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

# The first tip should be a welcome message, because this is the
# first thing that a new user will see.
#
                            Welcome to the GIMP !
      
Nearly all image operations are performed by right-clicking
on the image.  And don't worry, you can undo most mistakes...    

# Tips for beginners start here
# (for people who are not familiar yet with layers and image formats)
#

You can get context-sensitive help for most of the GIMP's features by
pressing the F1 key at any time.  This also works inside the menus.

The GIMP uses layers to let you organize your image.  Think of them
as a stack of slides or filters, such that looking through them you
see a composite of their contents.

You can perform many layer operations by right-clicking on the text
label of a layer in the "Layers, Channels and Paths" dialog

When you save an image to work on it again later, try using XCF,
the GIMP's native file format (use the file extension ".xcf").
This preserves the layers and every aspect of your work-in-progress.
Once a project is completed, you can save it as JPEG, PNG, GIF, ...

The layer named "Background" it special because it lacks transparency.
This prevents you from adding a layer mask or moving the layer up in
the stack.  You may add transparency to it by right-clicking in the
"Layers, Channels and Paths" dialog and selecting "Add Alpha Channel".

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

Not all effects can be applied to all kinds of images.  This is
indicated by a grayed-out menu-entry.  You may need to change
the image mode to RGB (Image->Mode->RGB), add an alpha-channel
(Layers->Add Alpha Channel) or flatten it (Layers->Flatten Image).

# Tips for intermediate users start here
#

You can drag and drop many things in the GIMP.  For example, dragging
a color from the toolbox or from a color palette and dropping it into
an image will fill the current image or selection with that color.

When using a drawing tool (Paintbrush, Airbrush, or Pencil),
Shift-click will draw a straight line from your last drawing
point to your current cursor position.  If you also press Ctrl,
the line will be constrained to 15 degree angles.

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

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

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

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