Modifying Object Parameters in the Inspector

It's time to take a look at the Inspector tab in the Utility window. As in other Apple Pro applications, the Inspector allows you to inspect and change detailed parameters based on whatever is selected in your project. To view or change a parameter in the Inspector, all you need to do is select the object or layer you want to change in the Canvas or on the Layers tab.

The Inspector is divided into four tabs: Properties, Behaviors, Filters, and a contextual tab that changes depending on the type of element that is selected.

1.	Press Cmd-3 to open the Inspector tab.
2.	Click the Globe Corner object in the Canvas to select it. The contextual tab changes to Image to show that an image has been selected.
3.	Click the Properties tab to view the properties of the selected object.

Changing an Object's Properties

As its name suggests, the Properties tab in the Inspector allows you to view and modify an object's properties.

Since you have selected the Globe Corner movie in the Canvas, you are currently viewing the properties for that object.

The Properties tab is organized into sections: Transform, Blending, Drop Shadow, Four Corner, Crop, and Timing. These parameters correspond to the tools that you use in the Canvas, such as the Select/Transform tool.

For this exercise, you'll work with the Transform parameters. In previous exercises, you transformed an object's scale and position in the Canvas. This time, you'll change the scale to exactly 50 percent using the Properties tab and then change the position of your object to the lower-left corner of the frame.

The Scale parameter has both a slider and a value slider with incremental arrows. The Scale value slider works just like the Current Frame field does, meaning you can drag it, click the incremental arrows, or type a new amount.

1.	Drag the Scale slider all the way to the left and then all the way right to adjust the size of the object from smallest to largest. The object changes in the Canvas as you adjust the Scale parameter in the Inspector.
2.	Type 50 in the Scale value slider and press Return. The object in the Canvas changes to a 50 percent scale. As you can see, it's easy to change an object's properties. Now let's use the Properties tab as a reference as you change an object's position in the Canvas.
3.	Locate the Position parameter at the top of the Transform properties in the Inspector. The Position parameter shows the position of the selected object in the Canvas.
4.	In the Canvas, drag the Globe Corner object toward the lower-left corner of the frame. The Position parameter changes as the object moves in the Canvas.
5.	Position the Globe Corner object in the left corner of the Canvas so its position is 160 (x), 105 (y) in the Position parameter fields.
6.	Press Cmd-S to save your project.