Patent ID: 8582919

Claim:
A method for altering the appearance of a digital image with a shape, the method comprising: presenting, by a computer executing an application program, a canvas, the canvas comprising a word processing document, a presentation document, or a spreadsheet document; determining, by the computer , if a request to apply a mask shape to a digital image has been received; determining, by the computer, if a request to fill the mask shape with the digital image has been received; in response to receiving the request to apply the mask shape to the digital image or in response to receiving the request to fill the mask shape with the digital image, entering a first editing mode in which the computer displays a first set of user interface controls on the digital image for modifying a size, a position and a rotation of the digital image within the canvas independently of the mask shape and a second set of user interface controls on the mask shape for modifying an appearance of the mask shape upon the digital image and independently of the digital image, the first set of user interface controls and the second set of user interface controls being useable without changing from the first editing mode; receiving, by the computer, a cropping request comprising a request to exit the first editing mode; in response to receiving the cropping request, mapping the digital image to the mask shape to create a mask-cropped shape; exiting the first editing mode; and entering a second editing mode in which the computer displays a third set of user interface controls for modifying an appearance of the mask-cropped shape.