Image Editing

Mask editing, inpainting brush, and rectangle tool for text removal

Overview

BallonTranslator provides powerful image editing tools to manually refine text removal and fix inpainting results. Access image editing by clicking the Paint Mode button (P) in the bottom toolbar.

Drawing Tools

Switch between tools using keyboard shortcuts or the drawing panel:

Tool	Shortcut	Description
Hand Tool	H	Pan and navigate the canvas
Inpaint Brush	J	Paint areas to inpaint
Pen Tool	B	Draw annotations on the image
Rectangle Tool	R	Create rectangular inpaint regions

Inpaint Brush

The inpaint brush lets you manually paint areas that need text removal.

Using the Inpaint Brush

1. Activate Inpaint Tool

   Press J or click the inpaint brush icon in the drawing panel.

2. Adjust Brush Settings

   Configure brush properties:

   • Thickness: Adjust brush size (1-1000 pixels)
   • Shape: Choose Circle or Rectangle
   • Inpainter: Select inpainting algorithm
3. Paint the Mask

   • Left-click and drag to paint areas to inpaint
   • Right-click and drag to erase parts of the mask
   • Hold Ctrl while painting to paint multiple strokes before inpainting
4. Run Inpainting

   Release the mouse button to automatically run inpainting (or release Ctrl if held).

Use Alt + Left-click and drag to dynamically adjust brush size. A preview circle shows the brush dimensions.

Brush Properties

Thickness Slider

• Range: 1-1000 pixels
• Adjusts the width of the brush stroke
• Larger brushes work well for covering large areas

Shape

• Circle: Smooth, natural strokes
• Rectangle: Hard-edged strokes for precise selections

Inpainter Selection

• Choose from multiple inpainting algorithms
• Different algorithms work better for different image types

Rectangle Tool

The rectangle tool quickly removes text in rectangular regions using automatic mask detection.

Using the Rectangle Tool

1. Activate Rectangle Tool

   Press R or click the rectangle icon in the drawing panel.

2. Draw Rectangle

   • Left-click and drag to create a rectangle covering the text
   • Right-click and drag to create a rectangle that erases inpainting results

   Draw the rectangle slightly larger than the text block for better results.

3. Preview the Mask

   A purple preview shows the detected text mask region.

4. Adjust and Inpaint

   • Adjust Dilate slider to expand/shrink the mask
   • Choose detection method (method 1, method 2, or use existing mask)
   • Click Inpaint or press Space to execute
   • Click Delete or press Ctrl+D to discard

Rectangle Tool Options

Detection Methods

Method 1

Automatic mask detection using edge detection and flood fill. Works well for simple backgrounds and clear text boundaries.

Method 2

Alternative detection algorithm. Try this if Method 1 doesn’t produce good results.

Use Existing Mask

Uses the mask from previous detection/OCR results without recalculating.

Both methods are heuristic-based and work best with:

• Simple text on simple backgrounds
• Some complex backgrounds with simple text
• Few cases of complex text on complex backgrounds

Try drawing the rectangle multiple times if results aren’t satisfactory.

Dilate Slider

• Expands or shrinks the detected mask
• Range: 0-100 pixels
• Helps cover text that extends beyond the detected region

Auto Mode

• When enabled: Rectangle inpaints immediately after drawing
• When disabled: Shows preview, click Inpaint or press Space to execute

Pen Tool

Draw annotations, notes, or corrections directly on the image.

1. Activate Pen Tool

   Press B or click the pen icon.

2. Configure Pen

   • Color: Click the color picker to choose pen color
   • Alpha: Adjust opacity (0-255)
   • Thickness: Set stroke width (1-1000 pixels)
   • Shape: Circle or Rectangle brush shape
3. Draw

   • Left-click and drag to draw with your chosen color
   • Right-click and drag to erase pen strokes

Pen tool drawings are saved as a separate layer and can be toggled or removed without affecting the original image or inpainting.

Mask Transparency

Adjust the Mask Opacity slider in the drawing panel to control the visibility of detected text masks overlaid on the image.

• Useful for verifying detection accuracy
• Only visible in Paint Mode (not Text Edit mode)

Canvas Controls

Zoom and Pan

• Ctrl + Mouse Wheel: Zoom in/out
• Ctrl + Plus/Minus: Zoom in/out
• Middle Mouse Button + Drag: Pan the canvas
• Hand Tool (H) + Left-click Drag: Pan the canvas

Layer Transparency

Original Layer Transparency

Control the visibility of the original image:

• Adjust the slider in the bottom panel
• Press 0-9 keys to set opacity (0=0%, 9=90%, etc.)
• Useful for comparing before/after inpainting

Text Layer Transparency

In Text Edit mode, control translated text visibility:

• Bottom panel slider adjusts opacity
• Press 0-9 in Text Edit mode
• Helpful for checking text positioning

Undo/Redo

All drawing and inpainting operations support undo/redo:

• Ctrl+Z: Undo
• Ctrl+Y: Redo

Undo/redo stacks are cleared when changing pages. The current page is auto-saved before page navigation.

Inpainting Algorithms

BallonTranslator supports multiple inpainting backends:

• AOT: Deep learning model from manga-image-translator
• PatchMatch: Classic non-DL algorithm (same as Photoshop’s content-aware fill)
• LAMA: Fine-tuned LAMA model

Configure the default inpainter in Settings → Inpainting or click the gear icon next to the inpainter selector.

Performance Tips

• GPU Acceleration: Inpainting is much faster with CUDA-enabled GPUs
• Enlarge Windows: The rectangle tool automatically enlarges the inpaint region for better results
• Mask Preview: Use the purple mask preview to verify detection before inpainting
• Multiple Attempts: Don’t hesitate to try different detection methods or redraw rectangles

Next Steps

Automated Translation

Learn how the automated pipeline detects and removes text

Text Editing

Edit and format the translated text after inpainting