Use tools

There are many tools and build-in shapes that can help you with your work in this app. Now, we will show you how to use them.

Choose and configure a tool

Firstly, you need to choose a tool to use it. There are two ways to choose a tool:

Click on the tools bar in the top bar to choose a tool.
This is the most commonly used way to choose a tool.

Tools bar

Click the Tool menu in the top menu bar to choose a tool.
Most of tools in this menu have shortcuts. So. If you want to choose a tool quickly, you can use its shortcuts.

After choosing a tool, you can configure its attributes before using it. For example, you can configure the width and color of the line tool. The attributes of a tool are different for each tool. To get more details, you can refer to Attributes panel and Modify attributes.

Tips

You can use it tool without configuring its attributes. Most of the attributes can be modified at later for the objects that you create with a tool. So don't worry about using a wrong tool attribute.

Eyedropper tool

This tool helps you to pick up the color of a pixel on the image canvas.
After choosing this tool, you can move your mouse over the image canvas. And the color of the pixel at the cursor's current position will be shown. You can just click to select the current color to pop up a panel as the screenshot below.

Replace color with the clear color

In this panel, you can choose how to use the selected color, such as:

Set it as the stroke/line/border color.
Set it as the fill/background color.
Set it as the text color.
Add it to the favorites so that you can use it in all color pick panels.
Replace all of the picked color throughout the image with another color you specific.
Tips
You can pick the background color with this tool and then replace it with the clear color to remove the image background.

Gradient tool

This tool helps you can add a rectangle gradient onto the image canvas.
To choose a gradient, please click its fill gradient attribute and then choose a gradient.

You can click on the canvas to add a default gradient and then adjust its position and size.
You can also click down on the canvas and then drag to add a gradient with the specified size you want.

Tips

This tool can only add a rectangle gradient. You can choose a shape tool to add a shape with it and then set its fill as a gradient instead of using the gradient tool. Then you can add a gradient in all kinds of shapes.

Airbrush tool

This tool helps you to draw and sketch with a airbrush on the image canvas.
To choose a color for the airbrush, you can click its line color attribute and then choose a color.
You can set its size by adjusting its spray radius attribute.

To use this tool, please just click down on the canvas and then drag to draw something. The longer you stay at some position, the more points will be added at there. You can just release your click to finish the drawing.

Fill tool

This tool helps you to fill some area on the image canvas with a color you want.
To choose a fill color, you can click its fill color attribute and then choose a color.

You can just click on the canvas to fill the clicked point and all the connected points with the same color.
But the most commonly used way to use this tool is to click down at some point on the canvas and then drag to fill a region which has the similar color with the clicked point. The more you drag, the more points will be added.

Line tool

This tool helps you to draw a line on the image canvas.

A line has many attributes, including its line color, line width, dash style and so on. You can even draw a line with some gradient.
You can set a line's arrow style to make it an arrow.
You can add an outline to a line.
To get more details, you can refer to Line attributes and Outline attributes.

To use this tool, you can just click down on the canvas and then drag to add a line.
You can also click at some point on the canvas and then move to another point and click again to add a line.
Every line has two control knobs on the canvas. You can drag them to adjust the line's length and angle.

Tips

You can keep pressing the shift key on your keyboard while creating or adjusting a line to make it parallel horizontally or vertically.

Polyline/Broken line tool

This tool helps you to draw a broken line on the image canvas.

A broken line has many attributes, including its line color, line width, dash style and so on. You can even draw a line with some gradient.
You can set its arrow style to make it an arrow.
You can add an outline to a broken line.
To get more details, you can refer to Line attributes and Outline attributes.

To use this tool, you can click at some point on the canvas and then move to another point and click again to add a segment. You can continue to do this to add new segments. To finish the broken line, just double-click down on the canvas or right-click on the canvas.

Tips

You can keep pressing the option key on your keyboard while adding a new segment to add a curved segment.

Every broken line has many control knobs on the canvas. You can drag them to adjust the broken line's.

Tips

You can keep pressing the shift key on your keyboard while creating or adjusting a broken line to make a segment parallel horizontally or vertically.

Curve tool

This tool helps you to draw a curve on the image canvas.
It is similar to the line tool. You can use it as the line tool. The difference is that the curve tool will add a curve instead a straight line.

Rectangle tool

This tool helps you to draw a rectangle on the image canvas.
A rectangle has many attributes. In addition to all the properties of a line, a rectangle has some more attributes: fill attributes.
To get more details about the fill attributes, you can refer to Fill attributes.

You can click on the canvas to add a default rectangle and then adjust its position and size.
You can also click down on the canvas and then drag to add a rectangle with the specified size you want.

A rectangle has 4 control knobs on the canvas. You can drag them to adjust the rectangle.

Tips

You can keep pressing the shift key on your keyboard while creating or adjusting a rectangle to make it a square.

Round rectangle tool

This tool helps you to draw a round rectangle on the image canvas.
A round rectangle is a rectangle with four rounded corners. So this tool is similar to the rectangle tool. In addition to all the attributes of a rectangle, a round rectangle has one more attribute: corner radius. You can refer to Corner attribute to know more about it.

You can use the round rectangle tool just as the rectangle tool.

Compared with a rectangle, a round rectangle has one more control knob: the corner radius control knob. You can drag it to adjust the corner radius.

Tips

You can keep pressing the shift key on your keyboard while dragging the corner radius control knob to make it standard round corner.

Ellipse tool

This tool helps you to draw an ellipse on the image canvas.
An ellipse has the same attributes and control knobs as a rectangle.

You can use the ellipse tool just as the rectangle tool.

Tips

You can keep pressing the shift key on your keyboard while creating or adjusting an ellipse to make it a circle.

Shape tool

There are many build-in shapes in this app, such as the following:

Hollow arrow
Solid arrow
Free polygon
Triangle
Isosceles triangle
Rhomb
Pentagon
Hexngon
Star
Heart
Message box
Ellipse message box
Persion
Water drip
Location
Bookmark
Cloud
Lightning
Email
iMac
Butterfly
Eye
Home
Camera
Refresh
Folder
Picture
Clock
Signal

You can choose one of them in 3 ways.

Choose a shape from the Tool > Shape menu.
Click the shape tool icon in the tools bar and keep pressing it to pop up the shape menu. You can release your pressing until choosing a shape.
This is the fastest way to choose a shape.
Click the shape tool icon in the tools bar to select it. Then you can click the shape button in left of the attributes panel to choose a shape.

To most of the shapes, you can use them just as the rectangle tool. They also have the same attributes and control knobs as a rectangle.

Vector pen tool

This is a very powerful tool. You can use it to draw line, curve, broken line, path and all kinds of shapes.
In fact, you can use it instead of the line tool, the curve tool and the broken line tool.

When use this tool, you can click down on the canvas and then drag to add a curved segment.
You can also click on the canvas and then move to another point and click again to add a straight segment.

If you want to use it as the line tool, you can just click on the canvas and move to another point and then double-click or right-click to end. At this time, a new line will be added.

If you want to use it as the curve tool, you can just click down on the canvas and drag to another point. Then you can move to another point and click down again and drag to some point. Then you can press the esc key on your keyboard to end. At this time, a new curve will be added.

If you want to use it as the broken line tool, you can just click on the canvas and move to another point and then click and move to another point. You can double-click or right-click to end when you want. At this time, a new broken line will be added.

To convert a path to a shape, you can select it and then right-click it to show the context menu. Then you can choose Close Path to make it a shape.

You can click an existing point control knob on the canvas to select it. Then you can click the delete key on your keyboard to delete it.

You can also double click some position on the path to add a new point onto it.

Pen tool

You can use the pen tool to draw a freedom line just as sketching on a paper with a pencil.
You can also use it to pixel paint. In addition to the line attributes, the pen tool has one more attribute: the shape of the pen. There are two shapes: square and round. You shoud use the square shape when pixel painting.

To use this tool, you can just click on the canvas and then drag to draw and release your clicking to stop drawing.

Tips

If you want to sketch continuously, not stop when releasing your clicking, you can press the shift key on your keyboard while drawing. Then you can move to another point and click again to draw.

Info

Your draw will be smoothed when using this tool. If you don't want this, you can presss the option key on your keyboard while drawing.

Eraser tool

This tool helps you to erase some part of the image.
You can use it just as the pen tool.

Text tool

The text tool helps you to add some texts on the canvas.
In addition to all the attributes of a shape, such as border attributes, fill attributes and so on, the texts has some more attributes: text attributes.

To use this tool, you can click on the canvas to add a auto-resizing text box and then type the text you want to add. The size of the text box will be automatically adjusted to fit the text content.

You can also click down on the canvas and then drag to add a text box with the specified size you want. Its size is fixed. You need to adjust its size manually.

Tips

You can change the auto-resizing attribute of a text box in the attributes panel at any time as you need.

To edit the texts of an existing text box, you can select it using the select and move tool and then double-click on it or press the enter key on your keyboard to start editing texts.

Tips

When editing texts, you can choose the Edit > Emoji & Symbols menu to open the emoji and symbol panel. Then you can double-click an emoji or symbol to insert it into the text box.

To end editing texts, you can press the esc key on your keyboard or right-click on the canvas to show the context menu and then choose the End Typing menu.

You can also add curved texts. Please refer to Curved texts to know more about this.

Crop tool

This tool helps you to crop the the canvas image.
After choosing this tool, a default rectangle area will be added to the canvas. You can drag its control knobs to adjust the crop area.
To apply the crop, you can just double-click on the crop rectangle or click the enter key on your keyboard. You can also right-click on the canvas to show the context menu and then choose the Crop menu command.

Selection tool

This tool helps you to select some part of the image on the canvas. There are 4 selection tools:

Rectangle selection tool
You can use it just as the rectangle tool to select a rectangle area. This is the default and most commonly used selection tool.
Elliptical selection tool You can use it just as the ellipse tool to select an elliptical area.
Lasso selection tool You can use it to select a free area as you want. Just click some point on the canvas and drag to select. Release your clicking to finish selecting.
Polygonal selection tool You can use it to select a free polygon area as you want.

You can choose one of them in 3 ways.

Choose a selection tool from the Tool > Selection menu.
Click the selection tool icon in the tools bar and keep pressing it to pop up the selection menu. You can release your pressing until choosing a selection tool.
This is the fastest way to choose a selection tool.
Click the selection tool icon in the tools bar to select it. Then you can click the selection button in the attributes panel to choose a selection tool.

Tips

To select the whole image, you can choose the Edit > Select All menu in the top menu bar.

After selecting some area, you can edit the select area, including delete, cut, copy, rotate, flip, adjust opacity, invert colors, adjust colors, apply a filter and so on. You can refer to Edit image to know more about this.

Tips

After selecting some area on the canvas, you can press the shift key on your keyboard and then drag the selected area to move the selected image instead of the selection.

Magic selection tool

This tool also helps you to select some area on the canvas.
To use it, please click down at some point on the canvas and then drag to select an area which has the similar color with the clicked point. The more you drag, the more connected points will be selected.

Tips

You can use this tool to select the image background and remove it. To do this, please just click down at some point on the image background and then drag to select all the area you want. Then you can press the delete key on your keyboard to delete it.

Select and move tool

This tool helps you to select some objects on the canvas. It is the most commonly used tool. It is different the rectangle selection tool which is used to select some area on the canvas. You can just use it as the rectangle selection tool and all objects inside the selected area will be selected.

Tips

To select more than one layer/object, you can also hold down the command or shift key on your keyboard and then click on the layers/objects you want to select.

Tips

To select all objects on the canvas, you can choose the Edit > Select All Objects menu in the top menu bar.

After select some objects, you can manage and edit them, including delete, cut, copy, rotate, resize, flip, align, distribute, group, ungroup, apply a filter and so on. You can refer to Manage and edit layers/objects to know more about this.