Using AutoSnap Palettes

Canvas X Draw organizes tools, special effects, object attributes, and other functions in palettes. Palettes can remain open on screen, and they can be docked on the Docking bar. They can also attach together due to Canvas X Draw’s “snapping” technology for floating palettes, or rather AutoSnap™ palettes.

To Enable AutoSnapping:

1. Choose File | Configuration Center.
2. Open the General Settings and select Functionality Options.
3. Select the AutoSnap palettes checkbox.

If you have two or more palettes open, you can position them so they attach together. Once attached, you can then move them around as a group.

To Tear Off a Group of Palettes:

Click on a palette’s title bar and hold down the Ctrl key while dragging the palette away. Any palettes to the right of the selected palette move simultaneously.

To Tear Off a Single Palette:

Click on a palette’s title bar and hold down the Shift key while dragging the palette away. Only the selected palette moves.

To Disable the AutoSnap Palettes Option:

1. Choose File | Configuration Center.
2. Open the General settings and select Functionality Options.
3. Deselect the AutoSnap palettes checkbox.

Some palettes have an Apply button that you must click if you want to implement the current settings. A palette stays open until you click its close box or use a command to close it.

To Roll Up a Palette so Only its Title Bar is Visible:

Click on the minus button on the palette title bar.

To Dock a Palette:

Click on the arrow button or drag the palette to the docking bar. (See Using the Docking Bar and Using AutoSnap Palettes.)

To Arrange Palettes:

Choose Window | Palettes | Clean Up Palettes. Canvas X Draw moves all open palettes except the ToolBox and floating tool palettes to the upper-right corner of the document.

To Close All Palettes:

Choose Window | Palettes | Put Away Palettes. Canvas X Draw closes all open palettes, including the Smart Toolbox and floating tool palettes.

Palettes Submenu

All Canvas X Draw palettes are listed in the Window | Palettes menu. To display a palette, choose the name of the palette in the submenu. If a palette is behind other palettes, it comes to the front. If a palette is docked, the palette comes off the Docking bar and opens.

Tool palettes are listed in the Windows | Toolbox submenu.

Some palettes are also associated with commands in other menus; e.g., the Layout | Document Layout command opens the Document Layout palette. The Image | Show Channels/Hide Channels commands open and close the Channels palette.

Presets Palette Icons in the Toolbox

You can access the Presets palette from the Strokes icon, Dash styles icon, Arrow styles icon, Pen Ink icon, and Fill Ink icon in the Toolbox. You can use these icons to select preset colors, dashes, arrows, and pen widths. To open the Presets palette, click on one of these icons to open the palette and then drag the palette away from the Toolbox.

When editing an image, the Pen Ink icon is replaced by the Brushes icon.

For procedures on selecting inks and strokes, see Inks: Colors and Patterns, and Strokes: Outline Effects. For information on selecting and using brushes, see Painting and Image Editing.