Editing shapes retroactively

Navigation:  Frames and drawings > Frames – basic functions >

Editing shapes retroactively

 Previous pageReturn to chapter overviewNext page

There are several methods of retroactively adjusting the shape of objects:

▪Frames and drawings can be given a different AutoShape via the command Change AutoShape autoshape_insert_icon (in the group Edit). For more information, see Changing the AutoShape of frames.

▪You can also use the command Combine objects combine_objects_icon (in the group Edit) to combine two or more shapes into one overall shape. For more information, see Combining shapes.

▪Additional handles caro handles are displayed for some types of AutoShapes. If you drag one of these handles, a parameter controlling the shape of the object is changed. For stars, for example, the length of the points can be changed, and for rounded rectangles, the rounding of the corners can be changed.

For picture frames whose shape has been changed via the ribbon command Photo frame photo_frame_icon (in the group Format), these handles also appear for some variants.

In this section, the command Edit points edit_points_icon is used to describe a very individual method of customizing the shape of certain objects (drawings, text frames or picture frames) to your liking – by editing points of the object via the "Bezier tools". Technically, you use this command to convert an AutoShape into a curve.

To do so, proceed as follows:

1.Select the object and choose the command Edit points edit_points_icon on the contextual ribbon tab Object | group Edit.
Tip: For picture frames, you will find the command only via the context menu (right-click on the object).
After switching to "Bezier Mode" via the command Edit points, you will see small black corners or vertices on the object's contour line (Note: Bezier mode remains constantly for the object once enabled).
2.Drag the black points via the mouse to change the shape.
3.Optional: For shapes with curves, a blue line (tangent) with a small square (handle) also appears when you left-click on one of the black points. Use the mouse to take hold of the blue square in order to change the angle of inclination and length of the curve. See also the next section "Other options via the context menu".

Note: If you ensure that you are positioned exactly on the points (or the line segments, see below) with the mouse, the mouse cursor will then change to crosshairs cursor_edit_points.

Other options via the context menu

You will find additional editing options in the context menu by right-clicking on one of the small black points or on a line segment of the object.

For points, you can choose between the following options in the context menu:

▪Auto point

The angle and length of the tangent are set to a default value for automatic smoothing. No tangent for adjusting the angle and length appears accordingly for this option.

▪Straight point

A blue tangent appears. Both tangent halves are firmly connected, by angle and length. If one handle is moved, the other handle changes analogously in terms of angle and length.

▪Smooth point

A blue tangent appears. Only the angle of the two tangent halves is connected, but not the length. If one handle is moved, the other handle changes analogously in terms of angle. The length (and thus the gradient of the curve) can be set independently.

▪Corner point

A blue tangent appears. Both tangent halves can be moved independently, both by angle and length.

▪Delete point

This option removes the selected point from the contour line.

For line segments, the context menu provides the following options:

▪Straight segment

The selected line segment between two points is straightened.

▪Curved segment

The selected line segment between two points becomes a curved line.

▪Add point

This option adds another editing point to the selected line segment.

▪Open curve/Close curve

You use Open curve to remove the line segment between two points. The option Close curve closes an open shape and inserts a new line segment between the open ends.

The entry Curve properties opens a dialog box where you can edit the properties of the created shape (fill, line color, etc.) as with any other object. For more information, see Changing object properties via the dialog box. Many of these options can also be found directly on the contextual ribbon tab Object (or Picture).