GIMP User Manual
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# Transform Tools

## Overview

The Transform tool is used to modify the active selection or layer in one of four ways.

## Transform Tool Options

Transform Settings

Transform

  The Transform section of the Transform Tool Options allows the selection of type of transform that will be applied.

  Modes

  Rotation

    This mode rotates the layer or selection. See: Rotation .

  Scaling

    This mode scales the active layer or selection. See: Scaling .

  Shearing

    This mode shears the active layer or selection. See: Shearing .

  Perspective

    This mode changes the perspective of the active layer or selection. See: Perspective

Tool Paradigm

  There are two settings here. The first, Traditional, is the default rendering mechanism for the transform tool and will render the transform normally. The second, Corrective, renders the transform in reverse.

Grid Settings

  The Show Grid checkbox toggles the visibility of the grid during the transform.

  The Density input box changes the number of grid divisions within the transform grid.

Smoothing

  The Smoothing checkbox toggles the smoothing of the resulting transformation. This has no effect on indexed images.

Clip Result

  The Clip Result checkbox will clip any area of the final render to the edges of the original area.

## Rotation

Rotation mode performs arbitrary rotations to the active layer or selection. To perform a rotation, click the area that will be rotated. Using the mouse to click and drag, or the up arrow / down arrow, rotate the displayed grid or box to the required angle. Finalize the change by clicking Rotate in the Rotation Information window.

The Rotation Information window displays the current rotation information for the selection or layer.

Rotation Information

Angle

  Angle displays the current angle of the active rotation. It also allows the entry of numeric data for manual angle entry. There is also a slider that can be used to accomplish this.

Center

  Center X displays or sets the X-axis for the rotation axis point. The axis can be moved with the mouse by clicking and dragging.

  Center Y displays or sets the Y-axis for the rotation axis point. The axis can be moved with the mouse by clicking and dragging.

Rotate

  The Rotate button tells the tool to perform the rotation.

Reset

  The Reset button resets the rotation settings to the original values. That is, those values that were present prior to modification.

Key modifiers

  - Ctrl constrains the rotation angle to 15 degree increments.

## Scaling

The Scaling transform mode is used to scale the active layer or selection. This is achieved by clicking the area and dragging with the mouse.

Changes are finalized by clicking Scale in the Scaling Information window.

Scaling Information

Original Width / Height

  This area located at the top of the Scaling Information window shows the height and width of the original layer or selection.

Current Width

  The Current Width displays or sets the width of the scaled region.

Current Height

  The Current Height displays or sets the height of the scaled region.

Scale Ratio

  Scale Ratio X and Scale Ratio Y display the ratio of the active region in comparison to the original layer or selection. This is useful for maintaining the aspect ratio for the resulting layer or selection.

Scale

  The Scale button tells the transform tool to actually perform the scaling operation.

Reset

  The Reset button resets all changed values to their previous settings.

Key modifiers

  - Ctrl constrains the horizontal aspect.

  - Alt constrains the vertical aspect.

  - Ctrl-Alt constrains both the horizontal and vertical aspects.

## Shearing

The Shearing tool is used to shear a layer or selection, vertically or horizontally. To shear simply click the layer or selection and drag the mouse cursor vertically or horizontally.

Shear Information

Shear Magnitude

  The Shear Magnitude X and Shear Magnitude Y input boxes display the vertical (Y) or horizontal (X) magnitude of the current shear. The magnitude can also be manually entered here.

Shear

  The Shear button tells the tool to perform the current shearing operation.

Reset

  The Reset button resets the shearing magnitudes to zero.

## Perspective

The Perspective tool changes the visual perspective angles of the current layer or selection. Perspective can be altered for each of the four corners of the area. Simply click and drag the corner grid to the required location.

Perspective Information

Matrix

  The Matrix information describes the Perspective transformation using matrix based mathematics.

Transform

  The Transform button tells the tool to perform the Perspective adjustments.

Reset

  The Reset button will reset the Perspective settings to the original layer or selection values.

### Additional Information

Default Keyboard Shortcut: Shift-T

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