Skew

About this plugin

A fun, little, free, and useful plugin that allows you to skew objects in Figma with precise control over horizontal and vertical skewing, plus an additional flattening transformation.

Features

1. Horizontal Skew: -75° to +75° range
2. Vertical Skew: -75° to +75° range
3. Flattening: -100% to +100% range for compressing or expanding along the skewed axis
4. Real-time Preview: See how your transformations will look before applying them

Precision Controls

1. Use arrow keys in the input fields for 1° increments
2. Hold Shift + arrows for 0.1° increments
3. Hold Cmd+Shift + arrows for 0.01° increments
4. Direct decimal input supported up to 2 decimal places

Basic Skewing

1. Select one or more objects you want to skew.
2. Adjust the horizontal and vertical skew sliders.
3. The transformation happens in real-time, allowing you to

1. Move objects around to check alignment.
2. Select additional objects to apply the same skew.
3. Fine-tune values using keyboard controls or direct input.
4. See changes before applying

The plugin operates in two modes

1. Interactive Mode (Before pressing Apply)
2. Any selected object will immediately transform to match the current slider values.

1. Applied State (After pressing Apply)
2. Pressing the "Apply Skew" button commits the current transformation.
3. The sliders reset to 0.
4. The transformed state becomes the new baseline for the object.
5. This is helpful before using the Flatten feature.

Flattening

1. First, skew your object to the desired angle.
2. Press "Apply Skew" to commit the transformation.
3. Use the Flatten slider to compress (-100% to 0%) or expand (0% to +100%) the shape along its skewed axis.

Compatible Objects

The plugin works with:

1. Rectangles
2. Ellipses
3. Polygons
4. Vector objects
5. Frames
6. Groups
7. Components
8. Sections
9. Text (will be converted to outlines)
10. Boolean operations
11. Auto-layout frames

Tips

Work Non-Destructively:

1. Keep the plugin open while experimenting with transformations.
2. Be aware that it applies set values directly on any object.
3. Use the real-time preview to perfect your angles before applying.
4. Move you object around to line it up perfectly
5. If you use reference objects, lock them to avoid applying skewing to them.

Apply Before Flattening:

1. Press "Apply Skew" before using the Flatten slider.
2. This ensures the flattening happens relative to the skewed shape.

Multiple Objects:

1. Select multiple objects to apply the same transformation.
2. Useful for maintaining consistent angles across elements.

Vector Quality:

1. The preview might appear pixelated during transformation.
2. The final result will be sharp vector quality after applying.

More Tips:

1. Use small increments via keyboard hotkeys for precise control.
2. The preview window helps visualize the transformation before committing.
3. If you make a mistake, set all sliders to 0 to reset to the original state.
4. For complex compositions, apply transformations in stages using the Apply button.

Technical Notes

1. Transformations are applied using matrix calculations to ensure accurate results.
2. The plugin maintains the object's center point during transformation.
3. Vector paths are recalculated after applying to ensure sharp rendering.