Preview Drag Modifiers

This is a series of quick tips for using the Preview Drag mode. This is great for when you're dragging shapes around and want to quickly see the objects in Keyline mode for easier placement.

Version: 4 and above

First lets explain the Preview Drag mode a little. You can set the maximum number shapes or items that will preview when dragging in the Preferences shown above. The larger the number, the slower the redraw will be and more RAM will be required.

When quickly click+dragging on shapes, you usually just see a bounding box that defines the overall area of the shapes. This is Fast Drag mode.

Preview Drag is evoked by click and holding for about a second. You'll see your pointer turn into a four-way arrow like shown above. When you drag the selection, you'll still see the colors and shapes. While this could be useful for seeing the art as you move into placement, it can be difficult to precisely place shapes onto guides or other artwork.

Now if you have evoked Preview drag like mentioned above and want to see the center points of the objects as if you were in Keyline mode, all it takes is one quick key press. As you are dragging your objects around, simple tap the Option (Alt) key. Once tapped, your objects will be in Keyline drag mode like shown above. Now it's easy to place objects more precisely over guides or other objects.

Here's another great use for Keyline drag mode. Are you ever frustrated when dragging White text around in Preview mode like shown above? You can never see it.

Once you tap Option (Alt), you can now see the White text in Keyline mode and place the text where you want.

Also, you can use the drag modifier key when in Keyline view mode. Above you can see after tapping Option (Alt), my selection is in a Black and White preview.

The fun never ends.... When you evoke a Fast drag (like the very first example) you tap the key and you are instantly brought into Preview drag mode.

This is a great undocumented feature that I found by accident and has proven to be very useful, especially when dragging white text. The only enhancement I'd like to see with this is when tapping the Option (Alt) key, that it cycles through the different view modes.