236 lines
9.5 KiB
XML
236 lines
9.5 KiB
XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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<!DOCTYPE pika-tips SYSTEM "pika-tips.dtd">
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<!-- This is a list of tips for PIKA. -->
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<!-- -->
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<!-- The tips parser supports a very basic markup language. You may use -->
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<!-- the tag b to specify bold text, big to increase the font size and -->
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<!-- tt to switch to a monospace font. -->
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<pika-tips>
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<!-- -->
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<!-- Tips for beginners start here -->
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<!-- (for people who are not familiar yet with layers and image formats) -->
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<!-- -->
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<tip level="beginner">
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<thetip>
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You can get context-sensitive help for most of PIKA's features by
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pressing the F1 key at any time. This also works inside the menus.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="beginner" help="pika-layer-dialog">
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<thetip>
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PIKA uses layers to let you organize your image. Think of them
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as a stack of slides or filters, such that looking through them you
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see a composite of their contents.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="beginner" help="pika-layer-menu">
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<thetip>
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You can perform many layer operations by right-clicking on the text
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label of a layer in the Layers dialog.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="beginner" help="pika-file-save">
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<thetip>
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Saving an image uses XCF, PIKA's native file format (file extension
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<tt>.xcf</tt>). This preserves the layers and many aspects of your
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work-in-progress, allowing to work on it again later.
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Once a project is completed, you can export it as JPEG, PNG, GIF, etc.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="beginner" help="pika-image-flatten">
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<thetip>
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Most plug-ins work on the current layer of the current image. In
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some cases, you will have to merge all layers (Image→Flatten Image)
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if you want the plug-in to work on the whole image.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="beginner" help="pika-layer-alpha-add">
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<thetip>
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If a layer's name in the Layers dialog is displayed in <b>bold</b>,
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this layer doesn't have an alpha-channel. You can add an alpha-channel
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using Layer→Transparency→Add Alpha Channel.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="beginner">
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<thetip>
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Not all effects can be applied to all kinds of images. This is
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indicated by a grayed-out menu-entry. You may need to change
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the image mode to RGB (Image→Mode→RGB), add an alpha-channel
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(Layer→Transparency→Add Alpha Channel) or flatten it
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(Image→Flatten Image).
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="beginner">
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<thetip>
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You can adjust or move a selection by using <tt>Alt</tt>-drag.
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If this makes the window move, your window manager uses the
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<tt>Alt</tt> key already. Most window managers can be
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configured to ignore the <tt>Alt</tt> key or to use
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the <tt>Super</tt> key (or "Windows logo") instead.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<!-- -->
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<!-- Tips for intermediate users start here -->
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<!-- -->
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<tip level="intermediate">
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<thetip>
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You can drag and drop many things in PIKA. For example, dragging
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a color from the toolbox or from a color palette and dropping it into
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an image will fill the current selection with that color.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="intermediate">
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<thetip>
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You can use the middle mouse button to pan around the image
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(or optionally hold <tt>Spacebar</tt> while you move the mouse).
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="intermediate" help="pika-concepts-image-grid">
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<thetip>
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Click and drag on a ruler to place a guide on an image. All
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dragged selections will snap to the guides. You can remove
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guides by dragging them off the image with the Move tool.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="intermediate" help="pika-file-new">
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<thetip>
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You can drag a layer from the Layers dialog and drop it onto the
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toolbox. This will create a new image containing only that layer.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="intermediate">
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<thetip>
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A floating selection must be anchored to a new layer or to the last
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active layer before doing other operations on the image. Click on the
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"New Layer" or the "Anchor Layer" button in the
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Layers dialog, or use the menus to do the same.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="intermediate">
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<thetip>
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PIKA supports gzip compression on the fly. Just add <tt>.gz</tt>
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(or <tt>.bz2</tt>, if you have bzip2 installed) to the filename and
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your image will be saved compressed. Of course loading compressed
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images works too.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="intermediate">
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<thetip>
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Pressing and holding the <tt>Shift</tt> key before making a selection
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allows you to add to the current selection instead of replacing it.
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Using <tt>Ctrl</tt> before making a selection subtracts from the
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current one.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="intermediate" help="pika-selection-stroke">
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<thetip>
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You can draw simple squares or circles using Edit→Stroke Selection.
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It strokes the edge of your current selection. More complex shapes
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can be drawn using the Path tool or with Filters→Render→Gfig.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="intermediate" help="pika-path-stroke">
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<thetip>
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If you stroke a path (Edit→Stroke Path), the paint tools can
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be used with their current settings. You can use the Paintbrush in
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gradient mode or even the Eraser or the Smudge tool.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="intermediate" help="pika-using-paths">
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<thetip>
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You can create and edit complex selections using the Path tool.
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The Paths dialog allows you to work on multiple paths and to convert
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them to selections.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="intermediate" help="pika-using-quickmask">
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<thetip>
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You can use the paint tools to change the selection. Click on the
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"Quick Mask" button at the bottom left of an image window.
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Change your selection by painting in the image and click on the button
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again to convert it back to a normal selection.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="intermediate" help="pika-channel-dialog">
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<thetip>
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You can save a selection to a channel (Select→Save to Channel) and
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then modify this channel with any paint tools. Using the buttons in
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the Channels dialog, you can toggle the visibility of this new channel
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or convert it to a selection.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<!-- -->
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<!-- Tips for advanced users start here -->
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<!-- (this is mostly for learning shortcut keys) -->
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<!-- -->
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<tip level="advanced">
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<thetip>
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After you enabled "Dynamic Keyboard Shortcuts" in the
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Preferences dialog, you can reassign shortcut keys. Do so by bringing
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up the menu, selecting a menu item, and pressing the desired key
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combination. If "Save Keyboard Shortcuts" is enabled, the
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key bindings are saved when you exit PIKA.
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You should probably disable "Dynamic Keyboard Shortcuts"
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afterwards, to prevent accidentally assigning/reassigning shortcuts.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="advanced">
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<thetip>
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If your screen is too cluttered, you can press <tt>Tab</tt>
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in an image window to toggle the visibility of the toolbox
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and other dialogs.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="advanced">
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<thetip>
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<tt>Shift</tt>-click on the eye icon in the Layers dialog to hide all
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layers but that one. <tt>Shift</tt>-click again to show all layers.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="advanced">
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<thetip>
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<tt>Ctrl</tt>-clicking on the layer mask's preview in the Layers dialog
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toggles the effect of the layer mask. <tt>Alt</tt>-clicking on the layer
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mask's preview in the Layers dialog toggles viewing the mask directly.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="advanced">
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<thetip>
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You can use <tt>Ctrl</tt>-<tt>Tab</tt> to cycle through all layers in
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an image (if your window manager doesn't trap those keys...).
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="advanced" help="pika-tool-bucket-fill">
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<thetip>
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<tt>Ctrl</tt>-click with the Bucket Fill tool to have it use
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the background color instead of the foreground color.
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Similarly, <tt>Ctrl</tt>-clicking with the eyedropper tool
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sets the background color instead of the foreground color.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="advanced" help="pika-tools-transform">
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<thetip>
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<tt>Ctrl</tt>-drag with the Rotate tool will constrain the
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rotation to 15 degree angles.
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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<tip level="advanced">
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<thetip>
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If some of your scanned photos do not look colorful enough, you
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can easily improve their tonal range with the "Auto"
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button in the Levels tool (Colors→Levels). If there are any
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color casts, you can correct them with the Curves tool
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(Colors→Curves).
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</thetip>
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</tip>
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</pika-tips>
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