:

1. On the General tab, select a printer from the list. If necessary, click the

Properties button to set up the printer for the correct page size, etc.

Set the page size from the Advanced button. Depending on your

printer driver, to print text with shading or custom settings, enable the

"Send True Type as Bitmap" option.

2. If necessary, click Layout to set options for scaling, thumbnails, multiple

pages, or tiling. For details, see Printing special formats (on p. 239)

3. Select the print range to be printed—choose the whole document,

current page, selected pages/page ranges as options.

4. Select the number of copies.

5. If required, save the current settings to a Print profile (see p. 238).

6. Click OK.

The Preview window shows how your document maps to the selected paper size.

The pages will be printed in colour on a colour printer or in shades of grey on a

black and white printer.

You can save the current combination of settings made in the Print dialog as a

print profile with a unique name. Note that the profile includes settings from all

tabs except the Separations tab. (By the way, don't confuse these DrawPlus "print

profiles" with ICC "device profiles.").

To save current print settings as a print profile:

1. On the Print dialog's General tab, click the Save As... button next to

the Print Profile list.

2. Type in a new name and click OK.

The settings are saved as a file with the extension .PPR.

You can restore the profile later on simply by choosing its name in the list.

Publishing and Sharing 239

Printing special formats

In Normal drawing mode, using Page Setup and printing options, you can set up

pages for a variety of document types, such as Special Folded documents

(greetings cards), Large documents (posters and banners), and Small documents

(business cards, labels, tags). The Print dialog's Layout tab lets you specify other

printing options, including scaling, thumbnails, multiple pages, and tiling.

Folded documents

DrawPlus automatically performs imposition of folded documents (cards,

menus, etc.) for "Special Folded" document types. The settings ensure that two,

three or four pages of the document are printed on each sheet of paper, with

pages printed following the document sequence. This saves you from having to

calculate how to position and collate pairs of pages on a single larger page, and

lets you use automatic page numbering for the various pages.

The types most appropriate to invitations and greeting cards, include Tent Card,

and Side/Top Fold Menu, Top Fold-Quarter size, Tri-Fold, or Z-Fold.

To produce double-sided sheets, check the Balanced option (for balanced

margins) in Page Setup, then your printer's double-sided option or run sheets

through twice, printing first the front and then the back of the sheet (reverse top

and bottom between runs).

Printing posters and banners

Posters and banners are large-format documents where the page size extends

across multiple sheets of paper. To have DrawPlus take care of the poster

printing, set up your document beforehand using File>Page Setup... (with the

"Large" document type option) to preview and select a particular preset

arrangement (e.g., choose orientation).

Even if the document isn't set up as a poster or banner, you can use tiling and

scaling settings (see p. 240) to print onto multiple sheets from a standard size

page. Each section or tile is printed on a single sheet of paper, and the various

tiles can then be joined to form the complete page.

240 Publishing and Sharing

To print a poster or banner from a standard size page:

1. First create your standard sized page (e.g., A4).

2. On the Print dialog's Layout tab, check Print tiled pages for

overlapped multiple sheets.

3. Set the As in document "% Scale factor" to print at a larger size (e.g.

300%).

Printing business cards and labels

While DrawPlus can deal with large-format documents it is equally suited to

documents where the design can be repeated multiple times on the same page

during printing. Set up your drawing beforehand using File>Page Setup... (with

the "Small" document type option) to preview and select a particular preset

arrangement.

At print time, you can set the "Multiple pages per sheet" option to Repeat pages

to fill sheet, Each page N times or Full sheet of each page in the Print>Layout

tab. You can tell DrawPlus to skip a certain number of regions on the first sheet

of paper—useful if, for example, you've already peeled off several labels from a

label sheet, and don't want to print on the peeled-off sections.

If you haven't set up the drawing as a Small Drawing, but still want

to print multiple pages per sheet, try using the Fit Many option.

Printing thumbnails

• Under "Special Printing" on the Print dialog's Layout tab, set the "Print

as thumbnails" option to print multiple pages at a reduced size on each

printed sheet, taking printer margins into account. Specify the number

of thumbnails per sheet in the value box.

DrawPlus will print each page of the document at a reduced size, with the

specified number of small pages or "thumbnails" neatly positioned on each

printed sheet.

Publishing and Sharing 241

Multiple pages per sheet

• Under "Multiple Pages per Sheet" on the Print dialog's Layout tab,

select an option.

The multiple page options are enabled when you are working with a page from

the "Small" documents category in Page Setup. You can select the number of

times to repeat each page, and tell DrawPlus to skip a certain number of regions

on the first sheet of paper. Skipping regions is useful if, for example, you've

already peeled off several labels from a label sheet, and don't want to print on the

peeled-off sections. Display the Preview window to see how the output will look.

• If you haven't set up the document as a Small document, but still want

to print multiple pages per sheet, try using the Fit Many option (see

"Scaling" on p. 240). Note that this option ignores printer margins and

doesn't change the imposition (orientation) of output pages.

Tiling

• Under "Tiling" on the Print dialog's Layout tab, check Print tiled

pages to print large (or enlarged) pages using multiple sheets of paper.

• Set the % Scale factor to print at a larger size (e.g. 300%)

Each section or tile is printed on a single sheet of paper; the various tiles can

then be joined to form the complete page. Use this option for printing at larger

sizes than the maximum paper size of your printer, typically for creating banners

and posters. To simplify arrangement of the tiles and to allow for printer

margins, you can specify a Tile overlap value.

Margins are included in tiling calculations.

242 Publishing and Sharing

Publishing as PDF

PDF (short for Portable Document Format) is a cross-platform WYSIWYG file

format developed by Adobe to handle documents in a device- and platform-

independent manner. The format has evolved into a worldwide standard for

document distribution which works equally well for electronic or paper

publishing.

Although PDF excels as an electronic distribution medium it is also an excellent

format for delivering a drawing file to a professional printer using PDF/X

formats, targeted for graphic arts and high quality reproduction. Your print

partner can tell you whether to deliver PDF/X-1 or PDF/X-1a (DrawPlus

supports both)—but from the DrawPlus end of things you won't see a difference.

In either mode, all your drawing's colours will be output in the CMYK colour

space, and fonts you've used will be embedded. A single PDF/X file will contain

all the necessary information (fonts, images, graphics, and text) your print

partner requires.

If professional printing is required, you'll need to select Prepress options (via the

Print dialog's Prepress tab) before choosing to output your drawing.

To export your document as a PDF file:

1. Prepare the document following standard print publishing guidelines,

taking the distribution method into account.

2. Choose Publish as PDF... from the File menu and check your export

settings. (To export the whole document using default settings, you won’t

need to change any settings.) Make further last-minute changes (for

example, a custom setting required by your print bureau).

3. Review General, Prepress, Compression, Security, and Advanced tab

settings and modify if necessary (see online Help for more details).

When preparing a PDF/X file for professional printing, choose either

"PDF/X-1" or "PDF/X-1a" in the General tab's Compatibility drop-down list

(General tab), as advised by your print partner.

Publishing and Sharing 243

Also inquire whether or not to Impose pages; this option is fine for desktop

printing of a folded drawing or one that uses facing pages, but a

professional printer may prefer you to leave the imposition (page

sequencing) to them.

If you checked the General tab's Preview PDF file option, the resulting PDF

file appears in the version of Acrobat Reader installed on your system.

4. Click OK to proceed to export.

Exporting objects and drawings

When you save a drawing, DrawPlus

uses its own proprietary formats (.dpp

for drawings, .dpx for templates and

.dpa for animations) to store the

information. From these formats it is

possible to export your drawing as a

graphic in order to read the drawing

into another application or use it on a

web page. A choice of graphics formats

can be exported.

244 Publishing and Sharing

You can export at any time by using Export as Image or Dynamic Preview; the

latter option allows editing during preview—great for pixel-accurate editing of

your intended output. You can even compare side-by-side views using different

export settings.

For converting DrawPlus objects into pictures on the page, use

Tools>Convert to Bitmap....

For export as AutoCad drawings, use Export>Export for CAD/CAM

on the File menu.

Exporting as image

Especially if you're exporting web bitmap images, you can take advantage of the

Image Export dialog, which will greatly help you in reducing file sizes and

download times as far as possible while maintaining image quality. The dialog

lets you export the whole page, just a selected object(s) or a user-defined region.

You can also see how your image will look (and how much space it will take up)

before you save it! For visual comparison, its multi-window display provides

side-by-side WYSIWYG previews to compare different image formats, or the

same format at differing bit depths.

Publishing and Sharing 245

To export as an image:

1. Choose Export>Export as Image... from the File menu.

2. (Optional) From the Export Area section, you can scale the image to a

new size if desired (change pixels), or adjust the dpi (dots per inch)

setting. For graphics to be used on-screen, it's best to leave these values

intact. The export can be based on the whole Page, Selected Area (see

Defining a region for export on p. 246), or Selected Items.

3. From the Properties section, select the intended graphics file format

from the Format drop-down menu. The remaining box area will

display different options depending on your chosen graphics format.

Change settings as appropriate to the file format selected (see online

Help for more information).

4. (Optional) From the Web Options section, you can control web

elements in your image.

• You can uncheck Image Slices or Hotspots if you've create these

elements but don't want them exported.

• Click the Estimate Download Time... button to see how long the

image will take to download using various connections. In the

dialog, select a modem type (from 14.4 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps) in the

list and the value updates immediately. You may want to keep

track of the cumulative values for multiple images on a given

page.

5. Click Export. If you click Close, DrawPlus remembers your preferred

format and settings, particularly useful for adjusting the setting which

are used if you preview the image in a browser (using File>Preview in

Browser).

When exporting Stopframe animations, an Animation tab is shown

in the dialog for frame export control.

246 Publishing and Sharing

Defining a region for export

DrawPlus lets you export a specific region in

your design. The region, shown as a

bounding box, is actually a layer overlay

which can be resized, repositioned over the

export area and shown/hidden. The Image

Export dialog is used for the actual export

process.

To define an export region:

1. From the Standard toolbar, click

Overlays and select Export

Overlay from the drop-down menu. A bounding box is overlaid over

your page.

2. Drag a corner (or edge) handle to resize the box (use the Ctrl key as

you drag to resize the box about its centre); reposition the box over the

export area.

3. (Optional) Name the Export Overlay layer in the Export Name box on

the context toolbar (this labels the export overlay in the Layers tab and

provides the default file name at export).

4. Click Export... shown under the box. The Image Export dialog is

displayed, from which you can modify and choose an export file

format (described previously).

When the overlay is applied, the bounding box is automatically selected (it

shows the selection colour of the overlay layer). Clicking away from the box will

deselect it (showing the box Colour), but it can be reselected at any time (e.g., for

repositioning).

To select the box:

• From the Standard toolbar, click Overlays and click Export

Overlay.

Publishing and Sharing 247

Dynamic preview

Although the Image Export dialog's preview options lets you see how your

export will look, it's time-consuming to repeatedly export your graphic until you

get the output exactly as you want it. Instead, you can use Dynamic Preview,

which lets you swap to a preview-and-edit mode, showing how your graphics

will export directly on the page. It also lets you edit that output while still

previewing, and set up the exported file's name, format and other settings. The

ability to fine-tune object positioning to pixel level gives an added advantage for

web graphics developers.

To change export settings:

1. From the HintLine toolbar, click the

Dynamic Preview down

arrow and choose Preview Settings.... The option launches the

Dynamic Preview Options dialog, which closely resembles the Image

Export dialog (see p. 244).

2. (Optional) From the Export Area section, scale the image to a new size

if desired (change pixels), or adjust the dpi (dots per inch) setting.

3. Change settings in the Properties box according to your chosen

Format. Settings change according to file type (see online Help for

more information).

4. Click OK.

To export via Dynamic Preview:

1. From the HintLine toolbar, click the

Dynamic Preview down

arrow and choose Export Preview As....

2. From the dialog, you'll be prompted for a file name to which you can

save your graphic. Choose a folder location and enter a file name.

248 Publishing and Sharing

To toggle between Normal and Preview Mode:

• Click Dynamic Preview on the HintLine toolbar. If you've

multiple documents loaded, you'll notice the current document's tab at

the top of your workspace indicate the change to preview mode.

To revert to Normal mode, click Dynamic Preview again.

While in this mode, any object can be manipulated or modified as if you are

working in normal drawing mode, but what you're seeing is an accurate

portrayal of your graphic to be exported.

Publishing and Sharing 249

Sharing via DRAWPLUS.COM

You can share your design by print, as a

distributable electronic PDF, or via the

drawplus.com website. Publishing your design

to website means you can share your design

and ideas with a community of like-minded

designers!

The drawplus.com website is designed specifically as a design community. By

uploading your completed design to the website, just like other DrawPlus users

do, you add to the collection of published designs in the community.

The main website features include:

• View published designs

To aid your design skills or to browse for fun, use the Wall design

gallery which "showcases" public designs published by other DrawPlus

users (...and yourself!). Take advantage of awesome zoom technology

coupled with pan and zoom control. Easily view your own, the most

recently uploaded, and featured designs.

• Drawing ratings

Rate and comment on other people's designs—and have your own

design assessed by the community!

• Work in groups

Create groups of users with similar interests—great for schools, clubs,

or maybe just your network designing friends. Use the Group Wall to

view published designs in a chosen group, which can be private, public

or "friends only." Post to group forums restricted to just group

members.

• Search

Find designs, groups, or other designers throughout the website.

250 Publishing and Sharing

• Make new friends!

Social networking meets designing! Use email or user discussion

forums to build friendships with other DrawPlus designers, especially

those you add to your friends list. Even upload photos of yourself!

• Profile management

Manage your tagline, password, timezone, language, and email

notifications.

To share, three stages need to be carried out—register on the website, setup

account information in DrawPlus, and then upload your chosen design to the

website.

Registering for the first time

1. Click Share on the Standard toolbar.

2. If you've not registered before, click the Join Now! button. You'll be

taken directly to drawplus.com registration.

3. From the website's registration form, enter your personal information,

including an email address to which an activation message will be sent.

Use the Help button if needed.

4. Click Create Account. For account activation, you'll need to check

your email and click on the activation message sent to you. This may

take time depending on your ISP and connection!

Remember your Username and Password! You'll need to re-enter

this information into DrawPlus.

5. Registration is complete after activation. All that's now required is to

enter your account details into your DrawPlus program.

Publishing and Sharing 251

If you've already registered but not added your account details, click Login. This

takes you to your account details where you can enter details as described in the

next section.

So you don't forget to set your user account details, you'll get a

reminder to register every eight days if there are no details set. You

can register on the website, then transfer your username and

password over, or cancel to register later.

Setting up account details in DrawPlus

1. Select Options... on the Tools menu.

2. In the Options>Upload pane, enter your remembered Username and

Password.

3. (Optional) click the Test button to verify that the account details are

correct. If successful, a "Username and password valid" message is

produced.

If you've forgotten your password or you've not already registered, use

the accompanying Reset Password and Register buttons. For the

latter, you'll be directed to the Registration page on the website.

Complete the registration details and click Create Account.

4. (Optional) Reduce the upload Quality to 96dpi to speed up file

transfer if your Internet connection is 56k dial-up modem (at the

expense of zoom quality). Otherwise, use the default 300 dpi for

broadband and all other faster Internet connections.

If you change your account details on the website at a later date,

you'll also need to make these account changes in DrawPlus.

252 Publishing and Sharing

Uploading

Once you've successfully created your account you can upload your design, with

the option of including only specific or all pages.

To upload your design:

1. On the Standard toolbar, click

Share.

2. In the Share dialog, uncheck pages you don't want to upload (use the

scroll bar for more than three pages).

3. (Optional) For the upload you can choose a different account to

upload to—enter a different Username and Password. Otherwise, any

previously used account will be remembered.

4. Click Upload to transfer your selected pages.

5. On upload, a progress bar indicates upload status. On completion,

click OK to close the dialog or click View to immediately see your

uploaded design on the website.

Pressure sensitivity

and pen tablets

254 Pressure sensitivity and pen tablets

Pressure sensitivity and pen tablets 255

Pressure sensitivity

When painting, or drawing lines and curves, DrawPlus lets you take advantage

of pressure sensitivity in a variety of ways:

• via an installed pen tablet.

• via the Pressure tab (if pen tablet is unavailable).

via a pen tablet

Your pen tablet and DrawPlus work in perfect harmony for a truly authentic

drawing and painting experience, with in-built pressure sensitivity as you draw

and paint. See Using pen tablets (p. 259) for more information.

via the Pressure tab

If a pen tablet is unavailable to you, DrawPlus can simulate pressure sensitivity

when using your mouse (along with DrawPlus’s Pressure tab).

This tab is used to set pressure sensitivity globally by using a pressure profile.

The tab lets you:

• Select a preset pressure profile

• Create your own custom profile from scratch

• Adjust how brush, pen, or pencil width and transparency changes as

it responds to pressure

• Control the maximum and minimum pressure.

256 Pressure sensitivity and pen tablets

The pressure chart may appear a little daunting at first! It becomes a lot clearer if

you imagine the chart when it is superimposed over a brush itself—it represents

one half of a brush stroke along its entire length exactly. Of course, the same

profile shape will be mirrored on the lower half of the stroke.

The same would apply to a pencil or pen stroke.

To apply a pressure profile:

1. Expand the Pressure tab at the bottom right of your screen, and choose

a pressure profile from the drop-down list.

The pressure chart updates to reflect the chosen profile.

2. Apply a brush stroke or draw a line on the page. This will adopt the

chosen pressure profile.

The profile is maintained until you reset it or pick another profile from the

preset list.

To create a new pressure profile:

1. Click

Reset Pressure Profile. This sets the pressure chart back to

default.

2. A turquoise line runs along the maximum pressure line at the top of

the chart. Click on this line (the cursor changes) and drag downwards,

moving the displayed red node into your chosen position. You now

have a blue curve which represents the pressure profile.

3. Repeat the process for the number of nodes that you want to add to

make up the profile.

Pressure sensitivity and pen tablets 257

Edit an existing pressure profile from the preset drop-down menu to

create profiles quickly.

You can save the current pressure settings to your own saved pressure profile—

this allows you to store and reapply your settings at any point in the future.

To save a new pressure profile:

• Click the tab's Tab Menu and select Add Pressure Profile.

Your new profile is automatically added to the bottom of the drop-down list.

To delete a pressure profile:

1. Click the tab's Tab Menu and select Manage Pressure Profiles....

2. In the dialog, select the pressure profile for deletion and click Delete.

Altering stroke width and opacity with pressure

For subtle pressure control, DrawPlus can vary the extent to which pen pressure

can alter the width and opacity of a brush stroke or drawn line. This is expressed

as a percentage of the original stroke's Width and Opacity values shown in the

Brushes context toolbar (or equivalent for pen or pencil lines). Imagine the end

of your stroke tapering off or getting fainter as it lifts off the page.

The width and opacity setting can be set either:

• globally, via the Pressure tab.

- or -

• per brush, via the Stroke Brush Edit or Spray Brush Edit dialogs.

You can set the degree to which width and opacity changes either independently

or in combination. Let’s look at some examples... based on drawn straight line

for clarity. We’ll use a pressure profile (below) available from the preset drop-

down menu for all examples.

258 Pressure sensitivity and pen tablets

Here’s how the degree of width/opacity changes the stroke's appearance.

Pressure tab Brush Edit dialog Result

Width: 100%

Opacity Variance: 100%

Width: 0%

Opacity Variance: 100%

Width: 100%

Opacity Variance: 0%

Width: 0%

Opacity Variance: 0%

Width: 50%

Opacity Variance: 50%

The first example shows the default behaviour when pressure is applied.

These settings are stored independently of the currently chosen

pressure profiles.

To adjust stroke width or opacity with pressure (in Pressure tab):

1. Select a previously drawn brush, freeform line, or curve.

2. In the Pressure tab, pick a pressure profile from the drop-down menu.

3. Enter a Width or Opacity value by setting a percentage value

in the input box, using the slider or using the up/down arrows. The

lower the value the less the pressure effects the stroke width or opacity,

i.e. a value of 50% will apply half the stroke width or opacity under

pressure.

Pressure sensitivity and pen tablets 259

For some preset brushes, stroke width and opacity are set differently to (and

override) the Pressure tab's global settings. This is to more accurately represent

the inherent characteristics of that particular brush. It is possible to adjust these

settings further or to apply settings to a brush currently without such settings.

To adjust stroke width or opacity with pressure (per Brush):

1. Right-click on a brush in a Brush tab's category, and select Edit....

2. In the Brush Properties section, check the Initialize creation tools..

option.

3. Set Variance values for Width and Opacity.

4. Click OK. Any new stroke using the edited brush will adopt the new

settings.

You can also set the pressure variance, i.e. the degree to which you apply

pressure, via the Pressure tab or per brush. (See online Help for more

information.)

Using pen tablets

You can either draw or paint with your mouse or, for a more natural experience,

use a pen tablet. A pen tablet is comprised of an intelligent electronic pad

equipped with a pressure-sensitive pen. A rectangular “active” area responds to

pressure applied by the input device (e.g., Pressure Stylus).

The pad, when connected to your computer, allows realistic sketching, freehand

line drawing and painting within DrawPlus, making the drawing experience as

close to a pencil, pen, or paintbrush as you can get. The tablet’s pressure-

sensitive capabilities in conjunction with DrawPlus allows control of stroke

width or transparency when drawing or painting.

DrawPlus works equally well from entry-level to professional pen tablets from all

the major tablet manufacturers including Wacom and AipTek.

Within DrawPlus, you can use the Pressure Studio to calibrate your tablet's

pressure response and to customize your own assignments for your tablet's

ExpressKeys*, TouchStrip*, or TouchRing*. DrawPlus settings take precedence

over your device's original settings.

* Not available on some pen tablets.

260 Pressure sensitivity and pen tablets

Using Pressure Studio

DrawPlus's Pressure Studio acts as an interface between your tablet and

DrawPlus, purposely designed to:

• Calibrate pressure response (below) for multiple input devices, so that

DrawPlus tools respond more predictably per device.

• Set up your tablet's key assignments from within DrawPlus (if your

tablet supports function keys).

The studio offers:

• A practise area for automatically calibrating your tablet's input

devices (Pressure Stylus, Eraser, Airbrush, etc.) by drawing soft/firm

strokes. Manual calibration for fine-tuning is also possible. As you

swap between each device (e.g., between pen stylus and eraser) the

pressure response curve for that device is displayed accordingly.

• Management of pressure response profiles. Preset profiles are

available to resolve common problems associated with unexpected

pressure response.

Pressure sensitivity and pen tablets 261

• Disabling of pressure input globally, to allow DrawPlus to operate

without tablet pressure sensitivity.

To launch Pressure Studio:

• Select Pressure from the Standard toolbar. The Pressure

Studio is displayed.

Before calibration, practise drawing with your input device in the

practice area!

The calibration process is described in detail in the online Help.

Function key assignment

If your pen tablet is equipped with ExpressKeys (or equivalent), Pressure Studio

lets you assign your tablet's keys to DrawPlus tools. The studio changes

depending on the type of pen tablet installed, so you'll get an accurate

representation of your pen tablet's key layout shown within Pressure Studio's

Functions tab.

Example of Wacom Intuos 3's ExpressKey assignment in DrawPlus.

262 Pressure sensitivity and pen tablets

To customize your function keys:

1. With the Functions tab in view, select an alternative tool from the

drop-down list. Pressing the appropriate key on your tablet will

activate that tool in DrawPlus.

2. Click OK.

The Functions tab is not shown if your tablet doesn't possess

function keys.

To revert to the tablet's default key assignment:

1. Select the "Tablet Default" option from a specific key's drop-down list

2. Click OK.

Index

264 Index

Index 265

filter effects, 189

filter effects, 192

Instant, 196

Lighting, 195

planes, 199

Pseudo, 199

actions (Keyframe animation), 224

Actions tab, 212

ActionScript, 225

Add/Delete Pages, 42

Adobe Acrobat (pdf files), 242

importing, 14, 24

publishing, 242

Adobe Illustrator (opening), 26

aesthetic proportioning, 49

airbrushes, 87

Align tab, 126

alignment, 98

of objects, 126

of text, 98

Alpha-edged bitmap, 166

animation, 205

exporting, 231

Keyframe, 205, 211

actions in, 224

adding movies to, 217

adding sound to, 217

Autorun in, 223

exporting, 231

markers in, 227

non-linear change over

time, 228

object attributes in, 221

object control in, 219

object placement in, 221

previewing, 218

Stopframe, 205, 207

exporting, 231

onion skinning in, 209

previewing, 210

Animation Mode, 205

artistic text, 95, 97

Artistic Text Tool, 96

audio clips (Keyframe animation),

217

Auto Connectors, 76

AutoCAD

opening, 27

Auto-Select Layer, 133

AutoTrace Studio, 170

autotracing, 169

AVI format, 232

for animation, 232

Back One, 128

background (page), 45

banners, 239

printing, 239

setup, 31

Bevel effects, 189

Bézier curves, 62, 69

editing, 69

Bitmap brushes, 87

Bitmap fills, 137, 152

Bitmap transparency, 158

bitmaps

Alpha-edged bitmap, 166

Vector-cropped bitmap, 166

bleed limit, 242

in printing, 242

Blend Mode, 12, 141

266 Index

Blend Tool, 184

blending, 184

stopframe animation, 186

blur, 191

blur effects, 190

Border Wizard, 183

borders, 183

creating, 183

Bring to Front, 128

brush strokes, 12, 89

applying, 89

editing, 91

brushes, 13

altering opacity with pressure,

257

altering width with pressure,

257

textured, 87

Brushes tab, 87

business cards, 240

camera

TWAIN-compatible, 180

canvas

resetting, 47

rotating, 46

cards

business, 240

printing, 239

setup, 31

changing views, 42

Choose Workspace, 20

Clipboard operations, 107

clipping, 124

Clip to Bottom, 124

Clip to Top, 124

cloning, 107

closed lines (shapes), 63

closing DrawPlus, 28

Colour Fill, 190

colour models, 147

Colour Picker Tool, 13, 144

Colour tab, 14, 137, 147

colours, 149

colour contour (gradient fills),

149

defining, 13, 146

key colours (gradient fills), 149

sampling, 144

solid for lines and fills, 146

Combine, 124

conical fills, 149

conical transparency, 158

connection points, 76

Connector Tool, 13, 77

connectors, 76

types of, 79

control handles (line editing), 69

Convert to

Curves, 73

Keyframe Animation, 206

Stopframe Animation, 206

Create

Keyframe Animation, 205

Stopframe Animation, 205

crop marks (printing), 242

Crop Tool, 110

cropping, 124

Crop to Bottom, 124

Crop to Top, 124

curved lines, 62

curved text, 101

curves

drawing, 62

filling unclosed, 63, 64

redrawing, 65

reshape, 66

Index 267

cutting objects, 107, 114

cutting out pictures, 165

output for, 166

selecting areas for, 167

defaults

manually setting, 53

resetting, 53

synchronize, 51

updating, 51

design aids, 46

divine proportions, 49

multiple windows for, 50

rotating canvas, 46

rule of thirds, 47

solo mode, 50

design templates, 20

dimension lines, 80

Dimension Tool, 14, 81

dimensionality (Instant 3D), 196

dimensions, 33

setting units and scale, 31, 36

distribution

of objects, 127

divine proportions, 49

Document Palette, 14, 146

documents

closing, 28

creating with design templates,

exporting, 243

opening saved, 22

saving, 27

starting new, 21

types, 31

working with layers, 128

download time estimator, 245

DPA format, 27

DPP format, 27

DPX format, 27

drawing scale, 33

setting, 36

drawings

closing, 28

creating with design templates,

exporting, 243

opening saved, 22

perspective, 74

saving, 27

starting new, 21

drop shadows, 187, 189

Duration (animation frames), 231

DWG/DXF files

opening, 27

Dynamic guides, 37, 40

Dynamic Preview, 247

Easing tab, 212

edges, 143

Edit All Layers, 133

Edit Text window, 98

editing, 97

brush strokes, 91

connectors, 76

curves, 65

lines and shapes, 65

QuickShapes, 73

text, 97

effects

2D, 189

blends, 184

borders, 183

curved text, 101

envelopes, 75

feathering, 191

filters, 189, 192

Instant 3D, 196

268 Index

outline, 190

perspective, 74

Pseudo 3D, 199

roughening edges, 186

shadows, 187

Effects tab, 192

ellipse fills, 149

ellipse transparency, 158

Emboss effect, 189

Envelope Tool, 75

envelopes, 75

in Keyframe animation, 228

Erase Tool, 117

estimating download time, 245

Export Optimizer, 12, 231, 243

exporting, 231, 242

animations, 231

drawings, 243

HD photos, 245

objects, 243

overlays, 246

PDF files, 242

Serif Metafiles, 245

via Live Export Preview, 247

Feather Edge, 189

Feather effect, 190

feathering, 191

features

existing, 4

new, 12

fill path

bitmap and plasma fills, 153

gradient fills, 151

mesh fills, 154

Fill Tool, 149, 152

Fill-on-Create, 63, 90

fills, 137

applying solid, 138

Bitmap and Plasma, 152

Bitmaps, 137

changing, 149

gradient, 137, 149

mesh, 154

plasma, 137

setting defaults, 51

solid, 137

defining, 146

filter effects, 12, 189, 192

filters

applying, 175

Flash Lite export, 232

Flash SWF export, 231

Flip Horizontal, 122

Flip Vertical, 122

focused design, 50

folded documents

printing, 239

setup, 31

fonts, 97

embedding in PDF files, 242

Format Painter, 113

formatting, 97

of text, 98

Forward One, 128

four colour fills, 149

four points transparency, 158

frame text, 95, 97

Frame Text Tool, 96

Frames tab, 207

Freeform Paint Tool, 118

freezing (layers), 131

gallery, 83

Gallery tab, 83

Gaussian blur, 190

GIF, 234

for animation, 234

Index 269

Glow effects, 189

gradient fills, 14, 137, 149

gradient transparency, 158

graphics tablet, 259

greetings cards, 239

grid

show or hide, 40

snapping, 40

grouping objects, 123

guides

Dynamic, 37, 40

ruler, 35

snapping to, 37

Image Cutout Studio, 165

images (see pictures), 163

i-Mode export, 232

importing

PhotoCDs, 164

pictures, 163

scanned images, 180

Serif Metafiles (smf), 163

imposition, 242

in PDF publications, 242

of folded documents, 239

Inner Bevel effect, 189

Inner Glow effect, 189

Inner Shadow effect, 189

installation, 15

Instant 3D, 196

interface

changing views, 42

guides, 35

page and pasteboard, 32

rulers, 33

snapping grid, 37

Join Curves, 71

key colours (gradient fills), 149

key objects (Keyframe animation),

205, 211

keyboard shortcuts, 12

Keyframe Animation, 205, 211

keyframes, 205, 211

changing duration of, 216

inserting, 215

object control in, 219

splitting, 215

Knife Tool, 114

lasso selection, 59

layers, 128

adding, 129

deleting, 130

freezing, 131

locking, 131

managing objects on, 131

merging, 131

paper textures on, 131, 195

properties of, 131

rearranging, 130

renaming, 129

selecting, 129

Layers tab, 129

layout tools, 33, 37

guides, 35

page and pasteboard, 32

rulers, 33

snapping grid, 37

levels (object order), 127

lighting effects (3D), 195

Line tab, 141

linear fills, 149

linear transparency, 158

lines

adding line styles, 142

applying settings, 141

closed (shapes), 63

270 Index

closing, 64

connectors, 76

curved, 62

defining colours, 146

dimension lines, 80

drawing, 60

editing, 65

extending, 62

filling unclosed, 63

joining, 71

reshaping, 66

setting defaults, 51, 141

smoothing, 61

straight, 61

styles for, 142

Lock Position, 122

margins of page, 31

markers (Keyframe), 227

marquee selection, 57

Material Thickness, 189

measurement units, 33

Mesh Fill Tool, 154

mesh fills, 154

metafiles, 163

morphing (blends), 184

Motion blur, 190

movies (Keyframe animation), 217

adding, 217

moving objects, 114

multiple pages, 239

printing, 241

multiple selections, 57, 58

multiple windows, 50

New Drawing, 21

new features, 3, 12

Node Tool, 57, 66, 72

nodes

editing, 66

Nudge Distance (arrow keys), 114

objects

adding to, 117

aligning with each other, 126

aligning with snapping grid, 37

cloning, 107

converting shapes to editable

curves, 73

copying formatting, 113

copying, cutting, and pasting,

107

cutting, 114

deleting, 107

distributing, 126

editing Bitmap and Plasma fills

on, 152

editing gradient fills on, 149

editing mesh fills on, 154

erasing, 117

exporting, 243

fills, 137

flipping, 122

grouping and ungrouping, 123

isolating, 50

joining, 125

Add, 125

Intersect, 125

Subtract, 125

key (Keyframe animation ), 211

line settings, 141

locking/unlocking, 122

measuring, 33, 80

moving, 114

naming, 133

obstructive, 79

on layers, 133

ordering, 127

outlines, 143

Index 271

brush effects, 143

edge effects, 143

properties, 12

QuickShapes, 72

replicating, 108

resizing, 118

rotating and shearing, 120

scale, 33

selecting complex objects, 59

selecting one or more, 57, 123

selecting, in groups, 123

setting defaults, 51

shearing, 121

splitting, 114

storing in Gallery, 83

transparency effects on, 157

tweened (Keyframe animation),

211

obstructive objects, 79

onion skinning (Stopframe), 209

opacity, 155

opening

AutoCAD files, 27

DWG/DXF files, 27

PDF files, 14, 24

picture as a document, 24

saved documents, 22

optimizing exported graphics, 243

ordering objects, 127

Outer Bevel effect, 189

Outer Glow effect, 189

Outline effect, 190

outlines, 143, 190

brushes as, 143

edge effects for, 143

overflow (of text), 99

overlays

as design aids, 46

page

area, 32

composition, 46

marks (printing), 242

numbers and navigation, 42

size, 31

units, 31

Page Setup, 31, 206

page units, 33

pages, 44

adding, 44

backgrounds for, 45

deleting, 44

duplicating, 44

Paintbrush Tool, 87, 89

palettes, colour, 147

paper textures, 131, 195

pasteboard area, 32

PDF files, 242

importing, 14, 24

publishing, 242

pen tablet, 13, 259

Pen Tool, 60, 62

Pencil Tool, 60

perspective, 74

Perspective Tool, 74

PhotoLab, 14, 173

applying filters, 175

retouching, 177

selective masking, 177

pictures

adjusting, 173

adjustments for, 173

as bitmap fills, 152

converting to vector format, 170

cutting out, 165

effects for, 173

fixing red eye, 173

272 Index

importing, 163

importing PhotoCD images, 164

importing TWAIN images, 180

in PDF files, 242

open picture as a document, 24

tracing, 169

with transparent regions, 165

Pillow Emboss effect, 189

plasma fills, 14, 137, 153

plasma transparency, 158

Pointer Tool, 57

posters, 31, 239

printing, 239

setup, 31

PostScript, 242

prepress print options, 242

pressure sensitivity, 13, 255

Pressure tab, 255

previewing, 231, 237

graphics dynamically, 247

Keyframe animations, 218

printed pages, 237

Stopframe animations, 210

printing, 237, 242

basic options, 238

commercial, 242

folded documents, 239

multiple pages, 239

of banners, posters, cards,

thumbnails, 239

PDF files, 242

previewing the page, 237

profiles, 238

rasterization settings, 242

special formats, 239

professional printing, 242

profiles, 184, 196, 256

blend, 184

envelope (Keyframe animation),

230

Instant 3D, 196

pressure, 256

printing, 238

tracing, 169

creating custom, 172

workspace, 20

Projection toolbar, 199

projections, 200

Pseudo 3D, 199

Publish as PDF, 14, 242

QuickShapes, 72

adjusting, 73

converting to editable curves, 73

creating, 72

resizing, 119

radial fills, 149

radial transparency, 158

Radian blur, 190

raster (bitmap) images, 163

changing raster to vector, 170

rasterization settings for printing,

242

reflection maps, 195

registration, 3

Replicate, 108

reshaping curves, 66

resizing, 118

Rotate Tool, 57, 120

rotating

canvas, 46

objects, 120

Roughen Tool, 186

Rule of Thirds, 47, 110

rulers, 33

moving, 33

Index 273

Run Backward (Keyframe

Animation), 219

Run Forward (Keyframe

Animation), 219

sampling (colours), 144

saving, 207

animations, 207

documents, 27

Scalable Vector Graphics, 26

scaling, 33

of drawings, 36

storyboard (Keyframe

animation), 216

scanning, 180

Select on Create, 90

selecting objects, 57

multiple, 58

with lasso, 59

Send to Back, 128

Serif Metafile Format, 163

Serif Transparent Video (STV),

232

setup, 31

animations, 206

documents, 31

Shadow Tool, 187

shadows, 187, 189

applying, 188

shape text, 95, 97

shapes

breaking open, 71

drawing, 59

editing, 65

using QuickShapes, 72

sharing designs online, 249

shearing objects, 121

Size Objects, 118

SMF, 163

Smoothness slider, 61

Snap to Grid, 37

snapping, 12, 37

dynamic guides for, 40

grid, 40

solid colours, 146

solid fills, 137

Solo Mode, 50

sound (Keyframe animation), 217

adding, 217

Spell Checker, 102

splitting objects, 114

spray brushes, 87

special effects, 87

square fills, 149

square transparency, 158

stacking (ordering) objects, 127

Start New Drawing, 21

Startup Wizard, 19, 21

Stopframe Animation, 205

stopframes

cloning, 208

deleting, 209

inserting, 208

onion skinning, 209

renaming, 208

reordering, 209

Storyboard tab, 214

Straight Line Tool, 60, 61

straight lines, 61

Studio

Actions tab, 225

Align tab, 126

Brushes tab, 87

Colour tab, 14, 137, 147

Easing tab, 229

Effects tab, 192

Frames tab, 207

274 Index

Gallery tab, 83

Layers tab, 129

Line tab, 141

Pressure tab, 255

Storyboard tab, 214

Swatches tab, 137, 146, 149, 152,

154

Transform tab, 114, 118, 121

Transparency tab, 157

STV format, 232

SVG/SVGZ, 26

Swatch tab, 137, 146, 149, 152, 154

SWF export, 231

Synchronize defaults, 51

system requirements, 15

tab

Actions, 212, 225

Align, 126

Brushes, 87

Colour, 14, 137, 147

Easing, 212, 229

Effects, 192

Frames, 207

Gallery, 83

Layers, 129

Line, 141

Pressure, 255

Storyboard, 214

Swatch, 137, 146, 149, 152, 154

Transform, 114, 118, 121

Transparency, 157

tablet, 259

templates, 20

text

artistic, 95

entering, 96

blending, 184

combining, cropping, and

joining, 124

converting to editable curves, 73

defaults, 51

editing, 97

entering, 95

fitting, to path, 12, 101

formatting, 98

frame, 95

entering, 96

overflow, 99

positioning in frames and

shapes, 100

resizing, 100

retyping, 98

setting defaults, 51

shape, 95

entering, 96

spell checking, 102

Unicode, 97

textures

paper, 195

three colour fills, 149

three points transparency, 158

tiling

Bitmap and Plasma fills, 153

printing, 239, 241

tint, 139

adjusting, 139

Tool

Artistic Text, 96

Blend, 184

Colour Picker, 144

Connector, 77

Crop, 110

Dimension, 81

Envelope, 75

Erase, 117

Index 275

Fill, 149, 152

Frame Text, 96

Freeform Paint, 118

Knife, 114

Mesh Fill, 154

Node, 57, 66

Paintbrush, 87, 89

Pen, 60, 62

Pencil, 60

Perspective, 74

Pointer, 57

QuickShape, 72

Rotate, 57, 120

Roughen, 186

Shadow, 187

Straight Line, 60, 61

Transparency, 157

tracing, 169

colour bitmaps, 169

creating custom profiles for, 172

greyscale bitmaps, 169

logos, 169

photos, 169

profiles, 169

Transform tab

for precise repositioning, 114

for precise resizing, 118

for precise rotation and

shearing, 121

transparency

3D, 194

effects, 157

path, 159

pictures with, 165

Transparency tab, 157

Transparency Tool, 157

TWAIN images

importing, 180

tweened objects, 211

ungrouping objects, 123

Unicode text, 97

vector graphics, 163

vector objects, 169

Vector-cropped bitmap, 166

Video export (Keyframe

animation), 232

View All Layers, 133

Web, 205

animations, 205

export settings, 243

previewing in browser, 210, 218

Weight of line (width), 143

Welcome to DrawPlus, 3

windows

multiple, 50

Wizard

Border, 183

Registration, 3

Startup, 19, 21

workspace

choosing, 20

zero point, 33

Zoom blur, 190

zooming, 43

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