Select characters with the Transform Glyph tool

Select characters with the Transform Glyph tool

Before you can transform a glyph, you must select it using the Transform Glyph tool in the toolbar. You can select a single glyph or multiple glyphs in a text layer. When more than one glyph is selected, the last Shift-selected glyph is enclosed in a bounding box with transform handles. This is known as the focused glyph. Each of the other glyphs in the selection are enclosed in a bounding box without transform handles. Any selected glyph (focused or not) is affected by transforms applied to the focused glyph.

Note: If you use the Transform Glyph tool to distort an appearance attribute of a glyph (Face, Outline, Glow, Drop Shadow), only one glyph can be selected at a time.

Select a single glyph

  1. Select a text layer.

  2. Click and hold the 2D transform tools in the toolbar, then choose the Transform Glyph tool.

    Selecting the Transform Glyph tool from the toolbar

    A bounding box with transform handles appears around the first glyph in the text. (Or, if a different glyph was previously selected, the bounding box surrounds that glyph).

  3. If you want to select a different glyph in the text layer, click another glyph in the Canvas.

Select all glyphs in a text layer

  1. Select a text layer.

  2. Click and hold the 2D transform tools in the toolbar, then choose the Transform Glyph tool.

    Selecting the Transform Glyph tool from the toolbar

    Ensure that the Attribute pop-up menu in the HUD is set to Transform Glyph (because the other settings in the menu allow only one glyph selection at a time).

    A glyph is selected in the Canvas.

  3. Choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A).

    All glyphs are selected.

Select multiple glyphs in a text layer

  1. Select a text layer.

  2. Click the 2D transform tools in the toolbar, then choose the Transform Glyph tool from the pop-up menu.

    Selecting the Transform Glyph tool from the toolbar

    Ensure that the Attribute pop-up menu in the HUD is set to Transform Glyph (because the other settings in the menu allow only one glyph selection at a time).

    A glyph is selected in the Canvas

  3. Do one of the following:

    • Select contiguous glyphs: Holding down the Shift key, click in the Canvas to select additional adjacent glyphs; or drag in the Canvas to select adjacent glyphs.

      Canvas showing multiple glyphs selected together

    • Select noncontiguous glyphs: Holding down the Command key, click to select nonadjacent glyphs.

    Although the onscreen controls appear only around the focused (last selected) glyph, any glyph surrounded by a box is affected when you adjust the onscreen controls.

Deselect a group of selected glyphs

  • Choose Edit > Deselect All (or press Shift-Command-A).

    Any previously selected glyphs are deselected.

Select a glyph in another text layer

  • With an active Transform Glyph tool selection, click a different text layer in the Layers list or Timeline.

    The selection shifts to the second text layer.