Transform Objects
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PSDTUTS Photoshop Wiki / Photoshop Tutorials / Transform Objects Photoshop offers a variety of tools used to transform objects and layers in several different ways. These are some of most useful and frequently used menu tools in the program.
You can find them under the Edit > Transform menu, and under the Edit menu itself is another handy tool called Free Transform that we’ll look at in this tutorial.
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[edit] Scale
The Scale tool, found under Edit > Transform > Scale, allows you to adjust the size of your image. When you choose this menu option, a set of handles will appear on each corner of the object in question. You can drag in any direction, though this may skew the image so holding shift while dragging any of the corner handles is advisable to maintain the original aspect ratio.
If you wish to scale an object from the center inwards or outwards, instead of from one of the corners, hold down Alt/Option while resizing.
[edit] Rotate
The Rotate tool, found under Edit > Transform > Rotate, allows you to rotate the object. A set of handles similar to those on the Scale tool will appear, but this time they’ll only allow you to rotate the image on its axis. The axis is determined by the circular handle in the centre of the image – moving this will change the axis and hence the image will rotate around that point instead of its actual center.
You can hold down the Shift button while rotating if you wish to rotate in 15-degree increments.
[edit] Skew
The Skew tool, found under Edit > Transform > Skew allows you to put a slant on your image. You can do this horizontally or vertically on each side of the object, or you can use one of the corner handles to skew the object in that direction.
[edit] Distort
The Distort tool is found under Edit > Transform > Distort. Where skew puts a different slant on an image, distort allows you to stretch it in any direction. Distort is frequently used to correct images in which buildings appear to be leaning backwards. Click on a handle and drag in the direction you wish to stretch the image.
[edit] Perspective
The Perspective tool is found under Edit >Transform > Distort. It allows the user to change the point of view from which the observer sees the image. It works much like the Distort tool, except that the Distort tool allows you to pull each individual handle in one direction, whereas the Perspective tool uses pairs of handles to determine how to change the slant and skew of the image in order to alter the sense of perspective. The handles themselves don’t do anything when using this tool—instead it’s necessary to select an edge and drag it in the desired direction.
[edit] Warp
The Warp tool is found under Edit > Transform > Warp. Every Transform tool manipulates the image based on the handles or edges of the bounding box, but with the Warp tool, most of the action takes place within the box. When you select the tool you’ll be presented with a grid, and you can drag anywhere within it to warp the image out of shape. You can also warp it via the handles on each corner. The Warp tool provides an extra set of handles that allows you to warp the shape of the bounding box itself.
[edit] Extra Options
Beneath these main tools, the Transform menu offers several extra options for rotating and flipping the image. You can use these tools while still in any transform mode.
The rotation options allow you to rotate the image by a specific number of degrees:
- Rotate 180
- Rotate 90 CW
- Rotate 90 CCW
The CW stands for clockwise and CCW is counter-clockwise.
There are two flip options: Flip Vertical and Flip Horizontal. This is a quick and easy way to change the direction your objects are facing.
[edit] Free Transform
One of the easiest ways to transform objects is by using the Free Transform tool. It’s the only transform tool with a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl/Command+T). The handles, by default, offer scaling capabilities, and if you place the mouse near the corners and edges but not directly over a handle, you can rotate the image.
To use the other transform tools in Free Transform mode, you’ll have to hold down a key:
- Alt/Option for the Distort tool (relative to the center of the image)
- Ctrl/Command to distort freely by dragging a handle,
- Ctrl+Shift or Command+Shift to use the Skew tool,
- Ctrl+Alt+Shift or Command+Option+Shift to use the Perspective tool
The Warp tool doesn’t have a keyboard command, but you can switch to and from the Warp tool while using Free Transform by using the toggle button on the right hand side of the Options Bar (just to the left of Cancel Transform).
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