ThumbCrafted
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Tips & Tricks

Every tip from the ThumbCrafted editor, all in one place.

Essential Tools

🔨

Click any element to select it, then use the panel controls to customize.

Basics
🗑

Long press to drag to trash bin to delete, or simply press Delete or Backspace key.

Basics
🎨

Color palette at the top changes the color of whatever element is currently selected.

Color
💾

Hit Save to export your image as PNG or JPG — toggle format in the save options.

Export
📋

Use Layer controls to bring elements forward or send them behind others.

Layers

Text & Captions

✍️

Quick Text is for short punchy words — use Caption for longer multi-line content.

Text
🌈

Did you know that in the Captions feature you can choose specific colors for each word for added emphasis?

Captions
🔥

Try Neon or Fire text styles for eye-catching thumbnail headlines.

Effects
🔡

Change fonts anytime — your text reflows automatically to fit.

Fonts

Shapes & Arrows

➡️

Arrow elements can be rotated to any angle using the rotation slider when selected.

Arrows
🔷

Choose from 3 arrow styles: Curved, Straight, or Bold — each with custom colors.

Arrows
📏

Use the Straighten button on lines to snap them perfectly level.

Lines

Blur & Effects

🌫️

Blur supports 7 different styles — try Halftone or Swirl for creative effects.

Blur
🌐

Combine Adjust sliders with Filters for unique color grades — they stack together.

Filters

Use the B&W filter with increased Contrast for a dramatic editorial look.

Filters

Advanced Techniques

🚀

Elongate adds space below your image — perfect for adding captions or tags.

Layout
🔁

Use Merge to combine two images vertically for before/after comparisons.

Combine
🎨

BG Fill + Flatten locks a color layer permanently behind all your content.

Background
📄

Save your layout as a Template to reuse the same style on different images.

Templates
✂️

Double click anywhere on image or image overlay to crop.

Crop
👁️

Clean Mode hides all handles for a distraction-free preview — great for screenshots.

View

Desktop Shortcuts

⌨️

Ctrl+Z — Undo your last action.

History
⌨️

Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z — Redo.

History
💾

Ctrl+S — Save / export your image.

Export
📋

Ctrl+C — Copy the current canvas to clipboard (when no text is focused).

Clipboard
📋

Ctrl+V — Paste an image from clipboard to load as your base image.

Clipboard
🗐️

Ctrl+D — Duplicate the selected element.

Edit
🗑

Delete or Backspace — Delete the selected element.

Edit
⬅️

Arrow keys — Nudge selected element by 1px. Hold Shift to nudge 10px.

Position
🔡

T — Quick-add a text element. C — Open caption modal.

Quick Add
🔢

1 Shapes · 2 Annotate · 3 Compose · 4 Effects — Switch sidebar panels instantly.

Navigation
🔭

Z — Zoom in. X — Zoom out. 0 — Reset to 100%.

Zoom
📋

[ — Send element backward. ] — Bring element forward in layer order.

Layers
🔧

Shift+Plus — Increase thickness. Shift+Minus — Decrease thickness of selected shape.

Shape

Escape — Deselect the current element.

Selection

? — Open the keyboard shortcut cheat sheet overlay.

Help
🖱️

Double-click a text element to quickly edit its content inline.

Quick Edit
🖱️

Double-click an image overlay to open the crop tool for that image.

Quick Edit
🖱️

Right-click any element for quick actions: Delete, Duplicate, Layer controls, and more.

Context Menu

Mobile Gestures

☝️

Tap any element to select it. Tap empty canvas to deselect.

Selection
👈

Drag — Touch and slide to move any selected element around the canvas.

Move
👌

Pinch (two fingers) — Resize any element. Works on text, captions, emojis, shapes, blocks, and images.

Resize
🔄

Twist (two fingers) — Rotate arrows, watermarks, and lines by twisting with two fingers.

Rotate
📸

Two-finger double tap — Flatten the image, merging all elements into the base image permanently.

Flatten
🖱️

Double tap a text or caption element to edit its content directly.

Quick Edit
🗑

Long press (hold 500ms) then drag to the trash bin to delete an element.

Delete

Drag resize handles — Use the corner handles on selected elements to resize precisely with one finger.

Resize
🎨

Touch and draw on the blur brush canvas to paint blur effects freehand with your finger.

Brush
Ready to try these out?
Open ThumbCrafted Editor