### 4.11. Handle Transform

This tool allows you to apply moving, rotating, shearing, perspective and scaling corrections using handles placed on canvas.

Original image: a text layer

You can use 1 to 4 handles, and the effect depends on the number of handles. The tool acts on a selection, or, if there is no selection, on the whole layer. The active handle is bigger than the others. When the mouse pointer is on a handle, it goes with a small icon that represents the active action.

When you click and drag a handle, a transformation is applied, and the other handles stay at their place:

- With 1 handle: click and drag the handle to move all pixels of the selection.

  Figure 14.120. Example for 1 handle (Move)

- With 2 handles: when you click and drag a handle, you rotate around the other handle as a center, and you scale the selection, keeping the aspect ratio.

  Figure 14.121. Example for 2 handles (Rotate and scale)

- With 3 handles: when you click and drag a handle, you shear and scale the selection, aspect ratio is not kept.

  Figure 14.122. Example for 3 handles (Shear and scale)

- With 4 handles: when you click and drag a handle, you change perspective and scale the selection, aspect ratio is not kept.

  Figure 14.123. Example for 4 handles (Change perspective and scale)

#### 4.11.1. Activating the Tool

There are different possibilities to activate the tool:

- From the main menu: Tools → Transform Tools → Handle Transform.

- By clicking the tool icon in the Toolbox.

- By pressing the Shift+L keyboard shortcut.

#### 4.11.2. Key modifiers

Shift

  Press Shift and click on a handle to move it.

Ctrl

  Press Ctrl and click on a handle to remove it.

#### 4.11.3. Options

Figure 14.124. Tool Options Dialog

Normally, tool options are displayed in a window attached under the Toolbox as soon as you activate a tool. If they are not, you can access them from the main menu through Windows → Dockable Windows → Tool Options which opens the option window of the selected tool. The available tool options can also be accessed by double clicking the corresponding tool icon in the Toolbox.

Transform, Direction, Interpolation, Clipping, Show image preview, Guides

  | Note
  These options are described in Transform tools common options.

Image opacity

  To set the opacity of the preview

Handle mode

  These options are describes in key modifiers section.

4.10. Unified Transform |  | 4.12. Flip

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