Align, distribute, group and arrange objects in Layout
Align and distribute to the selection, margins, page, spread or a key object in Layout by Zaweba, then group, lock, hide and stack objects in order.
Pages look professional when things line up. Edges that meet, equal gaps between pictures, captions that sit on the same line across a spread. Layout by Zaweba has the tools to do this precisely: align and distribute, grouping, locking, hiding and showing, and arranging the stacking order of objects.
Aligning to more than just the selection
Alignment can work relative to several things. To the selection lines objects up with each other, which is the usual choice for a row of buttons or a set of logos. To the margins puts them against the page's margin guides, such as setting a headline flush with the left margin. To the page or the spread centres something on the page or across a whole spread, which is how you would centre a title across two facing pages.
To a key object is the most useful option and the least known. Select several objects, then choose one as the key. Everything else moves to line up with it, and the key stays put. That stops the whole set drifting, which is what happens when the program has to guess which object should move.
Distributing objects and the space between them
Distribute spaces objects out evenly, and distribute spacing makes the gaps between them equal, which is usually what the eye reads as even. A row of pictures of different widths looks evenly spaced only when the gaps match.
Use distribute spacing for product grids, team photos and rows of icons. Combine it with alignment to a key object to fix one end of the row in place.
Grouping, locking and hiding
Grouping joins objects so they move and scale together. A picture with its caption and credit, a logo built from several shapes, or a small diagram are good candidates. Groups can still be opened up to edit one part with Direct selection.
Locking stops an object being moved by accident. Lock backgrounds, page furniture and anything that is finished. When the time comes to change them, one command releases every locked object at once, so you are not hunting for each one.
Hide and show take objects out of view without deleting them. Use them to see what is under a full page picture, or to compare two versions of a headline before deciding.
Arranging the stacking order
Every object sits above or below others. Bring forward and send backward move one step at a time; bring to front and send to back move all the way. A caption hidden behind a picture is a stacking problem, as is a coloured panel that covers the text it was meant to sit under.
For a busy page, layers are the bigger version of the same idea. Keep backgrounds on one layer, pictures on another and text on the top, and stacking problems mostly go away.
Mistakes people make with alignment
Aligning to the selection when you meant the margins moves everything to the edge of whichever object was furthest out. Check the align to setting each time.
Spacing a row of different sized pictures by eye leaves gaps that vary. Use distribute spacing instead.
Grouping things that don't belong together makes editing harder. Group by meaning, not convenience.
Forgetting what is locked can make a page feel stuck. If an object won't move, check whether it is locked before assuming something is wrong.
Where alignment fits in the bigger picture
Smart guides help as you drag, showing equal spacing and shared edges. Align and distribute make it exact after the fact. The Transform panel sets precise sizes and positions. Used together, they give pages that line up on screen, in a proof and in the printed piece.
