TechNote (Archived)

How to paint a shape using a bitmap image as the fill

A bitmap image can be used as the "content" that fills a shape. This approach places the pattern of the image within the confines of a shape. Use the brush and the paint bucket tool to "paint" with the image.

To paint with a bitmap's image, do the following:

Create a shape to be filled with the image.
Import a bitmap image by choosing File > Import.
Select the imported image. Choose Modify > Break Apart to make the image to editable.
Select the eyedropper tool to take a sample of the image. With the Eyedropper tool selected you will simply need to click on the image. After clicking, the cursor will change to the Paint Bucket icon and the fill changes to a small preview of the image.
Select the Paint Bucket tool, then click inside the shape to fill it with the sampled image pattern.
The Transform Fill tool can be used to move the image around inside the shape. This allows repositioning of the pattern within the shape's border, similar to the paste-inside feature in FreeHand.

Note:The image pattern will be tiled within the shape.

Additional information
Images can be generated so that their tiling is unnoticeable. To create a seamless tile, see How to create seamlessly tiling graphics in Fireworks (TechNote 13834).