About Photoshop Move Tool

MOVE TOOL (V):

This tutorial deals with the MOVE TOOL.

This tool looks like a simple one by meaning and with only one option in the Tools panel. But without this tool we couldn’t do anything in the photoshop.

Basic function of move tool is to select objects and moving (dragging) them around the work space or in to a new document.

MOVING OBJECTS USING MOUSE:

Here I am working with Text object.

1.  Go to file menu and click on new option to create a new image or pres "CTRL+N".

2.  A box will appear. Change height, width and color of your choice and press OK.

3.  Now select Text Tool. To do this, go to tools menu and click on Text tool. Follow the image or just press “ T ” in keyboard. 

4.  Then, click anywhere in the image and type a word or a name.

5.  Now select MOVE TOOL. You will find it at the top of the tools panel (2^nd from left).

6.  A boundary box will appear around the text.

NOTE:  If the boundary box is not appeared, then check “SHOW TRANSFORMING CONTROLS” option. It is present in options bar. Look at the image.

7.  Now you can move the selected object within the work space or you can also move it into a new image. Here I want to move my text into a new document.

8.  First click and hold mouse left button on the selected text or object and drag it into a new image.

OR

 

YOU CAN ALSO MOVE THE SELECTED OBJECT WITH KEYBOARD NAVIGATION KEYS.

WORKING WITH MULTIPLE LAYERS:

Sometimes you will have to work with multiple layers. Actually MOVE TOOL is designed to make work more easily when working with multi layers.

Now you have heard of a word “LAYER”. So, what is a LAYER?

A LAYER is simply an image which can be stacked on another image. This means a layer is an object. The entry of LAYER option has revolutionized PHOTOSHOP. Different layers in an image, enables us to easily modify each layer individually.

Now if you want to work with multi layers first we have to open or create an image with multi layers. Here we had an old image with TWO layers, one is TEXT layer and the other one is background. In addition to these I added another layer (a butterfly).

Now look at the image, we have 3 layers

Layer one: background

Layer two: text

Layer three: a butterfly.

A boundary box will appear around the layer (object) on which you click and that layer (object) will be highlighted with blue color in Layer palette. Look at the image.

MOVE TOOL is associated with some options in the options bar.

(1).  Auto select layer: By checking this option you can select any layer (object) on which you click.

(2).  If there is a group (collection of layers) and “AUTO SELECT GROUPS” option is checked, then if you click on a layer of that group the entire group will be selected and that entire group can be moved.

If that option is not checked, then if you click on a layer (object) of a particular group only that layer will be selected not the entire group.

(3).  If you checked this option a boundary box will appear around the selected object.

To understand about this option you have to create a group first.

CREATING A GROUP:

Again open your old multi layered image.

Go to layer palette and click on “CREATE NEW GROUP “ icon. Follow the image.

A new group folder is created. 

Now, press and hold “CTRL” key and click on layers which you want to make a group, then drag them into a new GROUP 1 folder.

Now a new group with some layers is created.

Now you can check auto Select Groups option clearly.

 MOVE TOOL WITH ALIGNMENT OPTIONS:

You will find these options in the options bar.

These options align layers (objects) to the “selection”.

First select all layers. To do this, press and hold “CTRL” key and click on layers which you want to select at a time and go to alignment options and make required alignments.

To understand these options, follow the image.

 

COPYING ANY OBJECT:

MOVE TOOL also allows us to copy the selected objects quickly.

First open our old image which contains text then, select move tool. Click on the image which you want to make a copy.

Now press and hold “ALT” key. Then, click and hold mouse left button on the selected object and drag it within the work space into any direction or drag into a new document. Now you will see that the copied text (object) will be moved with your mouse direction. Here I dragged it into a new document.

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