Tux Paint 0.9.35 Quickstart Guide

Tools (Drawing)

🖌Paint

• Choose a brush on the right.
• Some brushes are animated 🎞, some are directional ✲, some are both.
• Change brush spacing with the bars 📶 at the bottom right.
• Choose a color (see "Colors").
• Click/tap and drag in the canvas to paint.

⌧Stamps

• Change categories with the arrow buttons ⇦⇨ near the bottom right.
• Choose a stamp on the right.
• Some stamps may be mirrored 🪞, and/or flipped ↕, using controls near the bottom right.
• Some stamps allow you to choose their color (see "Colors").
• Change stamp size with the bars 📶 at the bottom right.
• Rotation ⟳ may be enabled, if desired.
• Click/tap in the canvas to place a stamp.
  • If rotation is enabled, drag to rotate it, and click/tap again to add it to the drawing.
• Some stamps play sound effects; press the speaker 🕪 button to hear it again.
• Some stamps play descriptive sounds; press the headphones 🎧 button to hear it again.

⚟Lines

• (See Paint)
• Click/tap and drag to draw a line.

⭓Shapes

• Choose a shape on the right.
• Select whether you want to extend the shape from the center ⧈, or a corner ◰, using controls at the bottom right.
• Click/tap to position, and drag to set the size of the shape.
• Drag to rotate it, and click/tap again to add it to the drawing.

🄰Text

• Choose a font on the right.
• Select whether you want the text bold 𝗔 and/or italic 𝘈, using controls near the bottom right.
• Change text size using the up 🡁 and down 🡃 arrow buttons at the bottom right.
• Choose a color (see "Colors").
• Click/tap the canvas to position an insertion cursor.
• Enter text via your keyboard or the on-screen keyboard.
• Click/tap the canvas again if you wish to reposition the text.
• Press [Enter]/[Return] or click/tap ⮨ to add the text to the drawing and begin entering more text one line down.
• Or, press [Tab] or click/tap or ⟷ to add the text to the drawing and continue entering more text immediately to the right.
• Press [Control]+[V] or click/tap "Paste" to paste clipboard text into your input
• Using the on-screen keyboard:
  • "Cmp" can be used to compose characters, e.g. Cmp ' a results in á.
  • "AltGr" can be used to quickly access more characters.
  • Left/Right arrows switches keyboard layouts (e.g., "QWERTY" vs. "ABC")

🅰Label

• (See Text)
• Labels float 'above' the drawing; you cannot paint or stamp over them, apply Magic effects, etc.
• Labels may be edited, repositioned, and styled after they've been added to the drawing.
• Click/tap the ☝ button near the lower right to choose a label. Click/tap the label you wish to modify, then click/tap somewhere else in the canvas to reposition, or change the font/style, change color, and/or type to edit the text.
• Or, use the 🖑 button near the lower right to "flatten" a label, applying it to the canvas; it may no longer be edited with the Label tool.

🪣Fill

• Choose a fill mode on the right.
• Choose a color (see "Colors").
• Click/tap (and drag, with Brush and Linear modes) to fill an area of the picture with a color.
  • Solid - Flood-fills an area with a solid color
  • Brush - Paints with a solid color, without drawing outside the chosen area
  • Linear - Fills the area with a linear gradient (drag to choose angle and gradient)
  • Radial - Fills the area with a radial gradient, centered where you clicked/tapped
  • Shaped - Fills the area with a gradient that follows the contours of the area being filled
  • Eraser - Replaces an area with the background color, or Starter or Template background image

🪄Magic

• Choose a magic tool on the right.
• Change categories with the arrow buttons ⇦⇨ near the bottom right.
• Some magic tools draw or apply effects via click/tap and drag 〰🪄, some affect the entire drawing 🖻🪄, and some offer both options; use the controls at the bottom right.
• Some magic tools offer various sizes; change it with the bars 📶 at the bottom right.
• Some magic tools allow you to choose their color.

🖓Undo

• Use to undo the most recent changes (multiple undo available).
• Shortcut: [Control]+[Z]

🖒Redo

• Use to redo the most recent undone change (multiple redo available).
• Shortcut: [Control]+[R]

◪Eraser

• Choose the size and shape of the eraser on the right.
• Click/tap and drag to erase parts of the picture (solid color, or starter or template image).
• Shortcut: [X] and click/tap in the drawing (not always available)

Tools (Controls)

🗏New

• Choose a solid color, starter, or template image to start with.
  • Starters allow drawing "under" a picture (e.g., a coloring book outline), sometimes with a background layer, too.
  • Templates are pictures to start with (background only).
  • Eraser tool ◪ reveals the solid color, or starter/template background.
• Click/tap "🕮⮫Open" to begin a new drawing.
• Click/tap "⤺Back" to abort and return to your current drawing.
• Shortcut: [Control]+[N]

🕮⮫Open

• Choose a previously-saved drawing to open (or export or erase).
• Click/tap "🕮⮫Open" to open the saved drawing and continue editing it.
• Click/tap "🗏⮫Export" to save the drawing to your system's "Pictures" folder.
• Click/tap "🗑Erase" to move the drawing to your system's Trash/Recycle Bin.
• Click/tap "⤺Back" to abort and return to your current drawing.
• Click/tap "📽Slides" to switch to slideshow mode:
  • Click/tap two or more of your previously-saved drawings, in the order you want them shown. Numbers will appear on them.
  • Choose the playback speed using the bars 📶 near the lower left.
  • Click/tap "⯈Play" to watch the slideshow/animation.
  • Or, click/tap "🎞GIF Export" to save an animated GIF of the animation to your system's "Pictures" folder.
  • Click/tap "⤺Back" to return to the Open dialog.
• Click/tap "🖻⮫🗏Template" to turn the drawing into a new template.
• Shortcut: [Control]+[O]

🕮⮪Save

• Click/tap to save your drawing.
• If you've saved previously, you'll be prompted whether to overwrite the previously-saved drawing (a la "File→Save") or create a new saved drawing (a la "File→Save As...")
• Shortcut: [Control]+[S]

🖶Print

• Click/tap to print your drawing.
• Hold [Alt] or [Option] while clicking/tapping to bring up printer dialog, if available.
• Shortcut: [Control]+[P]

🗙Quit

• Click/tap to quit Tux Paint.
• Shortcut: [Escape]

Colors

• Click/tap to choose a color to use with the Paint, Lines, and Shapes tools, and Stamps and Magic tools that support colors.
• Use the pipette / color picker 💉 button to choose a color from a pixel in your current drawing.
  • Shortcut: When colors are available, press [Control] and click/tap in your drawing, to quickly pick a color from your drawing.
• Click/tap the rainbow 🌈 button to choose a arbitrary color.
  • Click/tap in the rainbow square to pick a color (hue and saturation).
  • Click/tap in the grey gradient bar to adjust brightness (value).
  • Click/tap the green checkbox ✓ to accept.
  • Click/tap "⤺Back" to abort and dismiss the palette.
  • You may grab the currently-chosen built-in color (if any), the color in the pipette / color picker, or the color in the color mixer, by clicking one of the colored arrow ⇫ buttons.
• Click/tap the paint palette 🎨 button to create a color by mixing primary colors: red, yellow, and blue, and white (tint), grey (tone), and black (shade).
  • Click/tap the green checkbox ✓ to accept.
  • Color mixing offers its own 🖓Undo and 🖒Redo options.
  • Click/tap "🗑Clear" to start over with no mixed colors.
  • Click/tap "⤺Back" to abort and dismiss the color mixer.

Shortcuts while drawing:

• [Control]+Click/tap - Quick pipette / color picker 💉 access
• [X]+Click/tap - Quick eraser ◪ access
• [Control]+[Z] - 🖓Undo
• [Control]+[R] - 🖒Redo
• [Control]+[N] - 🗏New
• [Control]+[O] - 🕮⮫Open
• [Control]+[S] - 🕮⮪Save
• [Control]+[P] - 🖶Print
• [Alt]+[S] - Toggle sound effects on/off
• [Escape] - ⤺Back or 🗙Quit

Note: On macOS, use the [⌘ (Command)] key in place of the [Control] key.

Last updated: May 26, 2025