The Rectangle Ellipse Polygon

The Shape Tools are used to create polygonal objects. Included in this group are a Rectangular Tool for square and rectangular Shapes, Ellipse Tool for circular and oval Selections, and the Polygon Tool for shapes with 3 or more sides. To create a shape you select the tool you need, place your cursor in the Document Window, {Click} and hold your mouse button, and drag.  To constrain the shape of the rectangular and elliptical Shape Tools {Click}, drag and hold the [SHIFT] key as you make your object. Perfectly square and circular shapes result.  If you hold down the [ALT] key while using one of the Shape Tools, the point of origin will be the center of your object. If you don’t hold down the [ALT] key, the top right corner of your object will be the point of its origin.

The Rectangular Tool has one option that can be accessed through the Object Panel. You can set the roundness of a rectangle’s corners by increasing or decreasing the number in the field in the panel or moving the slider beside the field. This can be a useful option if you want to create capsule shaped buttons for your website. 

The Polygon Tool options in the Object Panel allow you to choose between creating a regular Polygon or a Star-shaped object. If you choose Polygon from the drop down menu you can increase or decrease the number of your shape’s sides by moving the slider or typing a number in the field in the Object Panel. If you choose Star you can not only increase the number of sides but also increase or decrease the angle of their points. The lower the angle the "spikier" the star.

(Fig-5.6(a) Star, 3 sides, angle 14) (Fig-5.6(b) Polygon,7 sides) (Fig-5.6(c) Star,7 sides, angle 50)

(Figure 5.7)

The Pencil Tool allows you to draw editable, freehand paths in Object Mode and non-editable,1 pixel-wide lines in Image Edit Mode. Use the Sub selection tool to select a freehand path that you’ve drawn with your Pencil and you’ll find that it contains the same points that a line drawn with the Pen and Line tool contains. You can edit these points in the same way that you can line segments. Strokes and effects can be applied to any freehand path you create in Object Mode.

If you are using your Pencil in Image Editing Mode you have 3 options in the Object Panel. You can select "Anti-Aliases" and make your lines relatively smooth, "Auto Erase" if you want to draw the fill color over a stroke, or "Preserve Transparency" if you want to draw only on areas that contain pixel information.

The Brush Tool  

Use the Brush Tool to create lines and paths that utilize the settings in your Stroke Panel. The major difference between this tool and the pencil tool is the way it works in Image Editing Mode. The Pencil Tool is limited to a one pixel-wide line whereas the Brush Tool utilizes your Stroke settings.

Transform Tool  

This tool can only be applied to vector shapes. Select it from the Toolbox and then select a vector shape on your screen. A transformation bounding box will appear around the object which can be used to modify the shape. You can use this tool to Scale, Skew, and Distort an object.  Select one of the points and drag to affect a transformation.

Figure 5.8 (a)Original Shape) (Figure 5.8(b)Scaled with transform box) (Figure 5.8(c)Skewed)

(Figure 5.8(d) Skewed) (Figure 5.8 (e) Distorted)

Freeform Tool 

Another vector tool. Select it from the toolbox and drag it over a selected vector object in your Document Window. The tool will affect the path in interesting and unusual ways. The way the Freeform Tool works depends on whether or not your cursor is inside or outside your object when you click and drag.  The Area Tool’s ability to change your path is dependent on how big you’ve made its brush. Use the options panel to modify brush sizes for both the Freeform and Area Tools. Draw a vector shape in your Document Window and experiment with these tools.

(Figure 5.9(a) Circle Vector.) (Figure 5.9(b)Changed with Freeform Tool.) (Figure 5.9(c)Changed with Area Tool.)

The Path scrubbing Tools are graphic tablet specific and are dependent on variable pressure settings. If you own a graphic tablet you might want to select these tools and draw them across a path to see what they’re capable of.

Paint Bucket Tool  

The Paint Bucket tool allows you to fill areas of solid or similar color with the color of your choice. You can expand the range of color that will be filled by increasing the Tolerance figure in the Options Panel. 

(Figure 5.10)

You can adjust the edge of the fill that your Paint Bucket Tool creates by selecting an option from the Edge drop down menu and moving the associated slider. Below you will see examples of the Paint Bucket at work. Experiment with this tool on the bitmap image of you choice.

(Figure 5.11(a) Tolerance 0) (Figure 5.11(b) Tolerance 6) (Figure 5.11(c) Tolerance 50)

Eraser 

The Eraser is really just a slight variation on a paint brush. In Image Editing Mode, this tool will remove pixel information from your bitmap image and replace it with transparency or color depending on your settings. Check the options for this tool in the Options Panel.

(Figure 5.12)

The Panel will allow you to adjust the eraser’s shape, size and edge. You can also choose how you want the eraser to erase. You can have it use your stroke color, your fill color, background color, or erase to transparent.

Rubber Stamp 

The Rubber Stamp is a great tool for editing photographs. You can use it to remove small flaws from photographs and convincingly add or subtract details. You do this by selecting the tool, placing it in your document,  holding down the [ALT] key and {Clicking} your mouse button on the area that you want to sample.  Now, if you move your cursor and begin to paint, you’ll find that you’re actually applying the image content that you just sampled.

The Options Panel for the Rubber Stamp allows you to adjust the size and edge of the brush that you use to sample the image. You can also choose to sample from the layer that you are working on or the entire document.

(Fig-5.13(a)Original Image) (Fig-5.13(b)Adjusted Image – buoy added)

The Eraser Tool also operates in Object Mode as a knife. Use it to draw a straight line across a selected vector object.  Deselect the shape, select the Sub selection Tool and reselect the shape again.  You’ll find that the object has been cut in two along the line that you drew with the tool.

(Fig-5.14(a)Original Shape) (Fig-5.14(b)Cut in half with the Knife Tool)

Find a bitmap image, open it in Fireworks, and experiment with the various tools. Some of them, like the Pen, take a while to get used to. Practice will not only increase confidence and proficiency but also allow you to find new and interesting ways to use them.