TechNote (Archived)

Attaching a bitmap image to the perspective grid

There is no way to attach a bitmap to the Perspective grid and have it distort as if it were being turned in 3D space. However, there are two possible workarounds.

Tracing or emulating

Because the perspective grid does not distort bitmap images, there are really only two ways to get one on the perspective grid. For a simple image, autotrace it and attach the resulting group of vectors. For more complex or heavily detailed images, a better option is to transform the image before it is imported, to make it appear that it is on the grid.

To autotrace an image for use on the Perspective grid:

Open the FreeHand file that will contain the transformed image.
Import the image.
Doubleclick the Trace tool and make sure the settings are as desired.

Note: The Trace tool is on the Tools toolbar, which can be opened from the Window menu.
Move the image away from any other objects in the document. Make certain nothing is within an inch of the image on all sides.
With the Trace tool, click and drag a marquee around the image to trace it.
When the tracing is complete, there will be many paths, all selected, on top of the original image. Before doing anything else, choose Modify > Group to group all of the new paths.

Note: Check the Object Inspector to see how many paths there are. Keep in mind that too many paths will make printing this file rather difficult. If there are too many, delete the group and try tracing again at a lower resolution, with fewer colors, or using other settings that will reduce complexity.
Move the group of vectors away from the original image.
Look over the group to see if it is acceptable. If it is not, delete it and trace again using different settings in the trace tool.

Note: If the trace tool settings get changed too much during experimentation, and you'd like to reset them, please read Restoring the Trace tool's default settings (TechNote 15726).
Once an acceptable trace has been created, delete the original imported image.

To transform an image to appear attached to the Perspective grid:

Open the FreeHand file that will contain the transformed image.
Choose File> Import to bring the image into the FreeHand file. With the image still selected, check the Object Inspector to find the size.
Create a rectangle of the same width and height, then delete the image.
Attach that rectangle to the Perspective grid, and adjust its position as necessary.
Choose Edit> Copy to copy the transformed rectangle to the clipboard.
Open the original file in an image editor, such as Fireworks or Photoshop. Expand the canvas so that there is plenty of working room around the image.

Note: The next few steps will use Fireworks as the editing program.
Choose Modify > Exit Bitmap Mode.
Choose Edit > Paste to paste a copy of the transformed rectangle onto the image window.
Select the image with the Pointer tool and use the Distort tool to drag each corner of the image to the corresponding corner of the rectangle.

Note: The Distort tool is under the Scale tool.
Once the image has been distorted into the shape of the rectangle, choose Modify > Trim Canvas to get rid of unused space.
Select the rectangle and Choose Edit > Clear, or press the Delete key on the keyboard.
Choose File > Export Preview, and choose whichever format and options are appropriate for the project. Save the new image into the same folder as the FreeHand document.

Note: The next few steps will assume that .tif is the chosen format.
In FreeHand, choose File > Import, and bring the image into the document. When the cursor changes to the L-bracket, click the upper left corner of the enveloped rectangle on the Perspective grid. This will place the image almost exactly on top of the rectangle. Adjust its placement until it is correct.
Choose Edit > Cut to cut the .tif to the clipboard.
Select the rectangle on the perspective grid, and choose Modify> Envelope > Release. This detaches the rectangle from the grid, while retaining its transforms.
With the rectangle still selected, choose Edit> Paste inside. This uses the rectangle as a clipping path to mask off any white area around the desired part of the image.
In the Stroke Inspector, choose None to eliminate any stroke on the rectangle.