Selecting and modifying slices

Selecting and modifying slices

You can move duplicate combine divide resize delete arrange align and distribute user slices. There are fewer options for modifying layer-based slices and auto slices however, you can promote a layer-based slice or an auto slice to a user slice at any time.

In Photoshop you cannot combine align or distribute slices Jump to ImageReady to access these slice-editing capabilities.

Using the Slice palette (ImageReady)

To display the Slice palette:

Choose Window > Slice or click the palette button on the right side of the options bar for the slice select tool.

Selecting slices

You select a slice with the slice select tool in order to apply modifications to it In the Photoshop Save for Web dialog box and in ImageReady you can select multiple slices. To select a slice:

Do one of the following:

Select the slice select tool and click on a slice in the image. When working with overlapping slices click the visible section of an underlying slice to select it.

To toggle between the slice tool and the slice select tool hold down Ctrl ( Windows) or

Command (Mac OS).

(ImageReady) Select a slice in the Rollovers palette (See "Using the Rollovers palette"

on section 398

To select multiple slices (ImageReady):

With the slice select tool do one of the following:

Shift-click to add slices to the selection.

Click in an auto slice or outside the image area and drag across the slices you want to select (Clicking in a user slice and dragging moves the slice.)

In ImageReady you can save load and delete slice selections Using slice selections lets you reselect specific slices quickly and accurately.

To save a slice selection (ImageReady):

Select one or more slices.

Choose Slices > Save Slice Selection.

Enter a name in the Selection Name text box and click OK.

To load a slice selection (ImageReady):

Choose Slices > Load Slice Selection and select the name of the slice selection you want to load from the submenu.

Note: You must save a slice selection before you can load it.

To delete a slice selection (ImageReady):

Choose Slices > Delete Slice Selection and select the name of the slice selection you want to delete from the submenu Deleting a slice selection does not delete the slices themselves.

Moving and resizing user slices

You can move and resize user slices in Photoshop and ImageReady but not in the Photoshop Save for Web dialog box. You can also move and resize slices using numeric coordinates (See "Resizing and moving slices using numeric coordinates on section 380.) To move or resize a user slice:

Select a user slice In ImageReady you can select and move multiple slices.

Do one of the following:

To move a slice move the pointer inside the slice selection border and drag the slice to a new position Press Shift to restrict movement to a vertical horizontal or 45 diagonal line.

To resize a slice grab a side or a corner handle of the slice and drag to resize the slice. In ImageReady if you select and resize adjacent slices common edges shared by the slices are resized together.

To snap slices to a guide or another user slice:

Select the options you want from the View > Snap To submenu and choose View > Snap (See "Using the Snap command on section 172.) A check mark indicates that the option is turned on.

Move the selected slices as desired. The slices snap to any guide or slice within 4 pixels.

Dividing user slices and auto slices

The Divide Slice dialog box lets you divide slices horizontally vertically or both In Photoshop you can divide only one slice in ImageReady you can divide multiple slices at the same time Duplicate slices are always user slices regardless of whether the original is a user slice or an auto slice.

Note: You cannot divide layer-based slices.

To divide slices:

Select a slice In ImageReady you can select multiple slices.

Do one of the following:

(Photoshop) With the slice select tool selected click Divide Slice in the options bar.

(ImageReady) Choose Slices > Divide Slice(s).

(ImageReady) Choose Divide Slice(s) from the Slice palette menu.

Select Preview in the Divide Slice dialog box to preview the changes.

In the Divide Slice dialog box select one or both of the following options:

Divide Horizontally Into to divide the slice lengthwise.

Divide Vertically Into to divide the slice widthwise.

Define how you want to divide each selected slice:

Select and enter a value for slices down or slices across to divide each slice evenly into the specified number of slices.

Select and enter a value for pixels per slice to divide each slice based on the specified number of pixels Any section of a slice that is left over is made into another slice For example if you divide a slice that is 100 pixels wide into three new slices each 30 pixels wide the remaining 10-pixel-wide area becomes a new slice.

Click OK.

Duplicating slices

You can create a duplicate slice with the same dimensions and optimization settings as the original If the original slice is a linked user slice the duplicate is linked to the same set of linked slices For more information see "Linking slices (ImageReady) on section 382 Duplicate slices are always user slices regardless of whether the original is a user slice a layer-based slice or an auto slice.

In ImageReady you can also copy and paste slices within or between documents.

To duplicate a slice:

Do one of the following:

Select a slice (In ImageReady you can select multiple slices.) Then Alt-drag ( Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) from inside the selection In ImageReady you can also choose Slices > Duplicate Slice(s) or Duplicate Slice(s) from the Slice palette menu.

(ImageReady) Select a slice in the Rollovers palette and choose Duplicate Slice from the palette menu (See "Using the Rollovers palette on section 398

The duplicate slice appears on top of the original (offset 10 pixels down and to the right)

and can be moved resized or otherwise modified.

To copy and paste a slice (ImageReady):

Select one or more slices.

Choose Copy Slice from the Slice palette menu.

If you want to paste into another image open and display that image.

Choose Paste Slice from the Slice palette menu If you paste the slice into the same image as you copied it from the pasted slice appears on top of the original. Combining slices (ImageReady)

In ImageReady you can combine two or more slices into a single slice. The resulting slice takes its dimensions and position from the rectangle created by joining the outer edges of the combined slices If the combined slices are not adjacent or are of different proportions or alignments the newly combined slice may overlap other slices.

Optimization settings for the combined slice are those of the first slice selected before the Combine Slices operation A combined slice is always a user slice regardless of whether the original slices include auto slices.

Note: You cannot combine layer-based slices.

To combine slices:

Select two or more slices.

Choose Slices > Combine Slices.

Arranging user slices and layer-based slices

When slices overlap the last slice you create is the top slice in the stacking order. You can change the stacking order to gain access to underlying slices. You can specify which slice is on the top and bottom of the stack and move slices up or down in the stacking order. Note: You cannot arrange the stacking order of auto slices.

To change the stacking order of slices:

Select a slice In ImageReady you can select multiple slices.

Do one of the following:

With the slice select tool active click a stacking order option in the options bar Bring to

Front Bring Forward Send Backward Send to Back .

(ImageReady) Choose Slices > Arrange and choose a stacking order command from the submenu or choose a stacking order command from the Slice palette menu.

(ImageReady) Drag the slice up or down in the Rollovers palette (See "Using the

Rollovers palette on section 398

Aligning user slices (ImageReady)

In ImageReady you can align user slices with the top bottom left right or middle. Aligning user slices can eliminate unneeded auto slices and generate a smaller more efficient HTML file.

Note: To align layer-based slices align the contents of the layers (See "Repositioning the contents of layers" on section 289

To align user slices:

Select the user slices you want to align.

Do one of the following:

With the slice select tool active click an alignment option in the options bar Align Top Edges , Align Vertical Centers Align Bottom Edges , Align Left Edges , Align Horizontal Centers , Align Right Edges .

Choose Slices > Align and choose a command from the submenu.

Distributing user slices (ImageReady)

In ImageReady you can distribute user slices evenly along the vertical or horizontal axis. Distributing user slices can eliminate unneeded auto slices and generate a smaller more efficient HTML file.

Note: To distribute layer-based slices, distribute the contents of the layers (See Reposi- tioning the contents of layers on section 289

To distribute user slices:

Select three or more user slices you want to distribute.

Do one of the following:

With the slice select tool active click a distribute option in the options bar Distribute Top Edges Distribute Vertical Centers , Distribute Bottom Edges , Distribute Left Edges Distribute Horizontal Centers Distribute Right Edges .

Choose Slices > Distribute and choose a command from the submenu.

Deleting user slices and layer-based slices

When you delete a user slice or layer-based slice auto slices are regenerated to fill the document area.

Deleting a layer-based slice does not delete the associated layer however deleting the layer associated with a layer-based slice does delete the layer-based slice.

Note: You cannot delete auto slices If you delete all user slices and layer-based slices in an image one auto slice layer will remain.

To delete a slice:

Select a slice In ImageReady you can select multiple slices.

Do one of the following:

Press the Backspace key or the Delete key.

(ImageReady) Choose Slices > Delete Slice(s) or choose Delete Slice(s) from the Slice palette menu.

To delete all user slices and layer-based slices:

Do one of the following:

(Photoshop) Choose View > Clear Slices.

(ImageReady) Choose Slices > Delete All.

Locking slices (Photoshop)

Locking slices prevents you from making changes accidentally such as resizing or moving slices.

To lock all slices:

Choose View > Lock Slices.