Selection, Direct selection and the basic tools in Layout

Most of the time spent in a layout program is spent with a handful of tools. Picking frames up, adjusting what's inside them, typing, copying a look from one object to another and moving round the page. Layout by Zaweba gathers these in the Tools panel on the left, and learning what each one does saves a surprising amount of clicking.

This is a tour of the everyday set: Selection, Direct selection, Page, Gap, Content collector and placer, Type, Type on a path, Eyedropper, Measure, Note, Hand and Zoom.

Selection and Direct selection

The Selection tool works on whole objects. Click a frame to select it, drag to move it, pull a handle to resize it. When the frame holds a picture, this is the tool for moving the frame and its contents as one.

Direct selection works on the parts inside. With a picture frame, it picks up the picture itself, so you can slide it within the frame to change the crop without moving the frame on the page. With a shape, it picks up individual anchor points and path segments, so you can reshape a corner or pull an edge without redrawing the shape.

Getting into the habit of choosing the right one is the first real skill in layout. Most cases of "the picture moved when I only wanted the frame to move", or the other way round, come from using the wrong tool.

Page and Gap

The Page tool works on pages rather than objects. Use it when a page in a document needs a different size from the rest, such as a fold out cover or a narrower insert.

The Gap tool works on the space between objects instead of the objects themselves. It is meant for the gutters in a grid of pictures or boxes, where the space between items is what you care about, and thinking in gaps is often quicker than resizing each frame and lining them up again one by one.

Content collector, Type and Eyedropper

The Content collector picks up objects so you can carry them to another page or spread, and the Content placer puts them down again. It suits jobs like moving a set of repeating elements from one section of a brochure to another.

The Type tool draws text frames and places the cursor in text; Type on a path sets text along any line or shape. Both create text you can still edit and style.

The Eyedropper copies a look. Click an object or some text with it and it picks up fill, stroke, text formats and effects, then apply them by clicking another object or selecting other text. It is the fastest way to make one caption match another when nobody set up a style, though for anything that repeats, a proper paragraph or object style is better.

Measure, Note, Hand and Zoom

The Measure tool measures on the page, useful for checking the space round a logo or the size of a margin on a scanned design you're matching. The Note tool places editorial notes on the page. Hand and Zoom move and scale your view, and they are the tools you'll use most without thinking. The Hand tool is also on the Space bar, so you can pan without leaving the tool you're in.

A few habits worth forming early

Learn the shortcuts for the tools you use most; the keyboard shortcuts editor lets you see them and set your own. Switch between Selection and Direct selection by intent, not by trial and error. Use the Eyedropper for one off matches and styles for anything that repeats. And keep the Control bar in view: it changes with the tool and the selection, and shows the numbers for whatever you have picked up, so you can type exact values instead of dragging.