title: Keyboard Shortcuts description: Complete reference for all keyboard shortcuts in ASCII Motion
Keyboard Shortcuts
Complete shortcut reference for ASCII Motion. All shortcuts use Ctrl on Windows/Linux and Cmd (⌘) on macOS.
Tool Shortcuts
Single-key shortcuts activate drawing and selection tools.
| Key | Tool |
|---|---|
| B | Brush/Pencil |
| E | Eraser |
| F | Fill |
| G | Gradient |
| M | Rectangular Selection |
| L | Lasso Selection |
| W | Magic Wand |
| I | Eyedropper |
| R | Rectangle |
| O | Ellipse |
| T | Text |
| Y | ASCII Type |
| Q | ASCII Box |
| P | Bezier Pen |
| V | Layer Transform |
Temporary Tool Activation
Hold Alt/Option while drawing to temporarily activate the Eyedropper. Hold Ctrl/Cmd with Brush for temporary Eraser. Release to return to your previous tool.
Frame Navigation
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| , (comma) | Previous frame |
| . (period) | Next frame |
| Shift+, | Jump to first frame |
| Shift+. | Jump to last frame |
| Space | Play/Pause animation |
Keyframe Navigation
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| J | Previous keyframe |
| K | Next keyframe |
| Ctrl+← | Previous keyframe (alternative) |
| Ctrl+→ | Next keyframe (alternative) |
Content Frame Management
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+N | Add new content frame after current |
| Ctrl+D | Duplicate selected content frame(s) |
| Ctrl+Delete | Delete selected content frame(s) |
| Ctrl+X | Split content frame at playhead |
| Ctrl+, | Set content frame start to playhead |
| Ctrl+. | Set content frame end to playhead |
Layer Management
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Shift+N | Add new layer |
| Ctrl+G | Group selected layers |
Timeline Controls
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| U | Expand/collapse selected layer tracks |
| 1 | Zoom timeline out |
| 2 | Zoom timeline in |
Selection & Clipboard
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+A | Select all (entire canvas) |
| Ctrl+C | Copy selection |
| Ctrl+V | Paste |
| Delete / Backspace | Clear selection |
| Escape | Deselect / Cancel operation |
Undo & Redo
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl+Shift+Z | Redo |
Brush & Tool Size
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| [ | Decrease brush size |
| ] | Increase brush size |
Color & Character Palette
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| X | Swap foreground and background colors |
| Shift+[ | Previous palette color |
| Shift+] | Next palette color |
| Ctrl+[ | Previous character in palette |
| Ctrl+] | Next character in palette |
Canvas & Transform
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| + / = | Zoom in |
| - | Zoom out |
| Shift+H | Flip selection horizontally |
| Shift+V | Flip selection vertically |
| Ctrl+Shift+X | Crop canvas to selection |
| Ctrl+Shift+C | Canvas resize dialog |
| Shift+O | Toggle onion skinning |
File Operations
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+S | Save project |
| Ctrl+Shift+S | Save as |
| Ctrl+O | Open project |
Quick Reference Card
Drawing Tools
- B — Brush (Ctrl = temp eraser)
- E — Eraser
- F — Fill
- G — Gradient
Selection Tools
- M — Marquee
- L — Lasso
- W — Magic Wand
Shape & Text Tools
- R — Rectangle
- O — Ellipse
- Q — ASCII Box
- P — Bezier Pen
- T — Text
- Y — ASCII Type
Utility
- I — Eyedropper
- V — Layer Transform