General options
Quick (area) select When you clear this option, objects are only selected when you click them. For example, if you click-and-drag on an unselected object, it won't move. This saves you from accidentally moving objects when you only mean to select them. However, if you select this option, you will be able to select and move an object in one dragging motion.
Transform image fill When you scale, rotate, or otherwise transform a path that has an image fill, the pattern will be transformed in the same way. Clear this option if you want patterns to remain in their original size and orientation, despite object transformations.
Path operations: keep originals Select this option to keep the source paths after using the path operation features. When this option is cleared, the original paths are deleted.
Create new layer above current layer When this option is deselected, new layers appear at the top of the layer list (in the Layers panel ). Select this option if you want new layers to be created above the currently-selected layer.
Automatically commit transforms Normally, Expression Design saves a list of each transform (scaling, rotating, moving, and so on) that you have applied to each object and doesn't commit the transform until you tell it to. If you select this option, transformations are committed automatically each time you apply them. Note that if you disproportionally scale or skew an object with a stroke, the stroke may be wider in some areas and narrower in others. After committing the transform, the stroke width will be the same around the entire object.
Mouse wheel usage You can assign the rolling of the mouse wheel to different tasks. Select Zoom to use it for magnifying the page. Select Vertical scrolling for scrolling vertically (or horizontally when you hold down the SHIFT key). Select Horizontal scrolling for scrolling horizontally (or vertically when you hold down the SHIFT key). Note that when either of the scrolling options is selected, you can make the mouse wheel zoom by holding down the CTRL key.
Mouse wheel zoom about mouse position If the mouse wheel is set up to allow zooming, you can control where the center of magnification will occur. If you clear this option, you will always zoom in or out based on the center of the visible page. When this option is selected, the pointer position is used as the zoom center.
Picked color The Color Dropper tool can be set to pick up either the Object color or the Screen color. For more information, see Copying colors, gradients, and image fills.