ArtPro+

Text Tool

Using the Text Tool you can create or edit a text box and edit text within it.

Creating Text

• Click and drag to create a new text box of a specific size
• When the Text Tool is active, all text boxes are highlighted so you can see where live text is located

Selecting Text

• Click and drag over the text you want to select
• Double-click to select a single word
• Triple-click to select an entire paragraph
• Use Cmd/Ctrl + A to select all text in the text box

Text Operations

• Cut/Copy/Paste text within and across documents
• Use the Text Inspector to change font, size, and other properties
• Merge Text Boxes: Select multiple text boxes and use Object > Text > Merge Text Boxes
• Split Text Box: Position cursor and use Object > Text > Split Text Box

Crosshair Tool

The Crosshair is a reference point in your document that can be moved and rotated. It serves as the center for all linear transformations.

Crosshair Functions

• Transformation Center - The crosshair serves as the center for rotation, scale, mirror, and shear operations
• Move - Click and drag the crosshair to a new position
• Rotate - Drag outside the center to rotate the crosshair
• Show/Hide - Use Cmd/Ctrl + R to toggle crosshair visibility

Snap to Crosshair

• Enable snapping to make objects align to the crosshair position
• Helpful for precise alignment and positioning

Cut on Crosshair

Cut on Crosshair splits selected objects along the crosshair lines, allowing you to divide artwork precisely.

How to Use

• First, position the Crosshair where you want to cut
• Select the objects you want to split
• Choose Object > Cut on Crosshair from the menu

Cut Options

• Vertical Cut - Split objects along the vertical crosshair line
• Horizontal Cut - Split objects along the horizontal crosshair line
• Both - Split objects along both lines (creates 4 pieces)

Use Cases

• Dividing artwork for multi-part output
• Creating registration marks at specific positions
• Splitting objects at precise measurement points

Group Select Tool

Group Select is the default selection tool. It selects the highest-level group that an object belongs to.

How to Use

• Click on an object to select the entire group it belongs to
• Drag a rectangle to select all groups within the area
• Double-click to enter a group and select objects within it

Selection Modifiers

• Shift + Click to add or remove objects from selection
• Shift + Drag to add rectangle area to selection
• Use the Breadcrumbs bar to navigate up through group hierarchy

Object Select Tool

Object Select allows you to select individual objects within groups without entering the group.

How to Use

• Click on an object to select just that object, ignoring groups
• Drag a rectangle to select individual objects within the area

When to Use

• When you need to edit one item inside a grouped structure
• To move or transform individual objects without ungrouping
• To select specific objects across multiple groups

Path Select Tool

Path Select allows you to select individual paths within compound paths.

How to Use

• Click on a path to select just that path component
• Works on compound paths that contain multiple sub-paths

When to Use

• To edit specific paths within a compound path
• To delete or modify individual path components
• When working with complex artwork that uses compound paths

Lasso Select Tool

Lasso Select allows you to draw a freeform selection area around objects.

How to Use

• Click and drag to draw a freeform selection shape
• Release to complete the selection
• All objects within the drawn area will be selected

When to Use

• When objects are arranged in irregular patterns
• To select objects that can't easily be captured with a rectangle
• For precise selection in complex artwork

Selection Modifiers

• Shift + Drag to add to existing selection
• Alt/Option + Drag to subtract from selection

Create & Edit Path Tool

Create new vector paths or edit existing ones by manipulating anchor points and handles.

Creating Paths

• Click to create corner anchor points
• Click and drag to create smooth anchor points with direction handles
• Click on first point to close the path
• Press Escape to finish an open path

Editing Paths

• Move anchor points by clicking and dragging them
• Add points by clicking on a path segment
• Delete points by clicking on existing anchor points
• Adjust handles by dragging the direction handles

Modifier Keys

• Alt/Option - Convert smooth points to corner points and vice versa
• Shift - Constrain angles to 45° increments

Adjust Corners Tool

Create and edit rounded, inverted, or beveled corners on straight-line intersections.

How to Use

• Click on a corner point to select it
• Drag to adjust the corner radius
• Works only on corners formed by straight line segments

Corner Types

• Rounded - Creates a smooth curved corner
• Inverted - Creates an inward-curving corner
• Beveled - Creates a flat chamfered corner

Additional Path Tools

• Split & Retrace - Retrace part of a path to create a new shape
• Cut Path - Cut through paths to create open endpoints

Split & Retrace Tool

Retrace part of a path to create a new shape, or split paths at specific points.

Retrace a Path

• Click on a starting point on the path
• Click on an ending point on the same path
• The section between points becomes a new path

Split a Path

• Click on any point along a path to split it
• Creates two separate path segments
• Useful for breaking apart complex paths

Use Cases

• Extracting portions of existing paths
• Creating new shapes from existing artwork
• Separating connected path segments

Cut Path Tool

Cut through paths to create open endpoints, breaking closed paths into open segments.

How to Use

• Click on a path segment to cut at that point
• Click on an anchor point to cut at the anchor
• The path is split into two separate endpoints at the cut location

Cutting Closed Paths

• Cutting a closed path once creates an open path
• Cutting twice creates two separate path segments

Use Cases

• Opening closed shapes for further editing
• Creating gaps in paths for design purposes
• Preparing paths for joining with other paths

Densities Tool

Measure ink density at specific points in your document with a visual density wheel showing color separation values and total ink coverage.

How to Use

• Select the Densities tool
• Click a point to measure density at that location
• Click and drag to get a continuous readout of the measured point

Density Wheel Display

• Upper Half: Color bars showing percentage values for each printing separation
• Lower Half: Color visualization of the measured pixel
• Left Side: Lowest measured value with breakout limit indicator
• Right Side: Total ink percentage of all printing separations and visible layers

Dimensions Tool

Measure distances, angles, and areas in your document with automatic snap to outlines and bounding boxes.

How to Use

• Select the Dimensions tool
• Click the first measurement point
• Click or drag to the second point to complete measurement
• Click and drag measurement points to adjust their location
• Press Esc to clear the current measurement

Measurement Display

• Horizontal Distance (ΔX): Distance along the X axis
• Vertical Distance (ΔY): Distance along the Y axis
• Total Distance: Direct line distance between points
• Angle: Measurement line angle
• Area: Total area of the measurement rectangle

Snap Option

When enabled, the tool snaps to outlines, bounding boxes, strokes, text, patterns, and image boundaries. Toggle snap with the N key or use the Snap checkbox.

Measure Area Tool

Measure the area of a selected object or drawn region.

How to Use

• Click on an object to measure its area
• Or draw a polygon to measure a custom area
• Double-click to complete a custom area measurement

Area Display

• Area is shown in square units (mm², cm², inches²)
• Unit depends on your document settings

Densities Tool

Measure ink densities at a specific location in your document.

How to Use

• Click on any point to measure ink densities at that location
• Results appear in the Inspector panel

Density Display

• Shows the percentage of each separation at the clicked point
• Displays all inks present at that location
• Useful for checking color values and overprint densities

Use Cases

• Verifying ink coverage percentages
• Checking for overprinting issues
• Identifying specific spot colors

Create Rectangle Tool

Create rectangles and squares with precise control over dimensions and corner radius.

How to Use

• Click and drag to create a rectangle
• Release to complete the shape
• Use the Inspector to enter exact dimensions after creation

Corner Radius

• Set corner radius in the Tool Options before drawing
• Creates rounded corners on your rectangle
• Set to 0 for sharp corners

Modifier Keys

• Shift - Constrain to a perfect square
• Alt/Option - Draw from center instead of corner
• Shift + Alt - Perfect square from center

Create Ellipse Tool

Create ellipses and circles with precise control.

How to Use

• Click and drag to create an ellipse
• Release to complete the shape
• Use the Inspector to enter exact dimensions after creation

Modifier Keys

• Shift - Constrain to a perfect circle
• Alt/Option - Draw from center instead of corner
• Shift + Alt - Perfect circle from center

After Creation

• Shapes are created as regular paths that can be edited
• Use the Transform Tool to resize or rotate
• Use the Path Tools to edit anchor points

Transform Tool

Manually move, scale, rotate, and shear selected objects using the bounding box handles.

Transform Operations

• Move - Click and drag selected objects to move them
• Scale - Drag corner or side handles to resize
• Rotate - Drag outside the bounding box to rotate
• Shear - Hold Cmd/Ctrl while dragging side handles

Transform Center

• The Crosshair serves as the transformation center
• Rotation and scaling happen relative to the crosshair position
• Move the crosshair to change the pivot point

Modifier Keys

• Shift - Constrain proportions when scaling
• Alt/Option - Transform from center
• Shift while rotating - Constrain to 45° increments
• Shift while moving - Constrain to H, V, or 45° directions

Align & Distribute Tool

Align objects horizontally or vertically, or distribute them evenly with precise spacing.

Align Options

• Align Left - Align objects to the leftmost edge
• Align Center (H) - Align objects to horizontal center
• Align Right - Align objects to the rightmost edge
• Align Top - Align objects to the topmost edge
• Align Middle (V) - Align objects to vertical center
• Align Bottom - Align objects to the bottommost edge

Distribute Options

• Distribute Horizontally - Space objects evenly left to right
• Distribute Vertically - Space objects evenly top to bottom

Align To

• Selection - Align relative to the selected objects
• Page - Align relative to the page bounds
• Key Object - Align relative to a specific object

Numeric Transform

Apply precise transformations using exact numeric values for position, scale, rotation, and shear.

How to Access

• Press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + M to open Numeric Transform
• Or use Object > Transform > Numeric Transform

Transform Values

• Position (X, Y) - Move to exact coordinates
• Scale (W, H) - Resize by percentage or absolute values
• Rotation - Rotate by exact degrees
• Shear - Skew by exact angle

Options

• Preview - See changes before applying
• Copy - Create a transformed copy
• Transform Origin - Set the transformation center point

Zoom Tool

Navigate your document at different magnification levels with precise zoom controls.

Zoom Operations

• Click to zoom in on a point
• Alt/Option + Click to zoom out
• Drag a rectangle to zoom to a specific area
• Use the scroll wheel with Cmd/Ctrl for quick zooming

Zoom Shortcuts

• Cmd/Ctrl + + - Zoom in
• Cmd/Ctrl + - - Zoom out
• Cmd/Ctrl + 0 - Fit in window
• Cmd/Ctrl + 1 - Actual size (100%)

Zoom Levels

• Zoom percentage is shown in the title bar
• Maximum zoom depends on document resolution
• Minimum zoom fits entire page in window

Pan (Hand) Tool

Move around your document without changing the zoom level.

How to Use

• Click and drag to move the view around
• The document moves in the direction you drag

Accessing Pan

• Press H to activate the Hand/Pan tool
• Press Z again to toggle between Zoom and Pan

Temporary Pan

• Hold Space to temporarily activate Pan without switching tools
• Release Space to return to your previous tool
• Works from any tool for quick navigation