Rotate, scale, shear and step and repeat in Layout by Zaweba

Moving and resizing by eye gets a page roughly right. Transforms get it exactly right. Layout by Zaweba has a set of tools for rotating, scaling, shearing and reflecting objects, a Transform panel for typing exact values, and two time savers, transform again and step and repeat, for doing the same thing many times.

The transform tools

Free transform lets you move, scale and rotate an object with its handles in one tool. Rotate, Scale, Shear and Reflect each do one job, which gives more control when that job is all you want. Reflecting is also available as a simple flip, horizontally or vertically.

Each tool works around a reference point, and that point decides what stays still. Rotating a photo around its centre looks very different from rotating it around one corner, so place the point before you turn.

Exact values in the Transform panel

The Transform panel shows X and Y position, width and height, scale, rotation angle and shear for whatever is selected. Type a number and the object changes to match. That is the way to get a frame to exactly 90 mm wide, a caption to sit exactly 4 mm below a picture, or a label to be turned by exactly the same angle as the one on the facing page.

The reference point in the panel chooses which part of the object the numbers refer to and which point stays still when you change them. Set it to the top left and a change in width grows the frame to the right; set it to the centre and it grows evenly both ways. Getting into the habit of choosing the reference point first saves a lot of nudging afterwards.

The transform content option decides whether a frame's contents scale and rotate with it. With it on, rotating a picture frame turns the photo as well. With it off, the frame turns and the photo stays upright inside it, which can be useful for a tilted frame that shows a level picture.

Repeating a transform

Transform again repeats the last transform on the current selection. Rotate an object by 15 degrees, duplicate it and use transform again, and you can build a ring of objects in seconds. Scale one frame by a percentage, then apply the same scale to another without retyping it.

Step and repeat duplicates an object a set number of times with a set offset, and it can work as a grid: a number of rows and columns at fixed spacing. It is the tool for a sheet of business cards, a row of tickets, a set of labels or a pattern of icons that has to repeat precisely. For a grid of empty frames drawn from scratch, gridify while drawing is often quicker; step and repeat is the right choice when you already have one finished item to copy.

Mistakes people make with transforms

Scaling text frames and expecting the type to keep its size is a common surprise. Scaling a frame with its content can scale the text as well, which leaves odd point sizes in the document. To make a text frame bigger, change its width and height rather than its scale.

Rotating around the wrong point leads to objects drifting off the grid. Set the reference point first.

Shearing photos of people or products distorts them in an obvious way. Keep shear for graphic shapes and type effects.

Flipping a picture that contains words or a logo produces mirror writing. Look carefully before flipping a photo to suit the layout.

How transforms fit with alignment and smart guides

Transforms set size, angle and position precisely; the Align panel and smart guides line things up with each other. Use them together. Set the size and angle in the Transform panel, then align and distribute the set. The Control bar across the top shows the same position, size, rotation and shear values when a frame is selected, so many quick changes can be made there without opening the panel.