Align and Distribute in Corel Photo-Paint

by
David
Mutch

Aug, 2003

 

 

©
 

Align & Distribute: Corel Photo-Paint’s Powerful Layout Tool


PART 5: Aligning Multiple Objects 3.

The marquee selection method we used in part 4 isn't the only way to select objects. In fact, other selection methods give us a lot more control over which object becomes the active object - so we can control the alignment to any object we like when we use the To Active mode.

To Active - Mouse Click Selection.

Selecting your objects sequentially using a combination of mouse clicks and keyboard keys results in a different Active object than marquee selection. The Active object is always the FIRST object you click select. Also Important to know is that the results and control you get when using mouse click selection varies depending on whether you select the objects from within the image, or you select them from within the Objects Docker.

Selecting objects within the image.

When selecting multiple objects within the image you use SHIFT+click for all objects after the first one.

Try it, and watch the Objects Docker as you go, noting that the first selected object always remains the Active object (a red border around its thumbnail), independent of the order in which you select the objects.

 

Fig 37.

Using SHIFT+click in the workspace
to select object within the image
.
Note that the first select object remains the active object.

 


*TIP If an object is hidden underneath one or more other objects you can burrow down to it by ALT-clicking the object/s directly over it. Watch for the change in the Object selection handles, or observe the change in the Object Docker.


Selecting objects from the Objects Docker.

Selecting objects using the Object Docker is more conventional - similar to selecting files in a file manager. Click on the NAME of an object in the Object Docker and then CTRL+click on the NAMES of additional objects to add them to the selection. Objects do not need to be adjacent to one another.

 

Fig 38.

Using CTRL+click in the Object Docker to

select multiple non-contiguous objects.

The first selected object remains th active object.

 


To select a range of adjacent objects in the Object Docker, click on the NAME of the first one then SHIFT+click on the NAME of a second object to select it and all the objects in between.

 

Fig 39.

Using SHIFT+click to select a range of objects
in the Object Docker
.

 


*TIP   You can deselect individual an object from a set of selected objects by CTRL+clicking on a selected object’s NAME in the Object Docker.


*TIP   You can change the Active object in a set of selected objects by CTRL+clicking the object's THUMBNAIL in the Object Docker, even after you have already selected a number of objects. This can be really handy if you accidentally choose the wrong active object to begin with, rather than having to deselect them all and start over.

 

Fig 40. Changing the Active Object while keeping other objects selected.

 


 

Choosing objects to align using the mouse CLICK methods rather than marquee selection gives you much greater control over the resultant alignment through accurate determination of the ACTIVE object, to which all the others are aligned.

Here are some more examples of aligning objects using To Active mode with different active objects:

 

Fig 41. Original configuration.

 

Fig 42.

All 5 objects selected, object 1 active, Vertical Center.

Fig 43.

All 5 objects selected, object 2 active, Horizontal Left.

 

 

Fig 44.

All 5 objects selected, object 4 active, Horizontal Center.

Fig 45.

All 5 objects selected, object 3 active, Horizontal Right.

 

 

Fig 46.

All 5 objects selected, object 5 active, Vertical Top.

Fig 47.

All 5 objects selected, object 5 active, Vertical Bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

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