Workspace Basics

A visual introduction to the OpenGPEX workspace — understanding the layout, navigation, and essential operations to get you started.

Workspace Layout

When you open OpenGPEX, you'll see a clean, modern interface organized into these main areas:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ToolMenu (Logo, Help, Appearance)         ExtendButton (Cloud)   │
├────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────┬──────────┤
│        │  Option Bar (changes based on active tool)   │          │
│  Left  ├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤  Right   │
│  Tool  │                                              │  Tool    │
│  Bar   │           Canvas / Viewport                  │  Bar     │
│        │      (your image editing area)               │          │
│        │      TabDock (floating creation tabs)        │          │
└────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────┘

• ToolMenu: Contains the logo, Help & Tooling, and the appearance switch (System / Light / Dark).
• ExtendButton (top right): Opens the Cloud menu (Sync to Cloud) and account options.
• Left Tool Bar: Icon strip that opens tool drawers such as Layers and Image Info.
• Right Tool Bar: Icon strip that opens tool drawers such as Drawing Tools, Adjustments, Animated Images, AI Tools, AI Bridge, and ComfyUI Bridge.
• Option Bar: Context-sensitive controls that change based on your active tool.
• Canvas/Viewport: The main editing area where your image is displayed.
• TabDock: Floating tab strip for switching between open creations.

Opening & Importing Images

Method 1: Drag & Drop

Simply drag any image file from your computer onto the canvas area.

Method 2: File Upload

Use the file upload button to browse and select images from your computer.

Supported Import Formats

Navigating the Canvas

OpenGPEX works in two interaction modes, and Space is a mode toggle, not a pan modifier — a deliberate departure from Photoshop-style editors:

• Pan mode (default): dragging the canvas pans the viewport; dragging a layer moves the layer. You edit in this mode.
• Clip mode: the whole canvas becomes a selection surface for clipping and peeling.
• Space: press once to enter Clip mode from any non-clip mode; press again to exit back to Pan mode. It is a tap toggle (like play/pause) — you do not hold it down. Tab / Shift+Tab cycle the clip tool while in Clip mode, and Esc also exits.

Pan (Move Around)

• Drag on canvas — with the editor in its default Pan mode, drag empty canvas to pan (dragging a layer moves the layer instead)
• Middle Mouse Button: Click and drag with middle mouse button, in any mode
• Trackpad two-finger scroll: pans the viewport
• Shift + Scroll: horizontal pan

Zoom In/Out

• Scroll Wheel (mouse): bare scroll zooms in/out, centered on the cursor; Alt + Scroll also zooms (Photoshop-compatible)
• Ctrl/Cmd + Scroll (mouse): pans instead of zooming
• Pinch Gesture: Use trackpad pinch to zoom
• Ctrl/Cmd + 1: Fit canvas to viewport
• Ctrl/Cmd + 2: Actual size (100%, 1:1 pixel)

Rotate & Flip (Canvas-Level)

• Viewport rotation: Available via Viewport options in the Option Bar (rotate left/right buttons)
• Viewport flip: Available via Viewport options in the Option Bar, or Shift + H (horizontal) / Shift + V (vertical)

Undo & Redo

OpenGPEX features a powerful undo system (TimeTravel) that lets you step back and forward through your editing history:

• Ctrl/Cmd + Z: Undo the last action
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z: Redo (restore undone action)

Key Characteristics

• Viewport-stable: Undoing does NOT jump your view — your pan/zoom position is preserved
• Lightweight: Uses JSON Patches (tiny incremental diffs), not full-state snapshots, so even 100+ undo steps use minimal memory
• Per-creation history: Each open project (frame) maintains its own independent history

Theme & Appearance

Open the appearance switch in the ToolMenu (top-left) to cycle between System, Light, and Dark modes. The entire workspace, including all tool panels, will update instantly.

Saving Your Work

Local Save

Your work is automatically preserved in browser storage (IndexedDB). There is no local .gpex file save in this release — the .gpex container is currently used only for Cloud synchronization (see Export & File Formats).

Cloud Save

If signed in to GPEX Cloud, click Sync to Cloud in the Cloud menu to save your project online. See Cloud Storage & Sharing for details.

Next Steps

• Creations & Frames — Multi-document management and the Dock
• Common Tasks — Quick guides for everyday operations
• Layer Management — Learn how to work with layers

Last updated: 2026-07-30