Overview
This guide will show you how to unlock one feature present in openCanvas5 that got hidden in openCanvas6, and also present a theory as to why it might’ve gotten hidden. A very lightweight third-party program is needed.
1. What are tones?
Tones, as they’re commonly refered to, are pattern modifiers you can apply to tools like brushes, shapes, paint bucket, etc. The most common comparison to these are the textures you often see in manga. Below you have an example of how a brush can be affected, along with the toolbox as it was back in openCanvas5.
Notice the tone settings with the checkbox, which is now absent in OC6. It now has an option to apply tones to layers, in the layer settings… but it’s just not the same.
So let’s do something about that, shall we?
2. Get “Workspace Utilities”!
You will need to use an external program (that is, not related with openCanvas) to get access to the tone options. Below you have links to it.
– GET IT HERE[sourceforge.net] –
– MIRROR[www.dropbox.com] –
Major credits to Johnathan Thompson[sourceforge.net] for coding this tiny, yet quite useful program!
3. Configure “Workspace Utilities”.
After you install Workspace Utilities, make sure you set it to Start with Windows, and minimized. It’s worth the astronomical 6MB of RAM that you’ll need to keep this running in the background. And who knows, you might start using it for other things anyway (I do, for example).
That used to be a lot, 20 years ago. Good times. Simpler times. Slower times.
Now, for the REAL configuration you’ll have to do in the App Sizer tab. With this you can resize and relocate windows, which is what we are going to do to OC6’s toolbox. Check the diagram below.
- 1- This is the monitor you want the toolbox to show up. Set this for the monitor you typically use OC6 with. MAY require some trial and error.
- 2- These are the coordinates for the top-left corner of the target window. Consider it the origin point. You can set it as Pixels (PX) or Percentage (%)… but I really recommend keeping it as PX, at least for this guide. Again, it may require some trial and error depending on where you want the toolbox to be. If you’re not sure, just put 0 on both (effectively the top-left corner of your screen), and change later.
- 3- This is the SIZE for the toolbox, and it’s NOT trial and error. Simply copy the values on the image.
- 4- This is the Keyboard Shortcut you’ll use to trigger this modification. Make sure it’s a key combo that you won’t use for anything else. I use ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+P, for example. Don’t be afraid to use something ridiculous like that.
- 5- This is to save the configuration.
You can change a setting by right-clicking on the saved setting to Load it, right-click again to delete, then change whatever settings you want, pressing New again to confirm. Feels a little fiddly at first, I know.
Also, DON’T close the window, or you will end the program. ALWAYS minimize it, which will bring it down to the taskbar tray, close to the clock!
4. UNLOCK DA POWAH!!!
This step is fairly straight-forward. In openCanvas6, select the toolbox window with the mouse (the actual toolbox window), and preferably with the cursor still hovering to keep focus… Press that key shortcut!
TAH-DAH!!! If you configured Workspace Utilities correctly, your Toolbox will expand, allowing you to use Tones as they were in OC5! Press that checkbox to turn tones on, select one you like, and grab a brush to try it out!
If you somehow screwed up the settings on Workspace Utilities and caused the toolbox to disappear, you can either reload a saved OC6 workspace setting OR reset the interface on the Window menu, and try another coordinate setup.
5. Limitations
Tones in OC6 aren’t working 100% like they were in OC5. Below is a graphic of the tools that work with tones.
Any tools below those are irrelevant. If you make heavy use of the Watercolor and Airbrush tools (why would you ever use the Airbrush is beyond me, but anyway), then I’m afraid you’ll be using them in the same way. You can still use the newer Layer Pattern setting, though. Better than nothing!
With the way they changed the brush engine from OC5 to OC6, chances are PGN (the developers) didn’t manage to get tones to work on all tools, so they just hid them to keep things consistent. This is all speculation on my part, I have no oficial word on the matter!
Also, you’ll need to modify the toolbox EVERY TIME you start openCanvas, as this is NOT a permanent change. Not that huge a hassle, but something to keep in mind. This is why I previously recommended you to keep Workspace Utilities ALWAYS open.
Despite these limitations, there is virtually NO scenario where you’ll be better off not unlocking tones. Limited usage is better than no usage at all.