Modifying Objects in Java

Generation ANSI/AIM Code 128 in Java Modifying Objects

bitmap image For example, you can use the Rectangle tool to create a snazzy border for a bitmap You can also use the Text tool to plop some text on top of the bitmap To import a bitmap, follow these steps:

2 Navigate to the folder that contains the bitmap you want to import 3 Select the bitmap file and click the Open button

Your cursor becomes a right angle This signifies the upper-left corner of the bitmap image you are importing

The bitmap is placed in the document and the Pointer tool becomes active You can now move, scale, skew, flip, or rotate the bitmap To create a snazzy border or frame for the bitmap, select the Rectangle tool from the Tools panel and create a rectangle slightly bigger than the bitmap Choose Modify Arrange Send Backward to move the rectangle behind the bitmap You may wish to center the rectangle and bitmap by choosing Modify Align Center Horizontal and Modify Align Center Vertical You can then use one of the Xtras tools or operations to modify the rectangle (Emboss works well), and then group the bitmap and rectangle We show you how to use the Xtras tools in the upcoming section, Using the Xtra Tools to Change a Shape

You have a great deal of latitude in how you can modify an object after you create it You can scale, skew, flip, or rotate an object using menu commands or tools In the upcoming sections, we show you how to accomplish these object makeovers without breaking a sweat The tools you can use to modify objects all live in the FreeHand Tools panel, though some less-used tools are hidden behind the more popular ones Figure 5-1 shows the tools you commonly use to modify objects If you re a perfectionist, you probably prefer to move and resize objects with mathematical precision Don t be alarmed There are others like you in the world In fact, many of them are graphic designers, which is why Macromedia created menu commands to scale, resize, and move objects The cool thing about these commands is that when you invoke one, the others all pop up in the Transform tab of the Align and Transform panel Talk about convenience In the upcoming sections, we show you how to use each command

Sometimes you make things just a bit too large and you ve got to cut them down to size, or vice versa For an object in your illustration, you cut it down to size (or make it bigger) by scaling it You can scale an object manually, or you can use a menu command

You can scale an object manually either from one of its corners or from its center To scale the object from one of its corners, follow these simple steps:

1 Select the Pointer or Subselection tool from the Tools panel 2 Click any corner and drag left, right, up, or down

Dragging away from the object will increase the size of the object Dragging into the object will make it smaller Hold down the Shift key while you drag to change the size proportionately As you drag, FreeHand displays the outline of the shape s current size

To scale an object from its center, just follow these steps:

The Scale tool is the one that has a black arrow inside a blue square When you place the cursor over the page, it becomes a small circle with four long and four short lines radiating out

Dragging left makes the object narrower; dragging right makes it wider Dragging up makes the object taller; dragging down makes it shorter To scale the object proportionately, hold down the Shift key as you drag left or down to make the object smaller or right or up to make it larger As you drag the tool, FreeHand displays the outline of the shape s current size