Pamela Roberts
Copyright © 2001, 2002 Pamela Roberts
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
This document describes KPaint version 0.6.2 using KDE 3.0.0
Table of Contents
Introduction
KPaint is a simple bitmap drawing program that can also be used to modify existing image files and convert between image file formats.
Using KPaint
When you start KPaint you will be presented with a blank canvas. If you are starting work on a new image make sure that the canvas is the right size first, this can be adjusted with the Image->Resize... dialog box.
Or you can load an existing image file by selecting File->Open... .
Drawing lines or shapes is done by selecting the type of line or shape that you want from the Toolbar icons or the Tools menu and using the left mouse button or right mouse button to do the drawing. The colors used by the left and right mouse buttons can be changed by left clicking on the small pads shown in the right hand Toolbar menu (the one showing a small version of the image).
The thickness and style of lines can be adjusted with the Tools->Tool Properties... dialog box.
You can select part of the image by choosing the Area Select tool and defining the area by dragging the mouse with the left mouse button held down. Once you have done this, you can Copy or Cut the area and Paste it anywhere else or erase it by just choosing Cut You can also create a new image containing only the copied area from the original by choosing Edit ->Paste Image.
If you have modified an existing image and want to save it with the same file name, use File->Save .
To save a new image, or to save an existing one with a different file name and possibly a different image format, choose File ->Save As... which will bring up KDE's common Save As dialog. Enter the new file name into the Location: text box and press the Save button. The filename you enter must include a suitable extension to define the saved file format.
The Menubar
- File->New (Ctrl+N)
Start a new image. If an image is currently being displayed, a new instance of KPaint will be opened for the new image.
- File->Open... (Ctrl+O)
Open an image file. If a image is currently being displayed, another instance of KPaint will be opened to show the new one.
- File->Save (Ctrl+S)
Save a modified image without changing its name or image format. If the image has not been previously saved, KPaint will open the Save As dialog for you to enter a suitable file name and extension.
- File->Save As...
Save an image with a new file name. You must give the file name a suitable extension to define the image format in which you want it to be saved.
- File->Revert
Cancel any changes you may have made since you last saved the image.
- File->Close (Ctrl+W)
Close the current image without quitting KPaint.
- File->Quit (Ctrl+Q)
Quit KPaint.
The Edit Menu
- Edit->Cut (Ctrl+X)
Delete the area you have selected with the Area Select option.
- Edit->Copy (Ctrl+C)
Copy the area you have selected with the Area Select option.
- Edit->Paste (Ctrl+V)
Paste the area you have just cut or copied into the image.
- Edit->Paste Image
Create a new image in a new KPaint window containing the area you have just cut or copied.
The View Menu
- View->Actual Size
View the image at its true size.
- View->Zoom In (Ctrl++)
Zoom in.
- View->Zoom Out (Ctrl+-)
Zoom out.
- View->Zoom
Zoom in or out according to the magnification value selected from a drop-down list.
The Tools Menu
- Tools->Tool Properties...
Open a dialog box that lets you select line width and style.
- Tools->Ellipse
Draw an ellipse.
- Tools->Circle
Draw a circle.
- Tools->Pen
Use the cursor like a pen for freehand drawing.
- Tools->Line
Draw a straight line.
- Tools->Rectangle
Draw a rectangle.
- Tools->Round Angle
Draw a rectangle with rounded corners.
- Tools->Spray Can
Use the spray can.
- Tools->Text
Insert text where you click the left mouse button.
- Tools->Area Select
Select an area for a Cut or Copy operation.
The Image Menu
- Image->Information...
Gives you some information about the image.
- Image->Resize...
Lets you change the size of the image.
- Image->Edit Palette...
Lets you change the color palette, but only for certain image formats.
- Image->Change Color Depth...
Lets you change the color depth (number of bits per pixel), but only for certain image formats.
The Settings Menu
- Settings->Show Toolbar
Toggle the Main Toolbar display on and off.
- Settings->Show Statusbar
Toggle the Statusbar display on and off.
- Settings->Save Settings
Save the Toolbar and Statusbar settings.
- Settings->Configure Toolbars...
Configure the Main and Tools toolbars.
The Help Menu
- Help->KPaint Handbook
View this manual.
- Help->What's This? (Shift-F1)
This feature is not implemented in the current version of KPaint.
- Help->Report bug...
Use this to report any bugs you may find with KPaint.
- Help->About KPaint
Use this to see the version number of KPaint as well as brief information about the program authors, copyright and license agreement.
- Help->About KDE
To view brief information about the K Desktop Environment.
Credits and License
KPaint
Program copyright 1996-2001:
Richard J. Moore <rich@kde.org> (maintainer)
Robert Williams <rwilliams@jrcmaui.com>
Mario Weilguni <mweilguni@kde.org>
Christian Oppel <uzs84g@uni-bonn.de>
John Califf <jcaliff@compuzone.net>
Laurent Montel <lmontel@mandrakesoft.com>
Documentation copyright 2001-2002 Pamela Roberts <pamroberts@blueyonder.co.uk>
This documentation is licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
This program is licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License.
Installation
KPaint is part of the K Desktop Environment (KDE) project, details of which can be found at http://www.kde.org.
To see if a later version of KPaint has been released, you can take a look in http://apps.kde.com.
Most distributions will include KPaint, but if you want to roll your own the source code can be found in the Kdegraphics package on ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/, the main ftp site of the KDE project.
To compile and install KPaint on your system, as root type the following in the directory where you saved the KPaint source code:
% ./configure % make % make install
Since KPaint uses autoconf and automake you should not have any trouble compiling it. But if you do run into problems please report them to the KDE mailing lists.