Resize and Rotate Objects in XD

When we create an object in Adobe XD, It will be created in the default size to make the diagram look uniform. These objects are flexible; we can alter their size and perform other operations at any time. We can resize, scale, rotate, and flip the objects available in our artboard as per our requirements.

In this section, we will discuss basic operations such as resize, rotate, and select operations in Adobe XD.

Select: For modifying an object, we have to select it first. Once a specific object is selected, we can modify it as per our requirements. The selection tool is used for selecting an object. The selection tool is available on top of the left side toolbox. We can select an object using a few keystrokes.

To select an object, activate the selection tool and when the cursor turns into a pointer, click on any object to activate it. We can also select multiple objects at once by drawing a marquee around the objects. Alternatively, we can also select multiple objects by holding the Shift key.

The objects can also be selected by selecting their respective layers. To select an object from layers, select the respective layer from the layers panel. To select multiple layers, hold the ctrl key and select the layers.

Resize: Resizing is an act of altering the size of an object. We can easily alter the size of an object by enlarging or reducing its size. Resizing is also useful for reducing or enlarging the images and shapes.

Resizing is a straightforward process in XD; we can resize an object by dragging one of the rounded handles. These handles will be available when the object is selected. To resize the object from the center instead of the sides, hold down the Alt key.

Consider the below image:

From the above image, we can see several handler pointers on the border and canvas of the object. The border handlers can be used to resize the element in different directions, and the canvas handlers can be used to define the radius of the object.

Select the object or the object group, and drag the circular handles. In object groups, you see the circular handles around the bounding box of the group. Drag these handles to resize the object or the object group.

We can also manually define the height and width value from the property inspector area.

We can also define the transform axis in this window to transform it on a different axis. We can transform the objects in 3D space using these axis values.

Once you are done with resizing, you can lock the object by pressing the "Ctrl+L" shortcut key. It is good to lock the object when the editing is done to prevent accidental changes in the object.

Rotate: Rotation is also one of the basic tasks we may need frequently. We can easily rotate the object on a different axis. We can rotate the following objects:

• Shapes
• Text
• Images
• Marker tool drawings
• Stamps (slightly rotated by default)
• Components
• Groups

To rotate the object in different directions, select the object or the group of the objects and specify the rotation angle in the transform field in the property inspector area. We can also rotate an object by hovering over the circular handles and moving it slightly in different directions. When we hover over the circular handler, it will be converted into a rotation pointer from the normal arrow pointer. When the rotation cursor is visible, drag the handler in the desired direction to rotate.

We can also transform the object into 3D space. For rotating the object in 3D space, select the 3D icon available in the property inspector area in the right sidebar.

Once the 3D option is selected, we can see a 3d rotation icon in our object.

Stretch the 3d rotation icon to rotate the object in 3D space. We can also rotate the object by multiples of 45° using the Shift key.

Similarly, we can perform the discussed operations on an image too. It will work the same as the shape. For example, if we want to reduce the size of an image, we can drag the edge handlers inside directions of the image, and, for enlarging the image, drag the handlers outside directions of the image. We can also manually enter the height and width of the image in the property inspector area in the right sidebar.

We have discussed several basic tasks such as select, resize, and rotate in Adobe XD. These actions are used frequently while working with Adobe XD. Now, we can select any object and apply these operations. The process of applying these actions will be the same for different types of the objects such as shape, text, images, components, and groups.