Paths Inspector

Asanti : Product Editor : Paths Inspector

Paths Inspector

You can use the Paths inspector to view and edit an existing path and its anchor points or to create a path from scratch. Paths are generally used as contours for finishing operations (cutting, creasing, etc.) and play an important role in true-shape nesting of products on a sheet. Paths take the bleed that you set for the image but this is only visible in the Image inspector.

Click the tab to display the Paths inspector.

The Paths panel lists the paths present in the image. An image always has at least one path, namely the frame. Paths can be added using the paths tools in the toolbar or you can auto-generate a path if the image is suitable with the Trace feature.

Add a closed path (ellipse or rectangle)

1 Open the image that you want to add a path to and go to the Paths inspector.

2 Select the Ellipse tool or the Rectangle tool in the bottom toolbar and draw the path like you would place an object on top of the image:

•Click and drag to draw the ellipse or rectangle. Press the CTRL key to draw circles or squares.

•To move the path on the image, select the object with one of the pointer tools. You can adjust the width and height of the path’s bounding box in the Positioning Toolbar in the top left corner.

•Context-click an object to choose an Offset or Inset value that enlarges or shrinks the closed path.

NOTE: You can select the anchor points of a closed path with the white pointer (Path Selection tool) and modify the object.

3 Click Apply or Apply to All to save your changes.

Add a free-form path with the pen tool

1 Open the image that you want to add a path to and go to the Paths inspector.

2 Select the Pen tool and click where you want to start drawing your path:

•Click and release to set an anchor point and draw straight lines.

•Click again in an anchor point to display direction handles and draw a curved line.

•Command-click to stop drawing the path.

3 Click Apply or Apply to All to save your changes.

Auto-generate a path

1 Open the image that you want to generate a path for and go to the Paths inspector.

2 Click the Trace button to open the Trace Content dialog.

3 Use the Edge Contrast slider to set the contrast used to define the path an click OK.

4 In the Paths list, select the auto-generated path you just created to display it in the Product pane. You can rename the path, choose a finishing operation and change the path color.

5 Click Apply or Apply to All to save your changes.

Delete a path

In the Paths list, context-click the path you want to delete, and choose Remove Path.

In the Product pane, select the path with one of the pointer tools and press Delete.

doc. version 7.0.1