Toolbar and Tool Properties Bar

The icons contained in the tool bar located to the left of the Display Area, and their associated tools in the Tool Properties bar located directly above the Display Area, are detailed below.

Hand Tool

The Hand Tool is used to move the visible portion of the photo in the Image pane. For a list of panes to be enabled/disabled for visibility in the interface, navigate to the Window main menu item.

Move

The Move tool is used to select layer content. With a layer selected, the Move tool is used to move or resize the selected content. The Move tool populates the Tool Properties bar with tools used to constrain objects vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

Use the Move tool to move image and text layers, and selections, as well as to rotate and resize layers. Also move and rotate objects, such as circles, lines, etc, created on their own respective layer. (See To Add a Layer.) Select the Move tool, then click and drag the layer. If moving an object on its own respective layer, select the layer, then click the object on the image and drag it to the desired location.

Masks can be linked or unlinked from the layer, allowing the Move tool to operate on just the mask or the linked combination of mask and layer.

Use the Arrow keys to move layers pixel by pixel.

Use the Snap-to buttons in the Tool Properties bar to snap the image, text, or object to the left, right, top, bottom, center, and respective corners. Enable the Grid button in the Tool Properties bar to display a grid over the image. This is useful when making precise placements.

To ensure that the layer's aspect ratio is maintained while resizing, enable the Lock Aspect Ratio checkbox in the Tool Properties bar and drag from the corners of the layer. The Lock Aspect Ratio checkbox is enabled by default.

To rotate images, text, or objects, hover the cursor over the rotation handle at the center of the image, text, or object until the cursor becomes a circular arrow. Drag the cursor clockwise or counterclockwise. Lock the rotation to each 45° angle by holding down the Shift key while rotating.

Use the Move tool to move Guidelines. See Adding Rulers and Guidelines.

To commit the move, click the OK button in the Tool Properties bar. To discard the move and revert back to the image's original position, click the Cancel button.

It is possible to move a layer outside of the image area, commit it, then click the Move tool button again and move it back into the image area without a loss of image data. Retrieve the moved layer after saving the file as a .gsd, closing it, and re-opening it at a later date.

The Move tool is non-destructive.

 

 

Crop Tool

The Crop tool is used to remove portions of a photo to create focus on a subject or strengthen the overall composition by removing distractions. Besides cropping, the Crop tool can be used to expand the canvas size and rotate the image by grabbing one of the four corner points and moving the mouse.

For all operations, visual guides provide an interactive preview of the actual image crop or straightening.

 

 

AI Object Selection Tool

Click and drag the cursor and loosely draw around the area that you wish to select. As you draw, a line appears showing where you have drawn. When you release the mouse, the end of the line joins to the start automatically to complete the selection. The AI will detect any object(s) within the drawn area, and create well-defined, tight selections around the objects.

 

 

Marquee Selection Tools

	The Rectangular Selection tool is used to draw a rectangular or square selection box on a selected layer. Drag over the image to create rectangle. Pressing Shift adds selection and pressing Ctrl subtracts selection.
	The Elliptical Selection tool is used to draw a circular selection box on a selected layer. Drag over the image to create an ellipse. Pressing Shift adds selection and pressing Ctrl subtracts selection.

 

 

Lasso Selection Tools

	The Lasso Selection tool is used to draw a free-hand selection area on a selected layer. Unlike the Marquee Selection Tools which are a closed loop, and what is drawn constitutes the selection, the Lasso selection tool is an open loop and the two ends must be connected before the enclosed area can be selected.
	The Polygonal Lasso Selection tool is used to draw a free-hand selection area on a selected layer. Unlike the Marquee Selection Tools which are a closed loop, and what is drawn constitutes the selection, the Lasso selection tool is an open loop and the two ends must be connected before the enclosed area can be selected.

 

 

Quick Selection Tools

The Brush Selection tool is used to select an area in the layer drawn by hand using the brush. Unlike Lasso Selection tools which are an open loop that must be connected at the two ends to perform the selection, Quick Selection Tools are a closed loop and the area drawn constitutes the selected area.

The Magic Wand tool is used to select a consistently colored area (for example, a yellow flower) without having to trace its outline. Specify a color, brightness, or Magic range and set the tolerance relative to the original clicked color. Unlike Lasso Selection tools which are an open loop that must be connected at the two ends to perform the selection, Quick Selection Tools are a closed loop and the area drawn constitutes the selected area.

 

Eyedropper

The Eyedropper tool is used to make a color selection from the selected layer. The color selection will be populated to the Swap Colors tool at the bottom of the toolbar.

Use the Eyedropper tool to select colors from the images. Click a color in the image, which will appear in the color boxes at the top right of the panel. Apply this color using the drawing tools, such as the Brush tool.

Select the background color (bottom of the color boxes) by right-clicking the image.

Select a color from outside of the application by left-clicking an image and dragging the cursor to the color outside of the application. After releasing the mouse button, the color will be selected and shown in the color boxes at the top right of the panel.

Brush

The Brush tool is used to apply the selected color in the Swap Color tool to the selected layer.

Drag over the image to draw a free-flowing line. Left-click with your mouse to draw with the foreground color, and right-click to draw with the background color.

Use the mouse wheel to adjust nib width or use the Nib Width slider at the top of the panel, near the Opacity slider.

Use Shift + mouse wheel to adjust the amount of feathering or adjust the Feathering slider under the Nib Width drop-down menu.

You can undo and redo each brush stroke individually using the Undo and Redo buttons at the bottom of the History panel.

 

Fill

The Fill tool is used to apply the selected color in the Swap Color tool to a selected object, area, or layer. Select the Fill button, and click a pixel to shade every pixel of that same color value with your selected color. The selected color is defined in the color box, as described below. Use the Threshold slider to adjust the number of pixels to be included or excluded. The Threshold slider sets how similar a pixel needs to be to selected color in order to be included in the selection. Enable the Connected checkbox in the Tool Properties bar to fill all of the connected pixels of the same color.

 

 

Gradient Tool

The Gradient tool is used to apply a gradient over an image. The Gradient tool is applied in the same layer as the image. Use the Linear Gradient tool to draw gradients across an image, or use the Radial Gradient tool to draw a gradient around an area. Select the Gradient tool from the tool bar, then configure the color, opacity and blend mode using the options in the Tool Properties bar. For a radial gradient, select the Radial Gradient button in the Tool Properties bar. Then draw the gradient by dragging across the image. To discard the gradient, click the Cancel button in the Tool Properties bar. Rearrange the gradient as desired, then click the OK button in the Tool Properties bar. Undo an acceptance by clicking Ctrl + Z, selecting Edit | Undo, or by using the History pane.

 

 

Drawing Tools

	The Rectangle tool is used to draw a rectangle over an image. The Rectangle tool uses the colors set in the Swap Colors tool located at the bottom of the toolbar. The Fill checkbox is enabled by default.
	The Ellipse tool is used to draw a circle over an image. The Ellipse tool uses the colors set in the Swap Colors tool located at the bottom of the toolbar. The Fill checkbox is enabled by default.
	The Polygon tool is used to draw a an octagonal circle over an image. The Polygon tool uses the colors set in the Swap Colors tool located at the bottom of the toolbar. Click to set the corner points of a polygon, then double-click to connect the start and end points to complete the polygon. The Fill checkbox is enabled by default.
	The Line tool is used to draw a straight line over an image. The Line tool uses the colors set in the Swap Colors tool located at the bottom of the toolbar. Drag over the image to draw a straight line. Press Shift as you draw to create a vertical or horizontal line.
	The Arrow tool is used to draw an arrow over an image. The Arrow tool uses the colors set in the Swap Colors tool located at the bottom of the toolbar. Drag over the image to create an arrow. Press Shift as you draw to create a vertical or horizontal arrow.
	The Curve tool is used to draw a curve over an image. The Curve tool uses the colors set in the Swap Colors tool located at the bottom of the toolbar. Drag over the image then release. Next, move the mouse to create the curve and click to set.

 

 

Text

The Text tool is used to add texts as layers to an image.

 

Text Type

Dynamic

When the size of a text box is changed, Dynamic text changes the size of the text within the box to increase or decrease with the box size.

Path

Path text dictates the precise path the text takes.

Frame

In Frame text, increases or decreases in the text box size do not affect the size of the text within the frame.

 

Text Type Actions and Key Combinations

Dynamic Text
Move cursor		Moves the text box.
Resize cursor		Resizes the box while preserving the aspect ratio.
Shift key + Resize cursor		Resizes the box without preserving the aspect ratio (free form).
Rotate cursor		Rotates the box.
Shift key + Rotate cursor		Rotates incrementally at 45 degrees.
Path Text
Move cursor		Moves the entire path.
Move anchor point cursor		Moves the anchor point.
Add anchor point cursor		Adds a new anchor point.
Right click + Add anchor point cursor		Deletes the anchor point.
Ctrl key + Move cursor		Resizes the path, including the text.
Alt key + Move cursor		Rotates the path.
Frame Text
Move cursor		Moves the text box.
Resize cursor		Resizes the box without preserving the aspect ratio (free form).
Shift key + Resize cursor		Resizes the box while preserving the aspect ratio.
Rotate cursor		Rotates the box.
Shift key + Rotate cursor		Rotates incrementally at 45 degrees.

Eraser

The Eraser tool is used to remove pixels from a selected layer. Use the Eraser tool to erase pixels. To erase pixels on a layer to reveal the layer beneath, select the second layer or higher in the Layered Editor and drag the cursor over the pixels to be erased. This tool modifies the alpha channel value of the pixels.

 

 

Smart Erase brush

The Smart Erase brush is used to remove unwanted elements from a selected layer.