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Graphic Attributes dialog box

How to get there

Choose Window > Advanced Tools.
Click the Graphics tool . The Graphics menu appears.
Click to select a graphic, then choose Graphics > Attributes. Or, double-click a graphic.

What it does

Use the Graphic Attributes dialog box to control the positioning of a graphic in the score, the range of pages a graphic appears on, and whether it is assigned to a measure (in which case the graphic will only appear on the page containing the selected measure), or a page (in which case you can set the graphic to display on one or more pages). If a graphic is displayed on more than one page, changing the attributes for the graphic changes the display of the graphic on all pages.

If you’re using running headers or footers in your score, you might want to position a graphic in the header or footer near the "outside" edges or margins (the left or right edges, respectively) of each left or right page, as opposed to positioning the graphic in the same place on every page. This is easily done using special positioning settings for right-facing pages.

Link to file • Path • Select. Check Link to file to instruct Finale, instead of embedding the graphic, to maintain a relationship with the file as it is located in the hard drive. When an embedded graphic is changed to "linked" via the Graphic Attributes or Check Graphics dialog, the Save TIFF dialog box appears where you can specify the linked image. You can change a graphic from linked to embedded, as long as the linked file is found. The original path of the graphic (where it was located when you placed it into the score) is listed below these check boxes. Click Select to change the path of the referenced graphic. This is especially useful if the file link is broken (which happens when linked files are moved). This setting is retained between Finale sessions.
Type • Height • Width • Path. This display at the top of the dialog box shows the type of graphic placed (EPS, TIFF or WMF, the current dimensions of the graphics file, and the original path of the graphic (where it was located when you placed it into the score).
Attach to: Page: Single Page • All Pages • Page Range • Left Pages • Right Pages; Page • __ Through __. Click Attach to: Page to assign the graphic to a page and display it on one or more pages. Select an item from the Page drop-down list to have Finale show the graphic on a single page, all pages, a range of pages, left-facing (even-numbered) pages only or right-facing (odd-numbered) pages only, then specify the range of pages. Enter the numbers of the pages where the graphic will appear (for example, choose Left Pages, and enter 6 Through 10 to display the graphic on every left page between pp. 6–10). To show the graphic on a single page, choose Single Page, then enter the page number in the first text box. To display the graphic on the first page through the end of the piece, choose All Pages. To show the graphic on every page, starting at page 6, you’d select Page Range and enter 6 Through 0, or enter 6 and leave Through blank.

The page number(s) in the Graphic Attributes dialog box may differ between the part and the score if either contains blank/title pages. For example, if there is one title page on the part but not the score and a graphic is assigned to the first page containing music, the Graphic Attributes dialog box indicates page 1 while viewing the score and page 2 while viewing the part.

Note: The Page options are only available when Attach to: Page is selected, because a graphic assigned to a measure can only appear on the page containing that measure.

Attach to: Measure • [Staff names]. Click Attach to Measure to assign the graphic to a measure. In the Measure text box, enter the number of the measure that the graphic will be assigned to. From the Staff drop-down list, choose the staff you want associated with the measure-assigned graphic. Finale aligns and positions the graphic in relation to this staff. Finale will only display the graphic on the page the measure appears on when you’re in Page View. When your measure layout changes, the graphic moves with the measure.

Note: When you change whether a graphic is assigned to a page or a measure, Finale resets the H: and V: values to zero. It also sets Measure to 1 or Page to 1 (or to the current page if you’re in Page View).

Alignment and Positioning: Horizontal: Left • Center • Right; Vertical: Top (Header) • Center • Bottom (Footer); Position from: Page Margin • Page Edge; H: • V:. Use the Horizontal drop-down list to position a page-assigned graphic flush with the left or right edge or margin of the page, or centered between the left and right edges or margins. The graphic is positioned horizontally between the edges or margins of the page, depending on the Position from selection. When you change the horizontal alignment, Finale resets the H: setting to zero.

Use the Verticaldrop-down list to position a page-assigned graphic vertically. Select Top (Header) or Bottom (Footer) from the drop-down list if you want Finale to place the graphic at a distance measured from the top or bottom of the page edge or margin. Choose Center to center the graphic between the top and bottom of the page. The graphic is positioned vertically between the page margins or the edge of the page, depending on the Position from selection. When you change the vertical alignment, Finale resets the V: setting to zero.

Use the Position from drop-down list to have Finale calculate a page-assigned graphic’s position starting from either the page margin or page edge. Select Page Margin to have Finale measure the graphic’s position starting from the page margin. Select Page Edge to measure the graphic’s position from the page edge. Finale repositions the graphic from the margin or edge; it does not reset the H: and V: settings.

Note: The Horizontal, Vertical and Position from options are only available for page-assigned graphics (Attach to: Page is selected).

Use the H: and V: values to position a measure- or a page-assigned graphic horizontally and vertically. For measure-assigned graphics (Attach to: Measure is selected), enter values in H: and V: to position the graphic from the top-left of the measure, which is the default position if H: and V: are zero. For page-assigned graphics (Attach to: Page is selected), enter values in H: and V: to position the graphic on the page, based on your settings in the Alignment and Positioning group box. In either case, enter a value for H: to change the horizontal position. A positive number moves the graphic to the right; a negative number moves it to the left. Enter a value for V: to change the vertical position. A positive number moves the graphic higher; a negative number moves it lower.

Note: The H: and V: options in the Alignment and Positioning group box are used for both measure- and page-assigned graphics.

Scale: H: • V: • Fixed Percent. These values show the exact scaling in effect when you resize a graphic in the score. The H: and V: values are percentages of the graphic’s original size. If you want the graphic scaled proportionally, enter the same value for H: and V:. Enter 100 in both text boxes to show the graphic at 100% (its original size); enter 50 to reduce it to half (50%) its original size. Larger percentages increase the size of the graphic; smaller percentages decrease its size.

Check Fixed Percent to keep the graphic a fixed size even when you change the size of your page with the Resize tool.

Right Page Alignment and Positioning: Use Right Page Positioning; Horizontal: Left • Center • Right; H: • V:. Select Use Right Page Positioning if you want to position a page-assigned graphic differently on right-facing pages (odd-numbered) and left-facing (even-numbered) pages. When this option is selected, you can set separate horizontal alignment and H: and V: settings for right-facing pages; Finale uses the settings in the Alignment and Positioning group box for left-facing pages, and the settings in the Right Page Alignment and Positioning group box for right-facing pages in the score.

Use the Horizontaldrop-down list to position page-assigned graphics horizontally on right-facing pages when Use Right Page Positioning is selected. The drop-down list works the same as the Horizontal drop-down list in the Alignment and Positioning group box, but are used for right-facing pages only.

Use the H: and V: values to position page-assigned graphics on right-facing pages when Use Right Page Positioning is selected. These settings work the same as the H: and V: settings in the Alignment and Positioning group box, but are used for right-facing pages only.

OK • Cancel. Click Cancel to return to the score without updating any positioning for the graphic. Click OK to confirm your settings and return to the score.

Tip: If you're using running headers or footers in your score, you might want to position a graphic as a header or footer near the "outside" edges or margins of each left or right page, as opposed to always distancing the graphic from the left or right page edge (or margin). This is easily done using special positioning settings for right-facing pages. For example, choose Left Pages, and enter 6 Through 10 to display the graphic on every left page between pp. 6-10.