Resize an object on a canvas
 
 
 

Resize the headlight on an image of a car.

This “How-To” uses the file bmw.tifas an example. The file is located in the pix sub-directory in the Courseware project.

Open it by choosing File > Import > Canvas Image.

To copy the headlight

First, copy the detail you want to resize; in this case, copy the headlight.

  1. Zoom and pan your view so you can see the left headlight clearly.
  2. Choose Paint > Select > Marquee (rectangle).
  3. Drag a rectangle around the left headlight.

    If you make a mistake, drag a new rectangle around the headlight.

    The pink color indicates regions of the active layer that are not selected. (Regions that are not selected are also referred to as masked regions.)

    Regions that are not pink are selected regions (or unmasked regions).

    Now you can only modify the selected regions (for example, painting, erasing, copying, and so on).

    You cannot modify the pink (masked) regions.

  4. Choose Edit > Copy Image to copy the selected regions to the clipboard.
  5. Choose Windows > Editors > Canvas Layer Editor to open the Canvas Layer Editor.
  6. Double-click on the layer containing the image, and rename it bmw (if not already the case).
  7. Choose Edit > Paste Image to paste the contents of the clipboard into a new image layer.

    Notice in the Canvas Layer Editor window that there is now a new layer named ALIAS_PIX_CL.

  8. Double-click the ALIAS_PIX_CL layer, type headlight and press (Windows) or (Mac) to rename the layer.

To resize the headlight

Next you’ll resize the headlight.

  1. Make sure the headlight layer is active. It should be highlighted in purple in the Canvas Layer Editor. If it is not, click it.
  2. Choose Edit > Transform layer in the Canvas Layer Editor.

    A manipulator appears on the image layer.

  3. Drag the proportional scale handle to increase the size of the headlight.

    Release the proportional scale handle to preview the transformation.

    If you do not like the headlight’s new size, drag the proportional scale handle again.

  4. Click Accept to accept the transformation.
  5. Choose Pick > Object to clear the selection.
  6. In the Canvas Layer Editor window, click the icon for the headlight layer to hide the image layer so you can see the original image.
  7. In the Canvas Layer Editor window, click the icon for the headlight layer to show it again.

To remove paint around the headlight

Next you’ll remove the parts of the car body that surround the headlight.

  1. In the Canvas Layer Editor window, click the icon for the bmw layer to hide the image layer. Now you can clearly see the contents of the headlight layer.

    Make sure the headlight layer is active. It should be highlighted in purple. If it is not, click it.

  2. Zoom and pan your view so the headlight fills the view.
  3. In the Canvas Layer editor, click the new invisibility mask layer button.
  4. Click on the headlight layer again to make it active.
  5. Link the invisibility mask layer (Invisibility-#)to the headlight layer by clicking the icon to the right of the invisibility mask layer name so that it becomes a icon.
  6. Click on the invisibility mask layer to make it the active layer.
  7. Choose Paint > Solid Brush > Brush Felt.

    Adjust the size of the brush to give you control, and paint the car areas. Notice that where you paint, a mustard-yellow color is laid down. This will hide the parts of the car that you don’t want visible.

  8. Brush roughly around the headlight to hide most of the car body.

    If some of the headlight is covered by the yellow invisibility mask, use the eraser tool to remove the mask in those areas.

  9. Brush carefully around the headlight to hide any remaining parts of the car body, adjusting the size of the brush and eraser as needed.
  10. Click on the Headlight layer to see how the Invisibility mask layer hides all areas covered in yellow.
  11. In the Canvas Layer Editor, click the icon for the bmw layer to show it again.
  12. Zoom and pan your view so you can see the entire car.
  13. In the Canvas Layer Editor, click the icon for the headlight layer to hide the image layer so you can see the original image.
  14. In the Canvas Layer Editor, click the icon for the headlight layer to show it again.

To merge and export the final image

Finally you’ll merge the image layers together and export the final image.

  1. Choose Layer > Merge Below from the Canvas Layer Editor to merge the active image layer (headlight) with the image layer below it (bmw).

    Notice that there is once again only one image layer named bmw.

  2. Close the Canvas Layer Editor.
  3. Choose File > Export > Canvas Image/Mask Layer to open the File Browser and save the final image.