Free transform tool fail

[Guest]

Hello.

Im really frustrated with how the free transform tool works for me (or in that case, it doesnt work)

I am using Illustrator CS4 on a PC.

Adobe Help for that software states:

1. Select one or more objects.
2. Select the Free Transform tool .
3. Start dragging a corner handle on the bounding box (not a side handle), and then do one of the following:

   • Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) until the selection is at the desired level of distortion

First of all Im unable to select anything with the free transform tool, so I use the regular selection tool first to select my object.

As you can see after selecting the object I have selected the free transformation tool, grabbed the corner and pressed Control Key on my keyboard (tried both keys as well). The transformation tool refuses to work as it does in Photoshop.

• I have tried to reset my keybindings to Illustrator default.
• I have tried first clicking the corner, holding it and then pressing down the CTRL without moving the mouse as was stated on some other forums googled with this issue.
• I have tried setting my keyboard to American US in Windows.
  
• As you can see the object is a very simple rectangle, its not a part of any type of group.
• Im working on a european version of CS4 Master Collection bought in London UK.
• I have tried this on a US version that I have at work, it has the same issue.
• I have seen and followed the instruction from various YouTUbe movies and the tool simply wont comply to my commands.
• I am pissed.
  
• Halp pleez?
  

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

First of all it does not look like you have the bounding box showing. View>Show/Hide Bounding box Command (Control) Shift B

On the Mac the control key does nothing for you in Illustrator except show a contextual menu in combination with other keys nothing.

Back to the chase click on a corner with the cursor do not mouse up keep the mouse down, now hold the command key (Mac) or control (pc only) down and start dragging.

That is you click hold the mouse down and then while holding the mouse down press the command key then without release the mouse down you drag..

http://mysite.verizon.net/wzphoto/FreeTrans.mov

if you also hold the command/option/shift keys after clicking and holding it will give you a perspective like distortion.

on the pc side that would be control/alt/shift.

This is not intuitive so you have read what I wrote and listen to the video carefully or it will not work.

[Guest]

If you read what I wrote in my first post carefuly, you will find that I already did exactly what you wrote in your post.

Thanks for answering anyway.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

I'll try this again. You clearly from your first post are not doing tbis correctly.

First you click on a corner anchor, nothing will seemingly happen, that is the corner anchor willn not highlight.

Tht is normal keep the mouse down while mouse is in the down position press the command key down and hold it down while mouse and command are in the down position start dragging the mouse now it will transform.

inyour first post you say you cannot selectnthe corner anchor so you selected it with the direct select tool that is incorrect the  corner anchor never actually gets selected it is simply being use as a point of control.

good luck

[raytron]

I haven't seriously used Illustrator in over a year and got free transform to work from your instructions here.  Thanks!

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

you're welcome

[Jacob Bugge]

WMAZUR,

It may be worth trying to Move the folder with Illy closed (reversible), or it may be enough to just press Ctrl+Alt+Shift/Cmd+Option+Shift during startup (irreversible destruction of some preference settings).

It may be noted that the Free Transform Tool should work even with Edges (and Bounding Box) hidden.

[Guest]

I'm having a related problem...

Now what i want to do is import a graphic and then apply it to a perspective grid like shown in the image below

The problem is, when i try to stretch it to the right form using the Free Transform tool, using the Ctrl key, it will show me the outline the way i want to stretch it, but when i release the mouse button, it does not transform the image at all.

What am i doing wrong here? I've tried to use different file formats already and some other things that weren't successful.....

Any help with this would be much appreciated.

[_scott__]

Placed raster images will not distort with the Free Transform Tool.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

Scott you might be onto something perhaps the OP has actually an raster file or rsterized art that they are tryig to transform. They don't say so but you can never tell.

[Steve Fairbairn]

Placed raster images will not distort with the Free Transform Tool.

Yes they will. I seldom use that tool but I just tried it on CS3, works fine.

However they will not distort on a Perspective grid.

However there's a workaround for that:

Make rectangles with proportions that correspond to those of the raster images. Distort them on the grid and then use them as top object envelopes to distort the images.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

They will stretch but not distort that is if you hold a command option shift key and try to make the shape say a trapezoid that will not work.

And if you tried that and it worked you are not using Illustrator of any version.

Try it again and see if you see what we see.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

You must be referring to the shear tool which will distort a raster image but not like you would a path with the free transform tool.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

Or you might be referring to the Envelope Distort which can accomplish the task with considerable work you have to create guides to align the handles for the anchor points in order to get the edge to be straight and not curved a little trick and a lo of trouble.

[JETalmage]

Placed raster images will not distort with the Free Transform Tool.

Linked (as opposed to embedded) raster images will not distort.

If you enclose an embedded raster image in an Envelope (ex: Make With Mesh, 1 Row 1 Cell), then it can be distorted by the Free Transform Tool using the modifier keys, without having to dink around with the Envelope handles.

JET

[Guest]

Thank you, JET. This worked perfectly for me.

I appreciate your help a loooooot!

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

If you enclose an embedded raster image in an Envelope (ex: Make With Mesh, 1 Row 1 Cell), then it can be distorted by the Free Transform Tool using the modifier keys, without having to dink around with the Envelope handles.

That's quite brilliant I wonder if this would work with the perspective grid, probably not but I will try it anyway.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

It does not work with the perspective alone you have to use the free transform tool which might not be so easy as it looks and since the perspective grid has the right kind of guides already you might actually find it easier to just use the envelope distort and the perspective grid without the free transform tool.

As such

[Guest]

Hi Wade, thanks for your answer.
I 've made a video of my actions in Illustrator
you can find it under this link.

Please if you find the time, comment on it.
btw. Im using Wacom Intuos 3 Tablet if that helps.
Thanks

[Guest]

Oh I forgot to add Im working on Dell Vostro 3700, with Vistax64

A thought came to mind, perhaps there is some global hotkey issue interrupting the illustrator process?

any thoughts?

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

There could ne an issue with the keys but I don't think so.

1 Use the selection tool select tbe shaped path.

2 Select the free transform rool

3 place the free transform tool cursor over the cornerBT anchor and mouse down, do not mo e what so ever then  while you re still moused down and not moving the cursor hold the control key down

4 Now start to drag

What I see in the video is evidence  that you are not clicking the mouse to the down position and holdi g down and then while mouse is still down you then pressing the command key.

It seems like you are clicking the mouse nd then  letginv it up then click it again and then the command key t the same time, that will not work you must first click the mouse  do not hover keep down and stay where you are the hold the command key down as well as continuing to hold the mouse in the dowm position, then drag.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

BTW you must select the object with aselection tool I use the selection tool then you switch to the Free Transform tool.

[Guest]

Hi

Glad to hear from you.

I assure You Wade Im as dedicated to solving this problem as You are trying to educate me

So im not trying to proove you wrong or anything since I talked with my buddy and he said that your method works for him, and any other tutorial Ive watched states it as well.

I dont know what you mean you got evidence Im doing this wrong, because in the video at 3:14 (the frame around the rectangle chages) you can see me clicking the mouse (or in this case my tablet Artpen) down and holding it without unreleasing it any time further in the movie. I assure you Im following every move you said and telling it in the movie as you watch it.

I just tried doing it on the computer at my office, with the same version of Illustrator installed, and it works!

Its just my home Dell laptop that has the issue (its the same computer I was recording on earlier this morning). So as it seems the problem is restricted to my home computer.

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

LOL! Just making sure we once went through this before and it turned out to be the OP was missing a step they did a video as well.

Yes you seem to have a conflict  or a corrupt settings folder check out Jacob's post and fllow the li k on how to locate and move the settings folder.

[rhondabhuppal]

Digging up this old topic as i find myself today in need of distorting a placed .jpg image. I saw the post where Wade used both the envelope distort and perspective grid for an image. Do you happen to recall the steps for how you did that? Also, once you have your image skewed as you like, how to remove the perspective graph?