horrido wrote,

I'm new to GIMP. I installed Version 2.8.4 on my Mac mini (with standard Windows keyboard). The very first thing I'm playing with is the Clone Tool. There's a dearth of information on how to use this tool, but the few scraps I found suggest that all I need to do is press CTRL and use the mouse to select an area to clone. However, every time I do this, I bring up a context menu (File; Edit; Select; View; Image; Layer; Color; etc.). The cursor consists of a stamp, crossed-out circle, and dotted circle (representing the brush).

I'm on Linux, not a Mac, so this may be off, but if you are getting a context menu I'd guess that your mouse click is not acting like a "left click", but rather like a "right-click" (I'm not sure what mice Macs use these days).

I've tried everything I can think of, but I am absolutely puzzled by this. It is so unintuitive and opaque. What can possibly be wrong???

Maybe I should uninstall this software and look for something less opaque. Right off the bat, the program shouldn't be so difficult to get started in...

Bob Long

On Mon, Oct 21, 2013 at 6:15 AM, horrido wrote:

the few scraps I found
suggest that all I need to do is press CTRL and use the mouse to select an area
to clone

On my Mac (distribution: Mac on OS X v2.8.6p1) this should be CMD+left click, _not_ CTRL.

(@_   |
//\   | Maurizio Loreti - Retired physicist, happy grandfather
V_/_  | of two grandsons, wanderer and amateur photographer...

On Mon, Oct 21, 2013 at 10:04 AM, Maurizio Loreti

wrote:

Mac on OS X v2.8.6p1

Typo - GIMP on OS X, of course

(@_  |
//\  | Maurizio Loreti - Fisico in pensione, nonno felice di
V_/_ | due nipotini, vagabondo e fotografo a tempo perso...

On 10/21/2013 06:15 AM, horrido wrote:

I'm new to GIMP. I installed Version 2.8.4 on my Mac mini (with standard Windows keyboard). The very first thing I'm playing with is the Clone Tool. There's a dearth of information on how to use this tool, but the few scraps I found suggest that all I need to do is press CTRL and use the mouse to select an area to clone. However, every time I do this, I bring up a context menu (File; Edit; Select; View; Image; Layer; Color; etc.). The cursor consists of a stamp, crossed-out circle, and dotted circle (representing the brush).

I've tried everything I can think of, but I am absolutely puzzled by this. It is so unintuitive and opaque. What can possibly be wrong???

On the Mac we use the Mac-ish modifiers, so when online docs speak about Control you would use the Command key. Also, look at the statusbar, it should always give hints about what modifiers each tool supports in each context.

The online docs are mostly about Linux/Windows shortcuts, you are welcome to help improving them, we are short on manpower.

Regards, --Mitch

On Mon, Oct 21, 2013 at 2:26 PM, horrido wrote:

Apple just **has** to be different from everyone else!

Not really... the MacPorts distribution of GIMP uses CTRL IIRC. Or was it ALT?

(@_   |
//\   | Maurizio Loreti - Retired physicist, happy grandfather
V_/_  | of two grandsons, wanderer and amateur photographer...