The FlySketch Toolbar
The toolbar features many useful buttons designed to help you in highlighting, drawing, and modifying the image on the screen. Find out all about them below.
The Selection Tool can be used to grab images and shapes for resizing or moving around the canvas. This is the basic tool you will use to get around the canvas. Use this tool to select a shape after you create it with one of the other tools in order to change its color, size, stroke width, drop shadow, and composition mode. Check out the palettes page to read more about those features.
Key Shortcut: V
The Oval Tool can be used to construct ovals or circles on the canvas. Simply select the tool and drag the mouse around to create your shape. Holding down the shift key while doing this will create a perfectly round circle.
Key Shortcut: C
Tip: Hold down the shift key to scale proportionally when resizing.
The Line Tool can be used to make straight lines on the canvas. You also have the option of placing arrows on either end of the line. Adding arrows is as simple as opening the inspector drawer in the box labeled “Arrow”. Use the checkboxes to mark which end(s) you want an arrow to appear. Check out the palettes page for more information.
Key Shortcut: L
Tip: Place arrows on the ends of your line with the arrow pallet to help with drawing diagrams.
The Rectangle Tool can be used to make rectangles or squares. Holding down the shift key while drawing this shape conforms it to a square.
Key Shortcut: R
Tip: Hold down the shift key to make your rectangle scale proportionally when resizing.
The Round Rectangle Tool can be used to make rectangles or squares with rounded edges. Holding down the shift key while drawing this shape conforms it to a square.
Key Shortcut: E
The Text Tool is used to add text to the canvas. Choose the Text Tool and drag the mouse to create a rectangle where you want text to appear. Type away to add your text to the canvas. Change fonts using the font panel, which is brought up using ⌘T.
Key Shortcut: T
The Freehand Tool allows you to sketch anywhere in the canvas with freeform lines. Once freehand objects are created, you can only move them around. Resizing them is not possible after creation. Use this tool when you feel like being messy. Or, if you have a tablet attached, FlySketch will sense the pressure you are drawing with and adjust the width of your line.
Key Shortcut: F
Tip: If you have a tablet, FlySketch will sense the pressure you are applying and adjust the width of your line.
The Highlighter Tool is useful when you have a screen capture on the canvas, and you would like to highlight certain pieces such as text, or maybe images. If you fancy a color other than yellow, you may change the color (and transparency) of the Highlighter Tool in the preferences.
Key Shortcut: H
The Transparency Slider is used when you want to make the canvas see-through, making it easier to see where you want to take a screen capture. It’s also just neat to use. Show it to your windows-using friends and make them jealous. The slider only works if you haven't yet taken a screen shot.
Key Shortcuts: 1–9, 0 (zero) to make the canvas opaque.
Workflow Actions are used to perform actions against the images you create. Click on the script icon and you will be presented with a list of actions to use against the graphics current canvas. You can create a new action by opening up the Workflow Scripts folder, and dragging an alias of an application or folder in. To open up the Workflow Scripts folder choose “Open Workflow Scripts folder” from the actions menu.
When an action is run against an application alias (Like Mail, Photoshop, or Microsoft Entourage), FlySketch will open the image up just like you were dragging it to the applications’ icon. When an action is run against a folder alias, FlySketch will copy in the image.
Tip: If you are up to the challenge, with a little bit of scripting know-how, you can create and add your own unix shell scripts as actions by placing them in your “~/Library/Application Support/FlySketch/Workflow Scripts” folder. FlySketch recognizes the following list as files that are meant to be run as shell scripts: “py”, “pl”, “sh”, “rb”, “as”, and “applescript”.
The Clear Canvas Tool does just what its name implies- it clears the canvas of any objects. Deleting them forever. Gone, poof, no more.
…
Ok, you can always choose undo if you did this by accident (Edit ▸ Undo Delete).
The Screen Shot Tool takes a picture of whatever is currently behind the canvas, and adds it as an image object. This is perfect for taking little shots of webpages, and then marking them up with the highlighter.
If you would like to have these images locked or unlocked, check out the option “Lock screen capture backgrounds” in the Preferences window.
Key Shortcuts: ⌘K
