Editing Word and Character Properties

When you select a word or character in the workspace, you can use the Properties pane to edit settings for the each word or character independently of the text block.

Start by clicking a text block to select it. Then you can click the Navigate to Child , Navigate to Previous Peer , and Navigate to Next Peer buttons in the main toolbar to select individual words or characters.

The Transform page controls the position and size of the selected word or character: you can change the center or rotation of the word or character, offset its position, adjust its horizontal or vertical scaling, or apply a horizontal or vertical slant (shear).

The Effects page controls the look of your word or character: you can change the opacity of the text, apply a gradient fill, or apply blur, drop shadow, or glow effects.

Transform controls

Item	Description
Center	Each character has a center point that is used for alignment and rotation: Choose a setting from the drop-down list to indicate how you want to align a character relative to the center point.
Rotation	If you want to rotate a character about its center point, drag the slider, or double-click the slider handle to reset the rotation to zero.
Offset	To move a character from its original position, drag the X and Y sliders or double-click the label and type a new value in the box.
Scale	To resize a character, drag the X and Y sliders or double-click the label and type a new value in the box. TIP You can also drag the handles on the character to resize it.
Shear	To slant or skew a character, drag the X and Y sliders or double-click the label and type a new value in the box.

Effects controls

Item	Description
Opacity	Drag the slider to adjust the opacity/transparency of the selected character.
Gradient fill	Select this checkbox if you want to apply a gradient to the selected character. You can use the gradient bar below the checkbox to choose the range of the gradient and the colors used. Drag the points in or out to change the starting and ending point of the gradient. To change the gradient colors, click the points to display a color picker. Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Gradients menu where you can preview and apply gradient presets. Click a preset name to see an example of the gradient at the bottom of the Gradients menu. Double-click a preset to apply its settings.
Gaussian Blur	If you want to apply a blur to the selected character, select this check box. To adjust the blur, click the button to use the Horizontal blur and Vertical blur sliders. Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Filters menu where you can preview and apply effect presets. Click a preset name to see an example of the effect at the bottom of the Filters menu. Double-click a preset to apply its settings.
Glow	If you want to apply a glow to the selected character, select this check box. To adjust the position and appearance of the glow, click the button to use the Glow amount and Glow color controls. Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Filters menu where you can preview and apply effect presets. Click a preset name to see an example of the effect at the bottom of the Filters menu. Double-click a preset to apply its settings.
Drop Shadow	If you want to apply a drop shadow to the selected character, select this check box. To adjust the position and appearance of the shadow, click the button to use the Blur amount, Horizontal offset, Vertical offset, and Shadow color controls. TIP Using a white or custom-color background is useful when adjusting drop-shadow colors. You can use the Preview Properties controls to adjust the color of the workspace background. Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Filters menu where you can preview and apply effect presets. Click a preset name to see an example of the effect at the bottom of the Filters menu. Double-click a preset to apply its settings.