Keynote - Modifying Object Size, Orientation, Outline, and More

Chapter 5

Working with Images, Shapes, and Other Objects

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Resizing Objects

You can resize an object by dragging its handles or typing exact dimensions.

Here are ways to resize objects:
To resize an object by dragging, select the object and then drag one of its

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selection handles. To resize an object in one direction, drag a side handle instead
of a corner handle.
To resize the object from its center, press the Option key as you drag.
To maintain an object’s proportions, hold down the Shift key as you drag. You can
also click Inspector in the toolbar, click the Metrics inspector button, and then select
“Constrain proportions” before dragging.
To show the size of an object when you drag a selection handle, choose Keynote >
Preferences, and then select “Show size and position when moving objects” in the
General pane.
To resize an object using exact proportions, select the object, click Inspector in the

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toolbar, click the Metrics inspector button, and then use the Width and Height controls.
To resize several objects at once, select the objects, click Inspector in the toolbar, click

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the Metrics inspector button, and then type new values in the Width and Height fields.
Select the object and then click Original Size in the Metrics inspector.

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If you’ve resized a very large image file, but you only need to use the smaller version in
your presentation, you can have Keynote keep only a smaller copy of the image, thus
reducing the overall size of your document. See “Reducing Image File Sizes” on page 77.

Flipping and Rotating Objects

You can flip or rotate any object. For example, if you have an image of an arrow that
you want to use in your document, but you need it to point in a different direction,
you can reverse its direction vertically or horizontally, or point it at any angle.

Here are ways to change an object’s orientation:
To flip an object horizontally or vertically, select the object, and then choose Arrange >

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Flip Horizontally or Arrange > Flip Vertically.
You can also click Inspector in the toolbar, click the Metrics inspector button, and then
use the Flip buttons.
To rotate an object, select the object, hold down the Command key and move the

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pointer toward an active selection handle until it changes to a curved, double-headed
arrow, and then drag a selection handle.
To rotate an object in 45-degree increments, press the Shift and Command keys while
dragging a selection handle.
You can also click Inspector in the toolbar, click the Metrics inspector button, and then
drag the Rotate wheel or use the Angle controls to set the angle of the object.

To rotate a shape but keep its text horizontal, after rotating the shape choose Format

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> Shape > “Reset Text and Object Handles.”

Changing the Style of Borders

For shapes, chart elements, text boxes, and table cells, you can choose a line style
and color for the object’s border, or you can specify no border. You can also put a
border around imported images. You set border line style and color using the Graphic
inspector and the Colors window.

To set the line style and color of an object’s border:

1

Select the object that you want to modify.

2

Click Inspector in the toolbar, and then click the Graphic inspector button.

3

Choose Line from the Stroke pop-up menu.

4

Choose a line style from the pop-up menu. For tables, only a solid line or None

is available.

Choose line endpoints from
these pop-up menus.

Click the color well to
choose a line color.

Choose the line thickness.
(The abbreviation “px”
means pixels.)

Choose a line style.

Choose Line.

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To change the line thickness, type a value in the Stroke field (or click the arrows).

6

To change the line color, click the color well and select a color.

7

To give the line endpoints, such as arrowheads or circles, choose left and right

endpoints from the pop-up menus.

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Chapter 5

Working with Images, Shapes, and Other Objects

Chapter 5

Working with Images, Shapes, and Other Objects

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Framing Objects

Enclose your text boxes, images, movies, shapes, and media placeholders with
graphical borders, known as picture frames.

Click this arrow and
the thumbnail to
choose a frame style.

To add a picture frame:

1

Select the media or media placeholder, click Inspector in the toolbar, and then click the

Graphic inspector button.

2

Choose Picture Frame from the Stroke pop-up menu, and then click the thumbnail to

choose one.
To adjust the thickness of your frame, use the Scale slider or type a specific percentage
in the adjacent field. (Not all picture frames can be adjusted.)

To change a picture frame:

1

Select a framed object or media placeholder, click Inspector in the toolbar, and then

click the Graphic inspector button.

2

Choose Picture Frame from the Stroke pop-up menu, and then click the arrow next to

the thumbnail to choose a new picture frame.

To remove a picture frame:
Select the media or media placeholder and then choose a line style (or None) from the

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Stroke pop-up menu.

Adding Shadows

Shadows create an appearance of depth on your slides. An object’s shadow appears
on any object behind it. You can create a variety of shadow effects, or remove the
shadow from an object.

Change the shadow

color in the color well.

Change the angle of
the shadow with the
Angle wheel.

Offset, Blur, and Opacity
values change the look
of the shadow.

Select the checkbox
to add a shadow to a
selected object.

To add a shadow to an object or text:

1

Select the object or text.

2

Click Inspector in the toolbar, and then click the Graphic inspector button.

3

Select Shadow to add a shadow to the object. Deselect Shadow to make a shadow

go away.

4

Set the angle for the shadow using the Angle controls.

5

To set how far the shadow is from the object, use the Offset controls.

A high shadow offset value makes an object’s shadow appear longer and slightly
separated from the object.

6

To adjust the softness of the shadow’s edge, use the Blur controls.

A high blur value makes the object’s shadow appear more diffuse; a low value gives
the shadow more sharply defined edges.

7

To change the shadow’s transparency, set a percentage in the Opacity field. Don’t use

the Opacity slider at the bottom of the Graphic inspector, which changes the opacity
of the object (not the object’s shadow).

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To change the color for the shadow, click the Shadow color well and select a color.

This object has the default

shadow properties.

This object’s shadow is set

to a different angle.

This object’s shadow has
a high offset value.

This object’s shadow has
the lowest blur factor.

This object has a different
shadow color.

This object’s shadow has
a high blur factor.

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Chapter 5

Working with Images, Shapes, and Other Objects

Chapter 5

Working with Images, Shapes, and Other Objects

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Adding a Reflection

You can add a reflection to an object that reflects vertically downward.

To add a reflection to an object:

1

Select the object.

2

Click Inspector in the toolbar, and then click the Graphic inspector button.

3

Select Reflection and drag the slider to increase or decrease the amount of reflection.

Adjusting Opacity

You can create interesting effects by making objects more opaque or less opaque.

When you put a low-opacity object on top of another object, for example, the bottom
object shows through the top object. Depending on how high or low you set the
opacity, the objects below can be highly visible, partly obscured, or completely
blocked from view (at 100-percent opacity).

To change an object’s opacity:

1

Select the object.

2

Click Inspector in the toolbar, and then click the Graphic inspector button.

3

Drag the Opacity slider or enter a percentage in the adjacent field.