Spring-loaded tool keys in Paint by Zaweba
Hold a tool's key in Paint by Zaweba to borrow that tool and return to the previous one on release. How spring-loaded keys work and how to set the timing.
Switching tools is one of the most frequent things anyone does in an editor, and every switch costs a moment. Painting, you want the eraser for one stroke and then the brush back. Retouching, you want the hand tool to slide over, then the healing tool again. Paint by Zaweba has spring-loaded tool keys, which let you borrow a tool for a moment and drop straight back to the one you were using.
Tap or hold
There are two ways to use a tool's key. Tap it, and you switch to that tool in the ordinary way. It stays selected until you choose another.
Hold it instead, and the tool is only borrowed. While the key is down you are using the new tool; when you let go, the previous tool returns. The same happens if you start using the tool while holding its key: the moment you release, you are back where you were.
How long counts as a hold is set in Preferences > Tools. The default is 300 milliseconds, which is a little under a third of a second.
Why it helps
The effect is that you stop thinking about tool switching. A painter can hold the eraser key, rub out a stray mark, release, and carry on with the brush without ever looking at the toolbox. A retoucher can hold the key for a selection tool, nudge a selection, and be straight back on the healing brush. Hands stay in one place, eyes stay on the picture.
It also cuts mistakes. A common annoyance in editors is tapping a key, doing one quick job, and then forgetting to switch back, so the next stroke happens with the wrong tool. Holding instead of tapping removes that.
Setting the timing
If you find the tool returning when you meant to switch properly, your taps are probably long enough to count as holds. Raise the time in Preferences > Tools a little. If borrowing feels sluggish, lower it. Most people find the default fine after a day or two of getting used to it.
Good pairs to practise
Brush and eraser is the classic one for painting. Brush and eyedropper is another: hold for the eyedropper, pick a colour from the picture, release and paint. For layout work, holding the key for the Move tool while using a shape or text tool lets you nudge things into place and carry on. For photo work, pairing a retouching tool with the Zoom tool lets you dip in for a closer look without losing your place.
How it fits with the rest
Spring-loaded keys work with the keyboard shortcuts you already have, including any you remap in Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts. They also suit the touch and pen features, where you may have one hand on a keyboard and the other on a pen. And they sit well with a trimmed toolbox: if most of your tool changes are on held keys, you rarely need to look at the toolbox at all.
Small gotchas
If you hold a key out of habit when you meant to switch for good, you will find the old tool back after release; just tap the key instead.
Once your hands have learned it, spring-loaded switching makes Paint by Zaweba feel noticeably quicker, without changing a single setting beyond the timing.
