Motion 5 - 2D Transform Tools

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2D Transform Tools

Before you transform a layer in the Canvas, make sure the pointer is set to the correct
tool. These tools can be selected from the toolbar. Selecting a 2D transform tool in the
toolbar activates a corresponding onscreen control in the Canvas; you modify layers by
manipulating the active onscreen control.

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There are eight 2D transform tools, available in a pop-up menu on the left side of the
toolbar:

Select/Transform: Scales, rotates, and repositions selected layers.

Anchor Point: Offsets the anchor point used for all layer transforms.

Drop Shadow: Manipulates layer drop shadows in the Canvas.

Distort: Stretches a layer into polygonal shapes.

Crop: Cuts off pixels from any of the layer’s four edges.

Edit Points: Manipulates control points on shapes, paths, and curves.

Transform Glyph: Transforms individual letters in a text layer. The Transform Glyph tool

is also a 3D tool, using the same transform controls as the 3D Transform tool.

Adjust Item: Moves onscreen controls such as gradients, center points of filters, emitter

attributes, and so on.

Note: Some of the tools are activated when specific layers are selected. For example, the
Edit Points tool is selected after you create a shape or mask layer, so you can immediately
adjust the Bezier or B-Spline control points.

To switch among tools
Do one of the following:

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Click the Select/Transform tool in the toolbar, then, while holding down the mouse button,
choose a tool from the pop-up menu.

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With a layer in the Canvas selected, press Tab. Pressing Tab repeatedly cycles through
the tools in order.

Note: When pressing Tab, the 3D Transform tool is activated between the 2D
Select/Transform tool and the Anchor Point tool. For more information about 3D transform
tools, see

3D Transform Tools

.

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Control-click any layer in the Canvas, then choose a tool from the shortcut menu.

The options in the shortcut menu vary depending on the type of layer selected. For
example, a shape contains shape-specific options such as Stroke, Edit Gradient, and Edit
Points. Those options do not apply to an image.

Note: Press Shift-Tab to cycle through the tools in reverse.