A document consists of content, that's self-evident. Almost all printers do print an empty sheet of paper without complaining, but it looks much better with content, doesn't it? In the previous chapter you have learned how to import content into a document. Now you should make yourself familiar with how to edit content. We will discuss this using the range of creation tools.
If you want to change text content, you have to open the text
frame. A double-click on the frame and you're done. You will then see
the gray text ruler above the frame (do you remember?). Furthermore,
your double-click switched the current tool to the Text tool
– and you will see the text input cursor blinking in the text
frame. Use the mouse cursor and place the text input cursor in another
position if desired. Then you can type, delete, or correct, your text.
You can insert special characters like in other programs by using
the Special Characters
palette offered by the system. You will
find it at the very bottom of the Edit menu
.
With a [Control]-click, you can open the Text edit mode context
menu
.
Here you find many more functions for changing text, inserting special characters (so-called text fields), and even images into the text. Stop to try out all these functions in a quiet moment. They are all described in detail in the reference manual chapters.
For further editing of text content and text style, some inspectors are at hand which we just want to mention here. Some of their functions are so powerful that it would be going too far to give a more detailed description here. As you know already, the reference ...
Using the Content inspector
you can define if the text
frame should support multiple text columns. There you can also define
the hyphenation and the language used for hyphenation.
In the Color inspector
you can set up different colors for
the fonts, for outlines and for shadows.
The shadow behaviour can be set in the Frame inspector
.
There you find the screwiest options for playing with shadows. Just
try it.
The most important inspectors for text are the Text
inspector
, the Text Style inspector
and the Text Ruler
inspector
. We cannot list their various functions here, as you
know ...
Imagine!
– Easily said, easily done. You cannot paint
and draw images in iCalamus right now. That still has to be developed.
But you know already how to import an image into your document. You
will probably have wondered why the image looked somewhat different in
the frame to what you have expected. Maybe you have only seen a 4x4 cm
section from the center of the real image and wondered where the heck
the rest of it has gone.
First things first: iCalamus basically differentiates between the image frame and the image content, both being totally different things. The image content can be shown e.g. in original size, while the image frame is much larger or smaller. (In your first trials, the latter will have been probably true.)
With a [Control]-click, you open the Image frames context
menu
. Adjust
is the most important menu item there, because
it offers those functions that you need to adjust the image content to
the frame size, the frame size to the image content, or both.
Adjustof the
Objects menu.
But what if you want to see a section, rather than the whole
image, in the frame? It's your choice. On the one hand, you can open
the frame (as you know already, you simply have to select the
Selection tool
and click the tiny triangle in the upper left
corner of the frame until it points downwards – or simply
double-click into the image frame) and move the image content with the
mouse, until only the desired section is shown in the frame. Then
close the frame, and you're done.
On the other hand, you can move the frame while the image content
stays on its original position. Therefore you grab the frame with the
mouse pointer and move it. What? On your screen the image content is
moved too? Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to mention an important switch. In
the Geometry inspector
, you find (like in most of the other
inspectors too) a tiny button showing a gear wheel. (These buttons are
called an Action menu
button in the Apple jargon.) When you
click this button with the mouse, you will again see a selection menu.
In this case it's the Action menu, offering enhanced
Geometry inspector
actions. You will already be familiar with
the functions shown, except for one of them.
The first switch indeed is very handy if you want to change a
frame but not its content. As the frame content was moved with the
frame on your computer, you should still see the menu item
Transform Content
checked. With a click on the menu item you
switch it off (the check mark disappears). When you then move the
frame, the content will stay where it is.
And the best of all: This doesn't work only with image frames, but with all frame content (except text). As we mentioned earlier, iCalamus doesn't really differentiate between image frames, text frames, etc.
Now you know already how to adjust images to the proper size in a
frame, and how to choose the right part of the image. In the
Geometry inspector
you will find many more possibilities for
twisting and bending
the frame or content. Just try and rotate
the image content to the left, then rotate the frame itself to the
right, followed by shearing both at 20 degrees and then mirror it
horizontally. (Don't you ask me what for ...)
In the Content inspector
, you can change the image content
presentation. There you can reduce the opacity from 100% down to 0%
steplessly. There you can also blend the image frame with other frame
content which possibly lies below the image frame. It's worth playing
around with the blend modes offered by iCalamus. Just try it.
In the Content inspector's
Action menu, you can find the
function Create Opacity Based Outline
. Use it for adding a mask
to your image which can be used as a clipping path almost at a single
click. This function depends on the image type.
The other inspectors offer many more possibilities to change the
image frame. The Frame inspector
can add another shape, another
outline, or a shadow to the frame. If you choose a distinct shape as
outline, you can use it as clipping path directly in order to let the
photograph of your beloved grandma shine in a pretty oval, or
highlight the new super product of your company with a 50 rays star.
If you have assigned a shadow or outline to the image frame in the
Frame inspector
, you can define in the Color inspector
which colors should be used.
In iCalamus, you can easily create empty frame containers for several purposes.
Publishers use them as substitutes for layout areas which have not been created or designed. If you have switched frame guides visible, these container frames show the frame shape as a guide, together with a diagonal cross to indicate that they are empty. (We also use a diagonal cross to indicate transparent mode in color lists.)
If you want to shape or mask an image with a shape, iCalamus offers several ways to do so. The easiest and fastest way is to create one of the available container shape frames, place the image there, and you've made the masked image.
You can convert containers to normal frames afterwards by assigning new content to them.
Here is a list of the available container shapes. These are identical to the available normal shapes.
Choose the desired container type in the Container tool
by
right clicking on the Container tool
symbol in the Toolbox
panel. Alternatively, keep the mouse button pressed until the
container tools menu appears, from which you can choose the container
type. Now create a new frame in the document by dragging the mouse. If
you press [Escape] before you release the mouse button, the currently
shown container will be deleted immediately.
The 'simple' container shapes are listed in the first group. The
'dynamic' container shapes are listed in the last group, sorted by
complexity. You can change the parameters of the dynamic containers by
using the Edit Shape Parameters
additional function in the
"Frame inspector".
Use this tool to create shape frames. iCalamus offers a variety of pre-defined shapes, from simple rectangles to stars and corners.
Choose the desired shape type in the Shape tool
by right
clicking on the Shape tool
symbol in the Toolbox panel.
Alternatively, keep the mouse button pressed until the shape tools
menu appears, from which you can choose the shape type. Now create a
new frame in the document by dragging the mouse. If you press [Escape]
before you release the mouse button, the currently shown shape will be
deleted immediately.
As we assume that you will use the Shape tool
often, we
have placed it in the right column of the Toolbox panel in order to
reduce mouse distances.
The 'simple' shapes can be found in the first group of the list.
The 'dynamic' shapes follow in the last group, sorted by complexity.
You can change the parameters of the dynamic shapes by using the
Edit Shape Parameters
additional function in the Frame
inspector
.
Use this tool to create a line frame. iCalamus offers three line tools and a variety of pre-defined line types, like simple lines, multiple lines, arc lines and crosses.
Choose the desired line type in the Line tool
by right
clicking on the Line tool
symbol in the Toolbox panel.
Alternatively, keep the mouse button pressed until the Line tools menu
appears from which you can choose the line type. Now create a new
frame in the document by dragging the mouse. If you press [Escape]
before you release the mouse button, the line that you are drawing
will be deleted immediately.
Use this tool if you want to draw simple lines very fast. When you release the mouse button, a line frame is created which can be edited like all other frames.
Using this tool, you can draw multiple straight lines at once. Click to positions which should be connected by lines. If you press the mouse button while dragging to the next point, the result will not be made of straight lines but of curves. A double click ends the current polyline.
Draw absolutely freehand lines with this tool. Just draw the line you want with the mouse cursor. As soon as you release the mouse button, your drawn path will be vectorized and rounded.
The line types in the next group are pre-defined lines which
can be drawn by choosing the relevant line type and creating a frame.
See the New Line Object
section of the Frame inspector
for additional information about these line types: Diagonal
Cross
, Cross
, Corner Line
, Line with Three Sides
of a Rect
.
The last group of line types in the list offers dynamic line
types. See the New Line Object
section of the
Frame inspector
for additional information about these line
types: Multiple Lines
, Circle Arc Line
, Line with
Variable Corner
.
After you have created the relevant line frame, you can change its
parameters with the menu item Edit Shape Parameters
in the
Frame inspector
. (The editing dialog for each of these line
objects is included above with the information about each object.)
Such things as the number of Multiple lines (How about Music Score
lines?) or the angle of an Arc line can be changed there.
Use this tool for editing existing vector objects and vector paths, for adding and removing vector points, changing vector types, and creating new vector paths.
Use this tool for creating new vector paths. Click somewhere in the document and start the new path there. Then click to the next position. A vector line will be created between the start point and the next point. If you drag the mouse to the position of the next point click, a bezier curve will be created from the last point to the current point instead. If you keep the mouse button pressed, you can directly resize and reformat the curve. Continue until you have placed all of the points. You can pause the path creation and continue at any time. The next point will always be connected to the last point.
If you want to move single points or base points of bezier curve tangents, you have to activate the Selection tool.
If you click into an already existing vector path with this tool, a new base point will be inserted at the clicked position.
If you want to remove a base point from a vector path, choose this tool and simply click on the relevant point which will be removed immediately.
If you click on a curve with this tool, it will be converted
into a vector line. If you click on a line, it will be converted into
a curve which is formed like the previous line by default. You may
then drag the base points from the straight curve
with the
mouse in order to format the curve to your needs.
