Free Transform in Paint by Zaweba, step by step
Scale, rotate, distort, skew and add perspective with Free Transform (Ctrl+T) in Paint by Zaweba, with typed values and keys for each kind of change.
Free Transform is the workhorse for changing the size, angle and shape of a layer. In Paint by Zaweba it lives at Edit > Free Transform, or Ctrl+T, and one box gives you scaling, rotation, distortion, skew and perspective, depending on which keys you hold.
Starting, scaling and rotating
Select the layer and press Ctrl+T. A box with handles appears round its contents. Everything you do now is a preview until you commit it, so you can try changes freely.
Drag a handle to scale. Hold Shift to keep proportions, so photos and logos do not stretch. Hold Alt to scale about the reference point, which by default is the centre, so the layer grows evenly rather than from one corner.
Move the pointer outside the box and drag to rotate. Hold Shift and the rotation snaps to 15 degree steps, which is quick for getting exact angles like 45 or 90 degrees, or for snapping a slightly crooked layer back to level.
Distort, skew and perspective
With the Ctrl key, a corner handle distorts: each corner moves on its own. That is how you fit a flat picture onto something at an angle, for example placing artwork onto a photo of a sign or a screen.
Ctrl+Alt on a side handle skews, sliding one edge along while the opposite edge stays. Useful for slanted text effects or for matching an angled surface.
Ctrl+Alt+Shift on a corner adds perspective, pulling two corners in or out together so the layer looks as though it recedes.
The options bar
While transforming, the options bar shows X, Y, W%, H%, angle, skew, the reference point and interpolation. Use it when you need exact numbers rather than dragging: scale a picture to precisely 50 percent, place it at a known position, rotate by a typed angle, or move the reference point to a corner so scaling happens from that corner.
Interpolation decides how pixels are recalculated when scaled or turned. Choose the one that suits the content, and look closely at edges after the change to be sure they are as soft or as crisp as you want.
What it works on
Free Transform works on pixels, on shapes, on text and on selection outlines. Shapes are transformed as vectors, so they stay sharp at any size. Text can be moved and scaled proportionally while staying editable. And transforming a selection outline changes the selection itself, not the pixels inside it, which is handy for adjusting a selection's shape.
Scale down rather than up wherever you can, since enlarging pixels cannot add detail. Avoid transforming the same pixel layer many times in a row, because each change resamples it; one larger change is cleaner than five small ones. For repeating a transform, Transform Again is quicker than doing it by hand.
Where it sits among the transform tools
The Select tool gives quick move, size and rotate handles, and a double-click on a pixel layer opens Free Transform. Edit > Transform offers the same kinds of change one mode at a time, along with fixed rotations and flips. Warp, Pin Warp and Perspective Warp handle bending and reshaping that a box cannot.
Things that trip people up
Forgetting Shift and stretching a photo. Expecting text to distort; for text, Free Transform handles moves and proportional scaling, so it stays editable. Leaving a transform open and switching tools; commit or cancel it first.
Free Transform is the tool you will use most for resizing and angling in Paint by Zaweba, and it is worth learning its keys.
