Setting the Shape of a Star

You can change different aspects of a star to modify its shape.

How to Modify the Tips of a Star

  1. Open an image that has a star shape.
  2. Double-click the star shape.
  3. In the properties dialog, select the Star tab.

  4. Adjust the number of tips or depth of the arms. As you make changes, watch the Preview area at the bottom of the tab to see the results.

    To Adjust the Number of Tips

    Change the number in the Tip Count field.

    Note You can choose from 3 to 100 tips. The greater the number of tips, the more circular the star becomes.

    To Adjust the Depth of the Arms

    In the Dip Length field enter a number and select a unit of measurement. The higher the number, the deeper the arms. You can also enter negative numbers.

  5. Click OK.
  6. Click to save your work.

Example  

When you first draw a star, it might look something like this:

After double-clicking on the shape, the Star Properties dialog opens. You can select the Star tab and make changes to the number and depth of arms in the Options section.

How to Modify the Curvature of a Star

  1. Open an image that has a star shape.
  2. Double-click the star shape.
  3. In the properties dialog, select the Star tab.
  4. Click Curved Sides.
  5. To adjust the amount of curve, change the number in the Curve Factor field. The higher the number, the greater the curve. You can also enter negative numbers. As you make changes, watch the Preview area at the bottom of the tab to see the results.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Click to save your work.

Example  

When you first draw a star, it might look something like this:

After double-clicking on the shape, the Star Properties dialog opens. You can select the Star tab and make changes to the curvature of the star's arms in the Options section.

Note A very useful tool when working with objects is a palette, which lets you store objects for future use. For example, if you are including callouts with some images, chances are that you'll want to use the same look and feel for all of the callouts you create. Instead of creating new callouts from scratch each time or copying them from other images, you can create an initial model callout and then add it to a palette. Then, when you're ready to use a callout in another image, you can just drag your model callout from the palette to the image (and make minor changes, such as the text, from there). See Palettes.

What's Next?

If necessary, you can continue editing the image (e.g., adding objects, effects, a callout; cropping the image; resizing the image). Otherwise, you can finalize the image by saving it. See Editing Images.