Working with Documents

Viewing Documents

You can change your view of an image by changing its level of magnification (zooming in or out), repositioning the document in the Corel Painter workspace, or rotating the document. You can also change the characteristics of the document window by changing the screen mode, and by selecting options from the Canvas menu.

Zooming

By default, Corel Painter opens a document at 100% magnification, but you can change the level of magnification by zooming. You can zoom in and out using the Magnifier tool, reset magnification and zoom to fit the screen. You can even zoom in and out while working with other tools.

To zoom in

1. Do one of the following:

• Choose the Magnifier tool in the toolbox.
• Hold down Command + Spacebar (Mac OS) or Ctrl + Spacebar (Windows).

The Magnifier cursor shows a plus sign (+) - indicating you are increasing magnification (zooming in).

2. Click or drag in the document window.

• Clicking magnifies the image to the next level, as defined in the Zoom Level menu on the property bar.
• When you drag, Corel Painter chooses the magnification level that most closely conforms to the selected area and centers the screen view on that area.

The percentage the document is magnified appears in the document window's title bar.

To zoom out

1. Do one of the following:

• Choose the Magnifier tool and hold down Option (Mac OS) or Alt + Ctrl (Windows).
• Hold down Option +Command +Spacebar (Mac OS) or Alt + Ctrl + Spacebar (Windows).

The Magnifier cursor shows a minus sign (-) - indicating you are decreasing magnification (zooming out).

2. Click in the document window.

Each click reduces the magnification to the next level, as defined in the Zoom Level menu on the property bar.

• You can also zoom in or out by moving the Scale slider, typing a value in the bottom left corner of the image window, or choosing an option from the Zoom Level pop-up menu on the property bar.

To zoom using the Magnifier tool

1. In the toolbox, click the Magnifier tool.
2. Choose a zoom level from the Zoom Level pop-up menu on the property bar.

To reset magnification to 100%

• Double-click the Magnifier tool.

To zoom to fit the screen

Do one of the following:

• Choose Window menu > Zoom to Fit Screen.
• Double-click the Grabber tool in the toolbox .

Corel Painter generates a view of the entire document to fit the size of your screen.

To access the Magnifier tool while any other tool is selected

• Press Command + Spacebar (Mac OS) or Ctrl + Spacebar (Windows) and click to zoom in; press Command + Option + Spacebar (Mac OS) or Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar (Windows) and click to zoom out.

Repositioning Documents

The Grabber tool allows you to reposition a document in the Corel Painter workspace and view different areas of an image.

To use the Grabber tool

1. Activate the Grabber tool by:

• Choosing the Grabber tool .
• Holding down the Spacebar.

The cursor changes to the Grabber tool and the property bar shows the zoom level. You can change the zoom level from the property bar.

2. Do one of the following:

• Drag in the document window to scroll through your image.
• Click once in the document window to center the image.

To access the Grabber tool from any tool

• Hold down the Spacebar.

To size your image window to fit the screen area

• Do one of the following:

• Double-click the Grabber tool.
• Choose Window menu > Zoom to Fit.
• Click Fit on Screen on the property bar.

• To return the image window to center, click once with the Grabber tool or click Center Image on the property bar.

Rotating Documents

The Rotate Page tool lets you rotate an image on the screen to accommodate the way you draw naturally.

To rotate the page

1. Activate the Rotate Page tool by:

• Clicking it in the toolbox .
• Holding down Option + Spacebar (Mac OS) or Alt + Spacebar (Windows).

The cursor changes to a hand with a pointing finger.

2. Drag in the document window to rotate the image.

Move the cursor clockwise to rotate the image clockwise. Move the cursor counter-clockwise to rotate the image counter-clockwise.

The new rotation angle appears on the property bar.

• You can also rotate an image by specifying a rotation angle on the property bar.

To return an image to its original orientation

1. Activate the Rotate Page tool .
2. Do one of the following:

• Click once in the document window.
• Double-click the Rotate Page tool.
• Click the Reset Tool button on the property bar.

To constrain rotation to 90° increments

• Hold down the Shift key while rotating.

Cropping Images

You can remove unwanted edges from the image with the Crop tool. You can adjust the ratio of the cropped image, and choose to maintain the aspect ratio.

To crop an image

1. Click the Crop tool in the toolbox.
2. Drag inside the image to define the rectangular area you want to keep.

You can adjust the rectangle by dragging a corner or any of its edges.

3. When you're ready to execute the crop, click inside the rectangle.

To constrain cropping to a square

• Press Shift + drag while defining the rectangular area with the Crop tool.

To adjust the ratio of the cropped image

1. Click the Crop tool in the toolbox.
2. On the property bar, type ratio values in the boxes.
3. If necessary, enable the Ratio check box to maintain aspect ratio when cropping the image.

Using Full Screen Mode

Full screen mode allows you to hide your computer's desktop and view the document window without scroll bars. When full screen mode is on, the document window is centered over a solid background. All Corel Painter features-except the buttons on the document window-work when using full screen mode.

To toggle the full screen mode on and off

• Press Command + M (Mac OS) or Ctrl + M (Windows), or choose Window menu > Screen Mode Toggle.

• You can position the image window anywhere on the screen by holding down the Spacebar and dragging with your mouse or stylus.

Image Size Information

You can use the Info palette to check image size. For more information, see "The Info Palette".

Resizing the Canvas

If you want the same image at a different scale, you can resize the canvas. You can also change the size of the drawing area, and you can crop the canvas.

To resize the canvas

1. Choose Canvas menu > Resize.

Corel Painter displays the Resize dialog box, which shows the current and new size by width, height, and resolution.

2. Enter a new value for width, height or resolution.

For more information on these values, refer to "Creating New Documents".

3. The Constrain File Size option lets you choose how to deal with dimensions relative to resolution.

When Constrain File Size is enabled, you can change the height and width of the image together. The resolution will change accordingly.

When Constrain File Size is disabled, you can change the height and width independently of the resolution, and vice versa.

If you choose Pixels or Percent as the unit and enter a value, Corel Painter automatically disables the Constrain option.

4. Click OK.

To resize the drawing area

1. Choose Canvas menu > Canvas Size.
2. In the Canvas Size dialog box, specify the number of pixels you want to add to any side of the canvas.

Enter negative values to reduce the canvas size.

To crop the canvas

1. Display the image at a scale where you can see all of it.
2. In the toolbox, choose the Crop tool .
3. Drag in the image to describe the rectangular area you want to keep.
4. Adjust the rectangle by dragging a corner or any of its edges.

The property bar shows the size and location of the cropping rectangle.

To constrain the cropping rectangle to a certain aspect ratio, enter values for the width and height aspect, and enable the Ratio option on the property bar.

5. Click inside the rectangle to perform the cropping operation.

Using Rulers

Corel Painter lets you show or hide rulers along the top and left sides of the document window. Each mark on a ruler is known as a tick and represents the unit of measurement. You can set the unit of measurement to pixels, inches, centimeters, points, or picas.

As you drag an image around the document window, the rulers scroll to show the position of the Canvas in the document window. The origin of the document is the intersection of the zero (0) ticks on each ruler. By default, the origin is the upper left corner of the Canvas. Changing the origin resets the location of the 0 ticks on the rulers.

To display or hide rulers

• Choose Canvas menu > Rulers > Show Rulers or Hide Rulers.

To set the ruler units

1. Choose Canvas menu > Rulers > Ruler Options, or hold down Option (Mac OS) or Alt (Windows) and click in the ruler.
2. In the Ruler Options dialog box, choose a unit of measurement from the Ruler Unit pop-up menu.

To change the origin

1. Click the box at the intersection of the rulers (upper left corner of the document window).
2. Drag diagonally into the document window.

Crosshairs display to mark the new origin point.

3. Position the crosshairs and release the mouse button.

The ruler numbers update to show the new origin as 0, 0.

To restore the origin

• Double-click the box at the intersection of the rulers (upper left corner of the document window).

Using Guides

Guides are non-printing lines that appear over the image in the document window. They are very helpful in aligning image elements.

You can place guides at any position in the document window and easily reposition and remove them.

The Snap to Ruler Ticks option enables the guides you create to land precisely on the tick marks.

Each guide also has options that let you change its color and lock it so that it can't be dragged.

To display or hide guides

• Choose Canvas menu > Guides > Show Guides or Hide Guides.

To create a guide

1. Show the rulers and the guides.
2. Click in a ruler at the position where you want to place the guide.

A guide appears in the document window and a triangular marker appears in the ruler.

To reposition a guide

Do one of the following:

• Drag the guide's marker to any point of the ruler.
• Double-click the guide's marker to display the Guide Options dialog box and enter a value in the Guide Position field.

To enable the Snap to Ruler Ticks option

• Choose Canvas menu > Rulers > Snap to Ruler Ticks.

To set a guide's color

1. Double-click the guide's marker.
2. In the Guide Options dialog box, click the Guide Color color chip and choose a color.

To change the color of all guides, enable the Same Color for All Guides option.

To lock or unlock a guide

1. Double-click the guide's marker to display the Guide Options dialog box.
2. Enable or disable the Lock Guide option.

To remove a guide

• Drag the guide's marker off the edge of the document window.

To remove all guides

1. Double-click the guide's marker to display the Guide Options dialog box.
2. Click the Delete All Guides button.

Setting the Snap to Guides Option

The Snap to Guides option enables selections and tool operations to "snap" to a guide within 6 pixels of the cursor (or edge).

The following operations respect Snap to Guides:

• Dragging with the Rectangular and Oval Selection tools.
• Dragging with the Crop tool .
• Drawing straight lines with the Brush tool .
• Clicks made with the Pen tool .
• Clicking with the Text tool to create a text entry point.
• Clicking and dragging with the Paint Bucket tool and Magnifier tool .
• Dragging shapes and selections. The edges of the content and the selection rectangle for the shapes and selections snap to the guides. The cursor-wherever it might be in the object-also snaps to the guide.
• Dragging the handles of reference layers, shapes, and selections to transform them.
• Dragging with the Selection Adjuster tool or Layer Adjuster tool .

To enable Snap to Guides

• Choose Canvas menu > Guides > Snap to Guides.

The option is enabled when the menu item has a check beside it.

Using the Grid

Corel Painter provides a grid to help you in laying down brush strokes or creating shapes. You can set the types, size, line thickness, color, and transparency of the grid. You can also print grid lines.

The Grid Options dialog box.

To activate the grid

Do one of the following:

• Choose Canvas menu > Grid > Show Grid.
• Click the Toggle Grid button on the right side of your image window.

Your image now has a non-printing grid.

To set grid options

1. Choose Canvas menu > Grid > Grid Options.
2. In the Grid Options dialog box, choose a grid type from the Grid Type pop-up menu.
3. Enter values for Horizontal Spacing (the distance between horizontal lines), Vertical Spacing (the distance between vertical lines), and Line Thickness.

The unit of measure can be in pixels, inches, centimeters, points, picas, columns (2" wide), or percent.

4. Click in the Grid Color color chip to set the color of the grid lines.
5. Click in the Background color chip to set the grid's background color.

To print grid lines

• Choose Effects menu > Esoterica > Grid Paper.

Setting the Snap to Grid Option

The Snap to Grid option enables certain tool operations to "snap" to a grid within 6 pixels of the cursor.

The following tools respect Snap to Grid:

• Pen tool
• Shape Selection tool
• Convert Point tool
• Text tool

To enable Snap to Grid

• Choose Canvas menu > Grid > Snap to Grid.

The option is enabled when the menu item has a check beside it.

Using the Perspective Grid

Corel Painter provides perspective grids as a guide to help you create three-dimensional images. Perspective grids are a non-printing array of lines that converge at a single vanishing point. In Corel Painter you can set the type, line color, and spacing of the perspective grid. You can modify the location of the vertical plane and horizon line by using the Perspective Grid Adjuster tool. Any perspective grid options that you create or modify can also be opened for use in another drawing.

Use perspective grid lines to help you create 3-D images.

To activate or hide the default perspective grid

• With an image open, choose Canvas menu > Perspective Grids > Show Grid or Hide Grid.

To create a new perspective grid

1. In the toolbox, click the Perspective Grid Adjuster tool .
2. On the property bar, click the Add Preset button beside the Presets pop-up menu.
3. In the Save Preset dialog box, enter a name in the Save As box.
4. Enable the check boxes corresponding to the grids you want to see.
5. Choose a color for the horizontal and vertical grid lines in the Color boxes.
6. Enter a value in the Spacing box.

• To reset the perspective grid defaults at any time, click the Reset Tool button on the property bar.

To open a perspective grid

1. In the toolbox, click the Perspective Grid Adjuster tool.
2. On the property bar, choose a grid from the Presets pop-up menu.

To remove a grid preset

1. In the toolbox, click the Perspective Grid Adjuster tool.
2. On the property bar, choose an option from the Grid Type pop-up menu.
3. Click the Delete Preset button.

The grid type disappears.

To adjust the perspective grid lines

1. Choose Canvas > Perspective Grids > Show Grid.
2. Click the Perspective Grid Adjuster tool in the toolbox.
3. To move the horizontal plane grid, hold the cursor over the nearest edge of the horizontal plane grid.

The cursor becomes a double-pointed arrow.

4. Drag to move the horizontal plane grid up or down.
5. To move the vertical plane grid, hold the cursor over the nearest edge of the vertical plane grid.

The cursor becomes a double-pointed arrow.

6. Drag to move the vertical plane grid left or right.

Drag-and-Drop Features

Dragging Between Documents

You can copy selections and layers between Corel Painter documents by dragging from one window to the other. When you drag a selection to a new document window, Corel Painter automatically turns the selection into a layer. When you drag a layer to a new document, the layer keeps its original properties.

Dragging Between Programs (Mac OS)

Corel Painter supports drag-and-drop functionality between applications on Mac OS. This can be a quick, convenient way to acquire or export imagery.

Raster imagery that you drag into a Corel Painter document window becomes a layer. You can drag a PICT file from the Finder to a Corel Painter document. The PICT image becomes a layer.You can also drag layers out of Corel Painter to another application or to the Finder; the exported imagery is in PICT format, supported by most applications. When you drag out one of these objects, it will automatically rasterize a shape or dynamic layer (at its current settings) to become a PICT.

• Though dragging and dropping between programs is not supported on the Windows platform, computers running on either Mac OS or Windows platforms support copying and pasting between Corel Painter and other programs.