Contents 1. Welcome .......................................................... 1 Welcome ............................................................................................................. 3 New features ...................................................................................................... 3 Installation .......................................................................................................... 6 2. Getting Started .................................................
Contents 4. Lines, Curves, and Shapes ............................ 25 Selecting one or more objects ................................................................... 27 Drawing lines and shapes............................................................................ 29 Using QuickShapes ........................................................................................ 35 Drawing spirals ...............................................................................................
Contents 7. Manipulating Objects...................................... 75 Copying, pasting, cutting, and deleting objects .................................. 77 Cloning an object ........................................................................................... 78 Copying an object's formatting ................................................................. 80 Moving objects ............................................................................................... 81 Resizing objects .......
Contents 10. Pictures ........................................................ 131 Importing pictures ....................................................................................... 133 Using Cutout Studio .................................................................................... 134 Autotracing .................................................................................................... 136 Applying PhotoLab filters..................................................................
Contents 14. Additional Information .................................. 199 Contacting Serif ........................................................................................... 201 Credits ............................................................................................................. 202 15. Index ............................................................
1 Welcome
2 Welcome
Welcome 3 Welcome Welcome to DrawPlus X6—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 folded publications, and Stopframe or Keyframe animations— DrawPlus X6 does it all.
4 Welcome • Create spirals (see p. 37) The Spiral Tool lets you add simple spiral shapes with powerful asyou-draw controls—flip or change spiral length/spacing with ease. Any spiral, being line-based, can take any line/fill property or brush stroke! • Draw adjustable triangles simply (see p. 41) Use the Triangle Tool for both equilateral and isosceles triangles. Once drawn, drag corner nodes to make scalene triangles. • Generate palettes from pictures (see p.
Welcome Professional • Simpler PDF publishing (see p. 189) A new and improved dialog offers only commonly used PDF settings via selectable profiles; advanced settings are stored under a collapsed More Options section if needed. PDF/X-3 compatibility is now provided via profile. • PDF Preview (see p.
6 Welcome Installation Installing DrawPlus follows different procedures depending on whether you are installing from disc or via download. You can install your new version alongside previous versions and use them independently. 32 or 64-bit DrawPlus X6 installs to respective 32 or 64-bit computers. Installation procedure (from disc) • Insert your purchased disc into your disc drive. • If AutoPlay is enabled on the drive, this automatically starts the Setup Wizard.
Welcome System Requirements Minimum: • Windows-based PC with DVD drive and mouse • Operating systems: Microsoft Windows® XP SP3 (32 bit) Windows® Vista (32 or 64 bit) Windows® 7 (32 or 64 bit) Windows® 8 (32 or 64 bit) • 512MB RAM (1GB RAM for 64-bit operation) • 778MB free hard disk space • 1024 x 768 monitor resolution Additional disk resources and memory are required when editing large or complex documents.
8 Welcome
2 Getting Started
10 Getting Started
Getting Started 11 Startup Wizard Once DrawPlus has been installed, you're ready to start. • For Windows Vista/7: Setup adds a Serif DrawPlus X6 item to the All Programs submenu of the Windows Start menu. Use the Windows Start button to pop up the Start Menu, click on All Programs and then click the DrawPlus icon (or if DrawPlus is already running, choose New>New from Startup Wizard from the File menu). • For Windows 8: The Setup routine during install adds a Serif DrawPlus X6 entry to the desktop.
12 Getting Started 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 lets you choose the initial setup for the particular type of document you'll be producing. During Page Setup, DrawPlus offers a wide range of preset document types from several categories: Category Document types Portrait or landscape in all the commonly encountered page sizes.
Getting Started 13 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. 3. From Page Setup, review document categories in the left-hand pane (and sub-categories if applicable). Categories contain preset document types (see above) or if you select Regular, you can choose from standard document sizes presented in Portrait or Landscape sub-categories. 4.
14 Getting Started 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 can always adjust the page settings later via File>Page Setup. To start with a new keyframe or stopframe animation, see Getting started with animation on p. 165. Changing the page background colour The page background can be coloured with any HSL, RGB, or CMYK colour while you design.
Getting Started 15 Opening a drawing You can open an existing DrawPlus drawing from the Startup Wizard, Standard toolbar or the File menu. To open an existing document from the Startup Wizard: 1. From the Startup Wizard (at startup time or via File>New>New From Startup Wizard), review your drawings in the Open section. The most recently opened file will be shown at the top of the list. To see a thumbnail preview of any file before opening, hover over its name in the list. 2.
16 Getting Started Once a drawing is opened in its own document window, the window (and drawing) can be made currently active from a Document tab (below) or via the Window menu. 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.
3 Pages
18 Pages
Pages 19 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. (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.
20 Pages 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 rulers that surround the page allow you to measure the exact position of an object.
Pages 21 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 can be created (and positioned) either by dragging from a ruler or via the Guides Manager (right-click any ruler). Both methods let you add guides to the current page, or, if creating a folded document, guides across a page spread.
22 Pages Drawing scale You can create scale drawings (such as a home/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 (see p. 54) in conjunction with scale drawings for on-the-page measurements, which automatically update as you move objects. To change the drawing scale: 1.
Pages 23 Viewing pages 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. 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.
24 Pages Zooming The Hintline toolbar also allows the user to view and/or edit the page at different levels of detail. You can use the Zoom Tool, Pan Tool, Current Zoom, Zoom Out/In (with slider), and Fit Page options. If you're using a wheel mouse, you can scroll the wheel forward or back to move up or down the page. Try combining the Ctrl key and scrolling up or down for immediate in/out zoom control. Adding and deleting pages DrawPlus lets you add a page after the last page in your drawing.
4 Lines, Curves, and Shapes
26 Lines, Curves, and Shapes
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 27 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/Rotate Tool From the Selection tool flyout, click the Pointer Tool to select, move, copy, resize, or rotate objects. Use the Rotate Tool to exclusively select and rotate an object around a centre of rotation. You can also use the Rotate Tool to move or copy objects.
28 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. 93). 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.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 29 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. If you have one or more objects selected, you can select all other unselected page objects instead; the originally selected objects become deselected. To invert a selection: • From the Edit menu, select Invert Selection.
30 Lines, Curves, and Shapes Drawing lines To draw a freeform line: Pencil Tool from the Drawing toolbar. 1. Choose the 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. 4.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 31 To draw a straight line: 1. From the Drawing toolbar's Line Tools flyout, click the Straight Line Tool. 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. 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. To extend a line: 1.
32 Lines, Curves, and Shapes • Smooth Segments: draws Bézier curves smoothly segment-bysegment, with manual on-curve and off-curve adjustment via nodes and control handles, respectively. • Smart Segments (default): automatically determines slope and depth for a rounded, best-fitting curve. No control handle adjustment is normally necessary. • Line Segments: creates a zig-zag line without curving through nodes. See DrawPlus Help for an in-depth look at drawing lines in each of these modes.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 33 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.
34 Lines, Curves, and Shapes 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 an 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.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 35 Using QuickShapes QuickShapes are pre-designed objects that you can instantly add to your page, then adjust and morph into a variety of further QuickShapes. QuickShapes are added from a flyout containing a wide variety of commonly used shapes, including boxes, arrows, hearts, spirals and other useful symbols. Morphing to new shapes can be carried out after you add the QuickShape to the page (or as you add by double-clicking on the page). To create a QuickShape: 1.
36 Lines, Curves, and Shapes To adjust the appearance of a QuickShape: 1. With the Node Tool (Drawing toolbar) selected, 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.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 37 Drawing spirals By their nature, spirals are very difficult to draw accurately. In DrawPlus, a dedicated Spiral Tool is available to make life a little easier. Some interesting designs are possible with a little experimentation. To draw a spiral: From the Drawing toolbar's Pen Tools flyout, click the 1. Spiral Tool. 2. Click where you want the spiral to originate from, then drag out to size your spiral.
38 Lines, Curves, and Shapes 3. (Optional) As you drag, several shortcuts can be used to modify the spiral as you draw: Press the X key to flip the spiral (change its direction). Press again to flip back. Use the left/right arrow key to increase/decrease the spiral spacing, i.e. the number of line segments that make up the spiral. Use the down arrow key to decrease the spiral length from its origin; the up arrow does the opposite. 4. Release the mouse button to complete your spiral. 5.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 39 Drawing arcs The Arc Tool provides a convenient way of creating smooth arcs without the need to worry about adjusting nodes and curve control handles. In addition, modifier keys are on hand so you can quickly adapt your arc as you draw, providing many design possibilities. To draw an arc: From the Drawing toolbar's Line Tools flyout, click the Arc 1. Tool. 2. Click where you want the arc to originate then drag out to draw it on the page.
40 Lines, Curves, and Shapes 3. 4. (Optional) As you drag, several modifier keys can be used to adjust the arc: • Press the C key to draw an arc as a single line. Press again to revert to a closed shape. • Press the X key to change the direction of the arc to convex. Press again to revert to a concave arc. • Use the up/down arrow keys to adjust the depth of the arc as you draw. Release the mouse button to complete the arc.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 41 Modifying arcs Once drawn, your arc becomes a closed shape or single line composed of nodes and curve control handles. This means you can modify your arc in the same way you would edit any other shapes and lines. See Editing lines and shapes on p. 43 for more information. Furthermore, you can apply generic line properties (p. 109) to your arc.
42 Lines, Curves, and Shapes 3. 4. (Optional) As you drag, several modifier keys can be used to adjust the triangle: • Hold down the Ctrl key to draw the triangle from a central point. • Hold down the Shift key to constrain the shape to an equilateral triangle. Release the mouse button to complete the triangle.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 43 Modifying triangles Your drawn triangle is composed of nodes and curve control handles and can be adjusted in the same way you would edit any other shape. The Triangle Tool automatically switches to the Node Tool when the drawing has been completed to aid in modifying your triangle. To modify a triangle: • With the triangle and Node Tool selected, click and drag any node or line to modify the shape. Furthermore, you can apply generic line properties (p.
44 Lines, Curves, and Shapes Redrawing part of a line With the Pencil Tool, it's easy to redraw any portion of a line. To redraw part of a selected line: 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. 3. Keep the mouse button down and drag to draw a new line section, connecting it back to another point on the original line.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 45 Reshaping a line The main tool for editing lines and shapes is the Node Tool. You can drag segments or select one or more nodes on the object, then use the buttons on the tool's supporting context toolbar to adjust. To reshape a curved line: Node Tool on the Drawing toolbar. 1. Click the 2. Select any line on your page. The line’s on-curve nodes appear, and the context toolbar also pops up. 3. Hover over a segment and drag the segment to form a new curve shape.
46 Lines, Curves, and Shapes Once a square end node or interior node is selected, the node becomes highlighted and offcurve rounded control handles for all line segment(s) will appear. A single control handle shows on an end node; a pair of handles will show on a selected interior node. Remember that a segment is the line between two nodes; each node provides two control handles, with each handle controlling different adjoining segments.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 47 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. To adjust the smoothness of the most recent pencil line: Pencil Tool and draw a freeform line. 1. Choose the 2. From the context toolbar, click the right arrow on the Smoothness option and drag the displayed slider left to increase the number of nodes. 3.
48 Lines, Curves, and Shapes 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.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 49 Converting a shape to editable curves The conversion of QuickShapes to curves provides you with a starting point for your own shapes (below), 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 3. Node Tool enabled (Drawing toolbar), edit the curve outline With the by dragging selected nodes. Convert to Curves on the Arrange tab.
50 Lines, Curves, and Shapes 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 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 Pen Tools flyout (Drawing toolbar). Hover over an object so that default connection points become visible. 2. On the displayed context toolbar, ensure Auto Connector Tool is selected. This creates intelligent Auto Connectors.
52 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. Once you've created a connector, DrawPlus lets you adjust the connector's path or edit the properties of a connector by dragging the connector line or nodes.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 53 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.
54 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.
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 2. 55 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 editable dimension label adjacent to the line. 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).
56 Lines, Curves, and Shapes • Horizontal Dimension Line Tool. As above but for horizontal dimension lines. • Slanted Dimension Line Tool. Designed specifically for drawing diagonal dimension lines. - or - For an angular dimension, click the Angular Dimension Line Tool then click and drag from a corner node towards the angle you want to measure (A).
Lines, Curves, and Shapes 57 Adjusting dimension lines For all dimension tools, a pair of parallel blue extension lines with blue end nodes appears on the dimension line, along with a node on the label box. Between the two extension lines, the dimension line and its label can "float" by moving the blue nodes. Using the Gallery The Studio's Gallery tab contains pre-built design objects and elements you'd like to reuse in different drawings.
58 Lines, Curves, and Shapes 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.
5 Using Brushes
60 Using Brushes
Using Brushes 61 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 (se
62 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. 65) or create your own brushes (see DrawPlus Help). Stroke and spray brush types are indicated by respectively.
Using Brushes 63 Applying brush strokes The Brush 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: Brush Tool from the Drawing toolbar. 1. Select the 2. Display the Brushes tab and choose a category from the drop-down list, then a brush.
64 Using Brushes 3. Select a Line Colour, Width, or Opacity from the 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). 6. Select-on-Create to leave the brush stroke selected (Optional) Enable on the page. If disabled, the stroke is left deselected. 7.
Using Brushes 65 Setting brush defaults See Updating defaults in DrawPlus Help. 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: • With the Brush Tool selected, use the context toolbar to adjust the properties of a brush stroke once it has been drawn on the page. To change brush stroke type: 1. Select the brush stroke. 2.
66 Using Brushes 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. 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.
6 Text
68 Text
Text 69 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.
70 Text To create frame text: Frame Text Tool on the Drawing toolbar's 1. Select flyout. 2. From the positioned cursor, either: Text • Double-click on the page 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.
Text 71 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. 103. For a gradient or bitmap fill, use the Studio's Swatch tab. See p. 116 or p. 120, respectively. Similarly, opacity is applied from the Colour tab (see p. 124); gradient and bitmap transparency from the Transparency tab.
72 Text Formatting text You can change text formatting (character, paragraph, bullets/numbering and text flow properties) directly on the page via the Text context toolbar or via a Text Style dialog. 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 Drawing toolbar's Text flyout). 2.
Text 73 Using fonts If you plan to use text in your drawing, you can change the text's appearance dramatically by changing its font. In doing so, you can communicate very different messages to your target audience. Font assignment is very simple in DrawPlus, and can be done from the Text context toolbar.
74 Text 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 3. Hover over the curve or shape's outline until you see a 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. Artistic Text on the Drawing toolbar's Text flyout.
7 Manipulating Objects
76 Manipulating Objects
Manipulating Objects 77 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.
78 Manipulating Objects Cloning an object DrawPlus lets you "clone" or duplicate objects easily using drag-and-drop. 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. Multiple copies of an individual object can also be made by replication or transformation. Making duplicates • Select the object, then press the Ctrl key.
Manipulating Objects 79 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. 5.
80 Manipulating Objects 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. Format Painter on the Standard toolbar. When you click the Click button, the selected object's formatting is "picked up". 3. Click another object to apply the first object's formatting to it.
Manipulating Objects 81 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. Use the keyboard arrows to move in increments. To set exact horizontal and vertical positions, use the Transform tab.
82 Manipulating Objects To resize an object to a fixed aspect ratio: Pointer Tool. 1. Select the object(s) with the 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.
Manipulating Objects 83 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: Rotate Tool on the Drawing toolbar's Selection flyout. 1. Click 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.
84 Manipulating Objects To rotate selected object by set degrees: • For 90° anti-clockwise: click toolbar. • For 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° options left and right, as well as 180°: 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. Rotate Left 90° on the Standard Besides being able to rotate an object, the Rotate Tool allows you to skew or “shear” it.
Manipulating Objects 85 Cutting up objects It is possible to cut any object (or picture for that matter) by using the Knife Tool. 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 To cut selected objects (freeform or straight line): Knife Tool on the Drawing toolbar's Vector Edit 1. Select the flyout. 2.
86 Manipulating Objects 3. (Optional) By default, you'll get a straight cutting profile, but for regularshaped cuts, pick a Cutting Profile from the context toolbar. If required, adjust the Wavelength and/or Amplitude for your shaped cut. 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.
Manipulating Objects 87 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 flip side of erasing is "adding to" (i.e.
88 Manipulating Objects To add to a selected object: Freeform Paint Tool on the Drawing toolbar's Vector 1. Select the Edit flyout. 2. (Optional) From the context toolbar, set a Width to define the nib width which will be drawn. 3. cursor over the object and drag over an object boundary Position the (or within the object). You'll see 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). 4.
Manipulating Objects 89 To add shapes together: Shape Builder Tool on the Drawing toolbar. 1. Select the 2. Hover over a shape that overlaps another shape. You'll see a cursor shown on hover over, above a shaded area (to indicate the active region). 3. Drag to the neighbouring shape, using the drawn out dashed line as a guide, then release the mouse button. As well as adding objects together, DrawPlus lets you take away (or subtract) intersecting areas of overlapping shapes.
90 Manipulating Objects To subtract intersecting areas: Shape Builder Tool on the Drawing toolbar. 1. Select the 2. Hover over any intersecting area, then Alt-click to remove. You'll see a cursor on hover over. To create new shapes from overlapped shapes: Shape Builder Tool on the Drawing toolbar. 1. Select the 2. Click once in the chosen area, then select with the Pointer Tool (Drawing toolbar). You can then drag the new shape to a new position.
8 Arranging Objects
92 Arranging Objects
Arranging Objects 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. 27). 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.
94 Arranging 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.
Arranging Objects 95 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 depth 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.
96 Arranging Objects • 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 drawing has.
Arranging Objects 97 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 (see the Stalk layer opposite). Each object entry can be clicked to select the object in your workspace. In order to create a new object on a particular layer, you'll first need to "activate" (select) that layer.
98 Arranging Objects 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: • 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.
Arranging Objects 99 To select an object on a layer: 1. On the Layers tab, click the reveal all associated objects. Expand icon on the chosen layer entry to 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. 2. Click the object entry in the tab. It will become highlighted and selected on your page. Trouble locating your named object or group? Search for it by using Find Object on the Edit menu.
100 Arranging Objects
9 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency
102 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 103 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. 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.
104 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 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 list— HSL Colour Wheel (shown), HSL Colour Box, HSL Sliders, RGB Sliders, RGB Sliders (Hex), CMYK Sliders and Tinting. (A) Line/Fill swatches, (B) Colour Picker, (C) Colour Model, (D) Hue wheel, (E) Saturation/Lightness triangle.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 105 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. (A) Line/Fill swatches, (B) Document Palette, (C) Standard and themed palettes, (D) Gradient palettes, (E) Bitmap palettes, (F) Current palette.
106 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency Applying colour To apply a solid fill colour via the Colour tab: 1. Select the object(s) and display the Studio's Colour tab. 2. Click 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 list. 4.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 107 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 list, select Tinting. 3. Drag the slider to the left or right to darken or lighten your starting colour, respectively (the original colour is set at 0%).
108 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 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.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency Setting line properties All lines, including those that enclose shapes, have numerous properties, including colour, style, line ends, width, 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. 103.
110 Fills, 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 additional two line effects, Brush Stroke and Edge Effect, let you apply a brush (stroke, spray or edge) effect to the outlines of artistic text, images or objects.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 111 To select a line end: • From the drop-down lists, pick a line start and end. Other styles such as Dash and Calligraphic offer further customization of the chosen style. 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.
112 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency Sampling colours Use the Colour Picker Tool to sample (and then reuse) a colour from anywhere on your page. 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 (A) Use for picking up an individual pixel colour directly under the cursor.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 113 To sample colours: Colour Picker. 1. On the Drawing toolbar, click 2. From the context toolbar, choose a Colour Picker Type (e.g., Point Sampler). 3. (Optional) If you use the Square or Circle Sampler, set a Colour Picker Size appropriate to the area you want to sample. Gradient Sampler offers a Gradient Picker Sensitivity option, for controlling the level or detail to which the gradient is sampled. 4.
114 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 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.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 115 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.
116 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency To add colours from a selected picture: Generate Palette. 1. On the Picture context toolbar, click 2. From the Palette Creator, select a Profile for a small to larger set of generated colours. 3. Click Create, then OK. For more details, see Creating colour palettes from pictures in DrawPlus Help.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 117 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 an object. 2. Click the 3. Click and drag on the object to define the fill path (a solid line).
118 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency To apply a gradient fill (Swatch tab): 1. Select an object. 2. Click the Swatch tab and choose a line or fill colour. Ensure the or Fill swatch is set accordingly. 3. From the Swatch tab, click the palette appears. 4. From the Automatic category, click the thumbnail for the fill you want to apply. Line Gradient button. The Automatic Other gradient fills are available by clicking the drop-down arrow on the Gradient button.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 119 To adjust the gradient fill path on a selected object: 1. Select an object with a gradient fill. 2. Click 3. Use the Fill Tool to drag the start and end circular path handles, or drag on (or outside) the object for a new start handle, creating a new fill path as you drag. The gradient starts where you place the start handle, and ends where you place the end handle.
120 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 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. 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.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 121 Working with mesh fills A mesh fill works using 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.
122 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency A mesh fill is applied to an object via the Swatch tab's Gradient gallery (see Setting fill properties on p. 103) . You can edit the mesh itself with the Mesh Fill Tool and the accompanying context toolbar to achieve unique results. (A) Node and (B) Patches in a mesh fill 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. 43).
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 123 Understanding blend modes You can think of blend modes as different rules for combining pixels to create a resulting colour. Note that blend modes work in relation to the colours of the objects themselves (shapes, lines, brush strokes, and so on). They are used for creative effects on overlapping objects, where colours blend on top of one another. Blend modes can be applied to both a top object's line and fill colour.
124 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency Setting opacity Key point! In DrawPlus, opacity is a property of colour, and can be set directly from the Colour tab. Transparency refers to objectbased 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.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 125 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 handle'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 (as above).
126 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency To apply solid opacity (to a fill path): 1. Select the object with a gradient fill and display the Studio's Colour tab. 2. Click the Fill Tool on the Drawing toolbar's fill path is displayed. Fill flyout. The Click on any displayed handle along the fill path (the handle with a double outline is selected. Use Shift-select for selecting multiple handles. 3. From the Colour tab, drag the slider to the left for a reduced opacity setting.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 127 Composite opacity An individual object can take a specific opacity setting. However, when multiple objects are grouped, the group can be given a composite opacity, affecting all group objects to the same extent. Using transparency effects While uniform opacity can be applied along with colour via the Colour tab (see Setting opacity on p. 124), it's possible to apply gradient transparency via the Transparency tab or Transparency Tool independent of colour.
128 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency Let’s check out the Transparency tab. As with the Swatch tab, there are galleries for both gradient and bitmap transparencies. To apply gradient or bitmap transparency effects: 1. With your object selected, go to the Transparency tab. 2. 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.
Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 129 To apply gradient transparency with Transparency Tool: 1. Select an object. 2. Click the 3. Click and drag on the object to define the transparency path. The object takes a simple linear transparency, grading from 0% transparency (100% opaque) to 100% transparency (0% opaque) in the direction you drag. Transparency Tool on the Drawing toolbar. You've freeform control over where the path starts and ends, and the direction in which the path will be drawn.
130 Fills, Lines, Colours, and Transparency 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 handles to the path and assigning different levels to each handle. For details of how to edit and manage gradient transparency, see DrawPlus Help. You cannot alter the values in a bitmap transparency.
10 Pictures
132 Pictures
Pictures 133 Importing pictures A wide range of picture formats can be imported directly into DrawPlus, including vector graphics and metafiles. 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 lets you cut the subject of your picture out from its background (and vice versa). To import a picture from a file: Insert Picture on the Drawing toolbar. 1. Click 2.
134 Pictures Using Cutout Studio 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.
Pictures 135 Choose an output You can choose an output type prior to selecting areas for keeping/discarding, either an alpha-edged or vector-cropped bitmap from the Output Type dropdown list. Choose the latter for more well-defined edges. 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.
136 Pictures Autotracing Instead of manually tracing a design, it's possible to automatically convert bitmaps 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.
Pictures • 137 Photo Image Trace. For colour tracing of photos. To autotrace a selected image: 1. Click the drop-down arrow on the AutoTrace button (on context toolbar) and select a profile from the menu. - or Click screen. AutoTrace and choose a profile from the profile selection 2.
138 Pictures 5. (Optional) For fine-tuning your traced output, several options are possible: • Click Adjust to access Merge, Fill, and Node tools for finetuning your vector output. • 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 leftclicking on an empty or occupied colour swatch and dragging the Colour Selector to any colour on your computer screen.
Pictures 139 Applying PhotoLab filters PhotoLab is a dedicated studio environment that lets you apply adjustment and effect filters to photos, individually or in combination. Photos present in your drawing 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.
140 Pictures 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. You can add your own custom filters to the Favourites tab. (See DrawPlus Help.) 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 3.
Pictures 2. Experiment with the filter settings in the Trial Zone—you can drag the sliders, or enter values directly—to suit your requirements. 3. (Optional) To replace the trial filter, click a different thumbnail. 141 Selecting a new filter always replaces the current filter. Commit to add it to the Filters stack. Repeat 4. To apply the filter, click to apply additional filters. 5. To apply all filters in the Filters stack and close PhotoLab, click OK.
142 Pictures To apply a mask: Mask drop-down list, select New 1. On an individual filter, from the Mask. 2. In the pane on the right, select the 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 list, choose one of the following options: 5. Add Region tool. • Select: Choose this if you want to apply the filter only to the regions you paint. This is the default setting.
11 Effects
144 Effects
Effects 145 Using graphic styles The Styles tab contains multiple galleries of predesigned styles that you can apply to any object, or customize to suit your own taste! Galleries exist in effect categories such as 3D, Bevels, Blurs, Edges, Shadows, and other 2D and 3D filter effects, with each category having further subcategories. The Styles tab also lets you store your own graphic styles in a My Styles section if you would like to reuse them—the style is made available in any DrawPlus drawing.
146 Effects To apply a graphic style to one or more objects: 1. Display the Styles tab. 2. Expand the drop-down menu to select a named style category (e.g., Shadows), then pick a subcategory by scrolling the lower window. 3. Preview available styles as thumbnails (cog shapes are shown by default) in the window. 4. Click a style thumbnail to apply it to the selected object(s).
Effects 147 Saving custom graphic styles Once you've come up with a set of attributes that you like—properties for fill, line, text, and 2D/3D effects, and so on—you can save this cluster of attributes as a named graphic style. DrawPlus saves graphic styles to the Styles tab (My Styles folder by default), which can be subsequently applied to other newly drawn objects.
148 Effects 2. (Optional) Click to expand or collapse sections within the list of attributes. This reveals which attributes are currently set. Uncheck any attributes you want to exclude from the style definition, or check any you want to additionally include. 3. (Optional) If you want to modify any attribute, select its value and edit via flyout, drop-down list, dialog, or input box. 4.
Effects 149 Applying 2D filter effects Applying bevels and embossing effects You can apply some depth to your objects by applying an embossing effect. • From the Styles tab, adjust the Bevel & Emboss setting on your selected object. The greater the value, the greater the embossed effect. Applying 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.
150 Effects Advanced 2D filter effects For more advanced control of filter effects, a Filter Effects dialog can be used to apply filter effects to an object. The following filter effect examples are possible via the dialog. Each effect is shown when applied to the letter "A.
Effects 151 Applying 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 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 Styles tab is a good place to begin experimenting with 3D filter effects.
152 Effects To apply 3D Effects: Filter Effects from the Drawing toolbar. 1. Choose 2. Check 3D Effects in the Filter Effects dialog. 3. Adjust the "master control" sliders here to vary the overall properties of any individual 3D effects you select. 4. • 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).
Effects 153 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.
154 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. 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.
Effects 155 Creating blends Blends enable you to create shapes between two separate shapes on the page. These could be identical in shape but have different line/fill properties or be differently shaped. For the latter, the blending process “morphs” one shape into the other shape. Each step creates an intermediate shape, where the colour, transparency, and line properties may all change, along with the object shape, during the blend process. For identical shapes: For different shapes (e.g.
156 Effects 3. Hover over the object to display the Blend cursor. 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. Blending on a path DrawPlus allows you to make your blended objects conform to a drawn freeform line or curve. To fit a blend to a line or curve: 1. Select the line or curve and the previously blended object. 2. From the Tools menu, select Fit Blend to Curve.
Effects 157 Applying perspective The Perspective Tool, like the 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.
158 Effects 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. To apply an envelope: 1. Select the object(s) you want to be enveloped. 2. Click 3.
Effects 159 Using stencils The Stencils tab provides a selection of ready-to-go, fun stencils that will add impact to any page. Whether you paint over them with the Brush Tool, or use them to cut out a design from a picture, stencils provide endless opportunities for creativity. If you're feeling really creative, you can create your own stencils by dragging objects to the Stencils tab.
160 Effects Adding stencils to your page 1. On the Stencils tab, click the drop-down list to select a category. The lower gallery displays thumbnails of the stencils available in the selected category. 2. Click and drag a thumbnail from the gallery onto your page.
Effects 161 Painting over stencils 1. Add a stencil to your page. 2. From the Drawing toolbar, click the 3. Choose a brush type from the Brushes tab and set your brush colour on the Colour tab. (See Applying brush strokes on p. 63.) Brush Tool. Brushes in the Effects, Paint and Spray categories are particularly suited to stencil work. 4. Paint over the stencil with your chosen brush. Swap to different brush colours or brush types using respective Colour and Brushes tabs. Pointer Tool. 5.
162 Effects
12 Stopframe/ Keyframe Animation
164 Stopframe/Keyframe Animation
Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 165 Getting started with animation What is animation? Like flip books, cartoon 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.
166 Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 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. You can convert any drawing into either animation type from the File Menu. Modify Page Setup such as page size and orientation from the Pages context toolbar.
Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 167 To generate a new blank frame: • Choose Insert Frame from the Frames tab. To navigate between frames: • Click on any visible frame to display its objects on screen (objects can then be edited). 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. To change frame sequence: • Drag the selected frame to a new position in the frame order.
168 Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 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. You can use the control buttons (Play, Stop, etc.) to review individual frames.
Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 169 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.
170 Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 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).
Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 171 To view the Storyboard tab: • Unless the tab is already displayed, click the bottom of your workspace to reveal the tab. handle at the We'll assume that you've drawn objects on the first keyframe. You can run forward these automatically throughout your 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.
172 Stopframe/Keyframe Animation Keyframe duration Keyframe duration represents the amount of time in between each individual keyframe. 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). Adding sound To complement the visual effect of your keyframe animation it's possible to add audio.
Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 173 Adding movies As well as using sound in your keyframe animation, you can introduce movie clips via Insert>Movie Clip. 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.
174 Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 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).
Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 175 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).
176 Stopframe/Keyframe Animation Joints In both Stopframe and Keyframe animation, the ability to simulate movement about a fixed point is the basis for the natural movement of animated characters. In DrawPlus animation modes, the Joint Tool can be used to create natural movement by rotating objects about a joint that connects two separate objects. By cloning stopframes or running forward keyframes, the objects, once rotated about a shared joint, will animate.
Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 177 3. Select the object you want to add a joint to. 4. From the Joint context toolbar, select 5. Position the cursor on the selected object where you want to add your joint. 6. Click to add your joint, which will show as a white circular node. 7. Repeat for other objects. Add Joint. Before connecting objects together, a joint must be present on each object to allow both to be joined together.
178 Stopframe/Keyframe Animation To delete a joint: 1. With the Joint Tool enabled, select the object with the joint attached. 2. From the Joint context toolbar, select 3. Position the cursor over the joint and click. Delete Joint. Connecting joints Like a snap-together toy, objects with joints can be snapped together joint-tojoint. In doing so, objects become connected and can then pivot about the shared joint. To connect two joints together: 1.
Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 179 Animating objects with joints Once you've created your jointed objects, you'll want to animate them. For Keyframe animation, you can rotate your object about its joints on specific keyframes just as for any other rotation operation. Similarly, for Stopframe animation, individual frames can be cloned, then objects rotated about their joints. For successful animation, always use the Joint Tool for joint rotations. Use of the Pointer Tool and Rotate Tool should be avoided.
180 Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 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 To export your animation as a Flash file: 1. Choose Export>Export as Flash SWF from the File menu. 2.
Stopframe/Keyframe Animation 181 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.
182 Stopframe/Keyframe Animation
13 Publishing and Exporting
184 Publishing and Exporting
Publishing and Exporting 185 Interactive Print/PDF Preview The Print/PDF Preview mode changes the screen view to display your layout without frames, guides, rulers, and other screen items. Supporting toolbars allow for a comprehensive and interactive preview of your pages before printing or publishing as PDF. Print Preview is interactive because a main feature is to provide print-time imposition.
186 Publishing and Exporting To preview the printed page: 1. From the File menu, select Print/PDF Preview. In Print/PDF Preview, your first printer sheet is displayed according to your printer's setup. 2. (Optional) Choose an installed printer from the Printer toolbar's dropdown list. 3. (Optional) Adjust printer margins from the Margins toolbar. 4. Review your design using the page navigation controls at the bottom of your workspace. To print: • From the Printer toolbar, select - or - Print.
Publishing and Exporting 187 Print-time imposition During preview, you can enable imposition of your drawing, choosing a mode suited to your intended final drawing (book, booklet, etc.). Each mode displays different toolbar options on the context-sensitive Imposition toolbar. Document imposition is not limited to desktop printing—it can also be used when creating a press-ready PDF for professional printing.
188 Publishing and Exporting The dialog also supports additional printing options via the More Options button including Double-sided Printing, Manual Duplex, and many other useful printing options. One particular option, called Layout, allows for printtime imposition of your document—simply create a booklet or other folded document at the print stage. For a detailed description of each option, see Interactive Print/PDF Preview in DrawPlus Help.
Publishing and Exporting 5. 189 Select the print Range to be printed, e.g. the Entire Drawing, Current Page, or range of pages. For specific pages or a range of pages, enter "1,3,5" or "25", or enter any combination of the two. To print selected text or objects, make your selection first, then choose Current Selection appearing in the Range drop-down list after selection.
190 Publishing and Exporting To export your document as a PDF file (using a profile): 1. Choose Publish as PDF from the File menu. 2. Select a profile for screen-ready or professional output from the Profile drop-down list. The dialog updates with the selected profile's new settings. The Compatibility is set according to the profile and doesn't need to be set. 3. Select the Range to be published, e.g. the Entire Drawing, Current Page, or range of pages.
Publishing and Exporting 191 Saving PDF profiles To save any current combination of your own PDF output settings as a custom publish profile with a unique name, click the Save As button next to the Publish profile list. Type in a new name and click OK. In a subsequent session you can recall the profile by selecting its name from the list. More PDF options The dialog also supports additional PDF publishing options via the More Options button including Layout, Prepress, and Colour Management.
192 Publishing and Exporting Exporting as picture Especially if you're exporting graphics for the web, you can take advantage of the Picture 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 individual page, all pages, just a selected object(s), or a userdefined region.
Publishing and Exporting 193 To export as a picture: 1. Choose Export>Export as Picture from the File menu. 2. (Optional) From the Export Area section, you can scale the picture to a new size if desired (change Width and Height), or adjust the dpi (dots per inch) setting. For graphics to be used on-screen, it's best to leave these values intact. 3. From the drop-down list, choose if the export can be based on the whole Page, All Pages, Selected Area, or Selected Objects. 4.
194 Publishing and Exporting 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 Picture Export dialog is used for the actual export process. To define an export region: 1. Overlays and select Export Overlay From the Standard toolbar, click from the drop-down list. A bounding box is overlaid over your page. 2.
Publishing and Exporting 195 Exporting multiple pages If you have multiple pages in your drawing, you can export any currently viewed page or all pages. To export the current page: • From the Pages tab, select a page you wish to export. When you export, the Picture Export dialog will default to export the page, unless objects on the page are selected. To export all pages: • From the Picture Export dialog, select All Pages in the drop-down list.
196 Publishing and Exporting Exporting as CMYK TIFF or JPEG For professional printing, you can create a drawing in a CMYK colour space (p. 14), which offers colour predictability during design, processing, and output. You can either publish your design as a PDF document (p. 189) or export as picture, with both options maintaining a CMYK colour space. To export as a CMYK TIFF or JPEG picture: • In the Picture Export dialog, enable CMYK.
Publishing and Exporting 197 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 Picture Export dialog (see above). 2. (Optional) From the Export Area section, scale the picture 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.
198 Publishing and Exporting
14 Additional Information
200 Additional Information
Additional Information Contacting Serif Serif on the web Service and Support www.serif.com/support Serif website www.serif.com www.youtube.
202 Additional Information Credits 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 Serif is a registered trademark of Serif (Europe) Ltd. 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.
Additional Information 203 Portions of this software are copyright © 2008 The FreeType Project (www.freetype.org). All rights reserved. Anti-Grain Geometry - Version 2.4 © 2002-2005 Maxim Shemanarev (McSeem) TrueType font samples from Serif FontPacks © Serif (Europe) Ltd. © 2013 Serif (Europe) Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this User Guide may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Serif (Europe) Ltd. Serif DrawPlus X6 © 1991-2013 Serif (Europe) Ltd. All rights reserved.
204 Additional Information
Additional Information 15 Index 205
206 Index
Index 2D filter effects, 149 3D filter effects, 151 Actions tab, 170 Add (Join), 89 Add/Delete Pages, 24 adjustment (of pictures), 140 fixing red eye, 141 Adobe Acrobat (PDF files), 189 airbrushes, 61 Align tab, 94 alignment of objects, 94 of text, 70 animation, 165 adding movies to, 173 adding sound to, 172 Autorun, 175 exporting, 180 Keyframe, 168, 173, 180 Keyframe, previewing, 173 onion skinning in, 167 previewing, 168 Stopframe, 166, 180 Arc Tool, 39 artistic text, 69 Artistic Text Tool, 69 audio clip
208 Index conical fills, 116 connection points, 51 Connector Tool, 51 connectors, 50 branched, 52 control handles (line editing), 48 Convert to Curves, 49 credits, 202 curved text, 74 curves drawing, 31 editing, 43, 48 filling unclosed, 34 flow text on, 74 custom page setup, 12 cutout, 134 cutting objects, 77, 85 deleting pages, 24 dimension lines, 54 Dimension Tool, 54 dimensions setting units and scale, 20 distribution of objects, 94 Document Palette, 115 DPP format, 16 drawing scale, 20 drawings exportin
Index fills bitmap and plasma, 120 changing, 118 gradient, 107, 117 mesh, 121 solid, 106, 114 filter effects 2D, 150 3D, 151 filters, 140 folded documents, 12 fonts, assigning, 73 Format Painter, 80 formatting, text, 72 Forward One, 96 four colour fills, 116 frame text, 70 frames (Stopframe animation), 166 Frames tab, 166 Freeform Paint Tool, 88 gallery, 57 Gallery tab, 57 GIF, for animation, 181 Glow effects, 150 gradient fills, 107, 117, 118 Graphic Style Editor, 145 graphic styles, 145 greetings cards,
210 Index lines applying settings, 109 closed (shapes), 34 connectors, 50 curved, 31 defining colours, 116 dimension lines, 54 drawing, 29 editing, 43 extending, 31 filling unclosed, 34 reshaping, 45 setting defaults, 109 smoothing, 30 styles for, 110 measurement units, 20 Mesh Fill Tool, 121 mesh fills, 121 metafiles, 133 modes (colour), 14 morphing (blends), 155 movies (Keyframe animation), 173 moving, 81 multiple pages exporting, 195 printing, 187 multiple selections, 28 New Drawing, 12 new features, 3 N
Index obstructive objects, 53 onion skinning (Stopframe animation), 167 opacity, 124 composite, 127 Open (drawing), 15 ordering objects, 95 Outer Bevel effect, 150 Outer Glow effect, 150 outlines 2D, 149 brushes as, 110 edge effects for, 110 page area, 19 page numbers and navigation, 23 Page Setup, 12 page units, 20 pages adding, 24 backgrounds, 14 deleting, 24 exporting multiple, 195 viewing, 23 palettes, 115 paper textures, 98 pasteboard area, 19 paths blending on, 156 fitting text to, 74 PDF files previ
212 Index rotating objects, 83 rulers, 20 Run Forward (Keyframe Animation), 174 sampling (colours), 112 saving, 16 animations, 166 Scalable Vector Graphics, 133 scaling of drawings, 20 of line width, 111 selecting objects, 27 invert selection for, 29 multiply, 28 Send to Back, 95 Serif Metafile Format, 133 setup, animations, 165 Shadow Tool, 153 Shape Builder Tool, 88 shape text, 70 shapes combining, 88 drawing, 29 editing, 43 joining, 88 using QuickShapes, 35 shearing, 84 Size Objects, 81 small documents,
Index Transparency, 128 tags (gift), 12 technical drawings, 12 technical support, 201 text applying fonts to, 73 artistic, 69 converting to editable curves, 49 editing, 70 entering, 69 flow on a curve, 74 formatting, 72 frame, 70 retyping, 71 shape, 70 three colour fills, 116 tint, 106 adjusting, 106 Tool Arc, 39 Artistic Text, 69 Blend, 155 Brush, 61, 63 Connector, 51 Dimension, 54 Envelope, 158 Erase, 87 Fill, 117, 120 Frame Text, 70 Freeform Paint, 88 Joint, 176 Knife, 85 Mesh Fill, 121 Node, 27, 45 Pe
