Overview BallonTranslator provides extensive keyboard shortcuts for efficient workflow. This page lists all available shortcuts organized by category.
Shortcuts work globally unless specified otherwise. Some shortcuts only work in specific modes (Text Edit, Paint Mode, etc.).
Navigation Page Navigation Shortcut Action Notes A or PageUpPrevious page Also switches to previous text block when editing D or PageDownNext page Also switches to next text block when editing Ctrl+FPage search Search text on current page Ctrl+GGlobal search Search across all pages
When a text block is being edited, A and D keys will type the letter instead of changing pages. Use PageUp/PageDown or finish editing first.
Canvas Navigation Shortcut Action Ctrl+Plus or Ctrl+Wheel UpZoom in Ctrl+Minus or Ctrl+Wheel DownZoom out Middle Mouse Button + DragPan canvas 0-9Set active layer transparency (0%, 10%, 20%…90%)
Text Block Navigation Shortcut Action Mode Alt+Arrow Keys or Alt+WASDSwitch between text blocks Text Edit Mode PageUp / PageDownPrevious/Next text block While editing text EscExit text editing While editing text
Editing Undo/Redo Shortcut Action Ctrl+ZUndo Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+ZRedo
Undo/redo stacks are separate for drawing operations and text operations. The stack clears when switching pages.
Text Formatting Shortcut Action Mode Ctrl+BBold Text Edit Mode Ctrl+IItalic Text Edit Mode Ctrl+UUnderline Text Edit Mode
Selection Shortcut Action Mode Ctrl+ASelect all text blocks Text Edit Mode Ctrl+ClickAdd/remove text block from selection Text Edit Mode Shift+ClickSelect range of text blocks Text Edit Mode
Copy/Paste Shortcut Action Mode Ctrl+CCopy selected text blocks Text Edit Mode Ctrl+VPaste text blocks Text Edit Mode Ctrl+Shift+CCopy source text only Text Edit Mode Ctrl+Shift+VPaste source text only Text Edit Mode
Delete Shortcut Action Mode Ctrl+DDelete selected text blocks Text Edit Mode DeleteDelete selected text blocks Text Edit Mode Ctrl+Shift+DDelete and recover original text Text Edit Mode
Delete vs Delete and Recover
Delete (Ctrl+D): Removes the text block and keeps the inpainted background.Delete and Recover (Ctrl+Shift+D): Removes the text block AND restores the original image in that region (reverses inpainting).
Mode Switching Shortcut Action TToggle Text Edit Mode WToggle Text Block Creation Mode PToggle Paint Mode
These shortcuts only work when Paint Mode is active.
Shortcut Tool HHand Tool (pan) JInpaint Brush BPen Tool RRectangle Tool Alt+Click+DragAdjust brush size (when using Pen or Inpaint tool)
Shortcut Action Context SpaceExecute inpaint After drawing rectangle Ctrl+DDelete rectangle After drawing rectangle
File Operations Shortcut Action Ctrl+OOpen folder/project Ctrl+SSave project
Shortcut Action Ctrl+Shift+MOpen Merge Tool Merge overlapping text regions
Special Functions Translation and Processing These actions are available via right-click context menu:
Translate : Run translation on selected blocksOCR : Run OCR on selected blocksOCR and translate : Run both OCR and translationOCR, translate and inpaint : Full pipeline on selected blocksInpaint : Run inpainting on selected blocks
Layout Operations Right-click context menu in Text Edit Mode:
Apply font formatting : Apply format panel settings to selectionAuto layout : Automatically adjust text positioning and sizingReset Angle : Reset text rotation to 0°Squeeze : Compress text to fit in balloon
Text Editor Shortcuts When editing text in the source/translation editors:
Shortcut Action EnterInsert line break Ctrl+ZUndo text change Ctrl+YRedo text change
Canvas Interaction Mouse Controls Action Result Mode Right-Click + DragCreate text block Text Edit + Text Block Mode Left-Click + DragDraw/Paint Paint Mode with Pen/Inpaint tool Right-Click + DragErase Paint Mode with Pen/Inpaint tool Left-Click + DragCreate inpaint rectangle Paint Mode with Rectangle tool Right-Click + DragCreate erase rectangle Paint Mode with Rectangle tool Middle-Click + DragPan canvas All modes
Text Block Manipulation Action Result Click + DragMove text block Arrow KeysNudge text block position Drag Corner HandleResize text block Drag Rotation HandleRotate text block
Advanced Tips Hold Ctrl while painting : Paint multiple strokes before running inpainting. Useful for covering large or complex text regions.
Transparency shortcuts (0-9) :
In Text Edit Mode : Adjusts text layer transparency
In Paint Mode : Adjusts original image transparency
Press 0 twice to toggle between 0% and 100%
Quick text block switching : Use Alt+WASD as an alternative to arrow keys for navigating text blocks - helpful if arrow keys are far from your hand position.
Customizing Shortcuts Currently, most keyboard shortcuts are hardcoded and cannot be customized. The exception is:
SalaDict Shortcut : Configurable in Settings → Editor → Shortcut (default: Alt+W)
Future versions may add customizable shortcuts. Check the GitHub repository for updates.
Context-Dependent Behavior Some shortcuts behave differently based on context:
A and D Keys
Default : Previous/Next pageWhen editing text : Types the letterWhen text editor is focused : Switches between text blocks (only with Alt modifier)
0-9 Number Keys
Text Edit Mode : Adjusts text layer transparencyPaint Mode : Adjusts original image transparencyWhen editing text : Types the number
Ctrl+D
Text Edit Mode : Deletes selected text blocksPaint Mode with Rectangle Tool : Deletes drawn rectangle before inpainting
Quick Reference Card Most Common Shortcuts Navigation: A/D or PageUp/PageDown - Previous/Next page Ctrl+F - Page search Ctrl+G - Global search Ctrl+Plus/Minus - Zoom Editing: Ctrl+Z/Y - Undo/Redo Ctrl+A - Select all Ctrl+C/V - Copy/Paste Ctrl+B/I/U - Bold/Italic/Underline Ctrl+D - Delete Modes: T - Text Edit Mode W - Text Block Mode P - Paint Mode Tools (Paint Mode): H - Hand J - Inpaint Brush B - Pen R - Rectangle
Next Steps
Text Editing Learn about text editing features
Image Editing Explore image editing tools
