On the PC, the menu bar will look like the image below.

On the Macintosh it looks somewhat different, like this. You'll find the file, edit, tools and help menus in the OSX menu bar.

The Menu Bar contains menus for editing various settings and actions in ArtRage, and a number of buttons for quick access to features.

The buttons along the left of the Menu Bar relate to various menus. Click them to open their menus. These menus are:

• File: Contains items related to loading, saving, and printing your paintings.
• Edit: Contains items related to editing the work you are doing, and preferences for the application.
• Tools: Contains items related to the painting tools, the canvas, and your layers.
• Help: Contains items that let you get help on the application, or look for updates.

The buttons on the right of the Menu Bar are used as follows, in order left to right:

• Zoom: The Zoom control allows you to zoom in or out using the +/- buttons, or enter a zoom value automatically.
• Undo/Redo: Undo is the arrow pointing left, Redo points right. You may undo any number of paint strokes you have made using the Undo tool. Note that many other things such as adding or deleting a layer can also be undone. If you wish, you can redo operations you have undone.
• Hide: The flat bar button hides ArtRage.
• Size: The window button changes the size of the ArtRage window between a normal sized, or a full screen window.
• Close: Closes the application. If you have unsaved changes in your painting you will be prompted to save first.

The File Menu.

The File Menu contains items relating to your painting. They work as follows:

• New Painting: Opens the New Painting dialog that allows you to create a new painting.
• Open Painting: Opens a file dialog that allows you to load a painting from disk.
• Save Painting: Saves your current painting. If you have not saved it before, you are prompted to enter a name.
• Save Painting As: Saves a copy of your current painting as a new one, prompting you for a name.
• Export As Image: Exports your current painting to an image file other applications can read.
Because ArtRage contains a lot of information most image viewers don’t use, you will need to export your painting if you wish to show it to someone using another package, or on the web.
• Import Image: Loads an image from disk as a painting file. When you use this, the image is loaded in and ‘converted’ to oil paint so that it can be smeared around.
• Print Painting: Prints your painting.
• Quit: Closes the application, prompting you to save changes if there have been any since the last save.

For more information on loading, saving, and printing your paintings, see the ‘Creating, Saving, and Printing Paintings’ section earlier on in the manual.

The Edit Menu.

The Edit menu contains items related to the work you are doing. They work as follows:

• Undo: Undoes the last painting operation you performed. Strokes of paint can be undone, as can layer changes or resizes. Anything that edits your painting will be able to be undone.
• Redo: Redoes the last operation you undid.
• Rescale the Painting: Opens up the Rescale panel, allowing you to change the size of your painting.
• Resize the Canvas: Opens up the Resize panel, allowing you to change the size of the paper you’re painting on.
• Play Sounds: In the Preferences menu. Toggles whether or not ArtRage will play sounds when events happen such as cleaning your brush or opening a panel.
• Play Panel Transitions: In the Preferences menu. Some panels will animate as they appear and disappear, this allows you to turn that off.
• Use Precise Cursors: In the Preferences menu. If this is turned on, ArtRage will use a crosshair cursor for all tools. If it is turned off, ArtRage uses tool size cursors.
• Hide Task Bar in Full Screen Mode: If this is turned on, ArtRage will hide your task bar when it is in full screen mode, taking over the entire screen. If it is turned off, the Task Bar will remain visible.
• Use Mouse Mode: (Windows only). If you are using a graphics tablet in mouse mode, or you find your strokes are offset from your stylus when you paint, you can use this setting to tell ArtRage to switch to mouse mode intepretation, which may solve the problem.

For more information on Rescaling the painting and Resizing the canvas, see the section ‘Resizing & Rescaling Your Work’ later on.

The Tools Menu.

The Tools Menu contains items related to your tools, canvas, and layers. They work as follows:

• Select Tool: Opens a sub menu that allows you to select which tool is active.
• Reset Current Tool: Resets the settings of your current tool to default.
• Reset Canvas Rotation: Resets the canvas so that it is at its default rotation angle.
• Reset Canvas Scale: Resets the canvas to 100% scale.
• Reset Canvas Position: Resets the canvas to be centered on the screen.
• Load New Tracing Image: Loads in an image for tracing.
• Clear Tracing Image: Removes any image currently loaded for tracing.
• Show Tracing Image: If there is an image loaded for tracing, this option toggles whether or not it is visible.
• Edit Tracing Image: If you have a Tracing Image loaded, this opens the Tracing Image Settings Panel that allows you to edit the properties of your Tracing Image.
• Open a Reference Image: Allows you to open a new image as a painting reference.
• Remove All References Images: Clears away all images you have loaded as painting references.
• Layer Options: Opens the Layer Options menu.

The Layer Options menu contains the following items:

• Add a New Layer: Adds a new layer to your painting.
• Delete Layer: Deletes the current layer you are working on.
• Clear Layer: Wipes away the contents of the current layer you are working on.
• Duplicate Layer: Creates a copy of your current layer and adds it to the painting.
• Export Layer: Saves the layer you are working on out as an image file.
• Merge With the Layer Below: If there is a layer beneath the one you are currently working, selecting this causes the current layer to merge down and become part of the one below.
• Merge All Layers: Merges all of the layers in the painting in to one.
• Edit Paper Settings: Opens the Paper Settings Panel that allows you to adjust the properties of the paper you’re painting on, such as its color or roughness.

For more information on Layers see the Layers section later on. For more information on Tracing Images, see the Tracing Images section later on. For more information on painting reference images, see the Reference Images section later on.

The Help Menu.

The help menu contains three simple items relating to the application:

• ArtRage Manual: Opens this manual.
• Online Product Support: Opens up the online ArtRage support page.
• Shortcut Keys: Opens up the manual’s shortcut keys list.
• Check For Updates Online: Checks to see if there are newer versions of the application available online.
• About ArtRage: Opens the ArtRage about box which gives information on your current version.