Placement Tools

Use any of these tools to add a new layer of the given type. To change the settings for the added layer, use the Home and Move and Transform tools. You can add Effects to any object layers (shape, line, etc. layers) you add.

Place Text

To activate the Place Text [T] tool, click its button on the main toolbar. Click with this tool in the picture to set the position of the top left corner of the text frame. Use the box in the Side Panel to add the Text. There are also settings here for the text’s Font, Size, and Line Spacing. Other settings here make the text Bold, Italics, or Underlined. For multi-line text, the Left, Center, and Right buttons set the text’s alignment. Use the Anti-aliasing setting to configure or turn off anti-aliasing for the text.

Place Symbol

Use the Place Symbol [Shift+T] tool to place symbols. It works similarly to the Place Text tool, but places a single symbol instead of text. The Side Panel shows settings for this tool. The drop-down list here shows these choices:

  • The last symbols used
  • Symbol groups – e.g. arrows, math symbols, etc. The symbols displayed are grouped by font.
  • All symbols – shows all available symbols. The symbols displayed are organized by font.
  • Individual symbol fonts – these each display only the symbols contained in the selected font.

The available choice of symbols depends on the fonts installed in your operating system.

Place Shape

Use the Place Shape [Shift+S] tool to add a new layer with a shape to the picture. Click and drag to set the location and size of the frame, and the placement of the shape’s guidepoints.

Two guidepoints are shown at the edge of the placed shape. Move these guidepoints to change the shape’s width or height freely, without respect to its current ratio of sides. Four guidepoints are shown at the corners of the outer frame. Move these guidepoints to change the shape’s width and height while preserving its current ratio of sides.

The Side Panel shows settings for this tool, including these options: Shape, Pen Color, Pen Width, and Fill Color. To reshape a placed shape, drag the guidepoints on it – for example for an arrow, you can change the arrow’s head or width.

No square or circle options are provided in the shapes menu. To quickly place these shapes, first choose Rectangle or Ellipse. Then instead of clicking and dragging, just click once. A geometrically precise circle or square is placed immediately.

Place Line

Use the Place Line tool [D] to add a new layer with a line to a picture. Use the mouse to add, reposition, and select nodes in the line. Press [Delete] or [Backspace] to remove the last node added. Double-click any node to delete that node. To close off a curve, turning it into a polygon, click the first point in the curve or click the Close checkbox. A closed curve can be filled with a color. There are also settings here for the Pen Color, Pen Width, Fill Color, and Line Ending.

  • Horizontal/vertical line – hold down [Ctrl] and click and drag to draw a horizontal or vertical line. Move the mouse clockwise or counterclockwise to change the line’s angle in 15° steps.

More information

Layers

Editing the Selection Border

Creating a Selection

How to Add Text to Your Photos