Inkscape keyboard and mouse reference

This document describes the default keyboard and mouse shortcuts of Inkscape, corresponding to the share/keys/default.xml file in Inkscape distribution. Most (but not all) of these keys are configurable by the user; see the default.xml file for details on how to do that.

Unless noted otherwise, keypad keys (such as arrows, Home, End, +, -, digits) are supposed to work the same as corresponding regular keys. If you have a new shortcut idea, please contact the developers (by writing to the devel mailing list or by submitting an RFE).

*

# Tools

s
Selector
Selector (temporary)

Space switches to the Selector tool temporarily; another Space switches back.

When the "Left mouse button pans when Space is pressed" option is on in Preferences, Space+mouse drag pans canvas instead of switching to Selector.

n
Node tool
w
Tweak tool
z
Zoom tool
r
Rectangle tool
x
3D box tool
e
Ellipse/arc tool
p
Pencil (Freehand) tool
b
Pen (Bezier) tool
c
Calligraphy tool
c
Eraser tool
u
Paint Bucket tool
g
Gradient tool
d
Dropper tool
t
Text tool
i
Spiral tool
*
Star tool
o
Connector tool

Double click on the tool buttons opens the Preferences dialog showing the page of the corresponding tool.

*

# Dialogs

## Open

F
Fill and Stroke
W
Swatches
T
Text and Font
M
Transform
L
Layers
A
Align and Distribute
O
Object Properties
H
Undo History
X
XML Editor
D
Document Preferences
P
Inkscape Preferences
E
Export to PNG
F
Find
B
Trace Bitmap
7
Path Effects

These shortcuts open a new dialog window if it wasn't open yet, otherwise the corresponding dialog gets focus.

## Toggle visibility

toggle dialogs

This temporarily hides all open dialogs; another F12 shows them again.

## Within a dialog

return to the canvas
W
close the dialog
jump to next widget
jump to previous widget
set the new value

This accepts the new value you typed in a text field and returns focus to canvas.

in XML Editor, set the attr value

When editing an attribute value in XML Editor, this sets the new value (same as clicking the "Set attribute" button).

activate current button or list
in a multi-tab dialog, switch tabs

*

# Controls bar

## Access

The Controls bar at the top of the document window provides different buttons and controls for each tool.

X
jump to the first editable field

## Navigate

jump to next field
jump to previous field

Use these to navigate between fields in the Controls bar (the value in the field you leave, if changed, is accepted).

## Change values

change value by 0.1
change value by 5.0
accept the new value

This accepts the new value you typed in a text field and returns focus to canvas.

cancel changes, return to canvas

This cancels any changes you made in a text field and returns focus to canvas.

Z
cancel changes

This cancels any changes you made in a text field but you stay in the field.

*

# Canvas

## Zoom

=
+
zoom in
-
zoom out

The keypad +/- keys do zooming even when you are editing a text object, unless NumLock is on.

zoom in
zoom out
zoom in or out

When the "Mouse wheel zooms by default" option is on in Preferences, Ctrl+wheel scrolls instead of zooming. To zoom, use wheel without Ctrl.

zoom into the area
Z
activate zoom field

The zoom field in the lower right corner of the window allows you to specify zoom level precisely.

## Preset zooms

1
zoom 1:1
2
zoom 1:2
3
zoom to selection
4
zoom to drawing
5
zoom to page
E
6
zoom to page width

## Zoom history

`
(back quote) previous zoom
`
next zoom

With these keys, you can travel back and forth through the history of zooms in this session

## Scroll (pan)

scroll canvas

Scrolling by keys is accelerated, i.e. it speeds up when you press Ctrl+arrows in quick succession, or press and hold.

pan canvas
pan canvas
scroll canvas vertically

When the "Mouse wheel zooms by default" option is on in Preferences, mouse wheel zooms instead of scrolling. To scroll, use Ctrl+wheel.

scroll canvas horizontally

When the "Left mouse button pans when Space is pressed" option is on in Preferences, Space+mouse drag also pans canvas.

## Guides, grids, snapping

drag off a ruler to create guide

Drag off the horizontal or vertical ruler to create a new guideline. Drag a guideline onto the ruler to delete it.

drag a guide to move it
drag a guide (not near anchor) to rotate it
rotate guide with angle snapping
delete guide
|
\
toggle guides and snapping to guides

If you want to see the guides but not snap to them, use the global snapping toggle (% key).

When you create a new guide by dragging off the ruler, guide visibility and snapping are turned on.

#
3
toggle grids and snapping to grids

If you want to see the grids but not snap to them, use the global snapping toggle (% key).

Note that only the 3 key on the main keyboard works, not on the keypad.

%
toggle snapping on and off

This toggle affects snapping to grids, guides, and objects in all tools.

## Display mode

toggle normal/outline mode

*

# Palette

These keys work both in the floating palette dialog and in the palette frame at the bottom of the window.

set fill color on selection
set stroke color on selection
open pop-up menu
drag fill color to objects
drag stroke color to objects

To change fill/stroke of an object by dragging color on it, that object need not be selected.

You can also drag colors to the Fill (F) and Stroke (S) indicators in the statusbar to change the selection.

*

# File

N
create new document
O
open a document
E
export to PNG
I
import bitmap or vector
P
print document
S
save document
S
save under a new name
S
save a copy
Q
exit Inkscape

*

# Window

R
toggle rulers
B
toggle scrollbars
toggle fullscreen
main menu

Menus can also be activated by Alt with the letter underscored in the menu name.

drop-down (context) menu
W
close document window

This shuts down Inkscape if it was the only document window open.

next document window
previous document window

These cycle through the active document windows forward and backward.

*

# Layers

create new layer
move to layer above
move to layer below

These commands move the selected objects from one layer to another.

raise layer
lower layer
raise layer to top
lower layer to bottom

These commands move the current layer among its siblings (normally other layers).

*

# Object

## Undo/redo

Y
Z
undo
Z
Y
redo

## Clipboard

C
copy selection
X
cut selection
V
paste clipboard

This places the clipboard objects at the mouse cursor, or at the center of the window if mouse is outside the canvas.

When editing text with the text tool, this pastes the text from the clipboard into the current text object.

V
paste in place

This places the clipboard objects into the original location from which they were copied.

V
paste style

This applies the style of the (first of the) copied object(s) to the current selection.

If a gradient handle (in Gradient tool) or a text span (in Text tool) are selected, they get the style instead of the entire object.

7
paste path effect

This applies the path effect of the copied path to the paths/shapes in current selection.

## Duplicate

D
duplicate selection

New object(s) are placed exactly over the original(s) and selected.

## Clone

D
clone object

A clone can be moved/scaled/rotated/skewed independently, but it updates the path, fill, and stroke from its original.

The clone is placed exactly over the original object and is selected.

You can only clone one object at a time; if you want to clone several objects together, group them and clone the group.

D
unlink clone

Unlinking a clone cuts the link to the original, turning the clone into a plain copy.

D
select original

To find out which object this is a clone of, select the clone and give this command. The original will be selected.

## Bitmaps

B
create a bitmap copy

This exports the selected object(s) (all other objects hidden) as PNG in the document's directory and imports it back.

The imported bitmap is placed over the original selection and is selected.

B
trace bitmap

This opens the Trace Bitmap dialog allowing you to convert a bitmap object to path(s).

## Patterns

I
object(s) to pattern

This converts the selection to a rectangle with tiled pattern fill.

I
pattern to object(s)

Each selected object with pattern fill is broken into the same object without fill and a single pattern object.

## Group

U
G
group selected objects

Use Ctrl+click to select objects within group.

G
U
ungroup selected group(s)

This removes only one level of grouping; press Ctrl+U repeatedly to ungroup nested groups.

## Z-order

raise selection to top
lower selection to bottom
raise selection one step
lower selection one step

*

# Path

## Convert to path

C
convert selected object(s) to path
C
convert stroke to path

## Boolean operations

+
union

Union combines any number of objects into a single path, removing overlaps.

-
difference

Difference works on 2 objects, extracting the top from the bottom.

*
intersection

Intersection creates a path representing the common (overlapping) area of all selected objects.

^
exclusive OR (XOR)

XOR is similar to Union, except that it works on 2 objects and removes areas where the objects overlap.

/
division (cut)

Division cuts the bottom object into pieces by the top object, preserving the fill and stroke of the bottom.

/
cut path

Cut Path cuts the bottom object's stroke only where it is intersected by the top path, removing any fill from the result.

The result of Union, Difference, Intersection, and XOR inherits the id= attribute and therefore the clones of the bottom object.

Division and Cut path normally produce several objects; of them, a random one inherits the id= of the bottom source object.

## Offsets

(
inset path (towards center)
)
outset path (away from center)

The default offset distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

(
inset path by 1 pixel
)
outset path by 1 pixel
(
inset path by 10 pixels
)
outset path by 10 pixels

The actual distance for pixel offsets depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment.

All the (, ) commands convert the object to path, if necessary, and produce regular path.

J
create dynamic offset
J
create linked offset

These commands produce an offset object, editable by the node tool, standalone or linked to the original.

D
select source

Selecting a linked offset and giving this command will select the source path of the linked offset.

## Combine

K
combine paths

This is different from grouping in that combined paths create one object.

This is different from Union in that overlapping areas are not affected.

Whether overlapping areas are filled is controlled by the Fill: winding/alternating switch on the Fill & Stroke dialog.

K
break paths apart

This attempts to break an object into constituent paths; it will fail if the object is one solid path.

## Simplify

L
simplify

This command attempts to simplify selected path(s) by removing extra nodes. It converts all objects to paths first.

If you invoke this command several times in quick succession, it will act more and more aggressively.

Invoking Simplify again after a pause restores the default threshold (settable in the Inkscape Preferences dialog).

*

# Selector

## Select (mouse)

select an object

When you left-click on an object, previous selection is deselected.

toggle selection

Shift+click adds an object to the current selection if it was not selected, or deselects it otherwise.

edit the object

For paths, double clicking switches to Node tool; for shapes, to corresponding shape tool; for text, to Text tool.

For groups, double clicking performs the "Enter group" command (the group becomes a temporary layer).

Double clicking in empty space switches to the parent layer in the hierarchy, if any.

## Rubberband, touch selection

select by rubberband

Dragging around objects does "rubberband" selection; previous selection is deselected.

add objects to selection

Normally, you need to start from an empty space to initiate a rubberband.

However, if you press Shift before dragging, Inkscape will do rubberband selection even if you start from an object.

select by touch

Alt+dragging over objects selects those objects that are touched by the path.

To start touch selection with Alt, you must have nothing selected; otherwise use Shift+Alt.

You can switch rubberband selection to touch selection and back while dragging by pressing/releasing Alt.

## Select (keyboard)

select next object
select previous object

These keys pick objects in their z-order (Tab cycles from bottom to top, Shift+Tab cycles from top to bottom).

Unless you did manual rearrangements, the last object you created is always on top.

As a result, if nothing is selected, pressing Shift+Tab once conveniently selects the object you created last.

This works on objects within the current layer (unless you change that in preferences).

A
select all (current layer)

This works on objects within the current layer (unless you change that in preferences).

A
select all (all layers)

This works on objects in all visible and unlocked layers.

!
invert selection (current layer)

This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in the current layer.

!
invert selection (all layers)

This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in visible and unlocked layers.

deselect
delete selection

## Select within group, select under

select within group

Ctrl+click selects the object at click point disregarding any levels of grouping that this object might belong to.

toggle selection within group
select under

Alt+click selects the object at click point which is beneath (in z-order) the lowest selected object at click point.

If the bottom object is reached, Alt+click again selects the top object. So, several Alt+clicks cycle through z-order stack at point.

On Linux, Alt+click and Alt+drag may be reserved by the window manager. If you reconfigure your window manager

to not map Alt+click, then it will be free for Inkscape to use.

If your keyboard has a Meta key, you may wish to set your "Modifier key" to use it instead of Alt.

(Sometimes you can also use Ctrl+Alt+click (select under in groups) with the same effect as Alt+click.)

toggle under
select under, in groups
toggle under, in groups
enter group
go to parent group/layer

## Move (mouse)

select + move

Dragging an object selects it if it was not selected, then moves selection.

move selected

Alt+drag moves the current selection (without selecting what is under cursor), no matter where you start the drag.

On Linux, Alt+click and Alt+drag may be reserved by the window manager. Reconfigure it so you can use them in Inkscape.

restrict movement to horizontal or vertical
temporarily disable snapping

This temporarily disables snapping to grid or guides when you are dragging with grid or guides on.

drop a copy

When dragging or transforming with mouse, each Space leaves a copy of the selected object.

You can press and hold Space while dragging for a nice "trail."

## Move (keyboard)

move selection by the nudge distance
move selection by 10x nudge distance

The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

move selection by 1 pixel
move selection by 10 pixels

The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

## Transform (mouse)

S
toggle scale/rotation handles
scale (with scale handles)
rotate or skew (with rotation handles)

## Scale by handles

scale
scale preserving aspect ratio
symmetric transformation

Holding Shift while transforming makes transformation symmetric around the center of the selection.

scale by integer

Hold Alt while scaling to limit scale to 2, 3, 4, etc. or 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 etc. of the initial size.

## Scale (keyboard)

.
>
scale selection up by the scale step
,
<
scale selection down by the scale step

The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

.
>
scale selection to 200%
,
<
scale selection to 50%
.
>
scale selection up by 1 pixel
,
<
scale selection down by 1 pixel

The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling.

Scaling is uniform around the center, so that the size increment applies to the larger of the two dimensions.

## Rotate/skew by handles

rotate or skew
snap skew angle

Holding Ctrl when dragging a skew (non-corner) handle snaps the skew angle to angle steps (default 15 degrees).

snap rotation angle

Holding Ctrl when dragging a rotation (corner) handle snaps the rotation angle to angle steps (default 15 degrees).

## Rotate (keyboard)

[
]
rotate selection by the angle step

The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise.

[
]
rotate selection by 90 degrees
[
]
rotate selection by 1 pixel

The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

These commands use the rotation center, draggable in Selector (by default it's in geometric center).

## Flip

h
flip selection horizontally
v
flip selection vertically

If the tool is in rotate mode (rotation center visible), that center becomes the axis of flipping; otherwise it flips around geometric center of selection

## Rotation center

move rotation center

Moved rotation center remembers and saves its position for (all) selected object(s); you can reset it.

Dragging the center snaps it to the centerlines and bounding box edges of the selection.

move without snapping
reset rotation center

Resetting rotation center moves it back to the geometric center of the object's or selection's bounding box.

## Cancel

cancel rubberband, move, transformation

Press Esc while mouse button is still down to cancel rubberband selection, move, or transformation of any kind.

*

# Node tool

## Select objects (mouse)

click a non-selected object to select
select under
toggle selection

These work the same as in Selector. The nodes or handles of the single selected object become editable.

## Select nodes (mouse)

select a node

Clicking on a node selects it.

select two adjacent nodes

Clicking on a selected path between the nodes selects the two nodes closest to the click point.

toggle selection

This adds/removes a node (if clicked on node) or two nodes (if clicked on path) to/from the node selection.

deselect

Clicking in an empty space deselects all selected nodes. Next click will deselect the object.

## Rubberband selection

select multiple nodes

Dragging around nodes does "rubberband" selection; previous node selection is deselected.

add nodes to selection

Normally, you need to start from a point not over a path or a node to initiate a rubberband.

However, if you press Shift before dragging, Inkscape will do rubberband selection even if you start over the path.

## Select nodes (keyboard)

select next node
select previous node

These keys select nodes within the selected path

A
select all nodes in subpath(s)

If the path has multiple subpaths and some nodes selected, this selects all only in subpaths with already selected nodes.

A
select all nodes in path

This selects all nodes in the entire path.

!
invert selection in subpath(s)

If the path has multiple subpaths and some nodes selected, this inverts selection only in subpaths with already selected nodes.

!
invert selection in path

This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in the entire path.

deselect all nodes

## Grow/shrink node selection

grow/shrink selection (spatial)
grow/shrink selection (spatial)
grow/shrink selection (along path)
grow/shrink selection (along path)

Your mouse pointer must be over a node for growing/shrinking.

Each key press or wheel click selects the nearest unselected node or deselects the farthest selected node.

Distance to nodes can be calculated directly (spatial mode) or along path.

## Move nodes (mouse)

move selected nodes
restrict movement to horizontal or vertical
move along handles

This restricts movement to the directions of the node's handles, their continuations and perpendiculars (total 8 snaps).

If the node has straight lines on one or both sides, this will snap it to these lines' directions and perpendiculars instead.

temporarily disable snapping

Snapping nodes is enabled in Document Preferences. By default, only bounding box of objects snaps to grid/guides.

drag out handle

If a node has a retracted handle, dragging with Shift lets you drag it out of the node.

drop a copy

When dragging nodes with mouse, each Space leaves a copy of the selected object.

You can press and hold Space while dragging for a nice "trail."

sculpt selected nodes

Sculpting moves the selected nodes so that the dragged node moves all the way, the farthest selected nodes stay put;

all intermediate selected nodes move intermediate distances, governed by a bell-like curve.

Sculpting is pressure-sensitive with a tablet; press harder for a blunter drag profile, press lightly for a sharper profile.

To stop sculpting without losing the pressure-sensitive profile, release Alt first and then lift the pen.

## Move nodes (keyboard)

move selected node(s) by the nudge distance
move selected node(s) by 10x nudge distance

The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

move selected node(s) by 1 pixel
move selected node(s) by 10 pixels

The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

## Move node handle (mouse)

move a node handle
snap the handle to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees. This also snaps to the handle's original angle, its continuation and perpendiculars.

rotate both handles
lock the handle length

Ctrl, Shift, Alt can be combined when dragging handles.

retract the handle

Retracted handle is zero length; use Shift+drag to drag it back out.

## Scale handle (1 node selected)

<
>
contract/expand both handles by scale step

The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). May apply to more than one node.

<
>
scale left handle by the scale step
<
>
scale right handle by the scale step
<
>
scale left handle by 1 pixel
<
>
scale right handle by 1 pixel

The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling.

Instead of the < and > keys, you can use the , (comma) and . (period) keys respectively.

## Rotate handle (1 node selected)

[
]
rotate both handles by the angle step

The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise. May apply to more than one node.

[
]
rotate left handle by the angle step
[
]
rotate right handle by the angle step
[
]
rotate left handle by 1 pixel
[
]
rotate right handle by 1 pixel

## Scale nodes (>1 nodes selected)

These commands scale the selected nodes as if they were an "object".

If mouse is over a node, that node becomes the axis of scaling; otherwise it scales around geometric center of selected nodes.

.
>
scale nodes up by the scale step
,
<
scale nodes down by the scale step

The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

.
>
scale nodes up by 1 pixel
,
<
scale nodes down by 1 pixel

The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling.

Scaling is uniform around the center, so that the size increment applies to the larger of the two dimensions.

## Rotate nodes (>1 nodes selected)

These commands rotate the selected nodes as if they were an "object".

If mouse is over a node, that node becomes the axis of rotation; otherwise it rotates around geometric center of selected nodes.

[
]
rotate nodes by the angle step

The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise.

[
]
rotate nodes by 1 pixel

The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

## Flip nodes (>1 nodes selected)

These commands flip the selected nodes as if they were an "object", around the center of that object.

h
flip nodes horizontally
v
flip nodes vertically

If mouse is over a node, that node becomes the axis of flipping; otherwise it flips around geometric center of selected nodes

## Change segment(s)

L
make line
U
make curve

These commands require that more than two adjacent nodes be selected.

## Change node type

C
make cusp

First Shift+C changes type of node; if you do another Shift+C on an already cusp node, it retracts its handles

S
make smooth

If a cusp node is adjacent to a line segment, first Shift+S makes it half-smooth with one handle collinear with the segment; another Shift+S will expand a second handle

Y
make symmetric

When making smooth or symmetric, you can lock the position of one of the handles by hovering mouse over it.

A
make auto
toggle smooth/cusp/symmetric/auto

## Join/break

J
join selected nodes

This requires that exactly two end nodes within the path be selected.

You can lock the position of one of the two joined nodes by hovering mouse over it.

B
break selected node(s)

After break, only one of each two new nodes is selected. May apply to more than one node.

## Delete, create, duplicate

delete selected node(s)
delete without preserving shape

Deleting without Ctrl adjusts handles on the remaining nodes to preserve the shape of the curve as much as possible.

Deleting with Ctrl does not touch the remaining nodes.

create/delete node

Ctrl+Alt+click on a node deletes it; Ctrl+Alt+click on the path between nodes creates a new node in the click point.

Deleting nodes this way always tries to preserve the shape of the curve (same as Del/Backspace).

create node

Double clicking on the path between nodes creates a node in the click point.

insert new node(s)

This adds new node(s) in the middle(s) of selected segment(s), so it requires that more than two adjacent nodes be selected.

D
duplicate selected node(s)

New nodes are created on the same path; they are placed exactly over the old ones and are selected.

## Reverse

r
reverse path direction

## Edit shapes

Node tool can also drag the handles of shapes (rectangles, ellipses, stars, spirals). Click on a shape to select it.

See the corresponding shape tools for their editing shortcuts, all of which also work in node tool.

## Edit fills and path effects

Node tool can also edit the handles of a pattern fill, gradient fill, and the editable handles of path effects.

## Cancel

cancel rubberband or move

Press Esc while mouse button is still down to cancel rubberband selection, node move, handle move, or handle move.

*

# Tweak tool

## Operation

act on selected paths in the current mode
reverse current mode (when applicable)
act temporarily switching to shrink mode
act temporarily switching to grow mode

The amount of tweaking action is the greatest at the center of the circular area and drops off smoothly towards the edges.

## Modes

m
0
move mode
i
1
move in/out mode

Drag moves objects inwards to cursor, drag with Shift moves outwards from cursor

z
2
move jitter mode
<
>
3
scale mode

Drag scales objects down, drag with Shift scales up

[
]
4
rotate mode

Drag rotates objects clockwise, drag with Shift, counterclockwise

d
5
duplicate/delete mode

Drag randomly duplicates objects, drag with Shift randomly deletes

p
6
push path mode
s
7
shrink/grow path mode

Drag insets paths, drag with Shift outsets

a
8
attract/repel path mode

Drag attracts paths to cursor, drag with Shift repels

r
9
roughen mode
c
color paint mode
j
color jitter mode
b
blur mode

## Parameters

adjust brush width by 1
set brush width to 1 / 100
adjust tweaking force

Width and force can be adjusted while drawing. With a pressure-sensitive tablet, force also depends on pen pressure.

*

# Rectangle tool

## Draw

draw a rectangle
make a square or integer-ratio rectangle

This restricts rectangle so its height/width ratio is a whole number.

draw around the starting point

This creates a rectangle symmetric around the starting point of the mouse drag.

## Select

click to select
select under
toggle selection

In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector)

deselect

## Resize by handles

drag a square handle to resize

Initially, the two resize (square) handles are in top left and bottom right corners.

Resize handles change the width and height of the rectangle in its own coordinate system, before any transforms are applied.

lock width, height, or ratio

## Round corners by handles

drag a circular handle to round corners

Initially, the two rounding handles are in the top right corner of the rectangle.

lock the corner circular
set the corner circular

When rounding corners, dragging one rounding handle keeps the corner circular if the other remains at the corner.

You can drag both handles for an elliptic rounded corner, or drag/click one with Ctrl to make it circular again.

remove corner rounding

*

# 3D box tool

## Draw

draw a 3D box (X/Y plane)
draw a 3D box (extrude in Z)

## Select

click to select
select under
toggle selection
deselect

## Edit by handles

All editing operations occur "in perspective", i.e., either along perspective lines or within planes spanned by these.

resize/move box

The four front handles and the center normally move within the XY plane, the four rear handles along the Z axis.

resize/move (with handle behaviour swapped)
resize/move (handles snap to axes or diagonals)

## Edit perspectives

In what follows, we use the abbreviations VP = vanishing point, PL = perspective line.

drag square handles to move the VPs
[
]
rotate X-PLs (if parallel) by the angle step

The default angle step is 15 degrees. ],),} rotate clockwise, [,(,{ rotate counterclockwise.

[
]
rotate X-PLs (if parallel) by 1 pixel
(
)
rotate Y-PLs (if parallel) by the angle step
(
)
rotate Y-PLs (if parallel) by 1 pixel
{
}
rotate Z-PLs (if parallel) by the angle step
{
}
rotate Z-PLs (if parallel) by 1 pixel

*

# Ellipse tool

## Draw

Without Alt the starting and ending point of the mouse drag mark the corners of the bounding box.

With Alt the ellipse is enlarged so that its circumference passes through these two points (Ctrl+Alt is a special case; see below).

draw an ellipse
make circle or integer-ratio ellipse

This restricts ellipse so its height/width ratio is a whole number.

draw around the starting point

This creates an ellipse symmetric around the starting point of the mouse drag.

create circle passing through the starting and ending point

This creates a perfect circle whose diameter is defined by the starting and ending point of the mouse drag.

## Select

click to select
select under
toggle selection

In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector)

deselect

## Edit by handles

resize, make arc or segment

Initially, the two resize handles are at the topmost and leftmost points; the two arc/segment handles are in the rightmost point.

lock circle (resize handles)
snap to angle steps (arc/segment handles)

Resize handles change the width and height of the ellipse in its own coordinate system, before any transforms are applied.

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

make whole (arc/segment handles)

*

# Star tool

## Draw

draw a star
snap star to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

## Select

click to select
select under
toggle selection

In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector)

deselect

## Edit by handles

drag a handle to vary the star shape
keep star rays radial (no skew)
round the star
remove rounding
randomize the star
remove randomization

*

# Spiral tool

## Draw

draw a spiral
snap spiral to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

## Select

click to select
select under
toggle selection

In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector)

deselect

## Edit by handles

roll/unroll from inside (inner handle)

Dragging the inner handle adjusts the "inner radius" parameter.

converge/diverge (inner handle)
reset divergence (inner handle)

Vertical Alt+drag of the inner handle adjusts the "divergence" parameter, Alt+click resets it to 1.

zero inner radius (inner handle)

Shift+click on inner handle makes the spiral start from the center.

roll/unroll from outside (outer handle)

Dragging the outer handle adjusts the "turns" parameter. Use Shift+Alt+drag to roll/unroll without changing radius.

scale/rotate (outer handle)

Use Shift+Alt to rotate only (locks the radius of the spiral).

snap handles to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees. This works for both handles.

*

# Zoom tool

zoom in
zoom out
zoom into the area

*

# Pencil tool

draw a freehand line
add to selected path

If a path is selected, Shift+dragging anywhere creates a new subpath instead of a new independent path.

temporarily disable snapping

Shift also temporarily disables snapping to grid or guides when you are drawing with grid or guides on.

averaging draw (sketch mode)

*

# Pen (Bezier) tool

## Create nodes

create a sharp node

If no path is being created, this starts a new path.

add to selected path

If a path is selected, Shift+clicking anywhere starts a new subpath instead of a new independent path.

create a Bezier node with two handles
move only one handle

This moves only one handle (instead of both) while creating a node, making it cusp.

snap the handle to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

## Move last node

These commands move the last created node (at the start of the red segment) while creating a path.

move last node by the nudge distance
move last node by 10x nudge distance

The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

move last node by 1 pixel
move last node by 10 pixels

The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

## Create/modify segments

snap last segment to angle steps

This snaps the new node's angle, relative to the previous node, to angle steps (default 15 degrees).

L
make last segment line
U
make last segment curve

These commands change the last (red) segment of the path to straight line or curve.

## Create dots

create a dot

This creates a small circle. Its size (relative to the current stroke width) can be set in Preferences.

create a double-sized dot
create a random-sized dot

## Finish

finish current line
finish current line
finish current line

Enter, right click, or double left click finish the current line, discarding the last unfinished (red) segment.

## Cancel

z
cancel current line
erase last segment of current line

*

# Calligraphy tool

draw a calligraphic line
add to selected path

Drawing with Shift unions the newly created stroke with the previous selection

subtract from selected path

Drawing with Alt subtracts the newly created stroke from the previous selection

track a guide path

Drawing with Ctrl tracks a selected guide path at the constant distance

adjust pen width by 1
set pen width to 1 or 100
adjust pen angle

Width and angle can be adjusted while drawing.

deselect

*

# Paint Bucket

fill a bounded area
add to selected path

Clicking with Shift unions the newly created fill with the previous selection

fill from each point

From each point, the fill spreads to the neighbors with the colors similar to that point.

This can be used to fill an area currently filled with a gradient or blur.

fill from each point same as initial point

From each point, the fill spreads to the neighbors with the colors similar to the initial point of the drag.

This can be used to fill several disjoint bounded areas by starting in one and dragging over all of the areas.

set fill color
set stroke color

Ctrl+clicking an object sets its fill (or stroke with Shift) to the tool's current style; the object need not be selected

*

# Gradient tool

## Select objects

click an object to select
select under
toggle selection

## Create gradients

create gradient

This creates gradient on selected objects. The Controls bar lets you select linear/radial and fill/stroke for the new gradient.

create default gradient

This creates default (horizontal edge-to-edge for linear, centered edge-to-edge-to-edge for radial) gradient on clicked object.

## Select handles

select a handle
add handle to selection
select by rubberband
select next handle
select previous handle
A
select all handles
deselect all handles

Single click outside all handles also deselects all handles.

## Create/delete intermediate stops

create a stop
create a stop

Ctrl+Alt+click or double click on a gradient line creates a new intermediate stop

delete stop

Ctrl+Alt+click on a stop's handle deletes the stop; if it was an end stop, gradient shortens or disappears

insert new stop(s)

This adds new stop(s) in the middle(s) of selected segment(s), so it requires that more than two adjacent handles be selected.

delete selected stops

## Move handles/stops

move selected handle(s)
move stops in 1/10 range increments

Ctrl+dragging selected intermediate stops moves them snapping to 1/10 steps of the available range

sculpt selected stops

Sculpting moves the selected intermediate stops depending on how close each one is to the stop being dragged, using a smooth bell-like curve similar to the node sculpting feature in Node tool.

move selected handle by the nudge distance
move selected handle by 10x nudge distance

The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

move selected handle by 1 pixel
move selected handle by 10 pixels

If at least one end handle is selected, arrow keys move the end handle to move or resize the gradient line.

If only mid stops are selected, arrow keys move the selected stops along the gradient line.

The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

## Reverse

r
reverse gradient definition

This mirrors the stop positions of the current gradient without moving the gradient handles.

## Gradient editor

open gradient editor

Double clicking a gradient handle opens the Gradient Editor with that gradient and the clicked handle chosen in the stops list.

*

# Dropper tool

pick fill color
pick stroke color
average fill color
average stroke color

Click applies the color under cursor to the current selection. Dragging a radius calculates the average color of a circular area.

If a gradient handle (in Gradient tool) is selected, it gets the color instead of the entire object.

pick inverse color

If Alt is pressed, picking color (with or without Shift, by click or by drag) picks the inverse of the color.

C
copy color

This copies the color under cursor to the clipboard, as text in RRGGBBAA format (8 hex digits).

*

# Text tool

## Select/create

create/select a text object

Clicking in an empty space or on a non-text creates a text object; now you can type your text.

Clicking on a text object selects it; cursor is placed near the click point.

deselect the text object

## Navigate in text

move cursor by one character
move cursor by one word
move cursor by one paragraph
go to beginning/end of line
go to beginning/end of text
move cursor by one screen

All these commands cancel current text selection, if any. Use them with Shift to extend selection instead.

## Flowed text (internal frame)

create flowed text

Clicking and dragging in an empty space or on a non-text creates a flowed text object with internal frame.

adjust frame size

Dragging the handle in the lower right corner of the selected flowed text changes width/height of the frame.

lock width, height, or ratio of frame

Dragging the corner handle with Ctrl resizes the frame preserving either width, or height, or ratio.

## Flowed text (external frame)

W
flow text into frame

With a text object and a shape/path selected, this flows text into the shape/path.

Both remain separate objects, but are linked; editing the shape/path causes the text to reflow.

W
unflow text from frame

This cuts the flowed text's link to the shape/path, producing a single-line regular text object.

D
select external frame

To find out which object is the frame of this flowed text, select it and press Shift+D. The frame will be selected.

## Text on path

D
select path from text

To find out which path this text is put on, select it and press Shift+D. The path will be selected.

## Edit text

To type + and - characters, use the main keyboard; keypad + and - are reserved for zoom (unless NumLock is on).

start a new line or paragraph

Enter in regular text creates new line; in flowed text it creates a new paragraph

U
toggle Unicode entry

To insert an arbitrary Unicode character, type Ctrl+U, then the hexadecimal code point, then Enter.

For example, type Ctrl+U 2 0 1 4 Enter for an em-dash; Ctrl+U a 9 Enter for a copyright sign.

To stay in Unicode mode after inserting the character, press Space instead of Enter.

Press Esc or another Ctrl+U to cancel Unicode mode without inserting the character.

insert no-break space

A no-break space is visible even in a text object without xml:space="preserve".

## Select text

select text

Left-dragging over a text object selects a text span.

select text by character
select text by word
select to beginning/end of line
select to beginning/end of text
select one screen up/down
select word
select line
A
select all text

This selects the entire text of the current text object.

## Style selection

B
make selection bold
I
make selection italic

Also, you can use the Text&Font or Fill&Stroke dialogs to assign any style to text selection.

## Letter spacing

>
expand line/paragraph by 1 pixel
>
expand line/paragraph by 10 pixels
<
contract line/paragraph by 1 pixel
<
contract line/paragraph by 10 pixels

These commands (only when editing text) adjust letter spacing in the current line (regular text) or paragraph (flowed text).

The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment.

## Line spacing

>
make the text object taller by 1 pixel
>
make the text object taller by 10 pixels
<
make the text object shorter by 1 pixel
<
make the text object shorter by 10 pixels

These commands (only when editing text) adjust line spacing in the entire text object (regular or flowed).

The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment.

## Kerning and shifting

shift characters by 1 pixel
shift characters by 10 pixels

These commands work when editing a regular text object. Kerning does not work in flowed text.

With no selection, they shift (horizontally or vertically) the characters after the cursor until the end of line.

With selection, they shift the selection relative to the rest of text (by inserting opposite kerns at both ends of selection).

The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment.

## Rotate

[
]
rotate character(s) by 90 degrees
[
]
rotate character(s) by 1 pixel

These commands rotate the next character (without selection) or all characters in the selection (with selection).

Rotation only works in regular text (not flowed text).

The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.