Contour Transformations
A transformation moves selected points together according to a geometric rule. Use rotation, scaling, slanting, or a free transformation when the whole selected feature needs to change while its parts retain a defined relationship.
Rotate, Scale, and Slant
Select the points or contours with the Contour tool before choosing Rotate (R), Scale (S), or Slant (D). Holding a tool's key activates it temporarily; releasing the key returns to the previous tool.
Check the colored indicator before dragging. Blue indicates a contour-level transformation that rewrites point coordinates. Green indicates an element-level transformation stored separately from the underlying contours; see Element Transformations. For the direct contour editing described here, start with a point selection and the blue indicator.
A direct edit can affect other glyphs that reuse the same drawing. Integer-coordinate mode can also round the result. Preserve a source copy before a sequence of transformations that you may need to revise later.
Choose a center and reference
The tools let you establish the center of the operation on the canvas. A predictable method is:
- Click and release at the desired center.
- Move the pointer away to establish the reference direction or distance.
- Press and drag to perform the transformation.
- Release when the drawing reaches the intended result.
You can also begin with a continuous drag from the center. Its initial travel establishes the reference; subsequent travel performs the transform. Watch the indicator change before judging the response as a rotation or slant.
Rotate
The Rotate tool uses a circular indicator. Set the center, establish a reference direction, then drag around the center. Shift constrains the rotation to 15° increments during the transformation.
A pivot at a stem's foot produces a different result from a pivot at the selection's center. Position it deliberately before rotating.
For a quarter-turn, Shift+R invokes Rotate 90° in the editing context. This is a separate command from holding Shift during a Rotate-tool drag; inspect the resulting position as well as the angle.
Scale
The Scale tool uses a square indicator. After establishing the center and reference distance, drag toward or away from the center to resize the selection.
With Shift, a horizontal or vertical movement can constrain scaling to that axis; a diagonal movement produces proportional scaling. Inspect both width and height when preserving proportions is important.
After scaling contours, check the advance width and the relationship between the drawing and its spacing boundaries.
Slant
The Slant tool uses a rhombus indicator. Its reference direction determines the shear axis: a reference closer to vertical produces horizontal slanting; one closer to horizontal produces vertical slanting.
During the transformation, Shift constrains slant to 3° steps. Option/Alt uses the current master's italic angle. This transforms the selected drawing; it is different from showing slanted metrics or changing the italic-angle field itself.
For exact values, use the Transform panel, documented fully in Volume Two. For a multi-node selection, the Contextual widget provides X/Y size fields and a nine-point reference locator; see Glyph Window Anatomy. Choose the reference point before applying a numerical transform so that the intended part of the drawing stays anchored.
The Transform panel combines an origin selector with shift, scale, rotation, and slant fields.
Free Transform
Tools > Free Transform combines movement, scaling, rotation, slant, and distortion in one temporary frame. Select the intended points with the Contour tool and press Cmd+T on macOS or Ctrl+T on Windows.
The blue frame surrounds the contour selection. If you select a single node with adjoining curve handles, Free Transform can include those handles with the node. Inspect the frame before transforming: selecting one node need not mean that only one point will change.
The frame’s handles describe the available operations:
| Gesture | Result |
|---|---|
| Drag inside the frame, away from its pivot | Move the selection |
| Drag a corner handle | Scale in both axes |
| Drag a side handle or edge | Scale in one axis |
| Drag just outside a handle when the rotation cursor appears | Rotate |
| Cmd/Ctrl-drag a side handle or edge | Slant |
| Cmd/Ctrl-drag a corner handle | Distort that corner independently |
By default, Shift constrains corner scaling proportionally. Preferences > Editing > Shift-scaling is non-proportional reverses that relationship, so check the preference if the result differs. During Free Transform rotation, Shift uses 45° steps; this differs from the dedicated Rotate tool.
Set the pivot
Drag the cross-shaped pivot to the point that should anchor the operation. Double-click it to restore the frame's center, or use the nine-point reference control for a standard corner, edge midpoint, or center.
Option/Alt uses this pivot for operations such as scaling instead of the opposite corner or edge. A pivot outside the selection is valid and can be useful when positioning related parts around a common center.
The property bar offers numerical movement, scale, rotation, slant, and flip controls. Enter a value and use the corresponding apply control; check whether scale fields are linked before changing only one dimension. Distorting a corner is a canvas gesture rather than a single angle or percentage field.
To mirror the selection, set the origin with the nine-point reference control, then use Horizontal flip or Vertical flip in the property bar. Inspect the reflected shape and its position before applying the transformation.
Commit or cancel
Press Return/Enter to apply the live transformation, or Esc to cancel it. Clicking an empty canvas area can also commit the result. While Free Transform is active, Undo cancels the current transformation in progress rather than necessarily undoing the earlier drawing operation you had in mind.
After committing, inspect curves, alignment, spacing, and small details. A mathematically uniform transform can still need optical correction, and coordinate rounding can affect very small features.