Download - Art Text User Manual - BeLightSoft.com
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Contents
IntroductionBriefDescriptionLicensingUpdatingtheProgramRemovingtheProgramTechnicalSupportUsefulWebResourcesEndUserLicenseAgreement
GettingStartedQuickStartGuideEffectGuideUsingTemplates
ProgramInterfaceTheMainWindowProgramSettingsTheContentPanelThe2DInspectorThe3DInspectorMenusKeyboardShortcuts
WorkingwithDocumentsCreating,OpeningandSavingDocumentsDocumentSettings
WorkingwithLayersIntroductiontoLayersandObjectsObjectSize,LocationandOrientationTheListofLayersMergingLayersSplittingTextintoLettersTheVectorShapeEditor
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2DToolsandEffectsIntroductionto2DEffectsTheTextEditorTheFillEffectApplyingTexturesApplyingMaterialsTheEditorofMaterialsApplyingStrokeTheShadowEffectTheGlowEffectTheInnerShadowEffectApplyingMasksTransformations
3DToolsandEffectsIntroductionto3DEffectsTheTextEditorApplyingMaterialsCreatingMaterialsTheShadowEffectTheDepthGradientEffectTheGlowEffectTheFocusEffectApplyingMasksTransformationsThe3DObjectSettingsParallelProjection
ExportingandPrintingExportingTransparentBackgroundPrinting
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BriefDescription
TheArtTextapplicationisdesignedforcreatinguniquetextualgraphicsbyapplyingeffectstotextandvectorshapes.YourworkcanbesavedinthenativeArtTextformatorincommongraphicfileformats.
ImagescreatedinArtTextcanbeusedinpublishingmaterials,onwebpages,orinotherapplications.
InArtText,youwillfind:
2Deffects(suchasshadow,glowandstroke)3Deffects(suchasadjustablecolor,shapeandlight)Transformations(geometricdeformationoftextorimages)Librariesoftextures,backgroundsandothergraphiccontent
Theprogramissuppliedwithwell-tunedtemplatesandpresetswhichcanserveasastartingpointforyourdesigns.
SystemRequirements
MacOSXv10.10orlater800MBofavailablediskspace
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Licensing
Youcanfindyourlicensecodeinthepurchaseconfirmationemail.
Toenterthelicensecode:
1. Opentheapplication.
2. BringuptheLicensedialogbychoosingArtText3>License…inthemenu.
3. Enteryournameandlicensecode.
Itisrecommendedthatyoukeepthee-mailcontainingyourlicensecodeinasafeplaceincaseyoure-installorupdatetheapplication.
TheunlicensedversionofArtTextisfullyoperational.Theonlylimitationisthatitaddsthe"Trial"textovertheresultingimage.Toeliminatethistext,enteralicensecode.
Toupgradefromthetrialtolicensedversionoftheprogram,youneedtopurchaseandenteralicensecode.SeedetailsonBeLight’swebsite:http://www.belightsoft.com/store/arttext.php
LicensingisnotneedediftheapplicationwaspurchasedontheMacAppStore.
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UpdatingtheProgram
Tocheckforupdatesmanually,chooseArtText3>CheckforUpdates…inthemenu.
Tocheckforupdatesautomatically,selectthecorrespondingcheckboxintheprogramPreferences(Cmd-,).
ToupdatetheapplicationpurchasedontheMacAppStore,usetheAppStoreapplication.
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RemovingtheProgram
Tocompletelyremovetheprogramandallofitscomponents,deletethefollowingfilesandfolders.
Programdownloadedfromthedeveloper'ssite:/Applications/ArtText3.app~/Library/Preferences/com.belightsoft.ArtText3.plist~/Library/ApplicationSupport/BeLightSoftware/ArtText3
ProgramdownloadedfromMacAppStore:/Applications/ArtText3.app~/Library/Containers/com.belightsoft.ArtText3
“~”meanstheuser'sHomefolder.
Notethatfoldersmarkedwithboldfontcanstoreuser's2Dand3Dmaterials,andcustomshapes.Don’tremovethesefoldersifyouaregoingtouseyourmaterialsorshapesinthefuture.
Toaccessanypathlistedabove,copyit.InFinder,chooseGo>GotoFolder(Cmd-Shift-G).Thenpastethepathintotheeditbox,andclicktheGobutton.
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TechnicalSupport
ThedeveloperofArtTextoffersfreetechnicalsupport.
ByE-mail:[email protected]
TechnicalsupportformonBeLight’swebsite:http://www.belightsoft.com/support/support.php
ForumonBeLight’swebsite:http://www.belightsoft.com/forum/
Whenreportingaproblem,pleasemakesuretospecify:
TheversionofArtTextyouareusing.TheversionofOSXinstalledonyourcomputer.Yourpreviousactionsthatcouldhaveledtotheproblem.Iftheproblempersists,describehowtoreproduceit.Whennecessary,illustrateyourreportwithscreenshots(pressCmd-Shift-3tosaveascreenshotonyourDesktop).
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UsefulWebResources
ArtTextHome–InformationaboutArtText,linkstotheDownload,LatestUpdate,Buy,andFAQsections.
BeLightSoftware–Checkitoutforupdates,newproductannouncements,andspecialoffers.
BeLightSoftwareSupport–Visitthislinkifyouhavequestionsaboutthesoftware.
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EndUserLicenseAgreement
THISLICENSINGAGREEMENT("AGREEMENT")ISALEGALAGREEMENTBETWEENYOU,EITHERANINDIVIDUALORASINGLEENTITY,ANDBELIGHTSOFTWARE("LICENSOR").IFYOUDONOTAGREETOEACHANDEVERYTERM,YOUARETOCLICK"DISAGREE"BUTTONANDNOTTOOPEN,USEORINSTALLTHESOFTWAREANDYOUMUSTDELETETHESOFTWAREFROMYOURCOMPUTERAND/ORANYOTHERDATASTORAGEDEVICE.
NOTE:MacAppStorecustomersshouldrefertothestandardAppStoreEULA.
1.GENERALThesoftwareanddocumentationaccompanyingthisLicensewhetherondisk,onanyothermedia(collectivelythe"Software")arelicensedtoyoubyBeLightSoftware("Licensor")foruseonlyunderthetermsofthisLicense,andLicensorreservesallrightsnotexpresslygrantedtoyou.Therightsgrantedhereindonotincludeanyotherpatentsorintellectualpropertyrights.
TitleandintellectualpropertyrightsinandtoanycontentdisplayedbyoraccessedthroughtheSoftwarebelongtotherespectivecontentowner.ThisLicensedoesnotgrantyouanyrightstousesuchcontent.
2.LICENSELicensorherebygrantstoYou,andYouaccept,anon-exclusivelicensetoinstallanduseSoftwareandDocumentation,onlyasauthorizedinthislicense.YouagreethatYouwillnotassign,sub-license,transfer,pledge,lease,rent,orshareYourrightsunderthislicense.Youmaynotreverseengineer,decompileordisassembletheLicensedSoftwareforanypurposewhatsoever.
3.TRANSFERYoumaynotdistributecopiesoftheSoftwaretoanythirdparty,normayyouuse,rent,loan,sub-license,orleasetheSoftwaretothirdparties.Youmay,however,transferallyourrightstousetheSoftwaretoanotherpersonorlegalentityprovidedthat:(a)YoualsotransferthisAgreement,theSoftwareandallothersoftwarebundledorpre-installedwiththeSoftware,includingallcopies,Updatesandpriorversions,tosuchpersonorentity;(b)Youretainnocopies,includingbackupsandcopiesstoredonacomputer;and(c)thereceivingpartyacceptsthetermsandconditionsofthisAgreementandanyothertermsandconditionsuponwhichYoulegallyobtainedlicensetotheSoftware.Notwithstandingtheforegoing,Youmaynottransferpre-releaseornotforresalecopiesoftheSoftware.
4.ILLEGALUSEYouarenottousetheSoftware,whetherdirectlyorindirectly,foranyillegalpurposeunderthelawsorordinancesofFederal,State,orlocalgovernments.ItisYoursoleresponsibilitytoknowandunderstandthelawsand/orordinancesthatgoverntheuseoftheSoftware.IntheeventthatYouviolateanyFederal,StateorlocallaworordinancebydirectorindirectuseoftheSoftware,Youshalltakefulllegalresponsibilityforsuchillegaluse.YoushallholdLicensorharmlessandwithoutfaultandotherwiseindemnifyLicensorforanydamage,costorliabilityincurredbyLicensorasaresultofanyuse,whetherornotsuchuseiswithinthescopeofthelicensesetforthherein.
5.UPDATESYoumaycontinuetousethepreviousversionoftheSoftwareonyourcomputerafterYoureceivetheUpdatetoassistYouinthetransitiontotheUpdate,providedthat:theUpdateandthepreviousversionareinstalledonthesamecomputer;thepreviousversionorcopiesthereofarenottransferredtoanotherpartyorcomputerunlessallcopiesoftheUpdatearealsotransferredtosuchpartyorcomputer;andYouacknowledgethatanyobligationBeLightSoftwaremayhavetosupportthepreviousversionoftheSoftwaremaybeendeduponavailabilityoftheUpdate.
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6.LICENSOR'SRIGHTSYouacknowledgeandagreethattheSoftwareandDocumentationconsistsofproprietary,publishedandunpublishedpropertyofLicensor.Youfurtheracknowledgeandagreethatallright,title,andinterestinandtotheSoftwareandDocumentationareandshallremainwithLicensor.ThislicenseconveystoYoutherighttoinstallandusetheSoftwareandDocumentationinaccordancewiththetermsofthislicense.AllrightsnotexpresslygrantedherearereservedbyBeLightSoftware.TheLicensorwillnottransmityourpersonalinformationtoanythirdpartywithoutyourexpressconsent.
7.TERMINATIONThislicenseiseffectiveuponYourinstallingthesoftwareonanymachine,andshallcontinueuntilterminated.YoumayterminatethisAgreementatanytime.TheLicensormayimmediatelyterminatethisLicenseAgreementifyoubreachanyrepresentation,warranty,agreementorobligationcontainedorreferredtointhisLicenseAgreement.Upontermination,youmustdisposeoftheSoftwareandallcopiesorversionsoftheSoftwarebydestroyingtheSoftware.
8.LIMITEDWARRANTYBeLightSoftwareprovidesathirty(30)daymoney-backguaranteeontheSoftware.If,duringthisperiod,youaredissatisfiedwiththeSoftwareforanyreason,BeLightSoftwarewillrefundyourmoneyifyoureturntheSoftwareandallcopiestotheplaceofpurchasewithinthirty(30)daysofthedateoftheoriginalpurchase.THEFOREGOINGISTHESOLEANDEXCLUSIVEWARRANTYOFFEREDBYBELIGHTSOFTWARE.BELIGHTSOFTWAREDISCLAIMSALLOTHERWARRANTIES,EXPRESSORIMPLIED,INCLUDINGBUTNOTLIMITEDTOTHEIMPLIEDWARRANTIESOFMERCHANTABILITYANDFITNESSFORAPARTICULARPURPOSE,WITHREGARDTOTHELICENSEDSOFTWAREANDALLACCOMPANYINGMATERIALS.BELIGHTSOFTWAREANDITSAGENTSDONOTANDCANNOTWARRANTTHEPERFORMANCEORRESULTSYOUMAYOBTAINBYUSINGTHESOFTWARE.
9.LIMITATIONOFLIABILITYINNOEVENTWILLBELIGHTSOFTWAREORITSAGENTSBELIABLETOYOUFORANYDAMAGES,CLAIMSORCOSTSWHATSOEVERORANYCONSEQUENTIAL,INDIRECT,INCIDENTALDAMAGES,ORANYLOSTPROFITSORLOSTSAVINGS.BELIGHTSOFTWARE'SAGGREGATELIABILITYANDTHATOFITSAGENTSUNDERORINCONNECTIONWITHTHISAGREEMENTSHALLBELIMITEDTOTHEAMOUNTPAIDFORTHESOFTWARE,IFANY.
10.FEESYoumayregisteryourcopyoftheSoftwarebypurchasingaLicenseCodeforthedownloadversionat:http://www.belightsoft.com/store/store.phpYoumaynotdistributetheLicenseCode.Byclicking"Agree",youacknowledgethatyouhavepaidtheLicensorallapplicablelicensefeesfortheSoftware.
11.SEVERABILITYShouldanytermofthislicensebedeclaredvoidorunenforceablebyanycourtofcompetentjurisdiction,suchdeclarationshallhavenoeffectontheremainingtermshereof.
12.GENERALPROVISIONSThisLicenseAgreementispersonalbetweenYouandBeLightSoftware.ItisnottransferableandanyattemptbyYoutorent,lease,sublicense,assignortransferanyoftherights,dutiesorobligationshereunder.YOUACKNOWLEDGETHATYOUHAVEREADTHISAGREEMENT,UNDERSTANDITANDAGREETOBEBOUNDBYITSTERMSANDCONDITIONS.YOUFURTHERAGREETHATITISTHECOMPLETEANDEXCLUSIVESTATEMENTOFTHEAGREEMENTBETWEENYOUANDBELIGHTSOFTWAREWHICHSUPERSEDESANYPROPOSALORPRIORAGREEMENT,ORALORWRITTEN,ANDANYOTHERCOMMUNICATIONSBETWEENYOUANDBELIGHTSOFTWAREORBELIGHTSOFTWARE'SAGENT(S)RELATINGTOTHELICENSEDSOFTWARE.
IfyouhaveanyquestionsregardingthisAgreementorifyouwishtorequestanyinformationfromBeLightSoftware,pleaseusetheaddressandcontactinformationincludedwiththisproducttocontact
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BeLightSoftware.
©2018BeLightSoftware,Ltd.AllRightsReserved.BeLightSoftwareandArtTextaretrademarksofBeLightSoftware,Ltd.Mac,theMaclogo,MacOSX,iPhoto,Photos,andMacintosharetrademarksofAppleComputer,Inc.Allothertrademarks,registeredtrademarks,productand/orbrandnamesarethesolepropertyoftheirrespectiveowners.
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Quick Start Guide
This guide will give you an idea of how you can create a new design in Art Text. There aremany possible ways to do that. Here, we are going to learn a simple method. Although theguide comprises a sequence of steps, you can change their order, skip some of them, oradd new ones.
For a better understanding of the location and names of the program controls, it isrecommended that you look through The Main Window section beforehand. An imagebelow shows the most important parts of the main window.
1 – Libraries of templates, backgrounds, icons and shapes.
2 – The list of layers.
3 – The canvas.
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4 – The Inspector.
5 – Sets of tools. To expand a set of tools, click on its title. Some tools have an On/Offswitch or a choice of presets next to the title.
6 – Add a new 2D or 3D object.
7 – The Document Size button opens settings such as the size and measurement units.
8 – The zoom tool.
9 – Export to the Clipboard or file.
To learn the program, you may find it useful to open a finished design and try to modify itor explore what kind of objects it is made of. To browse sample designs, choose Window> Art Text Welcome Window from the menu. Then click on the Sample Browser button.
Step 1: Opening a new document
To open a new Art Text document, choose File > New. New documents have a text objectby default. You can either replace it with your own, or delete it in order to begin with ablank document. To do this, open the layer list in the Content panel, and click the minusbutton.
For quick start, you can open a template from the library and then modify it.
Step 2: Setting up the document size
The document size defines the image dimensions when you export your design to agraphic file. To set up the document size, click the Document Size button below thecanvas. In the Document Size dialog, you can also select the measurement units.
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You can change the document size later at any time.
Step 3: Adding text and images
To create a design based on a template, open the leftmost tab in the Content panel andselect one of categories. Then drag and drop a template you like to your document.
To add text with the default style, click the plus button in the bottom left corner of thecanvas and choose either 2D or 3D Text.
In order to add images, open a collection of backgrounds in the Content panel:
or a library of shapes and icons:
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Finally, drag one you like to your design.
Both text and images can be also called in the program "objects" and "layers" dependingon the context.
Step 4: Moving and resizing objects
To move an object (text or image), just drag it with the mouse on the canvas.
In order to change the object size, select the object and move a handle on the object'sboundary.
Step 5: Editing text
To edit text, select it on the canvas. Then click on the Text title in the Inspector to open thetext editor. Modify your text in the text editing box.
Step 6: Applying effects
Applying effects is what Art Text documentation is all about, so we will not discuss anyparticular effect in this guide. Most of the effects and tools are grouped in the Inspector assections. To open a section, just click on its title.
Note that 2D and 3D objects (you had to choose either 2D or 3D type in Step 3) let you useonly those effects which are compatible with the object type.
The Effect Guide lists the effects available in Art Text.
Step 7: Organizing layers in your document
When referring to layers, we mean that any object can appear on the canvas above orbelow other objects. All layers of your document are listed in the Content panel. A layer at
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the top corresponds to an object which is in front of others. To change this order, just draga layer to a new position. In order to create a background, add an image and make sure itis at the bottom of the list.
Apart from the possibility of rearranging layers, the layer list lets you add and delete layersusing the plus and minus buttons correspondingly.
Step 8: Saving your document
To save your document, choose File > Save from the menu.
Step 9: Exporting the final image
To export your design to a graphic file, click the Export button in the bottom right corner ofthe canvas. Then, choose either Clipboard or File.
The resolution for the Clipboard can be set in the Preferences dialog.
When you export to a file, you can choose the graphic format, resolution, and type a filename in the Export dialog.
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EffectGuide
Inthisguide,youcanfindoutthetypesofgraphiceffectsthatareavailableinArtText.
Notethat2Dand3Dobjectshaveindividualsetsofeffects.Usually,youcanapplyseveraleffectstothesameobject,buttheymustbelongtothesame2Dor3Dgroup.
2DEffects
Effect SampleImage RelatedTopic
ColorFill TheFillEffect
GradientFill TheFillEffect
Texture ApplyingTextures
Shading ApplyingMaterials
Stroke TheStrokeEffect
Shadow TheShadowEffect
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Glow TheGlowEffect
InnerShadow TheInnerShadowEffect
Mask TheMaskEffect
Transformation Transformations
3DEffects
Effect SampleImage RelatedTopic
Material ApplyingMaterials
Shadow TheShadowEffect
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Glow TheGlowEffect
Focus TheFocusEffect
Mask TheMaskEffect
Transformation Transformations
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UsingTemplates
ArtTextprovidesalibraryoftemplateslocatedintheContentpanel.Atemplatecanbeapieceoftextwithappliedeffects,orasimpledesign.
Touseatemplate,dragittoyourdesign.Thenedittextoradjusteffects,ifnecessary.
Templatesaregroupedintoseveralcategories.Youcanchooseacategoryfromthedrop-downlistatthetopofthepanel.
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TheMainWindow
1–Librariesoficons,backgroundsandtemplates.
Relatedsubtopics:TheContentPanel
2–Listoflayers.Hereyoucanaccessalloftheobjectsinyourdocumentbytheirnamesorthumbnails.
Relatedsubtopics:TheListofLayers
3–Canvas.Thisistheareawhereyoupreviewandworkwiththedesign.
4–Inspector.Dependingontheselectedobjecttype,theInspectorshowseither2Dor3Dtoolsandeffects.
Relatedsubtopics:The2DInspectorThe3DInspector
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5–Toolsaregroupedintosections.Onlyonesectioncanbeopenatatime.Todisplayhiddentools,clickonthetitleofthecorrespondingsection.Thetitlebarofsomesectionshasaswitchtoactivateordeactivatetheeffect,oradrop-downmenuwithpresets.
6–Addanew2Dor3Dobject,orabackground.
7–TheDocumentSizebuttonopenssettingssuchasthesizeandmeasurementunits.
Relatedsubtopics:DocumentSettings
8–Thezoomtool.
9–ExporttotheClipboardorfile.
Relatedsubtopics:Exporting
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ProgramSettings
Toopenprogramsettings,usetheArtText3>Preferencesmenu.
1–OpentheWelcomeWindowwhentheprogramstarts.Thiswindowgivesyouaccesstosampledocumentsandtoonlineresourcesrelatedtotheprogram.
2–Resolutionofimagesexportedtotheclipboard.Itisimportantwhenyoucopythefinalimagetoanotherapplication.
3–Automaticallyalignanobjecttootherobjectswhenyoumoveorresizeit.
4–Chooseeitherasolidcolorforthedocumentbackgroundorthechessboard.Theselectedtypeofthebackgroundappearsonlyonthecanvasandwillnotbeexported.
5–Changetheappearanceofthecanvasaroundthedocument.
6–Specifieswhethertheprogramautomaticallychecksforupdates.Tocheckforupdatesmanually,chooseArtText3>CheckforUpdates…UsersoftheMacAppStoreversionoftheprogramshoulduseAppStore.apptocheckforupdates.
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TheContentPanel
TheContentpanelislocatedtotheleftofthecanvas.ItconsistsofthreelibrariesdescribedbelowandtheListofLayers.
ToshoworhidetheContentpanel,usetheView>ContentPanelmenu.
Toaddanyitemfromthelibrarytoyourdesign,dragitanddropitontothecanvas.
TemplateLibrary
TheTemplateslibraryincludes2Dand3Dpredesignedtemplates.HowtousetemplatesisdescribedinUsingTemplates.
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BackgroundsandLightEffects
ImagesfromtheBackgroundssectionareintendedtobeusedasabackgroundinyourdesign.
Whenyouaddabackgroundtoyourdocument,theprogramautomaticallyplacesitbehindotherobjects,andfitstheimagetothedocumentdimensions.Ifyouwishtoplaceanaddedimageaboveorbelowaparticularobject,changethelayerorderinTheListofLayers.Tomakethebackgroundimagetiled,choosethisoptionintheTexturesectionoftheFillsetoftools.
Toaddabackgroundfromthelibrary,youcaneitherclickontheimagepreviewordragtheimagetothedocument.Ifyouhavealreadyaddedabackgroundtoyourdesign,clickingonanewonewillreplacetheoldbackground.Draganddroppingalwaysaddsonemoreimagetoyourdesign.
ImagesfromtheLightEffectssectioncanbeusedtoenhancethe3Dandilluminationeffectsinyourdesign.Theseimagesareintendedtobeusedwithdarkbackgrounds.
Onemorecategoryinthedrop-downlistisPhotos.Thisisnotapartofthelibrary,butaquickwaytoaccesspicturesinyourphotolibrary.
SmartShapesandIcons
SmartShapesandiconsarevectorimages.Therefore,youcanresizethemwithoutthelossofquality.Youcanalsoedittheminthevectoreditorwhichopensupbydouble-clickingonavectorimageonthecanvas.
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Thedrop-downlistatthetopletsyouchooseoneofthestandardcategoriesaswellastheCustomFolderoption.Thelatterallowsyoutoaccessyourownimageslocatedontheharddisk.
YoucanstoremodifiedornewvectorobjectsintheCustomShapescategory.Toaddanobjecttothelibrary,selectitonthecanvasandclicktheplusbuttonintheContentpanel.Todeleteacustomobjectfromthelibrary,selectitonthepanelandclicktheminusbutton.
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The2DInspector
The2DInspectorgathersalltoolsandeffectsthatarespecificfor2Dobjects.TheInspectorswitchesto2Dtoolsautomaticallyassoonasyouselecta2Dobject.
Thetoolsaregroupedintosections.Toopenasection,clickonitstitle.
Somesectionshaveaswitchinthetitlebarallowingyoutoactivateordeactivatetheeffectwithoutneedtoopenthesection.
Text
TheTextsectioncontainsatexteditorandformattingtools.Thissectionisavailableonlyifaselectedobjectistext.
Moredetails:TheTextEditor
Fill
TheFillsectionincludesthreedifferenttools.Here,youcanchoosetofillanobjectwithaplaincolororgradient.Asecondoptionistoapplyatexturetoanobject.Thelastoptionletsyouapplyashadingmaterialtoanobjectgivingita3Dlook.
Moredetails:TheFillEffectApplyingTextures
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ApplyingMaterials
Stroke
Inthissection,youcanaddstrokesandcontroltheirproperties.
Moredetails:ApplyingStroke
Effects
TheEffectssectioncontainsthreeindependenttools.Here,youcanactivateandsetuptheShadowandGloweffects.Youcanalsochangetheobject'sopacityandactivateoneoftheblendmodes.
Moredetails:TheShadowEffectTheGlowEffect
Mask
TheMasksectionletsyouapplymaskstoobjects.
Moredetails:ApplyingMasks
Geometry
IntheGeometrysection,youcanfindtoolstosetuptheobject'sdimensionsandangle.Therearealsotoolstoapplygeometrictransformationstoobjects.
SomeSmartShapeshaveoneortwoparametersintheSmartShapessection.Theseparametersletyouchangetheshapeoftheimagesuchaschangingthenumberofsides.
Moredetails:ObjectSize,LocationandOrientationTransformations
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The3DInspector
The3DInspectorgathersalltoolsandeffectsspecificfor3Dobjects.TheInspectorswitchesto3Dtoolsautomaticallyassoonasyouselecta3Dobject.
Thetoolsaregroupedintosections.Toopenasection,clickonitstitle.
Text
TheTextsectioncontainsatexteditorandformattingtools.Thissectionisavailableonlyifaselectedobjectistext.
Moredetails:TheTextEditor
Material
TheMaterialsectionletsyouapplymaterialsto3Dobjects.Youcantweakthematerialproperties,oryoucanchooseapredesignedmaterialfromthelibrary.Toopenthelibraryofpredesignedmaterials,clickonPresetnearthesectiontitle.
Moredetails:ApplyingMaterialsCreatingMaterials
Effects
IntheEffectssection,youcanfindtoolstocreatetheshadow,glowandfocuseffects.Youcanalsochangetheobject'sopacityandactivateoneoftheblendmodes.
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Moredetails:TheShadowEffectTheGlowEffectTheFocusEffect
Geometry
TheGeometrysectionincludesvarioustoolstosetuptheobject'ssizeandpositioninthedesign.Therearealsotoolstocontrolthe3Deffectandtoapply3Dtransformations.
Moredetails:3DEffectSettings
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Menus
ArtText3FileEditViewLayersFormatWindowHelp
The"ArtText"Menu
AboutArtText Displaythedialogwithinformationabouttheprogram.
License… Opentheregistrationdialogbox.(NotavailableintheapplicationpurchasedontheMacAppStore.)
CheckforUpdates…
CheckforthelatestupdateontheInternet.(NotavailableintheapplicationpurchasedontheMacAppStore.)
Preferences…(Cmd-",") Bringuptheprogrampreferencesdialog.
QuitArtText(Cmd-Q) Quittheapplication.
The"File"Menu
New(Cmd-N) Createanewdocument.
Open…(Cmd-O) Openadocument.
OpenRecent> Openoneoftherecentlyediteddocuments.
Close(Cmd-W) Closetheopendocumentwindow.
Save…(Cmd-S) Savethecurrentdocument.
Duplicate(Cmd-Shift-S) Createacopyofthecurrentdocument.
Rename… Renamethecurrentdocument.
MoveTo… Movethecurrentdocumenttoanotherlocation.
RevertTo Cancelallofthechangesinthecurrentdocumentthatweremadeafterthelastsave.
Export…(Cmd-E) Exportthecurrentdocumenttoagraphicfile.
PageSetup…(Cmd-Shift-P)
OpenthestandardPageSetupdialogforchangingthesize,orientationandotherparametersofthepage.
Print…(Cmd-P) BringupthestandardPrintdialog.
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The"Edit"Menu
Undo(Cmd-Z) Reversethelastoperationthatyouperformed.
Redo(Cmd-Shift-Z) ReversethelastUndooperation.
Cut(Cmd-X) Cutselectedtext(inthetexteditoronly)totheClipboard.
Copy(Cmd-C) Copyselectedlayer(s)totheClipboard.
Paste(Cmd-V) PastethecontentoftheClipboardtothedocument.
Duplicate(Cmd-D) Duplicatetheselectedlayer(s).
Delete(Backspace) Deletetheselectedlayer(s).
SelectAll(Cmd-A)
Selectalllayersifthemainwindowisactivated.Selectalltextinthetexteditorwhentexteditingisactivated.
DocumentSize…(Cmd-Y) OpentheDocumentSizedialogbox.
StartDictation…(fnfn) Dictateyourtext.
Emoji&Symbols(Cmd-Ctrl-Space) OpentheEmoji&Symbolspanel.
The"View"Menu
ZoomIn(Cmd-=) Zoominthecurrentview.
ZoomOut(Cmd-"-") Zoomoutthecurrentview.
ZoomtoFit Zoomthecurrentviewtofitthewindow.
ActualSize(Cmd-0) Displaytheactualdocumentsize.
ContentPanel>Show/Hide ShoworhidetheContentpanel.
ContentPanel>Templates OpentheTemplateslibrary.
ContentPanel>Images Openthelibraryofbackgroundsandlighteffects.
ContentPanel>Shapes OpenthelibraryofSmartShapes,iconsandvectorimages.
ContentPanel>Layers Openthelistoflayers.
Show/HideInspector ShoworhidetheInspector.
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EnterFullScreen/ExitFullScreen(Cmd-Shift-F)
Activateordeactivatethefullscreenmode.
The"Layers"Menu
Add2DLayer(Cmd-Shift-L) Addanewlayerwitha2Dobjectatthetopoftheotherlayers.
Add3DLayer(Cmd-L) Addanewlayerwitha3Dobjectatthetopoftheotherlayers.
AddBackground Addabackgroundimagebehindtheotherlayers.
RemoveLayer Deletetheselectedlayer(s).
Union MergelayersusingtheUnionoperation.
Subtract MergelayersusingtheSubtractoperation.
Intersect MergelayersusingtheIntersectoperation.
Exclude MergelayersusingtheExcludeoperation.
SplitintoLetters(Cmd-Ctrl-Alt-T) Puteachcharacteroftheselectedtextlayerintoaseparatelayer.
Edit Openaselectedimageinthevectoreditor,oropentextinthetexteditor.
SelectNextLayer(Alt-]) Selectthenextlayerinfrontofthecurrentone.
SelectPreviousLayer(Alt-[) Selectthenextlayerbehindthecurrentone.
BringForward(Cmd-])BringtoFront(Cmd-Shift-])SendBackward(Cmd-[)SendtoBack(Cmd-Shift-[)
Movetheselectedobjectinfrontoforbehindotherobjects.
Convertto2D/3D Converttheselectedobjecttothe2Dor3Dtype.
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The"Format"Menu
Font>Show/HideFonts(Cmd-T) OpenorclosetheFontspanel.
Font>Bold(Cmd-B)Font>Italic(Cmd-I)
Modifythepropertiesoftheselectedtext.
Font>BiggerFont>Smaller Increase/decreasethesizeoftheselectedtext.
Font>KernFont>LigatureFont>Baseline
Modifythepropertiesoftheselectedtext.
Text>AlignLeft(Cmd-{)Text>Center(Cmd-|)Text>AlignRight(Cmd-})Text>Justify
Aligntexttotheleft,right,centerorjustifyit.
MovetoCenter(Horizontally)(Cmd-Shift-H)
Centertheselectedobject.MovetoCenter(Vertically)(Cmd-Shift-V)
FittoDocument Fittheselectedobjecttothedocumentsizeconstrainingproportions.
ResizetoDocument Fittheselectedobjecttothedocumentsizewithoutconstrainingproportions.
Show/HideColors(Cmd-Shift-C) DisplaytheColorspanel.
The"Window"Menu
Minimize(Cmd-M) Minimizethecurrentlyactivewindow.
Zoom Fittheprogramwindowtothescreensize.
ArtTextWelcomeWindow
ShoworhidetheWelcomeWindowwhichgivesyouaccesstoonlineresourcesandsampledesigns.
SampleBrowser Showthelibraryofsampledesigns.
BringAlltoFront ShowwindowsofArtTextinfrontofothers.
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The"Help"Menu
ArtTextHelp OpenHelpdocumentationdeliveredwiththeapplication.
TechnicalSupport… Opentheonlinesupportform.
SendFeedback… Allowsyoutosendfeedbacktothedevelopersbyemail.
OnlineRegistration… Opentheonlineregistrationform.
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KeyboardShortcuts
DocumentsWindowsandPanelsLayersandObjectsTextEditingandFormattingVectorEditor
Documents
Cmd-S Savethecurrentdocument.
Cmd-Shift-S Createacopyofthecurrentdocument.
Cmd-O Openadocument.
Cmd-N Createanewdocument.
Cmd-E Exportthecurrentdocumenttoagraphicfile.
Cmd-W Closetheactivedocumentwindow.
Cmd-Q Exittheapplication.
Cmd-Z Reversethelastoperationyouperformed.
Cmd-Shift-Z ReversethelastUndooperation.
Cmd-= Zoominthecurrentview.
Cmd-“-” Zoomoutthecurrentview.
Cmd-0 Displaytheactualdocumentsize.
Cmd-Y OpentheDocumentSizedialogbox.
WindowsandPanels
Cmd-“,” BringupthePreferencesdialog.
Cmd-Shift-C DisplaytheColorspane.
Cmd-M Minimizethecurrentlyactivewindow.
Cmd-Shift-F Activateordeactivatethefullscreenmode.
Cmd-Shift-P OpenthestandardPageSetupdialogforchangingthesize,orientationandotherparametersofthepage.
Cmd-P BringupthestandardPrintdialog.
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LayersandObjects
Cmd-Shift-L Addanew2Dlayertothetopoflayerstack.
Cmd-L Addanew3Dlayertothetopoflayerstack.
Backspace Deletetheselectedlayer.
Cmd-C Copyselectedlayer(s)intotheClipboard.
Cmd-V PastethecontentoftheClipboardintoanewlayer.
Cmd-X Cutselectedlayer(s).
Cmd-A Selectalllayers.
Cmd-D Duplicatethecurrentlayer.
Cmd-Shift-H Centertheselectedobjecthorizontally.
Cmd-Shift-V Centertheselectedobjectvertically.
Cmdwhilemovinganobject
Disablethesnapfunction.
Alt-] Selectthenextlayerinfrontofthecurrentone.
Alt-[ Selectthenextlayerbehindthecurrentone.
Cmd-] BringForward.
Cmd-Shift-] BringtoFront.
Cmd-[ SendBackward.
Cmd-Shift-[ SendtoBack.
Cmd-Ctrl-Alt-T Puteachcharacteroftheselectedtextlayerintoaseparatelayer.
TextEditingandFormatting
Cmd-V PastetextfromtheClipboardintotheeditbox.
Cmd-A SelectalltextinthetexteditoroftheLayerContentwindow.
Cmd-{ Alignleft.
Cmd-| Centertext.
Cmd-} Alignright.
Cmd-T DisplaytheFontpanel.
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Cmd-B Maketextbold.
Cmd-I Turntexttoitalic.
fnfn Dictateyourtext.
Cmd-Ctrl-Space OpentheEmoji&Symbolspanel.
VectorEditor
Alt-L ActivatetheStraightSegmenttool.
Alt-C ActivatetheCurvedSegmenttool.
Alt-R ActivatetheRectangletool.
Alt-O ActivatetheEllipsetool.
Alt-+ Addapoint.
Backspace Removeapoint.
Alt-Space Removeall.
Cmd-A Selectall.
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Creating,OpeningandSavingDocuments
Tocreateanewdocument,chooseFile>Newfromthemenu.
Toopenanexistingdocument,selectFile>Openandnavigatetoyourdocument.Ordouble-clickonthisdocumentinFinder.
Tosaveadocument,chooseFile>Saveinthemenu.
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DocumentSettings
Tobringupthedocumentsettings,chooseEdit>DocumentSize…fromthemainwindow.
1–Measurementunitsaffectthewholeapplication.
2–Maintainaspectratio.
3–TheSetSizebuttonchangesthedocumentsizesothatallvisibleobjectsfitthedocument.Theamountofblankspacealongthedocumentbordercanbesetbychangingmargins.Ifanyobjectoritspartappearsoutsideoftheimagearea,thisobjectwillbetrimmedatexport.TheSetSizebuttonisusedtofixthis.
4–Documentsize.
5–ByactivatingAutomaticallyresizeobjects,youallowtheprogramresizethedesignwhenyouchangethedocumentsize.Theaspectratioofthedesignwillbeconstrained.
6–Alistofpreviousdocumentsizes.
Asthedefaultsizefornewdocuments,theprogramusesthelastappliedwidthandheight.
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IntroductiontoLayersandObjects
Anydesignonthecanvasconsistsofobjectssuchasimages,icons,textandsoon.Everyobjectislocatedonitsownlayersincetheprogramallowsonlyoneobjectperlayer.Sotheobjectandlayertermsaremostlyequivalentinthisdocumentation.Addingorremovinganobjectautomaticallymeansaddingorremovingalayer.
Wewillsay"object"whenitisgoingaboutapplyingeffects.The"layer"termwillbeusedtodescribehowobjectsinteractwitheachother.
ThereisalistoflayersintheContentpanelwhereyoucanselectlayers,changetheirorderandperformsomeotheractions.
GraphicandtextualobjectsinArtTextcanbeoneoftwotypes:2Dand3D.Theyhavedifferentsetsofproperties,andconsequently,therearetoolswhichworkwithonlyoneofthesetypes.Intheobject'scontextmenu,youcanchoosetoconvertfromonetypetoanother.Thiswillenablethetoolsandsettingsofthenewtype,buttheobjectwilllosetheeffectsthatyouhavealreadyapplied.
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ObjectSize,LocationandOrientation
Toresizeorrotateanobject,youcanuseitshandlesonthecanvas.Justdragoneofthemtowardsthedirectioninwhichtheobjectshouldincreaseorrotate.Thehandlesaredisplayedwhentheobjectisselected.
Tosettheobjectdimensions,coordinatesorrotationangleprecisely,usetheGeometrysectionintheInspector.Thesizeandlocationaremeasuredinpixels.2Dand3Dobjectshaveidenticalsettings.
ObjectSize
Toresizeanobject,selectitonthecanvasanddragitscornerorsidehandle.Makesurethatthecursorhasturnedintoatwo-sidedstraightarrow.Toresizewithoutpreservingtheaspectratio,dragacornerhandleholdingdowntheCmdkey,ordragasidehandle.
Theprogramalsoletsyousetuptheobjectsizeinrelationtothedocumentsize.
TheFormat>FittoDocumentmenucommandresizesanobjectproportionallysothatitsbiggersizefitsthedocument.
TheFormat>ResizetoDocumentmenucommandworkswithoutconstrainingtheproportion.
ObjectLocation
Tomoveanobjecttoanotherlocation,dragitwiththemouse.
Whileyouaremovinganobjectaround,guidelinescanappearshowingthattheobjecthasbeenalignedtoanotherobjectortothecenterofthedocument.Theobjectyoumovesnapstothesepositions.YoucanturnthisfeatureonandoffintheprogramPreferences.Fortemporarilydisablingthesnapfunction,holdtheCmdkeydownwhileyouaremovinganobject.
Tomoveaselectedobjectthatlaysbehindothers,pressandholdtheAltkeybeforeyoustartmovingtheobject.Thiswillpreventtheoccasionalselectionofanotherobject.
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ObjectOrientation
Torotateanobject,movethemousecursoraroundanycornerhandleuntilitturnsintoaroundedarrow.Then,dragthehandletothedesireddirection.Toinputanumericvaluefortherotationangle,usetheGeometrysectionintheInspector.
Torotatea3Dobjectinalldimensions,usetherotationtoollocatedatthebottomoftheobjectinacircle.
YoucanalsocenteranobjectinthedocumentbychoosingoneoftheMovetoCentercommandsfromtheFormatmenu.
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TheListofLayers
ThelistoflayersislocatedintheContentpanel.Itallowsyoutoaccesslayersdisregardingtheirvisibilityonthecanvas.Alsoyoucanchangetheorderoflayers,andcontrolsomeoftheirproperties.TheotherpropertiessuchastheOpacityorBlendModecanbefoundintheInspector.
1–Displayorhidethelayercontent.
2–Addorremovelayers.
3–Booleanoperations:Union,Subtract,IntersectandJoin.Fordetails,seeMergingLayers.
4–Thelayername.
5–Lockorunlockalayer.Lockinglayerspreventsthemfrommovementandmodification.
6–Displaythelayernamesorthumbnails.
Youcanadjusttheparametersofseverallayerssimultaneously.Todothis,selecttheselayersmakingsurethattheyareofthesametype(either2Dor3D).Thenapplythedesiredeffectandsetupitsparameters.Toselectseverallayers,clickontheirnamesholdingdowntheCmdorShiftkey.
RenamingLayers
Tochangethelayername,double-clickonitinthelist.
ChangingtheLayerOrder
Theorderoflayernamesinthelistreflectsthelayerstackingorderinthedesign.Thelayerlocatedatthetopofthelistisatoptheothersonthecanvas.Thelayeratthebottomofthelistisbehindalloftheotherlayers.
Tochangethestackingorder,dragalayertoanewpositioninthelist.
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AddingandRemovingLayers
Clickthe"plus"buttontoaddanewlayer.
Tocreateacopyofaselectedlayer,chooseEdit>Duplicatecommandfromthemainmenu.
Clickthe"minus"buttontoremovetheselectedlayer.
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MergingLayers
YoucanapplyBooleanoperationstotwoormorelayersinordertocreateanewcombinedshape.Youcanfindoutwhateachoperationdoesbelow.
1–Union
2–Subtract
3–Intersect
4–Exclude
Tomergelayers,selecttwoormoreofthemandchooseoneofthelayermergingtools.
Theconfigurationofanewshapedependsonthesizeandlocationoftheoverlappingareas,butitdoesn'tdependoncolororgradientfill,texture,shadoworothereffectsappliedtotheoriginalobjects.Iftheoriginalobjectsareinavectorformat,vectorpathsintheseobjectswillbeused.Incaseofarasterimage,theprogramwilluseitsrectangularoutlineasthepath.Thealphachannel(transparency)willbeignoredaswell.
Thenewshapeautomaticallytakespropertiesandeffectswhichwereappliedtothelowestoftheoriginallayers.Afterthecreationofthenewlayer,theoriginaloneswillberemoved.Consequently:
Thereisnoreasontoapplyeffectstoupperlayersyouaregoingtomerge.Ifyouwishtokeeptheoriginallayersinyourdesignintact,createcopiesofthem.
Union
Theresultinglayershapeissumofmergedlayersshapes.
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Originallayers:
Resultinglayer:
Subtract
Theshapeoftheobjectonthelowestlayeristhebasisforanewshape.Theotherobjectsdeterminethearea(s)thatwillbecutoff.Theresultisapartofthelowestobjectthatisnotoverlaidbyother(s).Iftheobjectsdon'toverlay,theresultlookslikethelowestobject.
Originallayers:
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Resultinglayer:
Intersect
Theresultisthearea(s)wherealloftheselectedlayersoverlap.Iftherearenosuchareas,theprogramdoesn'tmodifythedocument.
Originallayers:
Resultinglayer:
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Exclude
Iftheobjectsoverlay,theoverlappingareabecomesexcluded(transparent).Withoutoverlaying,theresultissimilartotheunionoperation.
Originallayers:
Resultinglayer:
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SplittingTextintoLetters
Yourdesignideamayrequireapplyingdifferenteffectstodifferentpartsoftext.Sinceeffectscanchangeonlythewholetext,youhavetoputpiecesoftextontoseparatelayerstomodifythemindifferentways.
Theprogramcanhelpyoucreatemultiplelayersoutofasingletextpreservingthepositionoftheletters.Eachletterwillbeplacedonaseparatelayer.Tousethisfeature,selectLayers>SplitintoLettersinthemenu.
Notethatyoucannotmergetheresultinglayersbacktocreateonetextlayer(exceptusingtheEdit>Undocommand).Tojoinlettersintoasingleobject,youcanusetheLayers>Unioncommand,butthecreatedobjectwillbenottextbutanimage.
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TheVectorShapeEditor
Thebuilt-ineditorofvectorshapesletsyoumodifyiconsandshapesprovidedinthecontentlibraryandcreatenewvectorimages.
Toopenthevectoreditor,double-clickonashapeoricononthecanvas.Inthisway,youcanopenanobjectintheeditorandmodifyit.Thevectoreditoralsoopensupwhenyoucreateacustomshape.
Tocreateacustomshape,opentheShapessectionintheContentpanelandselectCustomShapes…inthedrop-downmenu.Thenclicktheplusbuttonatthebottomofthepanel.
ToaddashapefromcanvastotheCustomShapeslibrary,selectthisshapeandclicktheplusbuttonbelowthelistofcustomshapes.Thevectoreditorwillopen.Thenyoucanmodifytheshape,orclickOKrightawaytoaddtheshapewithnochanges.
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Toolsinthevectoreditor:
1–Theselectiontoolisusedtoselectormovepoints.
2–Thestraightsegmenttool(Opt-L).
3–Thecurvedsegmenttool(Opt-C).
4–Therectangletool(Opt-R).
5–Theellipsetool(Opt-O).
6–Addananchorpoint.
7–Deleteananchorpoint.
8–Changetheanchorpointtype.
9–Clearthecanvas(Opt-Space).
10–Showorhidethegrid.
PointsandPaths
Avectorshapecomprisesanchorpointsandlinesthatconnectthem.Anchorpointsmarkthebeginningandendofeachline(orsegment).Byaddingonelineafteranother,youcreateapath.Thepathmustbeclosed.Thismeansthatitbeginsandendsatthesamepoint.
Anchorpointscanbeoftwotypes:cornerpointandsmoothpoint.Whenyouchangethetypeofapoint,adjoininglinesmaychangefromcurvedtostraightandviceversa.
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1–Cornerpoint.Atacornerpoint,apathabruptlychangesitsdirection.Acornerpointmayjoineitherstraightorcurvedlinesinanycombination.Acornerpointwithtwostraightlinesdoesn'thavethedirectionlines.
2–Straightsegment.
3–Smoothpoint.Atasmoothpoint,apathcontinuesfollowingthesamedirection.Asmoothpointjoinsonlytwocurvedsegments.
4–Directionline.
5–Directionpoint.Itisahandleontheendofadirectionline.Movingadirectionpoint,youcanchangethelengthandangleofthecorrespondingdirectionline.
6–Curvedsegment.
7–Cornerpoint.
Thedirectionofacurvedpathinasmoothanchorpointcoincideswiththedirectionofthedirectionline.Leavingtheanchorpoint,thepathbranchesofffromthedirectionline.Thelongerthedirectionlineis,thelongerthepaththatpassesnearit.
Bydefault,thedirectionlinesofthesamesmoothpointrotatetogetherpreservinga180degreeanglebetweenthem.Bychangingthisangle,youcancreateacornerpointfromasmoothpoint.Todothis,dragoneofthedirectionpointsholdingdowntheShiftkey.Tomaketwodirectionlinesrotatetogetheragain,restorea180degreeanglebetweenthem.
DrawingaShape
Selectthestraightsegment orcurvedsegment tool.Clickonthecanvastoaddasmany
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anchorpointsasyouneed.Makethelastclickonthefirstpointofthepathtomakeitclosed.Youcanfinishdrawingbyactivatingtheselectiontool.Inthiscase,theprogramwillclosethepathautomatically.
Imagesthatyoucreateherearesolidshapes,notcontours.
Thedirectionthatyoudrawapathmatterswhenoneshapehasbeendrawnoveranother.Inthepicturebelow,shapesAandBweredrawnintheclockwisedirection.Cwasdrawninthecounter-clockwisedirection.Theareaswheretheshapesoverlaparedifferent.TheintersectionareaofAandBremainssolid,whiletheintersectionofAandCisahole.
AddingAnchorPoints
Youaddanchorpointswhenyoudrawapath.
Toaddmoreanchorpoints,activatetheaddingtool andclickonapathsegment.
DeletingAnchorPoints
Todeleteananchorpoint,selectitandclickthedeletebutton .
ChangingtheTypeofAnchorPoints
Tochooseadifferenttypeofanchorpoint,clickthetypebutton .
MovingAnchorPoints
Tomoveananchorpoint,dragitwiththemouse.Astraightsegmentattachedtothispointwillchangeitsdirection.Acurvedsegmentwillchangethedirectionandshape.
Toswitchoffthesmartguidesandsnapfunctionwhenyoumoveananchorpoint,pressandholdtheCmdkey.
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Introductionto2DEffects
Thissectiondescribestoolsandeffectscompatiblewith2Dtypeobjects.
Originally,a2Dobjectcanbeavectororrasterimage,ortextwhichisvectorbyitsnature.Effectscanalsobedividedintovector(e.g.Transformation)andrasterones(e.g.Gradientor3DEffect).IfyouactivateavectoreffectsuchasTransformationforarasterimage,theprogramwillapplytheeffecttotherectangularboundoftheimage.Inthecaseofavectorcontent,vectoreffectsworkwiththeshapeofletters,iconsetc.
Bydefault,alllibraryobjects(exceptfor3Dobjecttemplates)andimagesyouimportarebeingaddedtoyourprojectas2Dobjects.Youcanconverta2Dobjecttothe3Dtypebyright-clickingonitonthecanvasandchoosingtheConvertto3Dcommand.Youcanconvertfromthe3Dto2Dtypeinthesameway.Changingtheobjecttypedeactivatesallthe2Dor3Deffectsthatyouhaveappliedtotheobject.
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TheTextEditor
Theprogramdoesn'tallowyoutoedittextdirectlyonthecanvas.Youshouldusethetexteditor.ItislocatedintheTextsectionoftheInspector.The2Dand3Dtexteditorsareidentical.
Thealignmentbuttonsaffectthewholetext.
TheFontbuttonopensthestandardFontpanel.Youcanchangethefontofthewholetextoranyofitsparts.YoushouldknowthattheSizecontrolsintheFontspanelarenotintendedtoadjustthesizeofatextobjectinyourdocument.Usethesecontrolstocreatedifferentpartsofatextwithdifferentsizeofletters.
Linespacingcanbeappliedtoselectedtextlinesortothewholetext.
Kerningchangesthedistancebetweenlettersoftheselectedtext.
Becarefulwithfontsthathavejaggedcharacters.Theyusuallytakelongertorendergraphiceffects.Someofthesefontscanevencauseunexpectedresultswhenyouapplyshadingor3Deffects.
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TheFillEffect
TheFilltoolsarelocatedintheFillsectionoftheInspector.Youcanchoosetofillanobjectwithacolor,textureorshadingeffectbyclickingontheColor,TextureorShadingbuttonatthetop.TheTextureandShadingtoolsaredescribedinseparatesectionsofthedocumentation.
1–TurntheFilleffectonoroff.
2–ThePlainColortool.
3–TheGradienttool.Itssettingsarelocatedbelow.
4–Theangleofthegradienteffect.
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5–Gradienttype:Linear,RadialorOval.ThedifferencebetweenRadialandOvalgradientsisnoticeablewhenthegradientisappliedtoarectangle.The"sphere"createdbythegradientiscroppedwiththeRadialtypeanddeformedwiththeOvaltype.
Radialgradient:
Ovalgradient:
6and9–Thebasicgradientcolors.Thecirclesarehandles.Tochangeacolor,clickonthecorrespondinghandle.Tomakeoneofbasiccolorstakemorespaceintheobject,movethehandletowardsthemiddleofthegradient.
7–Swapthebasiccolors.
8–Themiddlegradientcolor.Tochangethelocationofthemiddlecolor,movethehandletowardsoneofthebasiccolors.
10–Thelibraryofpre-designedgradients.
11–Addordeleteintermediatecolors.Thesecolorsappearbetweenthetwobasicones.
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ApplyingTextures
ArtTextcanapplytexturestotextandvectorimagessuchasiconsorshapes.Applyingtexturestorasterimagesusuallymakesnosense.Youcanusetexturesfromthebuilt-inlibrarybychoosingoneofcategories.ItisalsopossibletoimporttexturesfromyourharddrivebyselectingtheMyTexturescategory.Toopenthetexturelibrary,chooseTextureintheFillsection.
Toapplyatexture,selectanobjectandclickonthetextureinthelibrary.
ThePlacementoptiondefineshowthetextureshouldfittheobject.
Theoriginalobjecttowhichatexturewillbeapplied.
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Theoriginalimageusedasatexture.
TheFitoptionmatchesthetexturetothelargershapesize.Ifthetextureandobjecthavedifferentaspectratios,thetexturecanbecropped.
TheStretchoptiondeformsthetexturetofittheshape.
TheTileoptionletsyouadjustthetexturesize,angleandpositioninsidetheshape.Thetexturewillnotbedeformed.
Scaleresizesthetexture.Theroundandsquarecontrolsletyourotateandmovethetexturearound.TheseoptionsareavailablewhenthePlacementissettoTile.
TheColorbuttonletsyouchangetexturecolors.ItseffectisacombinationoftheHue,SaturationandBrightnesscolorproperties.YoucanswitchtheColorspanetotheHSBSlidersmodetobeabletoadjusttheslidersseparately.
TheResetbuttonrestorestheoriginaltexturecolor.
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ApplyingMaterials
ShadingmaterialsareusedinArtTexttocreate3Dlookingtextandimages,togiveaglassy,metal,orplasticlooktoobjects,andforothereffects.
Toopentheshadingmateriallibrary,chooseShadingintheFillsection.
Toapplytheeffect,clickonashadingmaterialpreviewinthelibrary,andadjusttheproperties.
1–Materialcategories.
2–Previewofmaterials.
3–Depthistheamountofthebeveleffect.
4–Theangleoftheappliedeffect.For3Dlookingobjects,thiscontrolmoveslightspotsaroundthecenteroftheobject.
5–The3Dshape(bevel)selector.Itisnotavailableforimage-basedeffects.
6–Thecolor.
Theprogramcreatesthe3Deffectusingtheshadertechnologywhenthe3Dlookisgeneratedbaseduponsomecolorandlightspotparameters.Alternatively,theeffectcanbeimage-based.Thismeansthatanimageisusedtodefinelightspotsandanobject'scolor.Bothtypesofeffectsarepresentinthelibraryinseparatecategories.Themajorityofitemsinthelibraryareshader-based.
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Materialsareusuallyappliedtovectorobjects.Inthiscase,theeffectisappliedtotheareainsidetheobject'soutline.Ifyourobjectisarasterimage,theshaderwillusethetransparencytodefinetheamountoftheeffecttoapply.Themoreopaquetheobjectpartsare,thestrongerthe3Deffectwillbe.Withnotransparencyinarasterimage,theeffectwillbeappliedtotherectangularboundofarasterimageinsteadoftheimagedetails.
YoucancustomizematerialsusingtheTheEditorofMaterials.
BevelShape
Dome-shaped Straight Concave
Notethatstraightandconcaveshapescanproducesimilarresults.Theylookdifferentwithshaderswhichhavealightspotnearthecenter.
Light
TheLightcontrolmovesthelightspotsaroundthecenter.Thisletsyouchangethelocationofavirtuallightsource.
Whenyourdesignconsistsofseveral3Dobjects,youcanadjustthelocationoflightspotsasiftheyappearedfromthesamelightsource.
Depth
Atlowervalues,youwillgetanobjectlookingalmostflat.Theslidercoversthemostappropriaterangeofvalues1–30.Tosetgreatervalues,usetheeditbox.Below,youcanseecircleswiththeDepthparametersetto7,15and30.
AtthesameDepthvalue,theresultalsodependsonthesizeoftheobject.Atsomepoint,increasingDepthwillnotchangethefinalimage.Smallobjectscanlosea3Dlookatvaluesthataretoolarge.Thisshowshowcirclesof50x50,100x100and150x150pixelslookatDepth=15.
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Color
TheColorcontrolchangesallcolorsinawaysimilartotheHueparameterinthestandardColorspanel.Black,whiteandgrayscalecolorswillstayunchanged.
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TheEditorofMaterials
ThematerialeditorcanbeaccessedthroughthemateriallibrarybychoosingShadingintheFillsection.Youcaneithercreateanewmaterialorcustomizeoneofmaterialsinthelibrary.
Tocreateanewmaterial,selectCreateaMaterial…inthedrop-downlistofcategories.
Toeditastandardorcustommaterial,double-clickonitspreview.CustomizedandnewmaterialswillbesavedintheMyMaterialscategory.
Thewindowofthematerialeditorshowsalistofcustommaterialstotheleft.Buttonsbelowthelistletyouadd,removeandmakeacopyoftheselectedmaterial.Themiddlepartofthewindowshowsparametersoftheselectedmaterial.Samplesofanappliedmaterialaredisplayedontheright.
Thematerialeditorletsyoucreatematerialsbasedonshadersandbasedonimages.
MaterialsBasedonShaders
Themainpropertiesofashader-basedmaterialaretheAmbient,DiffuseandSpecularcolorsandadjustablelightsources.
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TheAmbient,DiffuseandSpecularcolorsdefinehowobject'spartslookunderdifferenttypesoflighting.TheAmbientcoloristheobject'scolorinadeepshadow.TheDiffusecoloristheobject'scolorinpoorlydissipatedwhitelight.It'susuallythenaturalcoloroftheobject.Finally,theSpecularcolorletsyousimulateareflectionfromalightsourcedirectedtotheobject.Onespecularlightsourceisalwayspresent(let'scallitthe"main"one).Ifnecessary,youcanaddmore.
ParametersofLightSources
Thepositionofeachlightsourceisdisplayedonthesphereasawhitecircle,ifthelightison,andablackcircle,ifthelightisoff.Youcanmovelightsourcesbydraggingthecorrespondingcircles.Iftherearenocirclesonthesphere,selecttheShowspotlightcontrolscheckbox.ThemainlightsourcecanalsoberelocatedusingtheAzimuthandElevationcontrols.
SpotSizedefinesthesizeofthereflection.Usingthisparameter,youcanmakethelightbemoreorlessdirected.
Shininessblursthelightspot,makingitsedgemoreorlesssharp.
Together,SpotSizeandShininessletyoumaketheobjectlookmatteorglossy.Asarule,areflexfromthesamelightsourceisbigandblurredonamatteobject,andsmallandsharponaglossyobject.
Bordercontrolshowquicklythelightfadesneartheedgeofthelightspot.
MaterialsBasedonImages
Usingimages,youcancreatematerialssimilartoshadingmaterialsorsomethingcompletelydifferent.Animagewillbemappedontheobject'ssurface.Therearenosettingsforimage-basedmaterialsexceptforthepossibilityofrotatingthem.
Tocreateanewmaterial,clicktheCreatefromImagebuttonandchooseagraphicfile.Anyfurtheradjustmentscanbemadeinthemainwindow.
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ApplyingStroke
Addingastrokeoutlinestextandvectorshapes.Ifyouapplythetooltoarasterimage,itsrectangularedgewillbecomeoutlined.
TheStroketoolislocatedintheStrokesectionoftheInspector.
1–Strokecolor.
2and3–AddandRemovestrokes.
4and5–Thestrokewidth.
6–Thestrokepatternsuchassolidordotted.
Youcanaddmultiplelineswithdifferentwidthsandcolors.
Ifspacesbetweenlettersaretoosmallafteraddingstrokes,increasetheKerningparameterintheTextsection.
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TheShadowEffect
TheShadowtoolislocatedintheEffectssectionoftheInspector.
TheBlurparameterdefinesthedensityofthedropshadow.
TheDistanceparameterdefinestheoffsetbetweentheobjectandshadowwhichvisuallylookslikethedistancebetweentheobjectandsurfacebehindit.
Theangleoftheshadowchangesthelocationofthevirtuallightsource.
TheroundcontrolnearDistanceandAngleletsyouadjustthesetwoparametersatonce.Dragthehandleoffthecenter.
TheColorparameterjustgivesyouanoptiontomaketheshadowotherthangray.
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TheGlowEffect
TheGlowtoolislocatedintheEffectssectionoftheInspector.
TheSizeparameterdefinesthewidthoftheglow.
TheSpreadparameterdefinestheamountofthenon-transparentareawithinthewidthoftheglow.
Thegloweffectletsyousetuponeortwocolors.WhentheTintcolorisenabled,asecondcoloroutlinesthemainglow.Inthepicturebelow,1isthemaincolorand2isthetintcolor.
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TheInnerShadowEffect
TheInnerShadowtoolislocatedintheEffectssectionoftheInspector.
TheSizeparameterdefinesthewidthoftheinnershadow.
TheSpreadparameterdefinestheamountofthenon-transparentareawithinthewidthoftheinnershadow.
TheDistanceparameterdefinestheoffsetbetweentheobjectandinnershadow.
TheBlendModeoptiondefineshowthecolorsoftheobjectandinnershadowinteractwitheachother.TheNormaloptionworkswellwithmostcombinationsoftheobjectandinnershadowcolors.Multiplytakeseffectwhentheshadowisdarkerthantheobject.UseScreenwhentheobjectisdarkerthantheshadow.
OneofpossibleusesoftheInnerShadowtoolistocreatetheconcavesurfaceeffect.
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ApplyingMasks
TheMaskeffectcreatestransparentareasonanobject.Maskscanbeusedtomakeapartofanobjectinvisibleortocombineseveralobjects.
Toapplyamask,usetheMasksectionintheInspector.
Masksinthelibraryareblackandwhiteimages.Blackareasinamaskcreatetransparentareasonanobject.
1–Thelibraryofmasks.Clickonittobringupthelistofmasks.
2–Theoffsetofthemaskinrelationtotheobject.
3–Therotationangle.
4–Inverseofthemask.
5–Thescaleofthemask.Themaskwillbetiledifyoumakeitsmallerthantheobject.
6–Thebrightnessofthemask.Thisparametermakesthewholeobjectmoreorlessopaque.
7–Thecontrastofthemask.
TheBrightnessandContrastparametersarehelpfulwhenyouuseacoloredimageasamask.Inthiscase,thesetwoparametersletyousetupthethresholdbetweenthetransparentandopaqueareas.
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Theprogramappliesamasktoyourobjectafterapplyingothereffectssuchastransformation.Thismeansthatifyoudistortanobject,themaskwillnotbeaffected.
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Transformations
Transformationeffectscreategeometricdistortionoftextorvectorimages(suchasshapesoriconsfromtheinternallibrary).Transformationscannotdeformrasterimages.Ifyoutransformavectorshapewithanappliedtexture,thetexturewillnotbedeformed.
TheTransformationtoolsarelocatedintheGeometrysectionoftheInspector.
Totransformanobject,clickontheTransformboxtobringupthelistoftransformationtools.Thenclickonatooltoapplyit.Finally,adjustthedistortionusingasliderbelowthelist.
Torestorethedefaultstateofanobject,clicktheResetbutton.
Whenseveralobjectsareselected,youcanuseonlygeometrictransformations.
ThereareGeometrictransformationswhicharebasedonpatterns,andSplinetransformationswhichdistortobjectsalongcurves.Iconsofsplinetransformationsinthelisthavesmallcircles.
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GeometricTransformations
Geometrictransformationsarelocatedatthetopofthelist.
Eachoftransformationshasoneortwoparameters.Toadjustthem,usetheslidersbelowthelist.
SplineTransformations
Splinetransformationsareprimarilyintendedtodistorttext.Textgoesalongasplinewhichisstraightbydefault.Todistortit,youshouldcurvethesplinebydraggingitshandlesonthecanvas.
NotethattheCurvedTexttransformationmakesnochangetoasingleletteroranimage.Youshouldapplyittoatleastseveralletters.
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Introductionto3DEffects
Thissectiondescribestoolsandeffectscompatiblewith3Dtypeobjects.
The3Dtoolscanbeeffectivelyusedonlywithtextandvectorobjects.Anyrasterimageturnedintoa3Dobjectwilllookthesameway,likearectangularprism.
Whena3Dobjectisselected,ithasa3Drotationtoolonthecanvasinadditiontoregularresizeandrotationhandles.Torotatetheobject,clickontherotationtoolanddragaside.
Youcanconverta2Dobjecttothe3Dtypebyright-clickingonitonthecanvasandchoosingtheConvertto3Dcommand.Inthesameway,youcanconvertfromthe3Dto2Dtype.Changingtheobjecttypedeactivatesallthe2Dor3Deffectsthatyouhaveappliedtotheobject.
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TheTextEditor
Theprogramdoesn'tallowyoutoedittextdirectlyonthecanvas.Youshouldusethetexteditor.ItislocatedintheTextsectionoftheInspector.The2Dand3Dtexteditorsareidentical.
Thealignmentbuttonsaffectthewholetext.
TheFontbuttonopensthestandardFontspanel.Youcanchangethefontofthewholetextoranyofitsparts.YoushouldknowthattheSizecontrolsintheFontspanelarenotintendedtoadjustthesizeofatextobjectinyourdocument.Usethesecontrolstocreatedifferentpartsofatextwithdifferentsizeofletters.
Linespacingcanbeappliedtoselectedtextlinesortotheentiretext.
Kerningchangesthedistancebetweenlettersoftheselectedtext.
Becarefulwithfontswithjaggedcharacters.Theyusuallytakelongertorendergraphiceffects.Someofthesefontscanevencauseunexpectedresultswhenyouapplyshadingor3Deffects.
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ApplyingMaterials
Theprogramhasalibraryofpre-designedmaterials.Itletsyouapplymaterialsinafewclicks.Additionally,youcancustomizeanyoflibrarymaterials.
Toapplyamaterial,clickthePresetbuttonneartheMaterialsectiontitle.Thenchooseoneofthecategoriesandclickonamaterial.
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CreatingMaterials
Tocreateanewmaterial,youcanmodifyadefaultone.Ifanyofthelibrarymaterialsissimilartowhatyouwanttocreate,startfromthispredesignedmaterial.
Toadjustthematerialproperties,opentheMaterialsectionintheInspector.
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Texture
Toopenthetexturelibrary,clickonthepreviewofthecurrenttexture.Inthetexturelibrary,youcanchoosetexturesfromcategories,orselectaplaincoloratthetopofthelibrary.
TheColorbuttonatthetoprightcornerletsyouchangetexturecolors.ItseffectisacombinationoftheHue,SaturationandBrightnesscolorproperties.YoucanswitchtheColorspanetotheHSBSlidersmodetobeabletoadjusttheslidersseparately.
Theroundandsquarecontrolsinthemiddlechangetheangleandoffsetofthetexture.
Scaleletsyoumagnifythetexture.
BumpMap
TheBumpMaptooladdsmorevolumetothetexturedetails.
Strengthcontrolstheamountofroughnesscreatedbythetool.
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Smoothmakestheeffectsmooth.
BumpMapoff:
BumpMapon:
TheBumpMaptoolrequiresthatatexturehascontrastelements.Notalltexturescanproduceagoodresultwiththiseffect.
Bydefault,theBumpMaptoolusesthetextureitselfasabumpmap.Toselectadifferentbumpmap,chooseatextureinthepop-uplibraryoftheBumpMapsection.
EnvironmentTexture
TheEnvironmentTexturetoolextendsthelightingeffectcreatedbytheLightSourcesproperties.Byapplyinganenvironmenttexture,youcansimulatereflexesfromparticularlightsourcessuchaswindows.
TheColorbuttonworksthesamewayastheoneintheTexturesection.
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Aroundcontrolrotatesthetexture.
TheOpacityparameterchangestheamountoftheeffectappliedtotheobject.ThisisusefulwhenyouneedtomixtheEnvironmentTextureeffectwithothers.
Smoothisintendedtomaketheobjectmattorglossy.Whenyoumovetheslidertotheright,theobjectbecomesmatt.
TheBlendModedefineshowthecolorsofthemainandenvironmenttexturesmixwithcolorsofothereffects.
LightSources
Theprogramletsyousetupfourlightsources.Inthepreview,eachofthemispresentedasacircleonasphere.Abluecirclemeansthatthelightisturnedon,andagrayoneindicatesthatthelightisoff.Smallercirclesshowthelocationoflightsourcesbehindthesphere.
Ifalightsourceison,itcastslightonthesphere.
Youcanchoosethelightsourcecolorintheboxtotherightfromthesphere.
TheShadowoptionallowsobjectpartstocastshadowsontheobjectitself.UnliketheShadoweffectintheEffectssection,thisoptionhasnoconnectiontotheshadowthatiscastonthebackgroundorotherobjects.
MaterialFinishandColors
Thisgroupofmaterialpropertiesisresponsibleforhowlightingaffectstheobject.Youshouldadjusttheparametersbelowtogetherwiththelightsources.
Glossinessmakestheobjectlookmoreorlessglossy.
Ambient,DiffuseandSpecularcolorsletyouadjustthelookofshadowedandlitpartsoftheobject.Itiseasiertolearnhowthesecolorsappearontheobjectwhenonlyonelightsourceison,aplaincolorisusedasatextureandtheBumpMapandEnvironmentTexturetoolsaredeactivated.
Ambientistheobject'scolorwhenthereisnolightatall.Itcanbeblack,ormoreoftenadarkerversionoftheDiffusecolor.
Diffuseistheobject'scolorunderdiffuselight.Inmanycases,itcoincideswiththenaturalcoloroftheobject.
TheSpecularcolorisusedtocreateareflectionofadirectlightsource.Themorematttheobjectis,thebiggerandlesssharpthelightspotis.Tocontrolthis,usetheGlossinessslider.
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SavingCustomMaterials
Assoonasyouarehappywiththecustomizedmaterial,youcansaveitintheCustomcategoryofthemateriallibrary.Todothis,selectanobjectwiththatmaterialapplied,clickthePresetbutton,andthenclickonplusatthebottomofthemateriallibrary.
Torenameacustommaterial,double-clickonitsname.
Todeleteacustommaterial,selectitinthelibraryandclickonminus.
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TheShadowEffect
ToaccesstheShadowtool,opentheEffectssectionintheInspector.
ThePositionletsyoumovetheshadowaroundbychangingthedirectionandhowfartheshadowspreadsfromtheobject.Bydraggingthehandle,youchangethelocationofavirtuallightsource.
TheAttenuationparametervarieshowquicklytheshadowfadesout.
Blurmakestheshadowmoreorlesssoft.
TheColorbuttonletsyouchangethecoloroftheshadow.
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TheDepthGradientEffect
ToaccesstheDepthGradienttool,opentheEffectssectionintheInspector.
TheDepthGradienteffectisintendedtoapplyagradientorsolidcolortothe3Dobjectsides.Thiseffectcanbeusedtoemphasizethetransitionfromthelituptoshadowedobjectparts.
Inordertoopenthegradientpanelandsetupthecolors,clickonthegradienticon.ThegradientpanelcontrolsaredescribedintheTheFillEffectsection.
TheOverlayoptionappliestheDepthGradienteffectoverothereffectslocatedintheMaterialtab.
TheBlendModeoptionsdefinehowtomixthegradientcolorswithcolorsproducedbyothereffects.
BychangingtheOpacity,youcanmaketheeffectmoreorlessstrong.
Ifyouswapthepositionsofthedarkandlightcolorsinthedefaultgradient,youcancreatethebacklighteffect.
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TheGlowEffect
ToaccesstheGlowtool,opentheEffectssectionintheInspector.
TheBrightnessparametercontrolstheamountofglow,mostlyconsideringthepositionoftheobjectinrelationtolightsources.Inthepicturebelow,theglowisonlyaroundtheletter"S"becauseitisturnedtothelightsourcethemost(duetotransformationand3Drotation).
IncreasingBrightnessmakestheeffectspreadovertheotherletters.
Blurmakestheglowmoreorlesssoft,andconsequentlytakemoreorlessspacearoundtheobject.
OpacityletsyoucontroltheamountoftheeffectbutinawaythatisdifferentfromBrightness.Here,youmakethewholeglowmoreorlessstrongthroughitstransparency.
TheGloweffectlooksbestwithdarkbackgrounds.
TheGloweffecthighlightsonlythebrightpartsofanobject.Thismakesitdifferentfromthe2DGlow
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whichappearsaroundthewholeobject.
Glowisoff:
Glowison:
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TheFocusEffect
ToaccesstheFocustool,opentheEffectssectionintheInspector.
TheFocuseffecthastwosettingsLengthandBlur.
TheFocalLengthparameterdefinesthedistancetothepointinfocus.
Blurcontrolshowblurredtheobject'spartswhicharenotinfocuswillbe.
TheFocuseffectworkswellifanobjectisrotatedhorizontallyusingthe3Drotationtoolastheobjectwasinperspective.
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ApplyingMasks
Toapplyamasktoa3Dobject,usetheMasksectionintheInspector.Theeffecthasexactlythesamesetofpropertiesasthe2Dmask.
Theprogramappliesamasktoyourobjectafterapplyingothereffectssuchastransformationor3Drotation.Thismeansthatifyoudistortanobject,themaskwillnotbeaffected.
Inordertoachieveinterestingeffects,youcancombineamaskedlayerwithanotherlayerinthebackgroundandhavethegapsfilledwithsomecolor.
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Transformations
Transformationeffectscreategeometricdistortionof3Dobjects.ThesetoolsarelocatedintheGeometrysectionoftheInspector.
Totransformanobject,clickontheTransformboxtobringupthelistoftransformations.Thenclickonatransformationtoapplyit.Finally,adjustthedistortionusingtheslidersbelowthelist.
Torestorethedefaultstateofanobject,clicktheResetbutton.
Youcantransformseveralselected3Dobjectsatthesametime.
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The3DObjectSettings
Toaccessthe3Dobjectsettings,opentheGeometrysectionintheInspector.Theseparametersletyoucontrolthebasic3Dobjectappearance.
TheDepthparametermakestheobjectmoreorlessflat.
Thicknessmakestheobject'spartsthicker.Withtext,itmaylookasifyoumadeitbold.Solidobjectssuchasbricksjustbecomeslightlybigger.
Chamfercanmaketheobject'sedgeroundedorsharp.Youcanalsochoosetheshapeofthechamfer.
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ParallelProjection
Whenyouapplythe3Drotationtoanobject,theprogramshowsitinperspectivebydefault.
Ifyouaregoingtocreateatitleforawebsiteoranarticle,youmaywantallletterstohavethesameheight.Todothis,activatetheParallelProjectionoptionintheGeometrysectionoftheInspector.
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Exporting
YoucanexportyourdesigntoagraphicfileorcopyittotheClipboard.
Toexportyourdocumenttoagraphicfile:
1. SelectFile>Exportinthemainmenu,orclicktheExportbuttonatthebottomrightcornerofthecanvasandchooseFile…
2. Typeafilenameandchooseadestinationfolder.
3. SelectanimageformatintheFormatdrop-downlist.
4. Setuptheavailablesettings.
5. ClicktheSavebutton.
ExportingtotheClipboard
TocopyyourdesigntotheClipboard,clicktheExportbuttonatthebottomofthecanvasandchooseClipboard.
YourdesignwillbeexportedinthePDFformat.IntheprogramPreferences,youcansetuptheimageresolutionforrastergraphicstobecopiedtotheClipboard.
TheExportbuttoninthemainwindowallowsyoutoshareyourdesign.Insteadofsavingthedesignontheharddrive,itwillbesenttoaparticularapplicationorservice.Thisfunctionrequiresthatyouhaveinstalledandsetuptherespectiveapplication,orhaveanaccountfortheservicethatyouwishtouse.
Sharing
UponclickingtheExportbuttonbelowthecanvas,youcanfindseveralsharingoptions.Tousethem,youshouldcreateauseraccountfortherespectiveserviceandhaveyourcomputerconnectedtotheInternet.
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TransparentBackground
Youcanexportyourdesignasanimagewithatransparentbackground.Tomakeitpossible,thefollowingconditionsshouldbemet:
Yourdesignshouldhavethetransparentbackground.Tocheckthisout,selecttheChessboardbackgroundintheprogramPreferences.Thechessboardwillbeseenthroughalltransparentpartsofyourdesign.Exporttoafileformatthatsupportstransparency(alphachannel).Theseare:PDF,TIFF,PNGandGIF(activateIncludeTransparencyintheExportdialog).Itdoesn'treallyconcernArtText,butyoushouldknowthis.Applicationsthatwillreceiveanimage,whichyouexportedorcopiedviatheclipboard,shouldalsosupportthealphachannel.Ifanimagehaswhiteorblackbackgroundinathirdpartyprogram,trytoexportfromArtTextusingadifferentfileformat.
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Printing
Toprintyourdocument:
1. SelectFile>Printinthemainmenu.
2. Setuptheprintingoptions.Makesurethatthecorrectprinterandpaperformatareselected.Youshouldalsocheckthesettingsinthe"ColorandQuality"aswellasFinishingsections.Thesesectionsmayhavedifferentnamesdependingonthetypeofprinter.Refertotheprinter'sdocumentationformoredetails.
3. Checkifthedesignlookscorrectinthepreview.
4. ClickthePrintbutton.
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Table of Contents
Contents 2Brief Description 4
System Requirements 4Licensing 5Updating the Program 6Removing the Program 7Technical Support 8Useful Web Resources 9End User License Agreement 10Quick Start Guide 13Effect Guide 18Using Templates 21The Main Window 22Program Settings 24The Content Panel 25
Template Library 25Backgrounds and Light Effects 26Smart Shapes and Icons 26
The 2D Inspector 28The 3D Inspector 30Menus 32Keyboard Shortcuts 37Creating, Opening and Saving Documents 40Document Settings 41Introduction to Layers and Objects 42Object Size, Location and Orientation 43The List of Layers 45Merging Layers 47
Union 47Subtract 48Intersect 49Exclude 50
Splitting Text into Letters 51The Vector Shape Editor 52
Points and Paths 53Drawing a Shape 54Adding Anchor Points 55Deleting Anchor Points 55Changing the Type of Anchor Points 55Moving Anchor Points 55
Introduction to 2D Effects 56The Text Editor 57The Fill Effect 58
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Applying Textures 60Applying Materials 63The Editor of Materials 66
Materials Based on Shaders 66Materials Based on Images 67
Applying Stroke 68The Shadow Effect 69The Glow Effect 70The Inner Shadow Effect 71Applying Masks 72Transformations 74
Geometric Transformations 75Spline Transformations 75
Introduction to 3D Effects 76The Text Editor 77Applying Materials 78Creating Materials 79The Shadow Effect 84The Depth Gradient Effect 85The Glow Effect 86The Focus Effect 88Applying Masks 89Transformations 90The 3D Object Settings 91Parallel Projection 92Exporting 93Transparent Background 94Printing 95
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