The Free Transform Tool

1. When you select this tool, you can rotate the selection by moving the cursor just outside the corner handles or move the selection by dragging from a central position. The white dot is the center point. Dragging this to a new position will change your center of transformation. It will not change the position of your shape. Drag out the corners to re-scale.

2. When you have the freedom to use all of the options at once, it can be easy to drag in the wrong place and end up with an unexpected result. Selecting one of the Free Transform options limits the transformation to the one you have selected.

3. If you think that you have gone too far with your transformations and want to return to your original version, don’t worry, just choose Modify > Transform > Remove Transformation or more simply CMND/CTRL + SHIFT + Z.

4. As well as altering shapes with the Free Transform tool, transformations can be applied numerically in the Transform panel. If this panel is not already open, select Window > Design Panels > Transform or more simply CMND/CTRL + T.