Select mode

The mouse mode determines what happens when you click and drag inside the fractal window. In Select mode, a selection box is used for zooming, panning, rotating, stretching, and skewing.

To enter Select mode from Normal mode, simply click and drag inside the fractal window. Alternatively, click Select Mode on the Fractal menu, or make sure the Select mode button in the toolbar is down.

Ultra Fractal selectmode Select mode

In the fractal window, a selection box appears.

Ultra Fractal selectionbox Select mode

The area inside the selection box will be magnified to fill the fractal window when you zoom in. You can manipulate the selection box by dragging the handles and edges.

To: Do this:
Move the selection box Click inside the box and drag
Resize the selection box Drag the edges or the handles at the corners
Rotate the selection box Drag the top handle
Stretch the selection box Hold down Ctrl and drag the edges or the handles at the corners
Skew the selection box Hold down Ctrl and drag the top handle
Cancel Click outside the selection box

When you are finished, double-click inside the selection box to zoom in. To zoom out, hold down Ctrl while double-clicking. Alternatively, right-click inside the fractal window to open a menu with the following commands:

Zoom In Magnifies the area inside the selection box to fill the fractal window
Zoom Out Shrinks the area of the fractal window to fill the selection box
Crop Resizes the fractal window to fill the selection box
Reset Restores the default position of the selection box
Resize Fractal Resizes the fractal window to match the aspect ratio of the selection box
Stretch Fractal Stretches the fractal window to fit the selection box

While you are working with the selection box, the Fractal Mode tool window shows a preview of the resulting fractal. The buttons in the tool window select what you want to do: zoom in, zoom out, or crop. They duplicate the menu commands listed above, except that they are not applied until you click the Apply button in the tool window.

Notes

  • While the selection box is visible, the status bar provides additional information, such as the current magnification and rotation angle.
  • If the fractal contains multiple layers, only the editable layers are affected.

Next: Switch mode

See Also
Tutorial: Learning basic skills
Keyboard shortcuts in Select mode
Animating locations
Fractal windows

Select mode