INFO: Software Cheat Sheets
Seashore 1.9: Toolbox Basics
Cheat Sheet 20091010
Seashore is a bitmap image editor. The program is free and open source. If the program is not coöperating, save your work and restart it.
Options Panel
When you click on a tool, its options are displayed in the Options Panel (see below). To see different panels go to – Window - Utility Windows.
Options – change with each tool.
Brushes – used with paintbrush, eraser, clone and smudge. (Spacing affects paintbrush, eraser and clone.)
Textures – used with pencil, paintbrush and paint bucket.
Toolbox Panel
Some of the tools have the same shortcut key so pay attention when selecting a tool while using the program. (Click on the tool names and icons in the image below to jump to their explanations.)
1. Rectangular Select (M)
Selects a rectangular part of a layer for copying, drawing, floating or cropping.
(NOTE: same shortcut as Elliptical Select)
Options:
• Corner Radius – will round the corners
• Aspect Ratio – forces an aspect ratio on your selection
• Mode – determines whether your selection will be a New Selection or whether your selection will:
– Add to
– Subtract from
– Intersect – or – Inverse Intersect other selections.
2. Elliptical Select (M)
Selects an elliptical part of a layer for copying, drawing, floating or cropping.
(NOTE: same shortcut as Rectangular Select)
Options:
• Aspect Ratio – forces an aspect ratio on your selection
• Mode – determines whether your selection will be a New Selection or whether your selection will:
– Add to
– Subtract from
– Intersect – or – Inverse Intersect other selections.
3. Lasso (L)
Lets you trace around a selection.
Click-Hold at a start point and trace your selection until you want the end point to connect to the start point.
(NOTE: same shortcut as Polygon Lasso)
4. Polygon Lasso (L)
Lets you create a selection by playing connect-the-clicks with your mouse. Click a starting point and keep clicking until you want to click your starting point again. Your clicks define the selection outline.
(NOTE: same shortcut as Lasso)
5. Color Selection (W)
Lets you select a single color or a group of similar colors.
6. Pencil (B)
Lets you draw blocks from 1-21 pixels in size. Use for editing pixels or drawing straight lines. (There is NO anti-aliasing, so the lines will be jagged unless your line is drawn straight and not curved.)
(NOTE: same shortcut as Paintbrush)
When used with:
• Option – turns the Pencil into an eraser
• Shift – will connect a line between two Clicks
• Shift-Control – will draw smooth, straight lines – or – 45º lines.
Options:
• Pencil size
7. Paintbrush (B)
Lets you draw various brush strokes.
(NOTE: same shortcut as Pencil)
When used with:
• Option – turns the Paintbrush into an eraser
• Shift – will connect a line between two clicks
• Shift–Control – will draw smooth and straight vertical lines, horizontal lines – or – 45º lines
Options:
• Fade-out – brush stroke will fade depending on setting
• Pressure sensitive – for graphics tablet/stylus pen use (instead of a mouse)
• Brush scaling – stroke size and opacity diminish depending on setting
NOTE: Look funky? Try un-checking Faster drawing (mouse coalescing) in Preferences.
8. Paint Bucket (G)
Lets you dump a color into an area.
(NOTE: same shortcut as Gradient)
When used with:
• Option – floods entire space
• Shift – previews the flood
Options:
• Tolerance – determines which pixels (i.e. area) will be flooded
9. Text (T)
Lets you add text. Add text on a separate layer and you’ll be happier.
10. Eraser (E)
Lets you erase pixels using the different Brushes.
When used with:
• Shift – will connect a line between two clicks
• Shift-Control – will draw smooth and straight vertical lines, horizontal lines – or – 45º lines every time you click
Options:
• Opacity
• Mimic paintbrush fading
11. Color Sampling (I)
Lets you set the foreground color by clicking a color on a layer.
When used with:
• Option – sets background color
Options:
• Sample size
• Use sample from all layers – Check this if you want the color sampled from all layers combined.
12. Gradient (G)
Lets you create a gradual shift in color (foreground to background) by clicking and dragging.
(NOTE: same shortcut as Paint Bucket)
When used with:
• Control – will draw straight vertical lines, horizontal lines – or – 45º lines
Options:
• Gradient style
• Repeating pattern
13. Smudge (O)
Lets you smudge part of a layer by clicking and dragging.
Options:
• Rate – the higher the rate the bigger the smudge
14. Clone (S)
Lets you duplicate an area using the different brushes that you have Shift-Clicked as the source (any layer can contain your source; use different Brushes for size).
Options:
• Source
• Use sample from all layers – Check this if you want your source sampled from all layers combined.
15. Zoom (Z)
Click to zoom in closer.
When used with:
• Option – to zoom away
Options:
• Zoom: percentage level of zoom
16. Position (V)
Lets you re-position a selection, a layer or linked layers (use the chain icon next to the eye icon for linking).
When used with:
• Shift – to scale a layer or floating section to make it larger or smaller
• Control – to rotate a floating section (See Seashore 1.9: Float, Scale and Rotate Cheat Sheet 20091007)
Options:
• Do not anchor floating section – keeps a floating section floating.
17. Foreground and Background Colors
Click on either of them and the color picker window will open. Opacity is set in that window.