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*Program Basic
PROGRAM BASIC: Using the Raster Deform Tool
By Zee Helmick 2006
Sep 1, 2006, 06:06

This tutorial will explain what the Raster Deform Tool is and how to use it in Paint Shop Pro X.

The Raster Deform Tool is used to rotate, resize, skew and distort layers or images. This tool can be accessed through a keyboard shortcut by pressing “D” on your keyboard. It can only be used on raster layers (versus vector layers.)


The Raster Deform Tool looks like a bounding box with eight moveable nodes and a handle. When activated, it surrounds your image with a bounding box.


To rotate your image, hover your mouse over the handle until it changes from four arrows pointing outward to two rotating arrows.

Left-click and drag until your image has been rotated to the position you want.



To resize your image, left-click on one of the corner nodes and drag the mouse until resized. (Use caution in resizing your image larger…your photo will begin appearing pixilated.)



You can also use the Raster Deform Tool to skew your image which results in varying perspectives.

Holding the Control key on your keyboard and then dragging one of the corner nodes will lengthen or shorten one side of your image. Try shortening one end of your image and lengthening the opposite end for an interesting perspective.


Holding the Shift key while clicking one of the side nodes and dragging will result in a parallelogram-shaped image


Holding the Shift key while clicking one of the corner nodes and dragging will allow you to distort corners and sides independently of each other.


The Raster Deform Tool can also be used to move or position your image on your layout. Simply hover over your image until the mouse changes into the four outward pointing arrows, click and drag it to the new position



As you can see, the Raster Deform Tool is very versatile and can be used to create very different effects. Have fun experimenting!

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