Advanced users can “share” styles that cascade across objects. If you’ve used Artboard version 1.6 or prior and have existing styles that you want to continue to be shared, activate this setting in the Artboard Preferences pane.

To enable shared styles, check "Enable Style sharing" in the Artboard > Preferences… Editing pane. If you want new styles that you create to be sharable by default, make sure "Styles are sharable by default" is also checked.

Artboard is smart about shared styles. When you draw several objects using the same style, they share the properties of that style. If you edit a shared style, the changes are applied across all instances of the style – in other words you will see the changes on all objects where the style has been used. In this way, changes to styles across multiple objects can be made very quickly and efficiently.

Create three objects in a row, and they will share the same style; adjust the style and it will automatically cascade across all three. You can break the style link between successive objects by clicking “Reset” to create a new style reset to the default, or "Clone" to create a new style based on the one currently in use.

The Format Bar provides quick access to simple fill and stroke style editing. Advanced “expert” styles, such as arrowed paths and gradient fills, are created using Artboard’s powerful Style Inspector and should be edited with the Style Inspector. Use the "Reset" and "Clone" buttons to create a new style and continue drawing without affecting the objects you’ve already drawn. Remember, shared styles cascade across drawing objects– if you edit a style without clicking "Reset" or "Clone" the changes will apply across all objects where the style has been used.

HINT: Styles in the built-in Mapdiva collection cannot be over-written – to edit styles in the built-in collection, use "Clone" to make a copy of the original. Editing a shared library style can have unforeseen consequences, including if the style is in use in other documents.

Use the "Reset" and "Clone" buttons in the Format Bar or Style Inspector to create a new style and continue drawing without affecting the objects you’ve already drawn. Remember, shared styles cascade across drawing objects – if you edit a style without clicking "Reset" or "Clone" the changes will apply across all objects where the style has been used.

To create a new style from scratch, click the "Reset" button. Artboard’s simple default style with a black stroke and gray fill is created. To customize the style, check or uncheck the "Stroke" and "Fill" style components and adjust the colors and settings as desired. Continue drawing.

To create a style from an existing style, use an existing style and click the "Clone" button. Clone will make a copy of the style you are currently using so you can make changes to it and continue drawing. Use clone, for example, when you want to change the stroke width but keep all other settings the same. Complex styles should be edited in the Style Inspector.

In addition to its native Artboard file format, Artboard now supports opening SVG 1.1 files directly. SVG files are converted into Artboard files upon opening and can be saved as such.

To open an SVG file, choose File > Open from the main menu.

Importing SVG 1.1 files results in a fully-editable vector graphic that can be ungrouped and edited in any way you wish. Objects can be saved as clip-art just as any other graphic can within Artboard.

To import an SVG file into an existing drawing, drag-and-drop it from the built-in Image Browser or the Finder.

It is important to understand how Artboard implements the SVG 1.1 standard, since in some cases results may differ from another product.

Artboard’s concept of graphic styles is rich and deep – substantially moreso than the classic “stroke and fill” concept of Postscript, which SVG largely mimics. Thus when importing SVG, we need to build graphic styles that match as closely as possible this simpler concept. By and large there isn’t much difficulty, but in some cases results will differ, because of a mismatch between the two approaches. This is most evident with gradient fills and pattern fills. Usually, these will work as expected and the visual result will be what you expect, but Artboard doesn’t strictly support the concept of SVG’s “global” (user space) gradients, for example, so when we encounter such a style, we do our best to translate it to something meaningful within Artboard that gives similar visual results.

Artboard implements the SVG 1.1 standard, and ignores any and all non-standard comments that other applications frequently use to “help out” when parsing SVG. This can be another source of discrepancy between Artboard’s interpretation of an SVG file, and another application’s. This is particularly problematic with files created by Inkscape, a popular open source application, since that heavily salts its SVG files with comments only it understands, and are not part of the SVG standard. The resulting files may fail to open entirely as expected in Artboard, though in practice we find we do get good results most of the time.

Mac OS X includes an SVG parser as part of WebKit and QuickLook uses this to preview SVG graphics in the Finder and elsewhere. Artboard doesn’t rely on this parser, but implements its own in order to convert SVG objects to equivalent Artboard objects and styles, not simply to render the graphics as an image. In some cases, the QuickLook parser fails to render an image at all, yet the file will import just fine. At other times, the small differences in rendering mentioned above may be evident.

Artboard’s Image Browser uses Artboard’s own parser to render the thumbnail previews for SVG files, so what you see in the Image Browser is what you get when you import the file. Artboard’s parser is not just rendering the graphics however, it is converting them to Artboard objects, then creating the image. This makes it slower than a pure SVG renderer such as QuickLook. The Image Browser therefore creates each thumbnail image asynchronously using a background thread, and as each conversion is completed it “pops” into view. Subsequently the image is cached on disk and will be displayed quickly. Therefore expect a folder full of SVG graphics added to the Image Browser to take a while to process the thumbnails at first. We also recommend keeping the number of files in a folder down to something reasonable (a few hundred, say) to avoid the thumbnail generation going on for extended periods which could interfere with your workflow.

Sometimes an SVG file may fail to import. This can be for many reasons, such as bad data in the SVG, unsupported elements, missing external resources, or simply because the import takes too long due to the file being very complex. In the Image Browser, you’ll see such failed imports as a file icon like this:

Such failed imports are reattempted when Artboard is run another time and the Image Browser is shown. When dragging and dropping an SVG into Artboard, a failed import will cause the drag to “spring back”. When opening a file using Open…, an error message is shown.

Imports that timeout may sometimes succeed if tried again. Usually a timed-out import indicates a graphic that would be too complex to give reasonable performance subsequently. There are several possible reasons for this:

• A very large number of paths
• Paths having extremely large numbers of points
• Heavy use of blur filters
• Heavy use of shadows.

When creating SVG graphics, it is very easy to assume that objects can be duplicated and reused at will. Unfortunately that is often not the case. We have seen many cases of SVG artwork where objects have been repeatedly duplicated and yet effectively contribute nothing to the finished graphic. If such hidden objects have blur filters applied, or shadows, then a huge performance penalty is being incurred for no good reason.

Frequently, paths can be combined into a single object and have a shadow or blur applied just once in order to maximise performance. Giving performance some thought when creating graphics can make life much easier later.

An occasional source of difference between Artboard and another SVG application is with text rendering. SVG does not embed the fonts it refers to, so if an SVG file references a font that is not available on your system, Artboard will substitute Helvetica of the same size. Other SVG parsers sometimes just give up or skip the text when this font problem is encountered. While we try to plough on, obviously the results may not be what you expected. I you want to use a fancy font in a graphic, it is good practice, once you’re done editing the text, to convert it to a path so that this font problem won’t be an issue. Note that this does not apply to PDF export from Artboard, since PDF does embed the fonts it references.

When Artboard imports SVG text elements, we convert them to a graphic, for best visual fidelity. That means the text can’t be edited as text, though the graphical paths can be.

Perhaps no time in history has it been easier to access such a rich array of colors and palettes. The Colors panel is used to change colors in Artboard.

To open the Colors panel, click the Colors icon in the menu bar or choose Window > Colors from the main menu. Note that the Colors panel is also used when changing colors in the Fonts panel and Style Inspector.

The Colors panel provides multiple ways to specify, select, and save colors for your drawing. The following sections describe each of these methods.

You can apply the colors you choose in the Colors panel to simple object styles on the page. Drag and drop color from the Colors well directly onto the object. Dropped colors will “bucket-fill” objects to replace a fill color that was previously applied. It will change the color of outlines on objects with stroke styles but no fill. It will change the top stroke color on lines with cased line styles or other multi-stroke effects. Drag and drop color can also be used on text.

In all cases, when a color is quick-dropped onto a object, the style of that object is replaced with a new ad-hoc style. This avoids unintentional changes to master styles in the Library.

Across the top of the Color window are a series of icons. The first icon opens a Color Wheel that allows you to pick the hue and saturation from the wheel, the value from a slider on the side, and adjust the opacity/transparency from a slider on the bottom.

The Color Picker Magnifying Glass is a great color tool for accurately picking colors from an existing drawing. Choose the magnifying glass and move your cursor anywhere on your screen. It magnifies the pixels below it, and allows you to pick the color of any pixel anywhere.

Use the magnifying glass to pick colors off of existing symbols and styles, photographs, art images, inspiration maps, or other color palettes you have found.

Open the Swatch drawer at the bottom of the Colors panel by dragging on the bottom drawer knob. Save colors you are working on by dragging them to the swatches. Delete swatches by dragging a white swatch over them. You can save up to 300 temporary swatches at one time (open the Colors panel and the drawer to the maximum size to see all 300 swatches.)

The second icon opens the Sliders portion of the picker, where sliders control all the normal color picking schemes: Gray Scale, RGB, CYMK, and HSB. Numeric values representing color can also be entered.

Hint: CMYK colors are typically recommended when you are creating a graphic for publication and want precise control over the printed colors. All colors used throughout Artboard are calibrated and subject to a color-controlled and calibrated workflow if you use one.

The third icon opens the Color Palettes portion of the Color window. When considering a new color scheme or creating a new series of styles and symbols, Color Palettes is a great place to start. Color lists are presented from a drop-down palette menu. There are a few default color palette lists, including Web Safe Colors.

The strength of the Color Palettes is that you can make your own. Use the Magnifying Glass to select just the right colors. This is an excellent way to put a consistent set of colors at your fingertips. Additionally, color palettes created here can be shared with others and are available in all other applications that use the Colors panel (your List and Image Palettes are stored in the ~user > Library > Colors folder).

To create your own color list, choose New from the action menu. A new unnamed list will be opened, containing only the color currently in the large color well at the top of the window. Rename the list using the action menu.

Using any of the color selection methods described below, drag-and-drop colors from the color well or a mini-well in the bottom Swatch drawer into the list window. Alternatively, select a color and click “+” below the list window to add it to the list. Repeat selecting colors using any method, adding colors to the list.

Double-click on list items to give each of the colors a meaningful name. You can easily find colors by typing part of the name into the Search field below the List window.

The fourth icon opens the Image Palettes. The Spectrum Palette is loaded by default, but you aren’t limited to it. You can open any picture you have, and use it as a palette, by choosing New From File or New From Clipboard from the Palette menu below the picture. You can also drag-and-drop images directly from the Image Browser into the image-well.

Once you have one, you can pick any color from within it, just by clicking. Or you can drag and watch the colors change. A tiny white square will show you exactly where you are. Drag-and-drop colors from the large color well to the bottom Swatch drawer for later use.

The Crayon picker lets you quickly select from 48 basic colors. The Crayon colors are used for Artboard’s basic fills and strokes in the Styles & Clip Art palette.

The Format Bar sits above the horizontal ruler and provides quick access to create and edit simple fill and stroke styles.

The Format Bar is visible by default with the Rulers. If your Format Bar is turned off, choose View > Show Rulers & Format Bar from the main menu. The format bar provides access to simple stroke style components: color, stroke width, dashes, end-caps and corner joints; and fill style components: color and shadow.

NOTE: Advanced "expert" styles should be edited within the Style Inspector. The Format Bar does not provide access to advanced style components, such as gradients, arrows, or "stacked" styles available in the Style Inspector. To create or edit complex styles, open the Style Inspector.

Remember the Basics: Drawing Tool + Style = Draw

• To draw with a style you create, choose a drawing tool from the Tools palette and draw a shape or path.
• To format a simple style, click the checkmarks in the Format Bar to turn stroke and fill on or off as desired. Click and hold the color-wells to display the color array, or click once on the color-well to open the Colors panel. Set line width with the drop-down line width list or the slider. Continue drawing with the style you have defined.
• To change styles, edit the style properties in the Format Bar and continue drawing.
• To reset to the default style, click the "Reset" button in the Format Bar, edit the style, and continue drawing.

Note, the Format Bar is designed to provide quick access to simple fill and stroke styles. See "Using the Style Inspector" to edit complex styles, such as those containing arrows, hatches, patterns, or gradients.

Artboard is affordable vector-based drawing software that is simple to use to get you going fast, yet powerful enough to meet your everyday drawing needs. Unlike raster-based paint programs, vector drawings are composed of editable stacked objects and are infinitely scalable.

Artboard provides a clean user interface consisting of a drawing canvas, toolbar, and layer list. Access functions through the main menu located along the top of the screen. In the main window, the toolbar provides quick access to commonly used palettes and functions. To customize the Toolbar, right-click it and choose “Customize” from the contextual menu. The layers list shows three default layers (Drawing Layer, Guides and Graph Paper) when opening a new empty drawing file. Additional layers can be added by the user.

Tools are used in combination with the Format Bar, Styles Inspector, and Styles & Clip Art palette. The Styles & Clip Art palette contains over 1700 editable clip art and styles organized into Collections and Categories.

To draw with Artboard, choose a drawing tool, choose a style from the Styles & Clip Art palette or create your own, and draw.

To change styles, select a new style from the Styles & Clip Art palette, or edit your style in the Format Bar. Advanced style components, such as arrowed and tapered strokes, gradients, and pattern fills, are available in the Style Inspector. In the following sections we’ll explore everything from how to set up your drawing to using expert “stacked” styles. Additionally, the Learn Artboard video series is available from our website.

• Qualified for OS 10.8.x Mountain Lion
• Mac OS X 10.6+ (Snow Leopard) or later (10.7+ required for full screen, resume, autosaving and versions features; MacBook Pro with Retina display required for Retina display icons)
• Core Image supported graphics card

Recommended

• 2 GHz Intel processor
• 2+ button scroll mouse
• iSight/FaceTime Camera or Web cam (required for Picture Taker feature)
• Magic Track Pad (required for zoom gestures)

Pen Tablet Support (optional)

• Freedom to hand-draw – a simple, easy, and fun way to harness your creativity

The Preferences window is found under Artboard > in the main menu. The menu is tabbed for Editing, Performance, Options and Switches preferences.

Automatically close paths
When drawing Irregular Polygons, Bezier Paths and Freehand Paths the paths will automatically close when you finish a path at its starting point. Uncheck this setting if you prefer paths not automatically close (default – checked).

End points of closed-loop paths treated as a single point
Paths whose end points are coincident are treated as a single point when moving them or their control handles.

Return-key inserts a new line when editing text boxes
Changes the default behavior so the Return-key goes to new line when editing text boxes. By default, when editing text boxes use the key combination CMND-Shift to go to next line; Return-key ends text editing.

Allow inline images in text boxes
Images can be dropped into text boxes from the Image Browser, becoming in-line with other text.

Display feedback window when dragging objects
Displays page coordinates or object dimensions as object is dragged or resized (default – checked).

Freehand smoothness
Sets the smoothness of the Freehand Path tool to fine, smooth, or very smooth (smoothness is related to number of points).

Record up to __ undoable operations
Sets the number of undo operations available when using the Undo command (the default is 24).

Faster, lower quality drawing when zooming and scrolling
Enables automatic use of low-quality rendering during operations that require rapid redrawing, such as zooming and scrolling, to speed performance.

Anti-aliasing
Turning off anti-aliasing preference improves performance while editing large files (default – checked).

Shadows
Turning off shadows at very high zoom improves performance while editing large files; note, the zoom scale can be set by the user (above 800%; default – checked).

Show template chooser when launching application
Template chooser opens automatically on application launch (default – checked).

Handles
Curve handles and rotation knobs can be displayed a normal or large size. Large size makes selecting object handles easier when zoomed out and on large format screens.

Option – scrollwheel zooms drawing
Allows magnification of the view to be changed using Option-key + scrollwheel (default – checked). Check to invert scrollwheel zoom direction changes sense of scrollwheel zooming.

Individual tools remember last style used with it
When switching between tools, the style will change to the last style used with the tool.

Style Dropper remembers last style used
Style dropper remembers last style it picked up.

Enable Autosaving and Versions
Enables Autosave and Versions support for Mac OS X "Lion". If unchecked, the classic document saving methodology is used.

This product includes artwork sourced from the U.S. National Park Service: TrueType Font Symbols (last updated July 2007) http://www.nps.gov/hfc/carto/map-symbols.htm
This product includes color specifications and designs developed by Cynthia Brewer http://colorbrewer.org/

Application graphics designed by Michael Norman Olson, design+
Website powered by WordPress; web development by run skip, llc and busick design
All application graphics and vector retina icons created using Artboard® by Mapdiva, LLC

Artboard® is copyright Mapdiva, LLC
Apple, iWork, and Mac OS(TM) are copyright of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries
Adobe Reader(TM) and Illustrator(TM) are trademark Adobe Systems Incorporated
Word(TM) is copyright the Microsoft Corporation
This product contains the Generic Polygon Clipper (GPC) software library licensed from The University of Manchester Advanced Interfaces Group
This product contains code developed in cooperation with Fortunate Bear, LLC
iMedia Browser Framework  Copyright (c) 2005-2010 by Karelia Software et al

Use the Image Browser to quickly locate images from your Pictures folder or iPhoto library. To place an image, drag-and-drop it from the Image Browser onto your drawing canvas. To prevent large images from overwhelming small drawing areas, images are automatically scaled downward as needed when the drawing canvas is smaller than the image dimensions.

Click the iPhoto folder to expand and view iPhoto images. Attach or remove any folder by clicking the "+" or "–" in the lower left window. Drag editable SVG files from the Image Browser directly onto your drawing canvas.

Image files may also be dragged from the Finder or pasted from the computer clip board.

An Image Adornment is a style component that works like a fill and can be added to a style that is applied to any shape. See "Using the Style Inspector" for more information about using Image Adornments with styles.

To add a photo snapshot to your drawing, choose File > Take Picture… from the main menu to open the Picture Taker window.

Click the "Take photo snapshot" button and smile! Click "Set" to place the photo into your drawing.

The Recent Pictures drop-down displays recently taken pictures and you can choose from pictures locally stored on your computer.

To resize an image, select it and grab one of the bounding box handles and drag. Hold the SHIFT-key to maintain the image aspect ratio.

To rotate an image, grab its purple rotation knob located to the right of the image center. Dragging will rotate the image around its center point. Note the center point (light blue cross-hair) can be moved to reposition the rotation centroid. Hold the SHIFT-key while rotating to constrain the rotation angle to 15-degree increments.

Any line style can be added to an image to create a nice framed border effect. Select an image, then in the Styles & Clip Art palette double-click a line style to apply it to your image. For example, we’ve applied the "Frame – Earth Tone Matted" from the "Frame Styles" category. Note that fill styles will completely fill over the image and should not be used. Alternatively, choose a clip art border that has been designed as a frame, such as "Day at the Beach," and place it over the image resizing as necessary.

Double-click the image to make it active for editing. To reposition an image within its frame, grab and drag it. To scale the image within its frame, move the scale slider up or down.

To mask an image, double-click the image to make it active for editing. Move any of the image’s bounding box handles to adjust its bounding box. Click and drag the image to reposition as needed. Click off of the image to finish editing. To return to the original image bounding box, right-click and choose "Fit To Image" from the contextual menu. To permanently crop and resample the image to fit the new bounding box, right-click and choose "Crop and Resample" from the contextual menu.

To mask an image with another shape, place the image then draw any shape – from a simple shape to a complex outline of the area you want to crop. Select the overlapping image and shape and choose Graphic > Combine > Intersect.

An image that is masked still has the original image hidden behind the mask area and is non-destructive. To remove the mask, right-clicking the image and choose "Remove Image clipping path" from the contextual menu.

An image with a mask can be permanently cropped to remove portions of the image that are hidden, thus reducing overall file size. Clipped images are resampled to the mask area. To crop a masked image, right-clicking the image and choose "Crop and resample image" from the contextual menu.

Double-click an image to adjust its properties, such as exposure and saturation, or choose from a variety of image preset effects. Image adjustments and effects are permanent with your saved drawing.

Copy and pasting a table into a text box works seamlessly, preserving most formatting from the source document. For example, this table is cut and pasted directly from an existing spreadsheet.

Add a text box to your layout with the Text Box tool. With the text box selected, paste in your content (use the keyboard shortcut CMND-V or choose Edit > Paste from the main menu). Using the handles on the text box, resize it to fit your text (or right-click to use the context menu Fit To Text command).

Alternatively, with the text box selected, choose Text > Table… from the main menu to create your own. Adjust your table settings in the Table window.

Copy and pasting a list into a text box works seamlessly, retaining most formatting from the source document. For example, this list is cut and pasted directly from an existing document.

Add a text box to your layout with the Text Box tool. With the text box selected, paste in your content (use the keyboard shortcut CMND-V or choose Edit > Paste from the main menu). Using the handles on the text box, resize it to fit your text (or right-click to use the context menu Fit To Text command).

Alternatively, create your own list in Artboard. Add a text box and your content. Use the keyboard shortcut SHIFT-Enter to add new lines of text. With the Select [s] tool active, double-click to select your text and choose Text > List… from the main menu. Adjust your list settings in the List dialog.

To add text to your drawing, choose the Text Box tool then click on your drawing canvas to place the text box. As needed, double-click with the Select [s] tool to make the text active for editing. Start typing to add text. Click outside of the text box to end editing. To resize the text box, click and drag the object handles.

Alternatively, when placing a text box you can click-and-drag to place the text box at a larger size.

Double-click the text box with the Select [s] tool to edit existing text. Click outside of the text box to end editing.

HINT: If you prefer to have the Return-key end editing, you can enable that in the Artboard Preferences; while enabled, click the SHIFT-Return-key to go to next line while editing text.

Text is styled directly through the Fonts panel and Text commands in the main menu. With one or more text objects selected, open the Fonts panel. As desired, choose the font and associated style elements, such as size, color, and shadow. Alternatively, colors can be dropped on text objects directly from the Colors panel.

Several text formatting options are available through the main menu. Choose Text > to choose from styles, alignment, case, kerning, and more. The Fonts panel offers font selection and custom effects, including outline, shadow, and mask. Align, kern, change case and baseline are available menu options. Font effects and options can be applied to blocks of text, individual words, and and even individual glyphs! For full creative control, including applying styles and distortion, you can convert text to shapes, shape groups, and paths.

When text extends beyond the confines of the text box an indicator “+” is shown in the lower right-hand corner of the text box prompting you to enlarge it.

CLOSER LOOK! Text in a box will not be visible if the font size is larger than the text box. Use the sizing handles on the text box to make it bigger, or right-click the text box and choose “Fit To Text.”

Artboard makes curved text beautiful and easy. A bit of practice is all it takes to give your curved text an expert look. Text On Path uses curves with the same controls as the Bezier Path tool.

Choose the Text On Path tool. Click on your drawing canvas to place the starting point for your text on a path. If desired, hold the left mouse button down and drag the curve handle outward. Release the mouse button and continue placing points along the curve. Double click (or hit ESC on the keyboard) to end. Use the curve handles to adjust the curves. Double-click the text with the Select [s] tool to edit (make sure you click onto a letter when double-clicking).

It is a good practice to keep your text curves simple. With only two points you can create smooth c-shaped and s-shaped curves simply by adjusting the points themselves (the orange dots) and the curve handles (the blue squares). The longer the curve handles, the steeper your curve. Experiment by moving the curve handles around and altering the shape of the curve.

Double-click the text with the Select [s] tool to edit (make sure you click onto a letter when double-clicking for Artboard to recognize the selection). When selected, the text to be edited will float above the path and be highlighted. Type to edit text. Change the alignment as desired. Note, the "Justify" text alignment will provide an even spread across the path. Open the Font panel to change the font and appearance of text.

Text On Path has "Justified" alignment by default, giving it a stretched appearance across the entire length of the path. Choose Text > Align > Left / Right / Justified / Center to change text along a path to your desired alignment.

In addition to drawing a Bezier curve with the Text On Path tool, you can fit text to any shape. Use the Text On Path tool to place your text on your drawing canvas. Double-click the text with the Select [s] tool to edit it. Next, draw your shape. Copy the shape, then select the text and choose Edit > Paste Path On Object from the main menu. The text will now follow the path of the object.

HINT: To wrap text only partially around a circle, use the Arc tool to draw an arc to the desired length and paste it onto your text using the above method.

Text can be spread out across and area (called “tracking”) by holding the OPTION-CONTROL keys on the keyboard and repeatedly pressing the right Arrow (end) key, or by choosing Text > Kern > Loosen from the main menu. Repeat as necessary to get a wide spread. Pressing the left Arrow (home) key tightens tracking.

Note that Text > Kern > Loosen is also used to add space (or "kerning") between letter pairs.

Modify text properties in the Fonts palette, or by choosing various Text > options in the main menu. Use shortcut keys to quickly modify text properties. For example, COMMAND"–" and COMMAND-SHIFT"+" quickly make text smaller or bigger.

Need multi-styled text? Text boxes can use multiple fonts, sizes, colors, and more in a single text box.

Use the Fonts palette to add advanced styling, including text outline and text mask. Text outline and masking are particularly useful for making text stand out on top of dark, colored, or complex backgrounds. Masking can be any color as well as semi-transparent, and the size of the mask is fully adjustable.

Text and True Type Fonts (TTF) can be converted into individual editable shape objects. These new shape objects can be further styled, grouped, and saved as clip art as desired.

1. Place text in the drawing area using the Text Box tool. Choose the font you want to use, or choose Edit > Special Characters from the main menu to open the Special Characters window.
2. After typing one or more glyphs, select the text box and choose Graphic > Convert To > Shape or Graphic > Convert To > Shape Group from the main menu (or right click and choose Convert to > from the contextual menu). When converted to shape, the entire block of text is one shape. When converted to shape group, you can Ungroup to obtain each glyph as a separate object.
3. To further explode and modify multi-layered objects, choose Graphic > Combine > Break Apart from the main menu and modify the shape or re-color individual components.