Firealpaca is an expressive (and free) digital software for painting and drawing. It is available to the Windows operating system and Mac. Firealpaca is probably the best place to start if you’re a beginner in digital art with simple tools like the Airbrush, watercolor, pencil, etc.
If you are a frequent Firealpaca user and you’ve probably been looking for a list of shortcuts to help enhance your productivity, then this article is for you. If you are new here, a shortcut is a set of keys used to send a command to the software.
We’ve compiled this list and hope you find them useful. Also, since Firealpaca is available on both Mac and Windows (PC), the commands will go through tweaks because of the nature of the operating system but we will notify you accordingly.
Well, that’s it. Let’s get these shortcuts:
The Tool Shortcuts
These are mostly letters you can punch to invoke tools you want to use in the software. It comes in very handy since the tools are located at the top and side of the screen and the time it would take you to navigate your mouse might be considerably more than just putting in a letter.
FireAlpaca is a digital painting software that lets you create illustrations using simple tools and controls. Pen, Pencil, AirBrush, and Watercolor are ready to use in the default setting; you can customize your own pen too. It also comes with several comic templates and effect brushes. Digital painting has never been easier with so many free tools online. Perhaps the most well-known free painting tool is Krita but it does have competition. FireAlpaca is a free painting program growing in popularity with each passing year. Anyone who dives into this software will pick it up fast.
• V= Move tool
• B= Brush tool
• Shift+B= Dot tool
• I= Eyedropper
• N = Fill
• G= Bucket
• H= Hand
• E= eraser
• W= MagicWand
The work-frame shortcut
This is for when you’re deep in work and they exist to save your time.
Note: these shortcuts are keys for the Mac but for Windows PC you simply need to replace ‘Cmd’ with ‘Ctrl’, ‘Delete’ with ‘Backspace’, and ‘Option’ with ‘Alt’
The work-frame shortcuts are categorized into two: the single keys and pair.
Single keys
• M= Select
• S= Select Pen
• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 = Grid
• Delete= Clear [You can clear the layer on your work frame or you can remove a layer from the image you are working on, this key (delete (and backspace for Windows)) is for the latter]
• Tab= Initialize (Reset FireAlpaca to Defaults)
• Shift = to draw a straight line
• X= Swap Colors
• Alt/Opt = invokes Eyedropper tool without leaving the current tool you are working on
• D= Initialize (This resets back to black & white after color tools have been used)
• Right Arrow Key= To Rotate Right
Is Firealpaca Free
• Up Arrow Key= To Release Rotate/Flip
• Down Arrow Key= To Flip
• Left Arrow Key= To Rotate Left
Pair keys
• Cmmd+Option+drag = resize brush
• Cmmd+C/V= copy/paste
• Cmmd+X= Cut
• Shift G= Gradient
• Shift+S=Select Eraser
• Cmmd+ N= New
• Shift+Cmmd+N= New on Clipboard
• Cmmd+S= Save
• Shift+Cmmd+S= Save As
• Cmwmd+O= Open
• Cmmd+P= Print
• Cmmd+K= Environment Settings
• Cmmd+W= Close (this is different from Quit)
• Cmmd+Q= Quit (this is different from Close)
• Cmmd+Z= Undo
• Shift+Cmmd+Z= Redo
• Option+Cmmd+I= Image Size
• Option+Cmmd+C= Canvas Size
Difference between Image Size and Canvas size
Similar in their function, image size and canvas size can be difficult to comprehend for beginners but there is a difference in their function. Canvas size is the work area that your image/picture fits in. It can be adjusted accordingly to increase or decrease the area and field to do your work.
Canvas size does not directly affect the quality of the image you are working on although the image can be cropped if the canvas size is toggled inappropriately or disproportionately.
When it comes to image size, however, it has to do with the image you are working on itself. Not the work field but the image. This is the major difference between Image size and canvas size. You can adjust the image size you are working on by dragging the sides and stretching them out to the desired dimension.
If you expand the image too much, it becomes pixelated. This reduces the quality of the image you are working on due to far apart pixels.
Often times, when you are adjusting an image, you need to ensure that the ratio is maintained. An imbalance will cause the image to stretch and reduce the quality of the image.
• Cmmd+L= Level
• Cmmd+U= Hue
• Cmmd+A= All
• Cmmd+D= Deselect
• Shift+Cmmd+I= Inverse
• Cmmd+T= Transform
• Cmmd+B= Draw Selection Border
• Cmmd++= Zoom In
• Cmmd+-= Zoom Out
• Cmmd+0= Fit to screen
• Cmmd+G= Grid (separate from existing grids)
• Shift+Space+drag = to Rotate canvas comfortably
• Hold A + click an object = you will arrive at that particular object layer without disrupting the current one. This enables you switch the layers when you are done on the current one.
As it happens, there is the chance that every day, a new set of commands or shortcuts can be found when using the software. We never rule out that possibility. In fact, an impressive percentage of the shortcuts we’ve listed above have been from FireAlpaca users who have contributed to forums and platforms across our communities.
We do our best and with contributions from more users, we hope it promotes the FireAlpaca community even more.
So if you found this helpful, share it with your friends – let’s improve our society. It’s time to work smart, folks.
Written by:
Toni Justamante Jacobs, Senior Concept Artist, Illustrator,and Blogger.
Eseandre Andrews, professional writer.
Toni Justamante Jacobs
Firealpaca Official Website
About the author:Hi, I’m Toni Justamante Jacobs. I´m a professional Concept Artist and Illustrator with more than 10 years of experience in the industry. Some of my clients are Gameloft, Fantasy Flight Games, Kunlun Games and Games Workshop. Currently, I´m working at Socialpoint as an in-house Senior Concept Artist.