Floating objects in front of panels

Sometimes you want a character, or a dialogue balloon, or something else to pop out from the plane of the comic, or step from panel to panel, as a special effect. To do this, select the element in the main view of the comic window and choose Free from Panel from the Objects menu. This moves the object from the panel it is in to a floating layer of the page, in front of all the panels. It also switches the view to the Free Objects editor.

The Free Objects editor, in which Fred and a dialogue balloon, which are freed from their panels, are being edited

The Free Object editor allows you to edit all of the free objects in the current page. It displays the whole comic page, but the panels and everything inside them is behind a striped pattern and inaccessible. Only the free objects are editable in this view, so you can use marquee selection on the free objects without accidentally dragging panel-bound objects.

In the Free Object editor, you can work with objects in the same ways you can elsewhere. This includes adding new objects by drag and drop, copy and paste, or commands that create parts or balloons. And new objects added while in this editor will also be floating, free from panel bounds.

Entering the Free Objects editor

There are other ways to enter the Free Objects editor besides freeing an object. If you already have a freed object, just click on it to select it and enter the Floating Object editor. You can also right click anywhere in the comic and choose Edit Free Objects . If the right click was on a free object, it will be selected in the editor. Finally, you can choose Free Objects Editor from the View menu. This menu item is checked when you are in the Free Objects editor, so if you choose it again to uncheck it, you will exit to the comic’s main editing view.

The usual way to exit from this view is to click the Comic part of the editing level control at the top.

Editing free objects in the main view

There are two common edits you can make to a free object without ever leaving the comic’s main view. You can move it by clicking it and dragging. This will move it without selecting it or entering the Free Objects editor.

If you want to restrict it to the panel, right click it and choose Restrict to Panel from the contextual menu.

Restricting free objects to panels

You can restrict free objects to the panels they are over by selecting them in the Free Objects editor and choosing Restrict to Panel from the Objects menu. Each selected object will be restricted to the panel it overlaps the most.

Restrict to Panel is also available in a contextual menu if you right click a free object, which you can do from the main comic editor or the Free Objects editor.