Move, resize, and transform
Every object on the canvas can be repositioned, resized, rotated, and flipped, either by dragging on the canvas or by typing exact values in the properties panel.
Quick overview
- Move by dragging a selected object. Smart guides snap it into alignment.
- Resize by dragging a corner handle (proportional by default) or an edge handle (one axis). Hold Alt while dragging a corner to stretch it freely.
- Rotate by dragging the rotation handle above the selection, or type an exact angle in the Layout tab.
- Flip horizontally or vertically from the Layout tab's Arrange menu.
- Lock an object with Ctrl or Cmd and L to protect it from accidental changes.
- Set exact values for position, size, and rotation in the Layout tab of the properties panel.
Detailed reference
Move
Drag any selected object to reposition it. While dragging, smart guides show alignment with other objects and the canvas edges, and the X and Y fields in the Layout tab update in real time. Hold Alt with an object selected to overlay live distance measurements: the gaps from the object to each canvas edge, plus, when you hover a second object while still holding Alt, the gap between the two. For pixel-exact placement, type into the X and Y fields (see Exact values).
Resize
Drag one of the eight handles around a selection:
| Handle | Position | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Corner handles | Each of the four corners | Proportional (uniform) resize by default. Hold Alt while dragging to stretch one dimension and break the aspect ratio |
| Top / bottom | Top and bottom edge midpoints | Resize height only |
| Left / right | Left and right edge midpoints | Resize width only |
Corner drags keep the aspect ratio automatically, so photos and logos stay in proportion without holding any key. Hold Alt only when you deliberately want to squash or stretch. The mid-edge handles each change a single dimension, so they can distort an object on their own.
Rotate
The rotation handle is the round handle above the selection (the left of the two icons on top; the one beside it is a move handle). Drag it to rotate, and the angle updates live in the Layout tab. Rotation is free, with no built-in angle snapping, so for a precise angle type the number into the Rotation field in the Layout tab instead of eyeballing the drag.
Flip
Flip lives in the Layout tab of the properties panel, in the Arrange group. Click the Flip dropdown to choose a direction:
| Option | Action |
|---|---|
| Horizontal | Mirrors the object left to right |
| Vertical | Mirrors the object top to bottom |
Flips are saved with the object and survive save and reload. Flipping does not change the object's width, height, or position, only which way it faces.
Lock
Ctrl or Cmd and L toggles whether an object can be transformed:
| State | Result |
|---|---|
| Locked | Its movement, scaling, and rotation are all frozen, its handles disappear, and it can no longer be clicked or selected on the canvas |
| Unlocked | Normal interaction is restored |
Because a locked object cannot be selected on the canvas, select it from the layers list to unlock it (press Ctrl or Cmd and L again). See Selecting objects and Grouping and layers.
Align and distribute
| Selection | What alignment does |
|---|---|
| One object | Aligns it to the canvas edges or center |
| Two or more objects | Aligns them to each other, relative to the outermost objects in the selection |
| Three or more objects | Also unlocks distribute, spacing objects evenly along an axis |
The available buttons are align left, center horizontally, align right, align top, center vertically, align bottom, distribute horizontally, and distribute vertically. For a single object, the align buttons live in the selection toolbar that appears below it and snap it to the part's edges or center. When two or more objects are selected, the Layout tab shows an Align selection group that aligns them to each other, and the Distribute options in the Arrange menu unlock once three or more are selected.
Reorder (z-order)
Bring an object forward or send it backward to change what sits on top of what. You can also drag rows in the layers list for full control over the stacking order.
Exact values
The Layout tab of the properties panel gives you numeric fields instead of dragging:
| Field | Description | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| X | Horizontal position of the object's top-left corner from the part's left edge | px |
| Y | Vertical position of the object's top-left corner from the part's top edge | px |
| W | Width (setting it rescales the object) | px, minimum 1 |
| H | Height (setting it rescales the object) | px, minimum 1 |
| Constrain proportions | The lock button between W and H. When on (the default), changing W scales H to match, and changing H scales W | toggle |
| Rotation | Angle, in degrees | degrees |
Press Enter, or move focus out of a field, to apply the value. X and Y always refer to the object's true top-left corner, even for center-anchored objects, so the numbers match what you see. Entering values directly is the way to match objects to the pixel, especially when you need the same size or position across several parts.
Step by step
Resize an object to an exact pixel size
- Click the object to select it, then open the Layout tab in the properties panel on the right.
- To keep the object in proportion, leave the Constrain proportions lock (the button between W and H) on, which is the default. Type the width into W and the height follows automatically. To set W and H independently, click the lock button first to turn it off.
- Type the value and press Enter. The object rescales around its top-left corner. The smallest value the fields accept is 1 px.
Rotate an object to an exact angle
- Select the object and open the Layout tab.
- Type the angle into the Rotation field, for example 45 or -90, and press Enter. The object rotates to exactly that angle.
- Dragging the round rotation handle above the object works too, but it does not snap to set angles, so use the field when the angle has to be precise.
Duplicate and offset an object precisely
- Select the object and press Ctrl or Cmd and D. A copy appears offset 20 px right and 20 px down from the original, and the copy becomes the new selection.
- With the copy selected, open the Layout tab and type exact X and Y values to place it where you want, or type W and H to resize it. Repeat Ctrl or Cmd and D to keep duplicating with the same 20 px step.
Flip an object horizontally or vertically
- Select the object and open the Layout tab.
- In the Arrange group, click the Flip dropdown and choose Horizontal or Vertical.
- The object mirrors in place. Its size and position stay the same, only its facing changes, and the flip is saved with the design.
Move an object along one axis only
- Select the object and open the Layout tab.
- To move it horizontally without changing its vertical position, change only the X value and leave Y untouched. To move it vertically only, change only Y.
- Press Enter to apply. Because the fields are independent, the other axis stays exactly where it was.
Lock an object so you do not move it by accident
- Select the object and press Ctrl or Cmd and L. Its handles disappear and it no longer responds to clicks or drags on the canvas.
- To work on it again, open the layers list, select the object there, and press Ctrl or Cmd and L to unlock it. See Grouping and layers.
Common tasks
- Break the aspect ratio on a drag: hold Alt while dragging a corner handle to stretch or squash one dimension. Release Alt to go back to proportional dragging.
- Check spacing before you commit: hold Alt with an object selected to see the distances to the canvas edges, and hover another object (still holding Alt) to read the gap between them.
- Center an object on the part: with a single object selected, use the center-horizontally and center-vertically buttons in the selection toolbar below it.
- Space three or more objects evenly: select them all, then use Distribute horizontally or Distribute vertically from the Layout tab's Arrange menu.
- Restack overlapping objects: press
]to bring one forward and[to send it backward, or drag rows in the layers list. - Match one object to another's size: read the first object's W and H in the Layout tab, select the second, and type the same numbers into its W and H.
- Straighten a rotated object: set its Rotation field back to 0 to snap it upright again.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Alt + drag corner handle | Resize freely (break the aspect ratio) |
Alt (hold with a selection) | Show distance measurements to the edges and to a hovered object |
Ctrl/Cmd + D | Duplicate the selection with a 20 px offset |
Ctrl/Cmd + L | Lock or unlock |
] | Bring forward one level |
[ | Send backward one level |
Tips
Type it in when you need precision
Dragging is fast, but the X, Y, W, and H fields in the Layout tab are the way to line objects up to the pixel.
Corner drags stay proportional on their own
Photos and logos keep their shape when you drag a corner, so you do not need to hold anything. Reach for Alt only when you actually want to stretch one dimension.
Troubleshooting
- Shift does nothing when I resize or rotate. Shift is not a modifier here. Corner drags are already proportional, and the key that breaks the aspect ratio is Alt, not Shift. Rotation has no key-based angle snapping at all, so type the angle in the Layout tab for a precise value.
- My corner drag will not stretch just one side. That is the default proportional behavior. Hold Alt while dragging the corner to change one dimension, or use a mid-edge (top, bottom, left, or right) handle.
- Dragging the side handle of an image crops it instead of resizing. Holding Ctrl while dragging a mid-edge handle on an image is a quick crop, and the handle even changes to a bar shape while Ctrl is down. Let go of Ctrl before dragging to resize normally. The crop keeps at least 20 px. See Image editing.
- Arrow keys do not move my object. Arrow-key nudging is not wired up. Drag the object, or type exact X and Y values in the Layout tab.
- I cannot click my object anymore. It is probably locked. A locked object cannot be selected on the canvas, so open the layers list, select it there, and press Ctrl or Cmd and L to unlock it.
- The Distribute option is greyed out. Distribute needs three or more objects selected. With one or two, only align is available.
- The Align selection group is missing. The Layout tab only shows Align selection when two or more objects are selected. To align a single object to the part, use the align buttons in the selection toolbar below the object.
- My object jumps to line up while I drag it. That is smart guides snapping it to another object or a canvas edge. It is meant to help you align quickly. See Guides, grid, and rulers for how the snapping works and how to control it.
Related
- Selecting objects to choose what to transform
- Guides, grid, and rulers for snap alignment while dragging
- Grouping and layers to transform several objects as one unit, and to reorder from the layers list
- Properties panel for the full Layout tab and every other control