The basic menu commands are used to start new documents, open existing documents, and save your work. You can also use a basic command to go back to the last saved version of a file. There are also commands that undo your most recent actions. Finally, the basic commands are also used to quit working with FreeHand.
To create a new document:
Choose File > New.
or
Click the New icon in the Main toolbar. This creates a new untitled document
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Each new untitled document has the temporary name Untitled followed by a number.
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(Win) When you first launch FreeHand, you see the Wizard screen that h 22522g620w elps you choose different actions. (See page 26 for more information on working with the Wizard.)
To open an existing document:
Choose File > Open.
or
Click the Open icon in the Main toolbar.
Use the operating system navigation controls to find the document you want to open.
Click Open. The document opens in a new window.
Menus, Icons or Keyboard Commands?FreeHand offers you different ways to activate commands. For instance, to open a new document you can choose the command from the menu bar (File > New), use a keyboard command (Cmd/Ctrl-N), or click the command on a toolbar. So which is the best way to work? It depends. If my fingers are already on my keyboard, I use a keyboard command. If I'm working with the mouse, I usually go to the menu command. Finally, I find it's easiest to click the icon on a toolbar when I use a stylus and pressure-sensitive tablet. As you work, you will discover the way that's best for you. |
Save or Save As?If you are working on an untitled document, there is no difference between the Save or Save As commands. Both open the Save dialog box where you can name the file. However, once you have named and saved a document, there is a difference between the two commands. File > Save saves the changes to the file without opening the Save dialog box. File > Save As re-opens the Save dialog box so you can save the document under a new name. The original file is left unchanged. This lets you save various versions of your file. Once you have named a document, the Save command saves the changes without opening the Save dialog box. |
As you work in a new document, the current state of your document only exists in the computer's RAM. This means that if your computer crashes you will lose that work. So, you need to save your work as a file that exists on a disk.
To save an untitled document:
Choose File > Save or File > Save As. The Save dialog box appears
From the Format (Mac) or Save as Type (Win) pop-up menu, choose the type of document:
o FreeHand Document is the native file format for FreeHand files.
o FreeHand Template is used to protect the file from inadvertent changes. If you save the file as a template, it will always open as an untitled file.
o Choose Editable EPS if you want to place the file in a layout program such as QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, or Adobe PageMaker. (For exporting files in other formats, see Chapter 27 Exporting
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You can tell the difference between a document, a template, and an editable EPS by their icons
Use the Name (Mac) or File Name (Win) field to enter a name for the document.
Use the operating system navigation controls to find the location where the file should be saved.
Click Save to save the file.
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To make changes to a template, open it and make the changes. Use the Save As command to save the document with the same name as the original template.
As you work, any additional changes you make to the document also need to be saved.
To save additional work:
Choose File > Save. The previous version of the file is replaced by the current version.
You can also save a document under a new name. This allows you to make incremental versions of each change of the document.
To save a document under a new name:
Choose File > Save As. This opens the Save dialog box. Follow the steps on page 23 to rename and save the file.
To close a document:
Choose File > Close.
or
Click the Close
If you have not saved the document, an alert box asks if you want to save the document
o Click Save/Yes to save your changes.
o Click Don't Save/No to close the document in the last saved version.
o Click Cancel to leave the document open.
As you work on a document, the Undo command makes it easy to step back through the actions you have taken.
To undo previous actions:
Choose Edit > Undo.
or
Click the Undo icon in the Main toolbar
To redo an action you have undone:
Choose Edit > Redo.
or
Click the Redo icon in the Main toolbar
The Price of UndosThe number of actions you can undo is set in the General Preferences. The default setting is ten, which I think is a little low. However, don't go crazy and set a huge number. The higher the number you set, the greater the amount of RAM that is needed to run FreeHand. I like a setting of 30. If I need more than that, I can use the File > Revert command. (See Appendix C for more information on setting the preferences.) |
To revert to the last saved version:
Choose File > Revert. An alert box appears asking you to confirm your command.
Click the Revert button to restore your document to the last saved version.
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You can also revert to the last saved version by closing the document without saving any changes and then reopening it.
To quit FreeHand:
Choose File > Quit (Mac) or File > Exit (Win). If there are no unsaved documents, the application will close.
If there are unsaved documents, the Review dialog box opens
o Click Review to see each of the open documents along with the Save Changes dialog box.
o Click Quit Anyway (Mac) or Exit (Win) to close all documents, discarding any unsaved work.
o Click Cancel to remain in the application.
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You can turn the Review feature on or off by changing the Preferences settings (see Appendix C
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