Command Reference
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Chapter 9. Command Reference

This chapter explains chalk's user interface in detail. Each of the menus, toolbars, palettes, and dialogs will be discussed.

Menus

Some of chalk's menus are standard in TDE or KOffice, while others are particular to chalk. The File menu contains commands for manipluating files. In the Edit menu, you can find commands that do things with the current selection. With the commands from the View menu, you can change the way you look at the image. The Image menu contains commands that change the entire image, like converting all layers to another color model or resizing or scaling the image. The Layer menu is like the Image menu, but the commands only work on the current layer. The Select menu contains commands to create and manipulate selections. The Filter menu contains all the filters you have installed. These work on the current layer. The Scripts menu contains entries for working with scripts. The Settings menu is again common to KOffice and allows you to manipulate the toolbars, shortcuts and configuration of chalk. Finally, the Help menu gives you access to various (hopefully helpful) information, such as this handbook.

The File Menu

File->New (Ctrl+N)

Creates a new document. This displays the New document dialog, standard across KOffice, in which you can choose to start with a blank document of a certain type, or to open a recently opened document.

File->Open... (Ctrl+O)

Opens an existing document. Because this uses the usual TDE Open Document dialog to let you select a file, you can open files via various protocols (ftp, fish, etcetera).

File->Open Recent

Opens a recently opened document. Clicking this menu item will show a submenu with the ten most recently opened documents in which you can quickly open an image you have been working on lately.

File->Save (Ctrl+S)

Saves the document. If you haven't saved the document before, you will get the Save Document As dialog, otherwise the document will be saved under its current name.

File->Save As...

Saves the document under a different name. The default TDE dialog is used, so saving remotely via ftp or ssh (fish) is perfectly possible.

File->Reload

Reloads the current document from disk. All changes since you last saved the document will be lost.

File->Import...

Opens an existing document. Unlike File->Open, this does not load the actual document, but only its contents: you receive a copy of the chosen file as a new document.

File->Export...

Saves the document under a different name. (For the moment, this is the same as File->Save As....)

File->Mail...

Sends the document via email. The default TDE mail compose window will be used.

File->Print... (Ctrl+P)

Prints the document. You will see the usual TDE print dialog appear.

File->Print Preview...

Shows a preview of what the printed document will look like.

File->Document Information

Opens the Document Information dialog. This dialog can be used to add various information to the image, like title, subject, keywords, author information, and any other information you want to save with the image.

File->Close (Ctrl+W)

Closes the document.

File->Quit (Ctrl+Q)

Quits chalk.

The Edit Menu

Edit->Undo (Ctrl+Z)

Undoes the last action carried out. Actions (like painting a stroke, filling an area, etcetera) are stored on a “stack”. The last action you did will be undone, and the image is restored to the state before that. Immediately choosing Undo again will undo the action that was carried out before the one just undone, etcetera.

Edit->Redo (Ctrl+Shift+Z)

Redoes the last action undone. As described at Undo, a series of actions can be undone. With Redo, an action undone is carried out again, and if more actions have been undone before that, you can redo these in turn.

Edit->Cut (Ctrl+X)

Cuts the selection to the clipboard. The current selection is put on the TDE clipboard, and the selection is cleared.

Edit->Copy (Ctrl+C)

Copies the selection to the clipboard.

Edit->Paste (Ctrl+V)

Pastes the contents of the clipboard.

Edit->Paste into New Image

Pastes the contents of the clipboard as a new image.

Edit->Clear

Clears the selection.

Edit->Fill with Foreground Color (Alt+Backspace)

Fills the selection with the current foreground color. The current foreground color is shown in the top left color square of the Colors palette.

Edit->Fill with Background Color (Backspace)

Fills the selection with the current background color. The current background color is shown in the bottom right color square in the top left corner of the Colors palette.

Edit->Fill with Pattern

Fills the selection with the current pattern. The current pattern is shown on the Brush Shapes toolbar, usually at the top right of the chalk window.

Edit->Resources

Contains options for working with color palettes.

Edit->Resources->Add New Palette...

Opens the Add Palette dialog. You can create a custom color palette here.

Edit->Resources->Edit Palette...

Opens the Edit Palette dialog. Choose a color palette to edit from this list. You will then be given the same dialog as with Add Palette, with the difference that you edit the chosen color palette instead of adding a new one.

The View Menu

View->Full Screen Mode (Ctrl+Shift+F)

Switches between normal view and full screen view. In full screen view, the title bar is hidden and the actual application window is resized to the entire screen.

View->New View

Opens a new view for the current document. A new application window is opened so that you can have two different views of the same document, for example to work on different areas at the same time, or to look at an area at different zoom levels simultaneously. Changes you make to the document in one view are immediately visible in other views.

View->Close All Views (Ctrl+Shift+W)

Closes all views.

View->Split View

Splits the current view. The drawing area will be split into two parts, which can be used just like two views in different windows.

View->Remove View

Unsplits the view. The second view (the bottom or right one) will be closed and the first one will remain visible.

View->Splitter Orientation

Changes the way the split view is displayed.

View->Splitter Orientation->Vertical

Changes the orientation of the splitter to vertical. The two split views will be positioned side by side.

View->Splitter Orientation->Horizontal

Changes the orientation of the splitter to horizontal. The two split views will be positioned above each other.

View->Zoom In (Ctrl++)

Zooms in on the view. The view will be more detailed, but a smaller area will be visible at the same time.

View->Zoom Out (Ctrl+-)

Zooms out of the view. A larger area will be visible at the same time, but it will be less detailed.

View->Actual Pixels (Ctrl+0)

Zooms the view to actual pixel level. (1:1 scale)

View->Actual Size

Zooms the view to the actual image size.

View->Fit to Page

Zooms the view so that the image fills the available workspace.

View->Show Rulers (Ctrl+R)

Toggles display of the rulers on and off.

View->Show Grid

Toggles display of the grid lines on and off.

View->Grid Spacing

Contains various options to set the distance between grid lines. The available spacing options are 1x1, 2x2, 5x5, 10x10, 20x20, and 40x40.

View->Show Perspective Grid

Toggles display of the perspective grid on and off.

View->Clear Perspective Grid

Clears the perspective grid. (All grid lines that were created, are deleted.)

View->Palettes

Allows you to toggle the display of the various palettes on and off. The default view of chalk shows all palettes, and the items are listed as Hide palette therefore. When a certain palette is hidden, the corresponding menu item changes to Show palette.

View->Palettes->Hide All Palette Windows (Ctrl+Shift+H)

Hides all palettes.

View->Palettes->Hide Overview

Hides the Overview palette.

View->Palettes->Hide HSV

Hides the HSV palette.

View->Palettes->Hide RGB

Hides the RGB palette.

View->Palettes->Hide Gray

Hides the Gray palette.

View->Palettes->Hide Palettes

Hides the Palettes palette.

View->Palettes->Hide Layers

Hides the Layers palette.

View->Palettes->Hide Scripts Manager

Hides the Scripts Manager.

View->Palettes->Hide Histogram

Hides the Histogram palette.

View->Palettes->Hide Watercolors

Hides the Watercolors palette.

View->Palettes->Hide Brush, Ellipse, Filter tool, Line, Polygon etc.

Hides the palette of the selected Tool.

View->Wetness Visualisation

Toggles indication of the wetness of watercolor paint on and off.

The Image Menu

Image->Image Properties

Opens the Image Properties dialog, in which you can change the image name, size, profile and description.

Image->Resize Image to Size of Current Layer

Resizes the image to the size of the currently active layer.

Image->Substrate...

Opens the Substrate dialog.

Image->Rotate

Rotates the image.

Image->Rotate->Rotate Image...

Opens the Rotate Image dialog.

Image->Rotate->Rotate Image CW

Rotates the image 90 degrees clockwise.

Image->Rotate->Rotate Image CCW

Rotates the image 90 degrees counterclockwise (270 degrees clockwise).

Image->Rotate->Rotate 180

Rotates the image 180 degrees.

Image->Convert Image Type...

Opens the Convert All Layers dialog. This allows you to convert the image to a different color space. Apart from the color space, the profile and rendering intent can be specified as well.

Image->Separate Image...

Opens the Separate Image dialog. You can separate the image into layers for each individual colorspace component there.

Image->Change Image Size...

Opens the Image Size dialog . You can resize or scale the image using various algorithms here.

Image->Shear Image...

Opens the Shear Image dialog. You can shear the image in X or Y directions, or both.

The Layer Menu

Layer->New

Creates a new layer.

Layer->New->Add... (Ctrl+Shift+N)

Opens the New Layer dialog. This will create a new empty layer. You can set the name, opacity, composite mode and layer type.

Layer->New->Object Layer

Creates a new layer for a given KOffice object type.

Layer->New->Object Layer->Scalable Graphics

Creates a new layer for an embedded Karbon14 object.

Layer->New->Object Layer->Text Documents

Creates a new layer for an embedded KWord document.

Layer->New->Object Layer->Flowchart & Diagram

Creates a new layer for an embedded Kivio object.

Layer->New->Object Layer->Slide Presentations

Creates a new layer for an embedded KPresenter object.

Layer->New->Object Layer->Image Object

Creates a new layer for an embedded chalk object.

Layer->New->Object Layer->Report Template

Creates a new layer for an embedded Kugar Designer object.

Layer->New->Object Layer->Chart

Creates a new layer for an embedded KChart object.

Layer->New->Object Layer->Formula Editor

Creates a new layer for an embedded KFormula object.

Layer->New->Object Layer->Report Generator

Creates a new layer for an embedded Kugar object.

Layer->New->Object Layer->Project Management

Creates a new layer for an embedded KPlato object.

Layer->New->Object Layer->Spreadsheets

Creates a new layer for an embedded KSpread document.

Layer->New->Adjustment Layer

Opens the New Adjustment Layerdialog.

Layer->New->Insert Image as Layer...

Opens the Import Image dialog. You can browse and select an image file, which will be inserted in a new layer.

Layer->New->Cut Selection to New Layer (Ctrl+Shift+J)

Cuts the current selection and inserts it as a new layer.

Layer->New->Copy Selection to New Layer (Ctrl+J)

Copies the current selection and inserts it as a new layer.

Layer->Remove

Removes the current layer and its contents.

Layer->Duplicate

Duplicates the current layer.

Layer->Hide/Show

Toggles the visibility of the current layer in the image editing window.

Layer->Mask

Contains actions for working with layer masks.

Layer->Mask->Create Mask

Layer->Mask->Mask From Selection

Layer->Mask->Mask To Selection

Layer->Mask->Apply Mask

Layer->Mask->Remove Mask

Layer->Mask->Edit Mask

Layer->Mask->Show Mask

Layer->Raise (Ctrl+])

Moves the current layer one level upward.

Layer->Lower (Ctrl+[)

Moves the current layer one level downward.

Layer->To Top (Ctrl+Shift+])

Moves the current layer to the top.

Layer->To Bottom (Ctrl+Shift+[)

Moves the current layer to the bottom.

Layer->Save Layer as Image...

Opens the Export Layer dialog. The current layer will be saved to the chosen file.

Layer->Flip on X Axis

Flips the current layer horizontally.

Layer->Flip on Y Axis

Flips the current layer vertically.

Layer->Properties

Opens the Layer Properties dialog. You can change the name, colorspace, opacity, composite mode and position of the current layer here.

Layer->Merge with Layer Below (Ctrl+E)

Merges the current layer with the one below it.

Layer->Flatten Image (Ctrl+Shift+E)

Merges all visible layers.

Layer->Rotate

Rotates the current layer.

Layer->Rotate->Rotate Layer...

Opens the Rotate Layer dialog.

Layer->Rotate->Rotate CW

Rotates the current layer 90 degrees clockwise.

Layer->Rotate->Rotate CCW

Rotates the current layer 90 degrees counterclockwise (270 degrees clockwise).

Layer->Rotate->Rotate 180

Rotates the current layer by 180 degrees.

Layer->Histogram...

Opens the Histogram dialog, in which you can see histograms for the current layer.

Layer->Convert Layer Type...

Opens the Convert Current Layer dialog. You can set various options with respect to the colorspace and rendering intent.

Layer->Scale Layer...

Opens the Layer Size dialog. You can choose the new dimensions and the resize filter to use.

Layer->Layer Effects

Contains commands to add effects to the current layer.

Layer->Layer Effects->Add Drop Shadow...

Opens the Drop Shadow dialog. This dialog can be used to add a drop shadow beneath the current layer.

Layer->Shear Layer...

Opens the Shear Layer dialog. You can select the X and Y angles to shear by.

The Select Menu

Select->Select All (Ctrl+A)

Selects the entire current layer.

Select->Deselect (Ctrl+Shift+A)

Unselects everything.

Select->Reselect (Ctrl+Shift+D)

Reselects the previous unselected areas.

Select->Invert (Ctrl+I)

Inverts the selection. (Everything that is selected will be unselected and vice versa.)

Select->Feather... (Alt+Ctrl+D)

Feathers the selection. (Adds a soft border around it.)

Select->Similar

Select->Hide Selection (Ctrl+H)

Hides the selection. The selection is still active, but it is not made visible anymore.

Select->Grow Selection...

Grows the selection.

Select->Shrink Selection...

Shrinks the selection.

Select->Border Selection...

Borders the selection.

Select->Color Range...

Opens the Color Range dialog.

The Filter Menu

See the Filters chapter for more information on filters.

Filter->Apply Filter Again (Ctrl+Shift+J)

Repeats the last filter action.

Filter->Adjust

Contains various options for changing the colors in your image.

Filter->Adjust->Auto Contrast

Automatically changes the image to obtain as much contrast as possible.

Filter->Adjust->Brightness/Contrast...

Opens the Brightness/Contrast dialog. You can set the brightness and contrast ratio of your image here.

Filter->Adjust->Desaturate

Desaturates the image. This will effectively convert the current image to grayscale, but all subsequent painting is done with usual colors.

Filter->Adjust->Invert

Inverts the image or selection. (Black becomes white, blue becomes yellow, etcetera.)

Filter->Adjust->Color Adjustment...

Opens the Color Adjustment dialog. You can adjust the colorspace components of the current image there (for example, in an RGB image, you can change the contribution of red, green, and blue to the total image).

Filter->Artistic

Contains various filters for “artistic” actions.

Filter->Artistic->Oilpaint...

Opens the Oilpaint dialog to add an oilpaint effect to the selection or image.

Filter->Artistic->Pixelize...

Opens the Pixelize dialog to pixelize the image. (A block of pixels is changed so that they all become the same, averaged color.)

Filter->Artistic->Raindrops...

Opens the Raindrops dialog to add a raindrops effect to the selection or image.

Filter->Artistic->Dry the Paint

Dries wet paint.

Filter->Blur

Contains various blur filters.

Filter->Blur->Gaussian Blur

Performs a slight blur on the image or selection.

Filter->Colors

Contains filters that change the image colors.

Filter->Colors->Color to Alpha

Filter->Colors->Color Transfer

Opens the Color Transfer dialog to give the image a new look.

Filter->Colors->Maximize Channel

Adjusts the colors of each pixel by removing color channels that are less abundant.

Filter->Colors->Minimize Channel

Adjusts the colors of each pixel by removing color channels that are abundant.

Filter->Edge Detection

Contains edge detecting filters.

Filter->Edge Detection->Bottom Edge Detection

Performs edge detection with the bottom sides of image parts as references.

Filter->Edge Detection->Left Edge Detection

Performs edge detection with the left sides of image parts as references.

Filter->Edge Detection->Right Edge Detection

Performs edge detection with the right sides of image parts as references.

Filter->Edge Detection->Sobel...

Opens the Sobel dialog.

Filter->Edge Detection->Top Edge Detection

Performs edge detection with the top sides of image parts as references.

Filter->Enhance

Contains image enhancing filters.

Filter->Enhance->CImg Image Restoration...

Opens the Image Restoration dialog.

Filter->Enhance->Custom Convolution...

Opens the Custom Convolution dialog.

Filter->Enhance->Gaussian Noise Reduction...

Filter->Enhance->Mean Removal

Sharpens the image or selection by aggravating color borders.

Filter->Enhance->Sharpen

Sharpens the image or selection.

Filter->Enhance->Unsharp Mask

Applies an unsharp mask to the image or selection.

Filter->Enhance->Wavelet Noise Reducer

Reduces noise in the image or selection.

Filter->Emboss

Contains emboss filters.

Filter->Emboss->Emboss Horizontal & Vertical

Embosses the image or selection on the two main directions.

Filter->Emboss->Emboss with Variable Depth...

Opens the Emboss dialog.

Filter->Emboss->Emboss in All Directions

Embosses the image or selection.

Filter->Emboss->Emboss Horizontal Only

Embosses the image or selection on the horizontal axis only.

Filter->Emboss->Emboss Laplascian

Embosses the image or selection using the Laplace technique.

Filter->Emboss->Emboss Vertical Only

Embosses the image or selection on the vertical axis only.

Filter->Map

Contains map filters.

Filter->Map->Bumpmap...

Opens the Bumpmap dialog.

Filter->Map->Round Corners...

Opens the Round Corners dialog to round off the corners of the image or selection.

Filter->Map->Small Tiles...

Shrinks the image or selection and then tiles it.

Filter->Other

Contains miscellaneous filters.

Filter->Other->Lens Correction...

Opens the Lens Correction dialog to correct for lens anomalies.

Filter->Other->Random Noise...

Opens the Random Noise dialog to add random noise to the image.

Filter->Other->Random Pick...

Opens the Random Pick dialog to distort the image.

Filter->Other->Wave...

Opens the Wave dialog to distort the image

Filter->Filters Gallery

Opens the Filters Gallery dialog. This shows previews of the various filters and allows for easy comparison.

The Scripts Menu

Scripts->Execute Script File

Executes a script file.

Scripts->Script Manager

Opens the Script Manager dialog.

The Settings Menu

Settings->Toolbars

Contains options to display or hide the various toolbars.

Settings->Toolbars->File

Displays or hides the File toolbar.

Settings->Toolbars->Edit

Displays or hides the Edit toolbar.

Settings->Toolbars->Navigation

Displays or hides the Navigation toolbar.

Settings->Toolbars->chalk

Displays or hides the chalk toolbar.

Settings->Toolbars->Brushes and Stuff

Displays or hides the Brushes and Stuff toolbar.

Settings->Configure Shortcuts...

Opens the Configure Shortcuts dialog. This dialog is common to most TDE applications and allows you to configure shortcuts for all actions chalk has to offer.

Settings->Configure Toolbars...

Opens the Configure Toolbars dialog. This dialog is common to most TDE applications and allows you to configure chalk's toolbars.

Settings->Configure chalk...

Opens the Preferences dialog. You can configure chalk here to match your personal preferences.

The Help Menu

Help->chalk Handbook (F1)

Invokes the TDE Help system starting at the chalk help pages. (this document).

Help->What's This? (Shift+F1)

Changes the mouse cursor to a combination arrow and question mark. Clicking on items within chalk will open a help window (if one exists for the particular item) explaining the item's function.

Help->Report Bug...

Opens the Bug report dialog where you can report a bug or request a “wishlist” feature.

Help->About chalk

This will display version and author information.

Help->About TDE

This displays the TDE version and other basic information.

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