“Lost” your work because of a crash? Do this to retrieve it:

Press WIN key + R. Copy and paste %localappdata% then open the Shadowforge folder. Your backup should be inside.

If you see weird textures on the UI, delete savestate.dat from the before mentioned folder. You will need to save on to any slot again, just to make the savestate.dat save itself – do it on an empty or old save slot, and then load up your main saved slot.

What is the docker and what is it used for?

The docker can be called and exited by pressing CTRL + E. It ‘s a collection of what you have previously drawn and things you have put on the “animation frame row” which is also a way to collect brushes for future use.

Here is how it works.

The first row is where you collect your brushes/animation frames for future use.

The second row is empty.

The third row is things you have copied from the canvas to act as a brush.

The fourth and last row is your uploaded images that you can use as a brush.

How do I draw and erase?

Press CTRL + D to switch from drawing to erasing and back again.

How do I interact with the right menu?

Press enter after selecting the text.

Flipping and mirroring brushes?

CTRL + H to mirror and CTRL + V to flip.

I want to animate. How do I record each layer into a gif?

CTRL + I and choose a frame to end the animation at. Then Press CTRL + Y to record it and CTRL + Y again when the recording is done to save it as a gif file.

How do I set the speed of the animation?

Hover your mouse over the animation display (CTRL + A to show it and to not show it) and then write the speed on it. A text will show as "Animation speed: ".

Don’t see any visible layers to click on. Where are they? And how do I merge a layer into another layer?

There are unlimited layers. You need to move with the arrow keys and then to merge them down, press CTRL + M, to merge them up, press CTRL + L.

I have used a custom font, why can I not remove it?

You need to press CTRL + Q to remove it. You can draw with it and type in real time.

How do I use the polygon tool and the perspective tool?

To call in the polygon tool, press CTRL + INSERT key. Move the connectors by holding down the left mouse button, delete a connector with right mouse button and add a connector by pressing on the red plus with the left mouse button. To move the polygon tree to another space on the canvas, hold or press CTRL + 1 – yes, that is number one. Pressing CTRL + 5 will quickly make your polygons into a triangle.


If you want to use the perspective tool, click on the vertice icon, that looks like a share icon. You can move it around by just left clicking on the canvas. ALT + 1 (starts as default) to form the perspective, ALT + 2 to form it retro perspective (inwards).

I need to upload images. What do I need to do?

To upload directly to the canvas, click on the icon that looks like a disk. If you want to upload images to the fourth row of the docker, then you must press CTRL + SPACE.

Can I disable parts of the interface from view?

Yes, you can. Take away the sliders from view by pressing CTRL + G and the animation player by pressing CTRL + A. Right click on the mini canvas to hide it or return it. TAB to hide the right menu.

My brushes are drawing way too fast that I don’t see any texture. How do I slow it down?

CTRL + B to switch between slow brush and fast brush.

The opacity is not showing when I have it at around 50%. Why?

You are using fast brush. It stacks on eachother really quick. Change to slow brush or use 0.01 Alpha (alpha is opacity).

How to eyedrop?

CTRL + P to eyedrop.

I want to zoom the canvas in or out. How?

SHIFT + Mouse Wheel.

Is there a way to move the canvas without using the arrow sliders?

Hold down the Mouse Wheel.

Can I scale my brush using a shortcut on the mouse?

Yes. CTRL + Mouse Wheel.

I converted a gif to a sprite sheet. But I can not use any shaders or draw on it. Why?

You need to press CTRL + DELETE to delete the object that created it and then you can start drawing on it and using shaders.

How do I mask my paintings?

To access the polygon mask tool, press ALT + I, draw something with it, then press ALT + I again. ALT + X to mask with it.

How can I access the Lasso Tool?

Press ALT + F and draw with it. To remove the tool, press ALT + Q.
When you right click with lasso tool mode on, you can save the lassoed painting to your docker.

Is there a layer interface?

Yes. Press ALT + D to make it pop up and ALT + D again to remove it from view.

If you right click on a layer you copy it.

To merge a layer with another, press the middle mouse button on the layer menu. In case your selected layers don’t merge, then draw on the layers you want to merge before merging them, so they correctly merge together.

How do I mirror the whole canvas?

ALT + H.

I want to draw only on what I have painted. Is there a way to do it?

Yes of course! It’s called Color Overlay and is showing if it’s on or off in the software. All you have to do is press ALT + B and then you can draw on the painted part, presuming you are not using a background color on that specific layer.

Can I tile sprites like in a tile editor?

If you press ALT + N, you turn on the tile feature. Pressing CTRL + Q will disable it.

Why is there a circle and a square icon on the palettes?

The circle you move on the palette dictates your brush color, while the square is the boss of the background color and the lasso color. You can switch from color lassoing to transparent lassoing or vice versa by pressing ALT + M. However, using transparent lassoing will cut out your background colored image to be empty.

You can also use the lasso as a color overlay by activating the color overlay with ALT + B and having the lasso tool up.

I want to eyedrop with the square color indicator. How do I do it?

Easy. CTRL + O.

What is Click here for brushes?

Click on it and you will see a menu of your own PERMANENT brushes. Right click to upload, left click to have the sprite on, and CTRL + left click to name the brush. When you exit it, everything is saved.

How many layers can I save in "Save Project"?

15 layers only. All animation frames will also be saved. Everything in a zip file that you can open to be extracted inside DigiPaint.

Can I make lines with the lasso tool?

Yes you can. While lassoing, press CTRL + F and click on any spot to draw the lasso line.

How do I move, scale and rotate the lassoed part?

Press ALT + E to enter the edit mode. You can then hold the left mouse button to move it, or right mouse button click on the corners outside the lassoed part to rotate or scale. CTRL + Right Mouse Button to scale and without CTRL, only Right Mouse Button, to rotate.

I'm using lasso and color overlay together, why does it not blend in with the alpha at 0.5?

If you have not drawn anything and uploaded an image file, you need to press on Add Clear Assets first.

How do I draw with two brushes at the same time?

You can multi-brush from the canvas's center to their respective ends by activating that mode with CTRL + J. Press ALT + H to get it on the actual canvas when you're done.

Can I have a ruler on the canvas?

Yes you can. Press CTRL + U to show it or hide it.

Are there settings to adjust some of the features?

Of course. Press CTRL + W to bring up the settings.

Can I blur my brush?

ALT + T to blur the brush.

Are there more menues that I have not seen?

Yes. There is a second right menu that you access by pressing ALT + A. ALT + D to go back to the first right menu or the layer menu.

How do I edit the shape of what I have lassoed?

First you need to go to edit mode by pressing ALT + E. Then you edit the shape by pressing ALT + W. ALT + 1 to change the perspective, ALT + 2 to change it retrospectively.

Is there a rectangle marquee tool?

Yes there is. ALT + X to call it in, hold the Right Mouse Button to use it and press the Left Muse Button to put it on your cursor and on the docker or press ALT + W to warp your selection.