Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
▪
Constrain Proportions
. Turn on this checkbox to preserve the image's original propor-
tions.
▪
Angle
. To rotate the image by degrees, click the number here and then type what you
want. You can also drag the line in the circle to rotate the photo.
In most cases, you can transform an object without paying much attention to these set-
tings—just grab a handle and drag. Here's what you do:
1.
Position the image to give yourself room to work
.
Position a photo so that you'll have room to drag the Transform handles far beyond its
edges (
Figure 11-13
explains how). If you're using tabbed windows, you probably
have plenty of room.
2.
Choose how you want to transform the image
.
Go to Image→Transform, and then select a command. It's not always easy to tell
which one will work best for a given photo, so you may want to try all three in turn.
You can always change your mind and undo your changes by pressing Esc before you
accept a change, or by pressing Ctrl+Z/
⌘
-Z after you've accepted it.
You can use Transform commands only on regular layers, so if your image just has a
Background layer, the first thing Elements does when you select one of these com-
mands is convert the Background layer to a regular layer. (However, you can apply
Transform commands to a
selection
on a Background layer without converting it to a
regular layer.)
Once the Transform command is active, handles appear around your image.
3.
Transform the image
.
Grab a handle and pull in the direction you want the image to move. You can switch
to another handle to pull in a different direction. If you make a mistake, press Esc to
return to the original photo.
4.
When you're happy with how the photo looks, accept the change
.
Click the Commit button (the green checkmark) below your photo or press Return. If
you decide not to apply the transformation after all, click the Cancel button (the red
No symbol) or press Esc.
