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6. The Tools in the Toolbox

## 6.2 Tools for All Kind of Layers

### 6.2.1 The Layer Tool

The layer tool is used for selecting, moving, creating, scaling, shearing, rotating and distorting layers. By double-clicking you can enter a group and by clicking outside of it you can leave it again.

Tip: You can quickly toggle between the layer tool and the active tool using the ESC-key.

Selecting Layers

PhotoLine has two different modes to select layers by left-clicking with the mouse:

- If Prefer Dragging is activated, the layer at the mouse position is selected by clicking. If several layers lie above each other, you can switch through them by clicking several times.
In this mode clicking&dragging inside the frame of the active layer will always move the active layer.
- If Prefer Dragging is not activated, clicking will always select the layer visible at the mouse position. You cannot switch through layers at the same location by clicking.
If you click&drag in this mode, the layer at the mouse position is first selected and then moved. This means, you may not move the active layer.

Normally only layers within the active group will be selected. This behavior can be modified by turning on Deep Selection in the Tool Settings or by holding Shift+Ctrl (Windows) or Shift+Command (macOS) respectively.

Alternatively you can use the arrow keys while pressing the mouse button. This way you can switch through all layers at the current mouse position regardless of the active group.

The context menu of the layer tool lists all layers at the mouse position. Layers will only be listed, if they have a name.

Move/Create/Copy Layers

You can drag the selected layers. By holding Shift you can restrict the moving direction in steps of 45°.

If you hold Shift+Ctrl (Windows) or Shift+Command (macOS) a copy of the layer will be moved. Using additionally Alt will create a virtual copy (see chapter 2.3.6).

If you hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) and click, you can create a new layer with a rubber rectangle. After releasing the mouse button you will see the normal dialog for creating a layer.

A double click on the icon of the layer tool can be used to create a new layer.

Edit Layers

Selected layers have small handles at the corners and edges. If the handles are green, you can modify the layer by using these handles:

- Clicking and dragging modifies the layer size. The Tool Settings are offering options to adjust the behavior (centered, proportional, ...). The layer content will be scaled (exception: text layers).
- Clicking a bit outside the handles will rotate or shear the layer. The corner handle allow rotating, the edge handles shearing. The mouse cursor will change to signal the available operation.

If the active layer is a text layer, double-clicking a handle will adjust the layer size to its content. Double-clicking a corner handle adjusts the entire size, a double click on one of the side handles only the width or height.

The Tool Settings can be used to turn on an extended mode (by using the gear icon ). Alternatively you can use the Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) key to turn it on temporarily:

- Clicking and dragging a corner will perspectively distort the layer.
- The edges will change the perspective position.
- Clicking a bit outside of the handles will activate Special Scaling:
Image layers: New pixels are added at the layer edges.
Vector layer: The line width will be scaled, too.
Text layers: The font size will be scaled.

If the handles are cyan or red, editing by using the layer tool is locked (see chapter 4.7). If the handles are gray, input focus is not on the document but on another user interface element. Therefore, keystrokes will not be handled by the document and the layer tool, respectively, but by that user interface element.

If more than one layer is selected in the Layer List, there will be a single frame with handles around all selected layers.

The Tool Settings have an option to turn on a small magenta-colored circle containing a cross. This special handle is the rotation point of the layer. This point can be dragged with the mouse and will snap to the corners and the center of the layer.

The layer tool also allows to rotate the active layer by using Alt+arrow left and Alt+arrow right. By additionally holding Shift, the layer will be rotated in steps of 90°.

If the current layer is a 3D body, it can be modified with various shortcuts (see chapter 7.8.57).

Move and Copy Selection Content

If you have created a selection in your document (see Chapter 2.4.1 and Chapter 2.4.2) and the active layer is an image, you can move and copy the contents of the selection directly with the Layer tool without creating a new layer. The following options are available:

- Click and drag.
The selection content is moved and the image content of the original selection is deleted. Subsequent move actions will no longer delete.
- Click and drag with the Alt key held down
The selection content that is moved is refilled, but the original image content is not deleted.
- Click and drag with Shift key held down
The selection content becomes a new layer. The new layer is dragged immediately.
- Double-click
The selection content is copied to the current position, but can be moved further without refilling it. This allows you to stamp it multiple times into an image.

Guides

You can use the layer tool to modify and delete guide lines:

- After clicking on the document ruler you can drag a new ruler into the document. This works with any other tool, too. Holding Shift while dragging will create the guide for the active document only.
- If the mouse is over a guide line, the mouse cursor will indicate, that you can drag that guide.
- Dragging a guide outside the document will delete it.
- Double-clicking a guide line will open the Guides palette (see chapter 4.39).

Options

Proportional scaling (Shift key)

Centered Scaling

Show rotation point: The rotation point is displayed and used. It can also be changed.

Deep selection (Shift+Ctrl): See above under Selecting Layers.

Prefer dragging: See above under Selecting Layers.

Normal transformation mode: See above under Edit Layers.

Extended transformation: See above under Edit Layers.

, Add/remove Auxiliary grid for transformation.

Mouse Cursors

The shape of the mouse cursor always corresponds to the current situation. There are the following shapes:

By clicking and dragging the active layer or the selection will be moved.

By clicking the next layer at the current position will be selected.

By clicking the next layer at the current position will be selected. By clicking and dragging the active layer will be moved.

By clicking and dragging the active layer will be scaled. By holding Shift it will be scaled proportionally.

By clicking and dragging the active layer will be rotated. By holding Shift it will be rotated in 45° steps.

By clicking and dragging the active layer will be sheared.

By clicking and dragging the active layer will be distorted perspectively.

Shift: The corner point corresponding to the clicked point is moved, too.

Shift+Ctrl/Command: The clicked corner point can be only moved along the layer bounds.

By clicking and dragging the rotation point of the active layer will be moved.

By clicking and dragging a horizontal/vertical guide line will be moved or deleted.