Introduction: Transformation tools

After you've made a path object, you may want to alter it; there are many ways to do so. This page will discuss broad ways to alter path objects with Freehand.

Each of these tools allows you to alter your path object in broad ways. Usually this means you will alter the entire object at once. With each image below, we'll use the "man" image from our vocabulary page to demonstrate how you might change such an image with these tools.

Perspective Tool: The perspective tool allows you to alter path objects by attaching them to a perspective grid.
Freeform Tool: Allows you to stretch one part of a path by click-and-dragging it.
Scale Tool: The Scale tool allows you to change the size of the object and its perportions. You can also select an object, choose the Modify menu and select Scale to transform your image while easily preserving its proportions.
Rotate Tool: The rotate tool will turn an object any number of degrees around its axis.
Mirror Tool: The mirror tool will flip an object along any axis you designate. (Notice: this image is flipped along its waist, not rotated until upside down.)
Skew Tool: Finally, this tool will skew an object like a rectangle being bent.

Using these tools to transform your paths is one way to radically alter the images you're making with Freehand. But what if you want to make smaller changes in the details of your drawings? You need to alter the paths themselves.

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