# This is a list of tips for the GIMP.  Every time the GIMP is
# started, one tip will be selected from this file and will be
# displayed in the "Tip of the day" dialog.
#
# - Lines starting with '#' are comments.
# - Blank lines or comments separate two tips (they are not ignored).
#   Multiple blank lines are treated as one.  If you want to have a
#   blank line in a tip, put a space or tab in it.
# - Text will appear in the dialog as it is in this file.  This is
#   done on purpose in order to have more freedom in the layout of the
#   tips than with automatic word-wrapping, but this also means that
#   you have to avoid excessively long lines in this file.
# - Tips should be concise: 3 lines or less.
#
# Tips in this file have been contributed by Zachary Beane, Mo Oishi,
# Raphael Quinet, and other people on the gimp mailing lists.
# --------------------------------------------------------------------

# The first tip should be a welcome message, because this is the
# first thing that a new user will see.
#

# FIXME: re-write this welcome message:

                      Welcome to the GIMP !
   Nearly all image operations are performed by right-clicking
   on the image.  And don't worry, you can undo most mistakes...    

# Tips for beginners start here
#

# FIXME: should explain layers first, maybe by re-writing the next tip:

You can perform many layer operations by right-clicking on the text
label of a layer in the Layers dialog box (Dialogs->Layers & Channels).

When trying to save files as GIF, XPM, or any other indexed color
format, you need to convert the image to indexed using the Image menu.

You can get the Tool Options menu to open by double-clicking any
button in the toolbar.

You can change the name of a layer by double-clicking on its name in
the Layers dialog box.

The layer named "Background" is special.  You can't add transparency 
or a layer mask to it.  To add transparency, you must first 
"Add alpha" to the layer by right-clicking in the layers dialog
 and selecting "Add alpha to layer". 

When using a drawing tool (Paintbrush, Airbrush, or Pencil), Shift-click
will draw a straight line from your last drawing point to your current
cursor position.

Most plug-ins work on the current layer of the current image.  In some
cases, you will have to merge all layers (Layers->Flatten Image) if
you want the plug-in to work on the whole image.

# Tips for intermediate users start here
#

The file selection dialog box has command-line completion with Tab,
just like the shell.  Type part of a filename, hit tab, and voila!
It's completed.

You can reassign shortcut keys on any menu by bringing up the menu,
selecting a menu item, and pressing the new shortcut key combination.
This is dynamic and is saved when you exit GIMP.

All the old channel operations have been replaced with the more
powerful and flexible Layer and Layer Mode operations.  They may take
getting used to, but they are simply a better way to operate.


You can use the middle mouse button to pan around the image, if it's
larger than its display window.

Click and drag on a ruler to place a Guide on an image.  All dragged
selections will snap to the guides.  You can remove guides by dragging
them off the image with the Move tool.

# Tips for advanced users start here
#

You can adjust the selection range for fuzzy select by clicking and
dragging left and right.

Shift-click on the eye icon in the Layers dialog to hide all layers
but that one.  Shift-click again to show all layers.

Ctrl-click on the layer mask's preview in the Layers dialog toggles
the effect of the layer mask.

Alt-shift-click on the layer mask's preview in the Layers dialog
toggles viewing the mask directly.

You can use Alt-Tab to cycle through all layers in an image (if your
window manager doesn't trap those keys...)

Shift-click with the Bucket Fill tool to have it use the background
color instead of the foreground color.

Control-drag with the Transform tool in rotation mode will constrain
the rotation to 15 degree angles.

You can adjust and re-place a selection by using Alt-drag.

Selections can be constrained using the Control and Shift keys.

If your fonts turn out blocky, that's because they're not scalable
fonts.  Most X servers support scalable Type 1 Postscript fonts.
Download them and install them.

When installing a new version, be sure to delete your ~/.gimp
directory first.

To create a perfect circle, hold shift while doing an ellipse select.
To place a circle precisely, drag horizontal and vertical guides
tangent to the circle you want to select, place your cursor at the
interesection of the guides, and the resulting selection will just
touch the guides.
