How to use Lil Cactus: your first photo edit

Make your first edit in seven steps

1. 1

   Open the sample or your own photo

   Click Open the sample on this page to start with the tram. For your own image, open the editor, choose File› then Open… and select the file. You can also drag an image onto the editor.

   The file name appears on a tab above the picture. If you open more images, each gets its own tab; click a tab to switch documents.

   

   

2. 2

   Find the canvas, Layers panel and status bar

   The canvas is the picture in the center. The Layers panel on the right shows the document’s pieces. Click Background to select the photo layer. The eye beside it switches its visibility on or off.

   At the bottom, the status bar shows the zoom percentage and image dimensions. Zoom changes how large the image looks on screen; it does not change its pixels. Choose View› then Fit on Screen to see the whole photo, or View› then Actual Size (100%) to inspect detail.

   Recovery up to date means a recovery copy is stored in this browser; it does not replace saving a file. After an interrupted session, look in File for Recover “file name” or Recover Unsaved Work.

   Tip If the Layers panel is missing, choose Window› then Layers. If your layout is hard to follow, Window› then Workspace› then Reset Workspace restores the panel layout.

   

   

3. 3

   Choose a tool and find its settings

   The left toolbar holds tools. Hover over a button to see its name. A small corner triangle means the button holds a group: right-click it, or press and hold it, to choose a particular tool.

   Try this on Brush and choose Brush from the group. Its settings appear on the options bar below the menus. Leave the canvas untouched so Undo in step 5 reverses the resize rather than a brush stroke.

   

   

4. 4

   Resize the sample to 1200 pixels wide

   Choose Image› then Image Size… Set Units to Pixels and leave the chain link on: it keeps width and height in proportion. Type 1200 into Width; the sample’s height becomes 800.

   Keep Resample checked, choose Bicubic Sharper beside it, and click Resize. Resampling calculates the pixels for the new size. The status bar now reads 1200 × 800 pixels.

   Tip Your own photo may produce a different height because it has a different shape. Do not turn off the link to force 800: that would stretch it.

   

5. 5

   Undo the edit, then redo it

   Choose Edit› then Undo (Ctrl+Z or ⌘Z). The status bar returns to 1536 × 1024 pixels. Then choose Edit› then Redo (Ctrl+Shift+Z or ⇧⌘Z) to bring back 1200 × 800.

   Open Window› then History to see the list of edits.

   

   

   

6. 6

   Save an editable project

   Choose File› then Save As› then Lil Cactus Project… Save the .cactus file to your device. Open it with File› then Open… when you want to continue editing. After Save As, File› then Save saves this project rather than the original JPEG.

   Your browser may show a file-location dialog or download the project. If it downloads, check that the .cactus file arrived before closing the tab.

   

   

7. 7

   Export the JPEG you will share

   Choose File› then Export› then JPEG… Set File name to tram-small.jpg and leave Quality at 90. Click Export and find the file in your browser’s downloads.

   For a logo or a cut-out with a transparent background, choose File› then Export› then PNG… instead: JPEG fills transparent areas with white.

   

   

Start a design instead of opening a photo

Choose File› then New… to make a blank document. Set its width and height for your design and create it. To bring a photo into a document that is already open, choose File› then Place Image as Layer… File› then Open… creates a separate document instead.

Save, project or export: which do you need?

File› then Save keeps JPEG, PNG, WebP, TIFF, AVIF, PSD and .cactus files in their current format; HEIC, GIF and camera RAW inputs save as .cactus projects. The first Save of a JPEG opens Save Image, while File› then Export writes a new sharing copy.

Read when to use Save, Save As and Export.

Fix common problems

A tool is missing from the toolbar

Right-click a grouped button to see its other tools, or click the three-dot All tools button near the bottom of the toolbar and search for the name.

My photo has disappeared

Choose View› then Fit on Screen if it is outside the view. If you see a checkerboard, look in Layers: click the eye control beside Background to show it again.

Undo is gray

You have not made an edit in this document, or you have already undone its available edits. Selecting a tool or changing the zoom is not an edit.

There is an unsaved dot after exporting

Export does not save the open document’s editable state. Save the project as well. A downloaded project can also keep the dot because the browser cannot confirm that the download finished.

My keyboard shortcut does nothing

A text field or dialog may have focus. Finish or cancel it, then try again, or use the menu command. In a browser, some shortcuts belong to the browser itself.

Getting started with Lil Cactus: questions and answers