Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Moving, Aligning, and distributing
Layers and paths can be repositioned, aligned, and distributed using the Move
tool and/or Path Selection tool. In the following steps you will create a few basic
shapes and experiment with moving, aligning, and distributing both layers and
paths.
Certification
Objective
1.
Open
Setup.psd
.
Setup.psd
is also
available on the
topic's downloads
page at
www.sybex
.com/go/photo
shopessentials
.
2.
Select the Rectangle tool, Shape tool mode, red solid color fill, and
no stroke on the options bar. Hold down the Shift key, and at an arbi-
trary location, drag out a square whose edge length measures 10% on
the rulers.
3.
Deselect the Rectangle 1 layer so that you can create another shape
layer with a different color. Select the blue solid color fill on the
options bar and drag out a rectangle with width and height propor-
tions of 20% to 2%.
if the objects do
not snap to align to
the guides, choose
View
a
Snap to
toggle on this
feature.
4.
Press T to select the Text tool. Select Zapfino from the Font Family
drop-down and type
100 pt
in the Font Size text box on the options
bar. Click an arbitrary point on the canvas, type
Text
, and click the
Commit Any Current Edits button on the options bar.
5.
Press V to select the Move tool and select Auto-Select on the options
bar. Drag each one of the objects to align with a guide. Figure 10.3
shows one possible result.
6.
Choose View a Show a Smart Guides if this menu item is not
already checked. Drag the red square so that its lower edge aligns
with the lower edge of the text object; you will see a purple smart
guide appear, indicating this alignment (see Figure 10.4).
every object has
six invisible smart
guides you can snap
to: top middle, bot-
tom, left, center, and
right. Go to View
a
Snap to to snap
guides to Guides,
Grids, Layers, Slices,
pixels, Objects, or
DocumentBounds.
7.
Press A to select the Path Selection tool. Select the blue rectangle.
Press Cmd+C and Cmd+V to copy and paste a path in place. Position
the cursor inside the path and drag it off to the side to some arbitrary
location; two blue rectangles are now visible on the canvas. Press
Cmd+C and Cmd+V to make another copy. Drag the second copy off
to the side. Figure 10.5 shows one possible result.
