Using the SpriteEffects Palette

The SpriteEffects palette is the control center for applying effects, creating lenses, and editing effects on objects. All SpriteEffects features are available in the palette, except Attach and Detach, which are in the Object | SpriteEffects submenu. If an object is selected, its SpriteEffects settings are shown in the palette. When no object is selected, the controls in the palette are not available.

To Display the SpriteEffects Palette:

Do one of the following:

• Choose Window | Palettes | SpriteEffects.
• In the Properties bar, click the SpriteEffects icon. 

You can keep the palette open while you work or dock it on the Docking bar.

Using the Effects List

When you select an object that has effects, use the list at the top of the SpriteEffects palette to arrange the order of effects. You can also show or hide effects, and change the mask setting.

Effects that are applied to the selected object are listed in order of application, with the first effect at the top. If no effects appear in the list, the selected object has none, or more than one object (or no object) is selected.

To Modify an Effect’s Settings:

1. In the SpriteEffects palette, select the effect name.
2. Do one of the following:
   • Choose Edit Effect Settings from the palette menu.
   • Double-click the effect name in the Effects list.
3. Use the dialog box to adjust the settings for the effect.
4. Click OK to apply the current settings.

Some filter and adjustment commands, (including Blur, Desaturate, Invert, and Sharpen), do not have editable settings, so choosing Edit Effect Settings or double-clicking the effect does nothing.

To Arrange Effects:

In the SpriteEffects palette, drag an effect up or down in the list to change the order in which effects are applied.

To Show and Hide Effects:

1. Select the object whose effects you want to hide/show.

2. In the SpriteEffects palette, click the eye symbol to hide/show the effect. 

   Hiding an effect temporarily removes the effect from the object. Showing an effect re-applies the effect to the selected object.

To Duplicate or Remove Effects:

Use the SpriteEffects palette to duplicate or remove effects that have been applied to a selected object. Removing an effect deletes it from the Effects list.

If you just want to temporarily hide an effect, click the eye symbol in the Effects list.

1. Select the object whose effects you want to edit.
2. In the SpriteEffects palette, do any of the following:
   • Duplicate Effect: Select an effect in the list and choose Duplicate Effect in the palette menu.
   • Delete Effect: To remove an effect, select the effect in the list. Click the trash can or choose Delete Effect in the palette menu.
   • Clear All Effects: To remove all effects from the selected object, choose Clear All Effects in the palette menu.

To Add Effects:

Each effect that you apply appears in the Effects list.

Select an object that has no effects, one that has effects, or a lens.

1. Select an object to which you want to apply effects.
2. In the SpriteEffects palette, click the New Filter Effect button or choose New Effect in the palette menu.
3. In the dialog box, select an effect command from the menu and click OK. If there are no options for the command, Canvas X Draw applies the effect.
4. If there are options for the command, a dialog box opens. Configure the options and click OK.

To Save Effects:

You can save effects that have been applied to an object as a set. After saving an effects set, you can apply the set to other objects.

1. Open the SpriteEffects palette.
2. Select an object or lens that has effects you want to save.
3. Choose Save Effects from the SpriteEffects palette menu.
4. In the dialog box, enter a name and select a location to save the effects set.
5. Click Save to save the set in a file.

To Apply Saved Effects:

1. Open the SpriteEffects palette.
2. Select the object you want to apply the effects set to. You can select an object with no effects, one that has effects, or a lens.
3. Do one of the following:
   • To replace the selected object’s effects with the effects set: Choose Load Effects in the palette’s menu.
   • To add the effects set to the effects on the selected object: Choose Append Effects in the palette’s menu.
4. In the dialog box, select an effects set file and click Open. Canvas X Draw applies the effects to the selected object.

Pasting Effects

You can use the Paste Attributes command to transfer effects from one object to another.

To Paste SpriteEffects:

1. Copy an object that has effects to the Clipboard.
2. Select an object to which you want to transfer the effects.
3. Choose Edit | Paste Attributes.
4. In the Paste Attributes dialog box, select the SpriteEffects option and click OK. Canvas X Draw will apply the effects (except lens settings) to the selected object.

Detaching and Attaching SpriteEffects

The Detach and Attach commands transfer filters and adjustments between objects and lenses.

• Detach: Removes effects from a selected object and applies the effects to a new lens that is the same size as the object’s bounding box.
• Attach: Applies effects from a lens directly to an object. Attaching is a way to apply multiple effects to an object at once.

You can also use the Load Effects, Save Effects, and Append Effects commands in the SpriteEffects palette to transfer sets of effects.

To Detach Effects:

1. Select an object (not a lens) that has effects.
2. Choose Object | SpriteEffects | Detach.
3. Canvas X Draw removes the object’s effects and applies them to a new lens, which appears offset from the original object and is selected.

To Attach Effects:

1. Select a lens object that has effects you want to apply, and a non-lens object to receive the effects. The objects do not have to be the same size or overlap and either one can be first in the stacking order.
2. Choose Object | SpriteEffects | Attach. Canvas X Draw applies the effects, except the lens properties, to the selected object. The original lens object is not changed.

SpriteEffects Options

In the SpriteEffects palette, you can set the color mode, resolution, and anti-aliasing for the effects applied to a selected object. These options control how SpriteEffects are rendered for printing and export, as well as the display of SpriteEffects in Canvas X Draw.

When you change a setting, the change is applied immediately to the selected object.

Mode

From the Mode menu, select the color mode to use for rendering SpriteEffects.

The Mode option is used for rendering all the effects applied to an object; e.g., if you choose Grayscale, the object and effects applied to it will appear in gray shades on screen and when the object is printed or exported.

Select a mode that is appropriate for the medium you use. RGB is best for Web graphics, screen display, and output to a film recorder. CMYK is appropriate for process-color printing and color separations for commercial printing. Grayscale is appropriate for black-and-white publishing.

None is available in the mode menu only when the selected object is a lens that has no effects applied to it; however, the lens can have a magnification value and remote viewpoint.

If you select None, the lens object is not rendered for printing or export. This can be more efficient and produce better output when a lens displays vector objects or high-resolution images. This option is useful if you use lenses without effects to show close-ups or call-outs of diagrams.

Resolution

Enter the resolution in ppi for rendering SpriteEffects. A high resolution makes effects appear smoother; however, higher resolution requires more memory and slows down printing.

For Web graphics and screen display, 72 ppi is recommended. For office printing, 100 to 200 ppi is usually sufficient. For commercial printing, a range of 150 to 300 ppi is recommended for halftone images, depending on the paper and press requirements.

Anti-Alias

Select this option if you want to smooth the edges of objects in the rendering of SpriteEffects.