Tux Paint
version 0.9.31
A simple drawing program for children
Copyright © 2002-2023 by various contributors; see AUTHORS.txt.
https://tuxpaint.org/
May 18, 2023
+----------------------------------------------------+
|Table of Contents |
|----------------------------------------------------|
| * About Tux Paint |
| * Using Tux Paint |
| * Launching Tux Paint |
| * Title Screen |
| * Main Screen |
| * Available Tools |
| * Drawing Tools |
| * "Paint" Tool (Brush) |
| * "Stamp" Tool (Rubber Stamps) |
| * "Lines" Tool |
| * "Shapes" Tool |
| * "Text" and "Label" Tools |
| * "Fill" Tool |
| * "Magic" Tool (Special Effects) |
| * "Eraser" Tool |
| * Other Controls |
| * "Undo" and "Redo" Commands |
| * "New" Command |
| * "Open" Command |
| * "Save" Command |
| * "Print" Command |
| * "Slides" Command (under "Open") |
| * "Quit" Command |
| * Sound Muting |
| * Loading Other Pictures into Tux Paint |
| * Further Reading |
| * How to Get Help |
| * How to Participate |
+----------------------------------------------------+
About Tux Paint
What Is "Tux Paint"?
Tux Paint is a free drawing program designed for young children (kids ages
3 and up). It has a simple, easy-to-use interface, fun sound effects, and
an encouraging cartoon mascot who helps guide children as they use the
program. It provides a blank canvas and a variety of drawing tools to help
your child be creative.
Objectives
Easy and Fun
Tux Paint is meant to be a simple drawing program for young
children. It is not meant as a general-purpose drawing tool. It is
meant to be fun and easy to use. Sound effects and a cartoon
character help let the user know what's going on, and keeps them
entertained. There are also extra-large cartoon-style mouse
pointer shapes.
Extensibility
Tux Paint is extensible. Brushes and 'rubber stamp' shapes can be
dropped in and pulled out. For example, a teacher can drop in a
collection of animal shapes and ask their students to draw an
ecosystem. Each shape can have a sound which is played, and
textual facts which are displayed, when the child selects the
shape.
Portability
Tux Paint is portable among various computer platforms: Windows,
Macintosh, Linux, etc. The interface looks the same among them
all. Tux Paint runs suitably well on older systems, and can be
built to run better on slow systems.
Simplicity
There is no direct access to the computer's underlying
intricacies. The current image is kept when the program quits, and
reappears when it is restarted. Saving images requires no need to
create filenames or use the keyboard. Opening an image is done by
selecting it from a collection of thumbnails. Access to other
files on the computer is restricted.
License
Tux Paint is an Open Source project, Free Software released under the GNU
General Public License (GPL). It is free, and the 'source code' behind the
program is available. (This allows others to add features, fix bugs, and
use parts of the program in their own GPL'd software.)
See COPYING.txt for the full text of the GPL license.
What's New in Tux Paint version 0.9.31?
TBD
TBD
See CHANGES.txt for the complete list of changes.
Using Tux Paint
Launching Tux Paint
Linux/Unix Users
Tux Paint should have placed a launcher icon in your KDE and/or GNOME
menus, under 'Graphics.'
Alternatively, you can run the following command at a shell prompt (e.g.,
"$"):
$ tuxpaint
If any errors occur, they will be displayed on the terminal (to STDERR).
Windows Users
[Tux Paint Icon]
Tux Paint
If you installed Tux Paint on your computer using the 'Tux Paint
Installer,' it will have asked you whether you wanted a 'Start' menu
short-cut, and/or a desktop shortcut. If you agreed, you can simply run
Tux Paint from the 'Tux Paint' section of your 'Start' menu (e.g., under
'All Programs'), or by double-clicking the 'Tux Paint' icon on your
desktop, if you had the installer place one there.
If you're using the 'portable' (ZIP-file) version of Tux Paint, or if you
used the 'Tux Paint Installer,' but chose not to have shortcuts installed,
you'll need to double-click the "tuxpaint.exe" icon in the "Tux Paint"
folder on your computer.
By default, the 'Tux Paint Installer' will put Tux Paint's folder in
"C:\Program Files\", though you may have changed this when you ran the
installer.
If you used the 'ZIP-file' download, Tux Paint's folder will be wherever
you extracted the contents of the ZIP file.
macOS Users
Simply double-click the "Tux Paint" icon.
[Title screen]
Title Screen
When Tux Paint first loads, a title/credits screen will appear.
Once loading is complete, press a key or click or tap in the Tux Paint
window to continue. (Or, after about 5 seconds, the title screen will go
away automatically.)
Main Screen
The main screen is divided into the following sections:
[Tools: Paint, Stamp, Lines, Shapes, Text, Magic, Label, Undo, Redo,
Eraser, New, Open, Save, Print, Quit]
Left Side: Toolbar
The toolbar contains the drawing and editing controls.
[Canvas]
Middle: Drawing Canvas
The largest part of the screen, in the center, is the drawing
canvas. This is, obviously, where you draw!
💡 Note: The size of the drawing canvas depends on the size of Tux
Paint. You can change the size of Tux Paint using the Tux Paint
Config. configuration tool, or by other means. See the Options
documentation for more details.
[Selectors - Brushes, Letters, Shapes, Stamps]
Right Side: Selector
Depending on the current tool, the selector shows different
things. e.g., when the Paint Brush or Line tool is selected, it
shows the various brushes available. When the Rubber Stamp tool is
selected, it shows the different shapes you can use. When the Text
or Label tool is selected, it shows various fonts.
[Colors - Black, White, Red, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan,
Blue, Purple, Brown, Grey]
Lower: Colors
When the active tool supports colors, a palette of colors choices
will be shown near the bottom of the screen. Click one to choose a
color, and it will be used by the active tool. (For example, the
"Paint" tool will use it as the color to draw with the chosen
brush, and the "Fill" tool will use it as the color to use when
flood-filling an area of the picture.)
On the far right are three special color options:
* Color Picker
The "color picker" (which has an outline of an eye-dropper)
allows you to pick a color found within your drawing.
(A shortcut key is available to access this feature quickly;
see below.)
* Rainbow Palette
The rainbow palette allows you to pick any color by choosing
the hue, saturation, and value of the color you want. A box
on the left displays hundreds of hues — from red at the top
through to violet at the bottom — at hundreds of
saturation/intensity levels — from pale & washed-out on the
left through to pure on the right. A grey vertical bar
provides access to hundreds of value levels — from lighest at
the top through to darkest at the bottom.
Click the green checkbox button to select the color, or the
"Back" button to dismiss the pop-up without picking a new
color.
You may also set this tool's color to that of other color
choices:
* Whichever built-in color is selected, if any
* The Color Picker's current color
* The Color Mixer's current color
* Color Mixer
The "color mixer" (which has silhouette of a paint palette)
allows you to create colors by blending primary additive
colors — red, yellow, and blue — along with white (to
"tint"), grey (to "tone"), and black (to "shade").
You may click any button multiple times (for example, red +
red + yellow results in a red-orange color). The ratios of
colors added are shown at the bottom.
You can start over (reset to no colors in your picture) by
clicking the "Clear" button. You can also undo or redo
multiple steps of mixing, in case you made a mistake (without
having to start over).
Click the green checkbox button to select the color, or the
"Back" button to dismiss the pop-up without picking a new
color.
⌨ When the active tool supports colors, a shortcut may be used for
quick access to the "color picker" option. Hold the [Control] key
while clicking, and the color under the mouse cursor will be shown
at the bottom. You may drag around to canvas to find the color you
want. When you release the mouse button, the color under the
cursor will be selected. If you release the mouse outside of the
canvas (e.g., over the "Tools" area), the color selection will be
left unchanged. (This is similar to clicking the "Back" button
that's available when bringing up the "color picker" option via
its button the color palette.)
⚙ Note: You can define your own colors for Tux Paint. See the
"Options" documentation.
(Example tip: 'Pick a shape. Click to pick the center, drag, then
let go when it is the size you want. Move around to rotate it, and
click to draw it.')
Bottom: Help Area
At the very bottom of the screen, Tux, the Linux Penguin, provides
tips and other information while you use Tux Paint.
Available Tools
Drawing Tools
"Paint" Tool (Brush)
The Paint Brush tool lets you draw freehand, using various brushes
(chosen in the Selector on the right) and colors (chosen in the
Color palette towards the bottom).
If you hold the mouse button down, and move the mouse, it will
draw as you move.
Some brushes are animated — they change their shape as you draw
them. A good example of this is the vines brush that ships with
Tux Paint. These brushes will have a small "filmstrip" icon drawn
on their Selector buttons.
Other brushes are directional — they will draw a different shape
depending on what direction you are painting with them. An example
of this is the arrow brush that ships with Tux Paint. These
brushes have a small 8-way arrow icon drawn on their Selector
buttons.
Finally, some brushes can be both direction and animated. Examples
of this are the cat and squirrel brushes that ship with Tux Paint.
These brushes will have both the "filmstrip" and 8-way arrow
icons.
As you draw, a sound is played. The bigger the brush, the lower
the pitch.
Brush Spacing
The space between each position where a brush is applied to the
canvas can vary. Some brushes (such as the footprints and
flower) are spaced, by default, far enough apart that they don't
overlap. Other brushes (such as the basic circular ones) are
spaced closely, so they make a continuous stroke.
The default spacing of brushes may be overridden using by
clicking within the triangular-shaped series of bars at the
bottom right; the larger the bar, the wider the spacing. Brush
spacing affects both tools that use the brushes: the "Paint"
tool and the "Lines" tool.
⚙ Note: If the "nobrushspacing" option is set, Tux Paint won't
display the brush spacing controls. See the "Options"
documentation.
"Stamp" Tool (Rubber Stamps)
The Stamp tool is like a set of rubber stamps or stickers. It lets
you paste pre-drawn or photographic images (like a picture of a
horse, or a tree, or the moon) in your picture.
As you move the mouse around the canvas, an outline follows the
mouse, showing where the stamp will be placed, and how big it will
be. Click on the canvas where you wish to place the stamp.
Stamp Categories
There can be numerous categories of stamps (e.g.,
animals, plants, outer space, vehicles, people,
etc.). Use the Left and Right arrows near the bottom
of the Selector to cycle through the collections.
Stamp Rotation
Using the rotation toggle button near the bottom
right, you can enable a rotation step when placing
stamps. Once you've placed the stamp, choose the
angle to rotate it by moving the mouse around the
canvas. Click the mouse button again and the stamp
will be added to the drawing.
⚙ Note: If "stamp rotation" option is disabled, the
stamp will be drawn on the canvas when you let go of
the mouse button. (There's no rotation step.) See the
"Options" documentation to learn about the "stamp
rotation" ("stamprotation") option.
📜 Note: The stamp rotation feature was added to Tux
Paint in version 0.9.29.
Stamp Controls
Prior to 'stamping' an image onto your drawing,
various effects can sometimes be applied (depending
on the stamp):
* Some stamps can be colored or tinted. If the
color palette below the canvas is activated, you
can click the colors to change the tint or color
of the stamp before placing it in the picture.
* Stamps can be shrunk and expanded, by clicking
within the triangular-shaped series of bars at
the bottom right; the larger the bar, the larger
the stamp will appear in your picture.
* Many stamps may be flipped vertically, or
displayed as a mirror-image, using the control
buttons at the bottom right.
⚙ Note: If the "nostampcontrols" option is set, Tux
Paint won't display the Rotation, Mirror, Flip, or
sizing controls for stamps. See the "Options"
documentation.
Stamp Sounds
Different stamps can have different sound effects
and/or descriptive (spoken) sounds. Buttons in the
Help Area at the lower left (near Tux, the Linux
penguin) allow you to re-play the sound effects and
descriptive sounds for the currently-selected stamp.
"Lines" Tool
This tool lets you draw straight lines using the various brushes
and colors you normally use with the Paint Brush.
Click the mouse and hold it to choose the starting point of the
line. As you move the mouse around, a thin 'rubber-band' line will
show where the line will be drawn. At the bottom, you'll see the
angle of your line, in degrees. A line going straight to the right
is 0°, a line going straight up is 90°, a line going straight left
is 180°, a line going straight down is 270°, and so on.
Let go of the mouse to complete the line. A "sproing!" sound will
play.
Some brushes are animated, and will show a pattern of shapes along
the line. Others are directional, and will show a different shape
depending on the angle of the brush. And finally some are both
animated and directional. See "Paint", above, to learn more.
Different brushes have different spacing, leaving either a series
of individual shapes, or a continuous stroke of the brush shape.
Brush spacing may be adjusted. See "Paint", above, to learn more.
"Shapes" Tool
This tool lets you draw some simple filled, and un-filled shapes.
Select a shape from the selector on the right (circle, square,
oval, etc.).
Use the options at the bottom right to choose the shape tool's
behavior:
Shapes from center
The shape will expand from where you initially
clicked, and will be centered around that position.
📜 This was Tux Paint's only behavior through version
0.9.24.)
Shapes from corner
The shape will extend with one corner starting from
where you initially clicked. This is the default
method of most other traditional drawing software.
📜 This option was added starting with Tux Paint
version 0.9.25.
⚙ Note: If shape controls are disabled (e.g., with the
"noshapecontrols" option), the controls will not be presented, and
the "shapes from center" method will be used.
In the canvas, click the mouse and hold it to stretch the shape
out from where you clicked. Some shapes can change proportion
(e.g., rectangle and oval may be wider than tall, or taller than
wide), others cannot (e.g., square and circle).
For shapes that can change proportion, the aspect ratio of the
shape will be shown at the bottom. For example: "1:1" will be
shown if it is "square" (as tall as it is wide); "2:1" if it is
either twice as wide as it is tall, or twice as tall as it is
wide; and so on.
Let go of the mouse when you're done stretching.
Normal Shapes Mode
Now you can move the mouse around the canvas to
rotate the shape. The angle your shape is rotated
will be shown at the bottom, in degrees (similar to
the "Lines" tool, described above).
Click the mouse button again and the shape will be
drawn in the current color.
Simple Shapes Mode
If the "simple shapes" option is enabled, the shape
will be drawn on the canvas when you let go of the
mouse button. (There's no rotation step.)
⚙ See the "Options" documentation to learn about the
"simple shapes" ("simpleshapes") option.
"Text" and "Label" Tools
Choose a font (from the 'Letters' available on the right) and a
color (from the color palette near the bottom). You may also apply
a bold, and/or an italic styling effect to the text. Click on the
screen and a cursor will appear. Type text and it will show up on
the screen. (You can change the font, color, and styling while
entering the text, before it is applied to the canvas.)
Press [Enter] or [Return] and the text will be drawn onto the
picture and the cursor will move down one line.
Alternatively, press [Tab] and the text will be drawn onto the
picture, but the cursor will move to the right of the text, rather
than down a line, and to the left. (This can be useful to create a
line of text with mixed colors, fonts, styles and sizes.)
Clicking elsewhere in the picture while the text entry is still
active causes the current line of text to move to that location
(where you can continue editing it).
"Text" versus "Label"
The Text tool is the original text-entry tool in Tux
Paint. Text entered using this tool can't be modified
or moved later, since it becomes part of the drawing.
However, because the text becomes part of the
picture, it can be drawn over or modified using Magic
tool effects (e.g., smudged, tinted, embossed, etc.)
When using the Label tool (which was added to Tux
Paint in version 0.9.22), the text 'floats' over the
image, and the details of the label (the text, the
position of the label, the font choice and the color)
get stored separately. This allows the label to be
repositioned or edited later.
To edit a label, click the label selection button.
All labels in the drawing will appear highlighted.
Click one — or use the [Tab] key to cycle through all
the labels, and the [Enter] or [Return] key to select
one — and you may then edit the label. (Use they
[Backspace] key to erase characters, and other keys
to add text to the label; click in the canvas to
reposition the label; click in the palette to change
the color of the text in the label; etc.)
You may "apply" a label to the canvas, painting the
text into the picture as if it had been added using
the Text tool, by clicking the label application
button. (This feature was added in Tux Paint version
0.9.28.) All labels in the drawing will appear
highlighted, and you select one just as you do when
selecting a label to edit. The chosen label will be
removed, and the text will be added directly to the
canvas.
⚙ The Label tool can be disabled (e.g., by selecting
"Disable 'Label' Tool" in Tux Paint Config. or
running Tux Paint with the "nolabel" option).
International Character Input
Tux Paint allows inputting characters in different
languages. Most Latin characters (A-Z, ñ, è, etc.)
can by entered directly. Some languages require that
Tux Paint be switched into an alternate input mode
before entering, and some characters must be composed
using numerous keypresses.
When Tux Paint's locale is set to one of the
languages that provide alternate input modes, a key
is used to cycle through normal (Latin character) and
locale-specific mode or modes.
Currently supported locales, the input methods
available, and the key to toggle or cycle modes, are
listed below.
* Japanese — Romanized Hiragana and Romanized
Katakana — right [Alt] key or left [Alt] key
* Korean — Hangul 2-Bul — right [Alt] key or left
[Alt] key
* Traditional Chinese — right [Alt] key or left
[Alt] key
* Thai — right [Alt] key
💡 Note: Many fonts do not include all characters for
all languages, so sometimes you'll need to change
fonts to see the characters you're trying to type.
On-screen Keyboard
An optional on-screen keyboard is available for the
Text and Label tools, which can provide a variety of
layouts and character composition (e.g., composing
"a" and "e" into "æ").
⚙ See the "Options" and "Extending Tux Paint"
documentation for more information.
"Fill" Tool
The 'Fill' tool 'flood-fills' a contiguous area of your drawing
with a color of your choice. Three fill options are offered:
* Solid — click once to fill an area with a solid color.
* Brush — click and drag to fill an area with a solid color
using freehand painting.
* Linear — click and then drag to fill the area with color that
fades away (a gradient) towards where you drag the mouse.
* Radial — click once to fill an area with a color that fades
away (a gradient) radially, centered on where you clicked.
* Shaped — click once to fill an area with a color that fades
away (a gradient), following the contours of the shape you're
filling.
📜 Note: Prior to Tux Paint 0.9.24, "Fill" was a Magic tool (see
below). Prior to Tux Paint 0.9.26, the "Fill" tool only offered
the 'Solid' method of filling. 'Shaped' fill was introduced in Tux
Paint 0.9.29.
"Magic" Tool (Special Effects)
The Magic tool is actually a set of special tools. Select one of
the 'magic' effects from the selector on the right. Then,
depending on the tool, you can either click and drag around the
picture, and/or simply click the picture once, to apply the
effect.
Magic Controls
If the tool can be used by clicking and dragging, a 'painting'
button will be available on the left, below the list of Magic
tools on the right side of the screen. If the tool can affect
the entire picture at once, an 'entire picture' button will be
available on the right.
⚙ Note: If the "nomagiccontrols" option is set, Tux Paint won't
display the painting or entire picture controls. See the
"Options" documentation.
💡 If the magic controls are disabled, the Magic plugin may make
separate tools available, one for painting and one that affects
the entire pictre.
Magic Sizing
Some tools offer different sizing options. If so, a slider will
appear at the bottom right side of the screen. This may affect
the radius of a special effect (e.g., Darken) or painted object
(e.g., Patterns), or other attributes (e.g., large versus small
Brick shapes).
⚙ Note: If the "nomagicsizes" option is set, Tux Paint won't
display the sizing controls. See the "Options" documentation.
💡 If the sizing option is disabled, the Magic plugin may simply
offer a default size (e.g., Patterns), or it may make separate
tools available with different pre-set sizes (e.g., Bricks and
Googly Eyes).
📜 This option was added starting with Tux Paint version 0.9.30.
See the instructions for each Magic tool (in the 'magic-docs'
folder).
"Eraser" Tool
This tool is similar to the Paint Brush. Wherever you click (or
click and drag), the picture will be erased. (This may be white,
some other color, or to a background picture, depending on the
picture.)
A number of eraser sizes are available, both round and square.
As you move the mouse around, a square outline follows the
pointer, showing what part of the picture will be erased to white.
As you erase, a 'squeaky clean' eraser wiping sound is played.
⌨ Hold the [X] key while clicking for quick access to a small
round eraser (not available when the Text or Label tools are
selected, when you're in the process of rotating a stamp or shape,
or when using an interactive magic tool). Release the mouse to
return to your currently-selected tool.
Other Controls
"Undo" and "Redo" Commands
Clicking the "Undo" button will undo (revert) the last drawing
action. You can even undo more than once!
⌨ Note: You can also press [Control / ⌘] + [Z] on the keyboard to
Undo.
Clicking the "Redo" button will redo the drawing action you just
un-did via the "Undo" command.
As long as you don't draw again, you can redo as many times as you
had undone!
⌨ Note: You can also press [Control / ⌘] + [R] on the keyboard to
Redo.
"New" Command
Clicking the 'New' button will start a new drawing. A dialog will
appear where you may choose to start a new picture using a solid
background color, or using a 'Starter' or 'Template' image (see
below). You will first be asked whether you really want to do
this.
⌨ Note: You can also press [Control / ⌘] + [N] on the keyboard to
start a new drawing.
Special Solid Background Color Choices
Along with the preset solid colors, you can also choose colors
using a rainbow palette or a "color mixer". These operate
identically to the options found in the color palette shown
below the canvas when drawing a picture. See Main Screen >
Lower: Colors > Special color options for details.
'Starter' & Template Images
'Starters' can behave like a page from a coloring book — a
black-and-white outline of a picture, which you can then color
in, and the black outline remains intact — or like a 3D
photograph, where you draw in between a foreground and
background layer.
'Templates' are similar, but simply provide a background drawing
to work off of. Unlike 'Starters', there is no layer that
remains in the foreground of anything you draw in the picture.
When using the 'Eraser' tool, the original image from the
'Starter' or 'Template' will reappear. The 'Flip' and 'Mirror'
Magic tools affect the orientation of the 'Starter' or
'Template', as well.
When you load a 'Starter' or 'Template', draw on it, and then
click 'Save,' it creates a new picture file — it doesn't
overwrite the original, so you can use it again later (by
accessing it from the 'New' dialog).
"Open" Command
This shows you a list of all of the pictures you've saved. If
there are more than can fit on the screen, use the up and down
arrows at the top and bottom of the list to scroll through the
list of pictures.
Click a picture to select it, and then...
* Click the green 'Open' button at the lower left of the list
to load the selected picture.
(Alternatively, you can double-click a picture's icon to load
it.)
💡 If choose to open a picture, and your current drawing
hasn't been saved, you will be prompted as to whether you
want to save it or not. (See "Save," below.)
* Click the brown 'Erase' (trash can) button at the lower right
of the list to erase the selected picture. (You will be asked
to confirm.)
📜 Note: On Linux (as of version 0.9.22), Windows (as of
version 0.9.27), and macOS (as of version 0.9.29), the
picture will be placed in your desktop's trash can / recycle
bin (where you may recover and restore it, if you change your
mind).
* Click the 'Export' button near the lower right to export the
image to your export folder. (e.g., "~/Pictures/TuxPaint/")
From the "Open" screen you can also:
* Click the blue 'Slides' (slide projector) button at the lower
left to go to slideshow mode. See "Slides", below, for
details.
* Click the red 'Back' arrow button at the lower right of the
list to cancel and return to the picture you were drawing.
⌨ Note: You can also press [Control / ⌘] + [O] on the keyboard to
bring up the 'Open' dialog.
"Save" Command
This saves your current picture.
If you haven't saved it before, it will create a new entry in the
list of saved images. (i.e., it will create a new file)
💡 Note: It won't ask you anything (e.g., for a filename). It will
simply save the picture, and play a "camera shutter" sound effect.
If you have saved the picture before, or this is a picture you
just loaded using the "Open" command, you will first be asked
whether you want to save over the old version, or create a new
entry (a new file).
⚙ Note: If either the "saveover" or "saveovernew" options are set,
it won't ask before saving over. See the "Options" documentation.
⌨ Note: You can also press [Control / ⌘] + [S] on the keyboard to
save.
"Print" Command
Click this button and your picture will be printed!
On most platforms, you can also hold the [Alt] key (called
[Option] on Macs) while clicking the 'Print' button to get a
printer dialog. Note that this may not work if you're running Tux
Paint in fullscreen mode. See below.
Disabling Printing
The "noprint" option can be set, which will disable
Tux Paint's 'Print' button.
⚙ See the "Options" documentation.
Restricting Printing
The "printdelay" option can be set, which will only
allow occasional printing — once every so many
seconds, as configured by you.
For example, with "printdelay=60" in Tux Paint's
configuration file, printing can only occur once per
minute (60 seconds).
⚙ See the "Options" documentation.
Printing Commands
(Linux and Unix only)
Tux Paint prints by generating a PostScript
representation of the drawing and sending it to an
external program. By default, the program is:
lpr
This command can be changed by setting a
"printcommand" option in Tux Paint's configuration
file.
An alternative print command can be invoked by
holding the "[Alt]" key on the keyboard while
clicking clicking the 'Print' button, as long as
you're not in fullscreen mode, an alternative program
is run. By default, the program is KDE's graphical
print dialog:
kprinter
This command can be changed by setting a
"altprintcommand" option in Tux Paint's configuration
file.
⚙ See the "Options" documentation.
Printer Settings
(Windows and macOS)
By default, Tux Paint simply prints to the default
printer with default settings when the 'Print' button
is pushed.
However, if you hold the [Alt] (or [Option]) key on
the keyboard while clicking the 'Print' button, as
long as you're not in fullscreen mode, your operating
system's printer dialog will appear, where you can
change the settings.
You can have the printer configuration changes stored
between Tux Paint sessions by setting the "printcfg"
option.
If the "printcfg" option is used, printer settings
will be loaded from the file "printcfg.cfg" in your
personal folder (see below). Any changes will be
saved there as well.
⚙ See the "Options" documentation.
Printer Dialog Options
By default, Tux Paint only shows the printer dialog
(or, on Linux/Unix, runs the "altprintcommand"; e.g.,
"kprinter" instead of "lpr") if the [Alt] (or
[Option]) key is held while clicking the 'Print'
button.
However, this behavior can be changed. You can have
the printer dialog always appear by using
"--altprintalways" on the command-line, or
"altprint=always" in Tux Paint's configuration file.
Conversely, you can prevent the [Alt]/[Option] key
from having any effect by using "--altprintnever", or
"altprint=never".
⚙ See the "Options" documentation.
"Slides" Command (under "Open")
The 'Slides' button is available in the 'Open' dialog. It can be
used to play a simple animation within Tux Paint, or a slideshow
of pictures. It can also export an animated GIF based on the
chosen images.
Chosing pictures
When you enter the 'Slides' section of Tux Paint, it
displays a list of your saved files, just like the
'Open' dialog.
Click each of the images you wish to display in a
slideshow-style presentation, one by one. A digit
will appear over each image, letting you know in
which order they will be displayed.
You can click a selected image to unselect it (take
it out of your slideshow). Click it again if you wish
to add it to the end of the list.
Set playback speed
A sliding scale at the lower left of the screen (next
to the 'Play' button) can be used to adjust the speed
of the slideshow or animated GIF, from slowest to
fastest. Choose the leftmost setting to disable
automatic advancement during playback within Tux
Paint — you will need to press a key or click to go
to the next slide (see below).
💡 Note: The slowest setting does not automatically
advance through the slides. Use it for when you want
to step through them manually. (This does not apply
to an exported animated GIF.)
Playback in Tux Paint
To play a slideshow within Tux Paint, click the
'Play' button.
💡 Note: If you hadn't selected any images, then all
of your saved images will be played in the slideshow!
During the slideshow, press [Space], [Enter] or
[Return], or the [Right arrow] — or click the 'Next'
button at the lower left — to manually advance to the
next slide. Press [Left arrow] to go back to the
previous slide.
Press [Escape], or click the 'Back' button at the
lower right, to exit the slideshow and return to the
slideshow image selection screen.
Exporting an animated GIF
Click the 'GIF Export' button near the lower right to
have Tux Paint generate an animated GIF file based on
the selected images.
💡 Note: At least two images must be selected. (To
export a single image, use the 'Export' option from
the main 'Open' dialog.) If no images are selected,
Tux Paint will not attempt to generate a GIF based on
all saved images.
Pressing [Escape] during the export process will
abort the process, and return you to the 'Slideshow'
dialog.
Click 'Back' in the slideshow image selection screen to return to
the 'Open' dialog.
"Quit" Command
Clicking the 'Quit' button, closing the Tux Paint window, or
pushing the [Escape] key will quit Tux Paint.
You will first be prompted as to whether you really want to quit.
If you choose to quit, and you haven't saved the current picture,
you will first be asked if wish to save it. If it's not a new
image, you will then be asked if you want to save over the old
version, or create a new entry. (See "Save" above.)
⚙ Note: If the image is saved, it will be reloaded automatically
the next time you run Tux Paint -- unless the "startblank" option
is set.
⚙ Note: The 'Quit' button within Tux Paint, and quitting via the
[Escape] key, may be disabled, via the "noquit" option.
In that case, the "window close" button on Tux Paint's title bar
(if not in fullscreen mode) or the [Alt] + [F4] key sequence may
be used to quit.
If neither of those are possible, the key sequence of [Shift] +
[Control / ⌘] + [Escape] may be used to quit.
⚙ See the "Options" documentation.
Sound Muting
There is no on-screen control button at this time, but by using
the [Alt] + [S] keyboard sequence, sound effects can be disabled
and re-enabled (muted and unmuted) while the program is running.
Note that if sounds are completely disabled via the "nosound"
option, the [Alt] + [S] key combination has no effect. (i.e., it
cannot be used to turn on sounds when the parent/teacher wants
them disabled.)
⚙ See the "Options" documentation.
Loading Other Pictures into Tux Paint
Tux Paint's 'Open' dialog only displays pictures you created with Tux
Paint. So what do you do if you want to load some other drawinng or even a
photograph into Tux Paint, so you can edit or draw on it?
You can simply convert the picture to the format Tux Paint uses — PNG
(Portable Network Graphic) — and place it in Tux Paint's "saved"
directory/folder. Here is where to find it (by default):
Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista
Inside the user's "AppData" folder, e.g.:
"C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\TuxPaint\saved\".
Windows 2000, XP
Inside the user's "Application Data" folder, e.g.: "C:\Documents
and Settings\username\Application Data\TuxPaint\saved\".
macOS
Inside the user's "Library" folder, e.g.:
"/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Tux Paint/saved/".
Linux/Unix
Inside a hidden ".tuxpaint" directory, in the user's home
directory ("$HOME"), e.g. "/home/username/.tuxpaint/saved/".
💡 Note: It is also from this folder that you can copy or open pictures
drawn in Tux Paint using other applications, though the 'Export' option
from Tux Paint's 'Open' dialog can be used to copy them to a location
that's easier and safer to access.
Using the import script, "tuxpaint-import"
Linux and Unix users can use the "tuxpaint-import" shell script which
gets installed when you install Tux Paint. It uses some NetPBM tools to
convert the image ("anytopnm"), resize it so that it will fit in Tux
Paint's canvas ("pnmscale"), and convert it to a PNG ("pnmtopng").
It also uses the "date" command to get the current time and date, which
is the file-naming convention Tux Paint uses for saved files. (Remember,
you are never asked for a 'filename' when you go to save or open
pictures!)
To use this script, simply run it from a command-line prompt, and
provide it the name(s) of the file(s) you wish to convert.
They will be converted and placed in your Tux Paint "saved" directory.
💡 Note: If you're doing this for a different user (e.g., your child)
you'll need to make sure to run the command under their account.)
Example:
$ tuxpaint-import grandma.jpg
grandma.jpg -> /home/username/.tuxpaint/saved/20211231012359.png
jpegtopnm: WRITING A PPM FILE
The first line ("tuxpaint-import grandma.jpg") is the command to run.
The following two lines are output from the program while it's working.
Now you can load Tux Paint, and a version of that original picture will
be available under the 'Open' dialog. Just double-click its icon!
Importing Pictures Manually
Windows, macOS, and Haiku users who wish to import arbitrary images into
Tux Paint must do so via a manual process.
Load a graphics program that is capable of both loading your picture and
saving a PNG format file. (See the documentation file "PNG.html" for a
list of suggested software, and other references.)
When Tux Paint loads an image that's not the same size as its drawing
canvas, it scales (and sometimes smears the edges of) the image so that
it fits within the canvas.
To avoid having the image stretched or smeared, you can resize it to Tux
Paint's canvas size. This size depends on the size of the Tux Paint
window, or resolution at which Tux Paint is run, if in fullscreen.
(Note: The default resolution is 800x600.) See "Calculating Image
Dimensions", below.
Save the picture in PNG format. It is highly recommended that you name
the filename using the current date and time, since that's the
convention Tux Paint uses:
YYYYMMDDhhmmss.png
* YYYY = Year
* MM = Month (two digits, "01"-"12")
* DD = Day of month (two digits, "01"-"31")
* HH = Hour (two digits, in 24-hour format, "00"-"23")
* mm = Minute (two digits, "00"-"59")
* ss = Seconds (two digits, "00"-"59")
Example: "20210731110500.png", for July 31, 2021 at 11:05am.
Place this PNG file in your Tux Paint "saved" directory/folder. (See
above.)
Calculating Image Dimensions
This part of the documentation needs to be rewritten, since the new
"buttonsize" option was added. For now, try drawing and saving an
image within Tux Paint, then determine what size (pixel width and
height) it came out to, and try to match that when scaling the
picture(s) you're importing into Tux Paint.
Further Reading
Other documentation included with Tux Paint (found in the "docs"
folder/directory) includes:
Using Tux Paint:
* OPTIONS.html
Detailed instructions on command-line and configuration-file
options, for those who don't want to use the Tux Paint
Config. tool to manage Tux Paint's configuration.
* 'Magic' Tool Documentation ("magic-docs")
Documentation for each of the currently-installed 'Magic'
tools.
How to extend Tux Paint:
* EXTENDING.html
Detailed instructions on extending Tux Paint: creating
brushes, stamps, starters, and templates; adding fonts; and
creating new on-screen keyboard layouts and input methods.
* PNG.html
Notes on creating PNG format bitmapped (raster) images for
use in Tux Paint.
* SVG.html
Notes on creating SVG format vector images for use in Tux
Paint.
Technical information:
* INSTALL.html
Instructions for compiling and installing Tux Paint, when
applicable.
* SIGNALS.html
Information about the POSIX signals that Tux Paint responds
to.
* MAGIC-API.html
Creating new Magic tools using Tux Paint's plugin API.
Development history and license:
* AUTHORS.txt
List of authors and contributors.
* CHANGES.txt
Summary of what has changed between releases of Tux Paint.
* COPYING.txt
Tux Paint's software license, the GNU General Public License
(GPL)
How to Get Help
If you need help, there are numerous ways to interact with Tux Paint
developers and other users:
* Report bugs or request new features via the project's bug-tracking
system
* Participate in the various project mailing lists
* Contact the developers directly
To learn more, visit the "Contact" page of the official Tux Paint website:
https://tuxpaint.org/contact/
How to Participate
Tux Paint is a volunteer-driven project, and we're happy to accept your
help in a variety of ways:
* Translate Tux Paint to another language
* Improve existing translations
* Create artwork (stamps, starters, templates, brushes)
* Add or improve features or magic tools
* Create classroom curriculum
* Promote or help support others using Tux Paint
To learn more, visit the "Help Us" page of the official Tux Paint website:
https://tuxpaint.org/help/
Follow the Tux Paint project on social media
Tux Paint maintains a presence on a variety of social media networks,
where we post updates and artwork.
* Join the Tux Paint page on Facebook
* Follow @TuxPaintDevs on Instagram
* Follow @tuxpaint@floss.social on Mastodon
* Follow u/TuxPaintDevs on Reddit
* Follow Tux Paint on Tumblr
* Follow @TuxPaintTweets on Twitter
Trademark notices
* "Linux" is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
* "Microsoft" and "Windows" are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
* "Apple" and "macOS" are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.
* "Facebook" and "Instagram" are registered trademarks of Meta
Platforms, Inc.
* "Mastodon" is a registered trademark of Mastodon gGmbH.
* "Reddit" is a registered trademark of Reddit, Inc.
* "Tumblr" is a registered trademark of Tumblr, Inc.
* "Twitter" is a registered trademark of X Corp.
