User Guide

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CHAPTER 7
Special Effects
There are two ways to easily create special effects in Macromedia FreeHand MX. Live special
effects, available in the Object panel, change the appearance of an object while keeping the object
itself intact. Other commands and tools in FreeHand let you create special effects by
manipulating objects in ways that change their paths, fills, or other properties.
Adding live special effects to objects
FreeHand MX objects can have multiple properties, such as strokes, fills, and live special effects.
(For more information on strokes and fills, see Chapter 6, “Using Strokes and Fills,” on page
165.) Live effects are properties of an object, and only affect the appearance of the object to
which they are applied. For example, the transformation tools can modify the actual width or
height of an object, whereas the Transform effect can make the object appear to be wider or taller
than it really is.
Use the Object panel to add properties to objects and to modify the attributes of the properties
you add. The upper portion of the Object panel displays a Properties list for the current selection
in the Document window. The bottom portion of the Object panel displays attributes for the
current selection in the Properties list.
The Properties list is hierarchical, and the order of properties in the list affects the appearance of
the object. You can change an object’s appearance by dragging to rearrange items in the list.
Properties list
Attributes