Desktop Publishing Lesson 4 — Working with Objects

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects2 Objectives  Identify types of objects.  Draw shapes.  Modify fills and strokes.  Acquire objects.  Size and crop objects.  Position and arrange objects.  Set text wrap.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects3 What Are Objects?  Objects add visual appeal to a publication and include Text boxes. Graphic Images. Shapes. Charts. Various other elements.  Once placed in a publication, objects can be moved and resized as needed.  Desktop publishing programs include many tools for working with objects.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects4 Identify Types of Objects  Most desktop publishing programs require text to be placed in a text box or frame to create a text object.  Shapes that you draw using program tools are called drawing objects.  Graphic objects are images or pictures inserted into the publication. Graphic objects can be one of two types:  Bitmap images  Vector images Graphic images come in several different formats including TIF, JPEG, GIF, and others.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects5 Draw Shapes  Desktop publishing programs usually contain tools to draw shapes, such as ovals, rectangles, polygons, lines, and arrows.  You select the tool for the shape that you want and drag in the document area to create the shape. Usually, the shape is inserted with a thin black stroke and no fill color.  A newly inserted shape is usually selected by default and displays sizing handles and occasionally a rotation handle.  Some programs have AutoShapes, which are pre- designed shapes that you can insert and create in whatever size you need them to be.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects6 A Drawn Oval Shape This figure shows an oval that has just been drawn. Note that the oval has a thin black stroke to define its shape. Note the six white circles, or sizing handles, around its border. The circle coming out of the top center of the selected shape is the rotation handle. Sizing handles

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects7 More Drawn Shapes This figure shows the same document as the previous figure, but with additional shapes drawn. Another oval has been drawn and combined with lines to form a pair of glasses. A 5-point star AutoShape has also just been drawn and is currently selected.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects8 Modify Fills and Strokes  The stroke is the border around an object’s shape. A stroke consists of a color and a weight.  The fill is the color inside the object’s border. A fill is usually a solid color, but some programs allow patterns and gradients as well.  Desktop publishing programs allow you to change fill and stroke colors for an object from a dialog box or from a drawing menu or toolbox.  To change the stroke or fill for an object, it must first be selected.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects9 Stroke and Fill Dialog Box This figure shows a dialog box used by some desktop publishing programs to set stroke and fill for a selected object. Note that the Fill area also allows you to set a transparency value for the fill color. Fill Options Stroke Options

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects10 Fill and Stroke Examples This figure shows the eyeglasses and star seen in an earlier slide. They have now had stroke and fill values applied to them to make them more visually appealing.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects11 Acquire Objects  There are many ways to insert external objects into your publication, including Insert graphic images or clip art from disk. Download images from the Internet. Scan material from a scanner or transfer images from a digital camera.  The scanner and/or camera must be connected to the computer and a device driver installed. Copy and paste objects. Embed or link objects from other programs, such as charts or tables.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects12 Insert Graphic Files  You can insert a graphic image from any storage device connected to your computer.  Some desktop publishing programs require images to be inserted into a picture frame. Select the frame tool and draw the frame. A dialog box will open where you can locate the file and insert it. You can move or resize the frame and image as needed.  Other programs allow it to be inserted as a floating object. Floating objects can also be moved or resized.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects13 A Picture Frame This figure shows a document with an inserted graphic. This image was inserted into a picture frame, which is shown as being selected. Note that the frame has sizing handles and a rotation handle as well that can be used to manipulate the frame. Rotation handle Sizing handles

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects14 Insert Clip Art Most desktop publishing programs come with a small clip art collection, and there are many clip art packages that you can buy. Most programs usually have some type of clip art task pane, as shown here, where you can see image thumbnails and search for images to insert. You usually open this task pane using commands on the Insert menu.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects15 Download Clip Art from the Internet  There are many Web sites where you can obtain graphic images to insert. Some images are free for the taking, while others may need to be bought. Some are copyright protected and require permission to use in your publication. Some sites require you to register with them.  Once you locate an image, you can use your browser to download it to your computer.  Once downloaded, insert it as you would any other graphic image.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects16 An Internet Image Site This figure shows an Internet site where you can obtain graphic images. This site offers links to images by cate- gory and also allows you to search for a specific image or image type.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects17 Scan Printed Material  A scanner can be used to scan a printed image or text to insert into a document.  Some desktop publishing programs allow you to access the scanner from within the program itself. The scanner must be connected to the computer. A TWAIN driver is used to access a scanner and must be installed with your desktop publishing program.  Others require you to scan the image using the scanner software, save it to disk, and then import it as an external image.  When scanning internally or externally, some type of dialog box will appear where you can set scanning options.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects18 A Scan Dialog Box This figure shows a Scan dialog box that might appear when you scan an image. You can set options to control the appearance and size of the scanned image. You can choose image resolution and color settings. Some scan dialog boxes also have filter settings that you can use to improve the scan quality.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects19 Transfer Images from a Digital Camera When a digital camera is connected to a computer, most computers see it as another storage device. In this figure, My Computer sees the camera as a disk drive. You can select images from the camera using Copy and Paste to insert them into your publication. You can also save the images to a hard disk and insert them from there.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects20 Copy and Paste Objects  You can use the Clipboard to quickly insert an object copied from some other program into your document.  By default, pasted objects are embedded in your document. The object is not related or connected to the original source object at all.  You can also use a Paste Special command to link the object. The object maintains a connection to the original object. If the original object is modified, the linked object can be updated to reflect those changes.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects21 Insert Embedded Objects An embedded object is one created in some other program and inserted into your document, such as an Excel chart or Word table. Once embedded, there is no connection to the object and the original source object. Most desktop publishing programs have some sort of Insert Object dialog box, as shown here, where you specify the type of object that you are inserting.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects22 Resize or Scale an Object  You can resize an inserted object by selecting it and dragging a sizing handle in any direction. Drag a corner handle to change height and width at the same time. Drag a side or top handle to distort the image.  Most programs allow you to scale an object to some precise value using a dialog box or some sort of tool palette.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects23 A Resized Object The figure on the left shows an eyeglass object inserted at its original size. The figure on the right shows the same object after it has been scaled to some precise value set in a dialog box.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects24 Crop an Object Cropping an object removes unwanted portions of the object from view. Some programs have a Crop tool in the Toolbox. Select the object, then select the Crop tool. The object’s sizing handles turn into crop handles as shown here. Drag in some direction and sections of the image will disappear. Crop handles

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects25 Position and Align Objects  The placement of objects on a page is critical to the success of the publication.  Desktop publishing programs offer many options for positioning and arranging objects, including Selecting and dragging it to a new location. Using dialog boxes to fine-tune the placement of the object. Aligning and distributing objects across the page. Layering and stacking objects to create the desired effect.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects26 Position an Object Precisely  Many desktop publishing programs have some sort of Object or Properties dialog box that you can use to precisely place an object.  Objects are placed using an X and Y coordinate system. The X=0 and Y=0 location is the top-left corner of the document. Moving an object to the right increases the X coordinate. Moving an object down the page increases the Y coordinate.  You can set a specific X and Y location in the dialog box.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects27 Align Objects  Some desktop publishing programs allow you to align objects by snapping them to guides or to a grid.  Most also include a Nudge command that moves an object in very small increments until it is located where you want it to be.  You can usually align objects in relation to the top, bottom, or side margins of a page.  Many programs also have a Distribute command that spaces objects an equal distance from each other.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects28 Example of Aligned Objects This figure shows two objects aligned on a page. The bottom object is aligned so its center point is in the same X location as the top object. They are also aligned horizontally in the center of the page between the left and right margins.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects29 Group and Reorder Stacked Items  Objects can be grouped so that, when changed, all objects are changed together. For example, resizing or moving an object in the group affects all objects in the group. To create a group, select all objects to be included and click the Group command on one of the menus (varies by program being used). Grouped objects can be ungrouped if needed.  Objects are stacked as they are inserted into the document. You can change the stacking order so that one object overlays a portion of some other object to achieve a desired visual effect.  Commands to do this also vary by program.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects30 Grouped and Stacked Objects While the grouping effect is not really visible in this figure, you can see the effect of stacking the objects, as was done with the star objects. Note that some appear to be in front and overlap the ones behind them. Any object can be selected and brought to the front, sent to the back, or moved backward or forward.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects31 Rotate and Flip Objects  When you rotate an object, the object pivots around its reference point. For objects with a rotation handle, just drag the handle to rotate the object. In some programs, you use a Rotate tool or a dialog box to rotate the object.  When you flip an object, you reverse the image horizontally or vertically. This is also called reflecting the object. Flipping is usually done using commands on a menu (varies by program) or some type of Reflect tool in the toolbox.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects32 Set Text Wrap  Desktop publishing programs allow you to set text wrap options to adjust the width, shape, and position of white space on the page.  You can also usually set a variety of text wrap options to determine how text flows around inserted objects.  Text wrap options are usually set in a dialog box or a button on a toolbar. The method used varies by program.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects33 Common Text Wrap Styles This table shows some common text wrapping options. Style NameDescription SquareWraps text evenly around four sides of object. TightWraps text along contours of an object. ThroughContinues lines of text through transparent backgrounds of objects. Top and Bottom Wraps text evenly on top and bottom of an object. NoneText is stacked behind or in front of an object.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects34 Examples of Text Wrapping This figure shows an example of text wrapping. The text wrap options for the orange and black stars have been set to Square. The option for the purple star has been set to Tight.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects35 Summary  There are many types of objects that you can insert in desktop publishing documents.  Most desktop publishing programs have drawing tools that you can use to draw basic shapes.  You can insert many types of graphics files in a desktop publishing program.  Use a scanner to convert printed material into an object or graphics file.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects36 Summary (continued)  You can transfer files from a digital camera to a computer and then insert them into a publication.  Most desktop publishing programs come with clip art, or you can download clip art from the Internet.  It is important to obey copyright laws and to cite sources of material that you acquire from other sources.  One of the easiest ways to insert an object in a publication is to use the Copy and Paste commands.

Lesson 4 – Working with Objects37 Summary (continued)  You can modify objects by changing the color and style of fills and strokes.  You can resize, crop, and position objects using precise values or by dragging handles with the mouse.  To integrate objects with text, you can select from several text wrapping styles.