Toon Creator Pro Documentation

Every menu, tab control, popup window and hotkey in Toon Creator Pro, plus what each tab is for. Hover over an item to see what it does.

Overview

A storyboarding and compositing tool for cartoon production

Shot building

Toon Creator Pro brings shot building, AI image editing and image clean-up into one window. Its Compositor stacks a background, any number of layers and up to four Action Layers on a GPU-accelerated canvas, so even large images move, scale, blur and flip in real time. Select a layer with a click, drag to place it, right-drag to size it, and step it through every other image in its folder with a single Ctrl+drag or arrow key, which makes swapping poses, expressions and props as fast as browsing. Shot Overlay Text stamps each frame with captions and counting shot or panel numbers, and every composition is saved as a single .tcp file that carries its images and a preview, so boards can be reopened anywhere, duplicated, renumbered and flipped through like a storyboard.

AI built in

AI is built into the workflow rather than bolted on. With your own OpenAI or Google key, the Compositor sends the finished shot to OpenAI's image model or Google's Nano Banana Pro with a plain-language prompt, and the result can drop straight back into the composition as a new layer. Image Creator combines up to four reference images in one request, for instance "copy the pose from Image 1 to Image 2". Batch Edit runs up to eight edits at once with shared prompt text and automatic export. Prompts you like are kept in Prompt Favorites, and every AI result can be backed up to a cache folder automatically.

Clean cut-outs

Clean cut-outs need no extra software. A built-in background remover runs entirely on your computer, with controls to shrink, smooth and defringe edges, refine them with alpha matting, and correct gamma, brightness and contrast, all with a live preview. Image Adjuster handles quick fixes across a whole folder: brightness, contrast, gamma, saturation and exposure, background removal, and an underpainting brush for repairing soft edges.

Tabs that remember

The interface is dark, tabbed and remembers everything. Open as many Compositor, Image Creator, Image Adjuster and Batch Edit tabs as the job needs, and every tab, image, prompt and setting is restored the next time the program starts. A Create Folders tool sets up numbered shot folders in one step.

Compositor Tab

Build a shot from stacked images. The viewer is on the left and the side panel on the right.

About this tab

The Compositor is where you build a shot from stacked images. Drop a background, then add layers and up to four Action Layers on top by dragging PNG files onto the drop boxes above the canvas. Click a layer to select it, drag to move it, right-drag to scale it, and use the side panel to set its scale, blur, brightness, contrast, gamma, sharpen, flip and visibility. Ctrl+right-drag or the Left/Right arrow keys step a layer through the other images in its folder, which makes it quick to try different poses or expressions. Shot Overlay Text adds a caption with two counters for shot and panel numbers. AI Modify flattens the composition and sends it with a prompt to OpenAI or Google's Nano Banana Pro; the result can be exported or added back as a new layer. Compositions are saved as .tcp files that pack every image, the layer settings and a preview, so they can be reopened, duplicated or flipped through as boards. Each Compositor tab is its own shot, so several can be open at once.

Viewer Buttons

top of the viewer

  • top-left
  • Layer Visualtoggle
  • Layer Outlinetoggle
  • Auto Selecttoggle
  • Pivot: DEFAULT / POINTER
  • AntiAlias: 8x
  • Hotkeys
  • top-right
  • Lock icontoggle

Drop Boxes

above the canvas, PNG files only

  • Drop Background
  • Drop Add Layer
  • Drop Action Layer

Viewer Bottom Bar

below the canvas

  • bottom-left
  • Show All Layers
  • Hide All Layers
  • Reset All Layers
  • Active: <name>
  • also the selected layer's file name and the canvas size
  • bottom-right
  • Action Layertoggle
  • Shot Overlay Texttoggle
  • Layerstoggle
  • Backgroundtoggle
  • Num 01, Num 02

Bottom-center shows the composition's .tcp name once it has been archived, and a short readout such as Gamma 1.20 while you Shift+right-drag.

Viewer Right-Click Menu

  • Reload Selected Image
  • Reset Selected Layer
  • Swap
  • Open Source Directory
  • Send to Image Adjuster
  • Move To Front
  • Move To Back
  • Clear All Layers

Side Panel

  • Toggle All Menus

Click a section heading to open or close it. The mouse wheel scrolls the panel; it doesn't move sliders.

Set Project

side panel

  • Project path
  • Browse...
  • Set Project

Composition

side panel

  • Directory
  • Open Dir
  • Browse...
  • Auto Archive Comptoggle
  • Archive Comp
  • Archive Comp As
  • Load Comp
  • View Boards

Layers

side panel

  • Current Layer Selected
  • Action Layer sections
    • Scale
    • Brightness, Contrast
    • Gamma
    • Flip X
    • Visible / Hidden
  • Layer N and Background sections
    • Scale
    • Blur
    • Brightness, Contrast
    • Gamma
    • Sharpen
    • Flip XF
    • Visible / Hidden
  • Black and Whitetoggle Effects section

Shot Overlay Text

side panel

  • Overlay ON / OFF
  • Position
  • Text 01, Text 02, Text 03
  • Num 01, Num 02
  • Preview
  • Color
  • Size
  • BG Color
  • BG Opacity
  • Background ON / OFF

AI Modify

side panel

  • API Key
  • Prompt
  • Generate
  • Generate/Export
  • AI Output
  • Move AI Output to Composition
  • AI Cache Path
  • Add AI Cache Image to Composition

Export

side panel

  • File Name
  • Directory
  • Open Dir
  • Browse...
  • Overlays: ON / OFF
  • Export Composition
  • Export AI Output

Drag any Directory field onto another to copy its path, or drop a folder onto one to fill it in.

Image Creator Tab

Edit pictures with AI. The four slots are on the left in a 2 x 2 grid; the settings are on the right.

About this tab

Image Creator edits pictures with AI. Drag up to four images into the slots Image 1 to Image 4 and describe the change in the Prompt box, for example "copy the pose from Image 1 to Image 2". Each image is sent with its slot name, so the prompt can refer to it. Pick OpenAI or Google's Nano Banana Pro in the API Key menu and click Generate; the result comes back at roughly the shape of the first image. You can also drop any existing image onto AI Output to clean it up or export it. Choose a folder, a file name and PNG or JPG, then click Export Output, or turn on Auto Export to save every new result. Turn on Apply Post Settings to remove the background, clean up soft edges and correct color as it exports. Prompts you use often can be saved and recalled from Prompt Favorites.

Image Slots

left side

  • Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, Image 4
  • Right-click a slot
    • Clear
    • Clear All
    • Open Directory
    • Set Export Directory to Source
    • Set Source Name to File Name

AI Modify/Export

settings panel

  • Toggle All Menus
  • API Key
  • Clear All Images
  • Prompt
  • Prompt Favorites
  • File Name
  • Generate
  • AI Output
  • Adjust Post Settings
  • Directory
  • Open Dir
  • Browse...
  • PNG / JPG
  • Apply Post Settingstoggle
  • Auto Exporttoggle
  • Export Output

Batch Edit Tab

Up to eight AI edits at once. The eight panels are on the left; the settings sidebar is on the right.

About this tab

Batch Edit runs up to eight AI image edits at once, one for each of the eight panels laid out in two rows of four. Drop an image into any panel, or drop one image on Add Image to All Fields to fill every panel, and the panel's File Name is filled in from the image's name. Type an edit in each panel's Prompt box, or write a shared Prefix and a short line per image in the Prompts section and click Create Prompts to fill them all. Generate All sends every panel that has both an image and a prompt; each request includes all the filled panels' images, labelled Image 1 to Image 8, so a prompt can refer to the other panels. Each result replaces the preview in its own panel. Export saves what the panels show, as PNG or JPG, either replacing files or adding a number. Apply Post Settings removes backgrounds and cleans up edges during export. AI results are not kept when the program closes, so export them first.

Image Panels

eight, in two rows of four

  • Image N
  • File Name
  • Prompt
  • Right-click a panel
    • Clear
    • Clear All
    • Reload All Images
    • Open Directory
    • Set Export Directory to Source
    • Set File Name to Source Name

Sidebar

  • Toggle All Menus
  • Generate All
  • Add Image to All Fields

Export Options

sidebar

  • Directory
  • Open Dir
  • Browse...
  • PNGtoggle
  • Apply Post Settingstoggle
  • Auto Exporttoggle
  • Overwritetoggle
  • Export

AI results aren't kept when the program closes, so export them first.

Prompts

sidebar

  • Prefix
  • Image 1 ... Image 8
  • Create Prompts

Post Image Settings

sidebar

  • Adjust Post Settings

Image Adjuster Tab

Fine-tune one image at a time. The viewer is on the left; the settings are on the right.

About this tab

Image Adjuster fine-tunes one image at a time. Drop a picture on the viewer, or send a layer here from the Compositor's right-click menu, and use the Brightness, Contrast, Gamma, Saturation and Exposure sliders with a live preview. The Left/Right arrow keys or a Ctrl+drag across the viewer step through the other images in the same folder, and your settings carry over as you go. Shift+right-drag on the image is a fast way to set gamma (up/down) and contrast (left/right). Remove Background cuts out the subject with a built-in model that runs on your computer, and the edge options tidy the cut. The Underpainting brush paints color under the image, which shows only through transparent or soft edges, so it is handy for fixing ragged edges. Save Overwrite Image writes the result over the original file, with no copy and no confirmation, so keep backups of anything important.

Viewer

left side

  • Viewer
  • Trash icon
  • below the viewer: the file name, or what the program is doing

Image Adjustments

settings panel

  • Brightness
  • Contrast
  • Gamma
  • Saturation
  • Exposure
  • Reset Settings
  • Save Overwrite Image

The mouse wheel scrolls the panel; it doesn't move sliders.

Background Removal Options

work only while Remove Background is on

  • Remove Background
  • Contract Alpha (px)
  • Alpha Smoothing (px)
  • Defringe edges + color
  • Post-process Mask (clean up the mask)
  • Only Mask (output the alpha mask)
  • Fill background + color

Alpha Matting Options

settings panel

  • Alpha Matting (smoother edges, slower)
  • Foreground Threshold
  • Background Threshold
  • Erode Size

Underpainting

settings panel

  • Brush
  • Eraser
  • Picker
  • Color swatch
  • Brush Size
  • Brush Flow
  • Brush Falloff

Underpainting shows only through transparent or soft edges, so it's handy for fixing ragged edges.

Windows and Popups

The windows the menus and buttons open

Settings

File > Settings

  • OpenAI API Key
  • Google API Key
  • Fix Alpha Intensity
  • Canvas Resolution
    • Lock aspect ratio
  • Cycle Image Drag Distance
  • Hotkey Overlay Opacity
  • Scale Pivot
  • Texture Antialiasing
  • Anisotropic Filtering
  • Outline Thickness
  • Remove Background (rembg), shared with Batch Edit's Post Image Settings
  • Alpha Matting
  • Foreground Threshold, Background Threshold, Erode Size
  • Contract Alpha (px)
  • Alpha Smoothing (px)
  • Post Gamma Correction
    • Preview
  • Defringe
  • Post-process Mask
  • Only Mask
  • Background Color
  • Reset rembg Defaults
  • OK
  • Cancel

Post Image Settings

Adjust Post Settings in Image Creator or Batch Edit

  • Preview
  • Remove Background
  • Alpha Matting (smoother edges, slower)
  • Adjustment Sliders
  • Foreground Threshold, Background Threshold, Erode Size
  • Contract Alpha (px)
  • Alpha Smoothing (px)
  • Post Gamma Correction
  • Brightness, Contrast
  • Mask & Background Options
  • Defringe edges + color
  • Post-process Mask (clean up the mask)
  • Only Mask (output the alpha mask)
  • Fill background + color
  • Reset Defaults
  • CancelEsc
  • Save

Image Creator's settings belong to that tab; Batch Edit's are shared with File > Settings. Contract Alpha, Alpha Smoothing and Defringe apply only when Remove Background is on.

Create Folders

File > Create Folders

  • Directory Path
  • Name, Num/Pad, By
  • Folder 01 ... Folder 10
  • Clear All
  • Create Archived Folder
  • Create Folders
  • Close

License

Help > License

  • License Key
  • Activate
  • Close

Archive Composition

Archive Comp As

  • File Name boxes
  • Increment boxes
  • Archive
  • Cancel

Load Composition

Load Comp

  • Thumbnails
  • Right-click a thumbnail
    • Open Source Directory
    • Duplicate Comp
    • Delete Comp
  • Cancel

View Boards

View Boards

  • Left and right arrow buttonsLeft / Right

Shows each board's preview with its file name underneath. View only.

Swap Layer Image

Swap, or Ctrl+left-click a layer

  • Thumbnails
  • Cancel

The same window lists the AI Cache Path images for Add AI Cache Image to Composition.

Output Preview

Ctrl+click or double-click an output image

  • Drag the image
  • Save Image right-click

Press Esc, click outside or double-click to close it.

Gamma Preview

Settings > Preview

  • Post Gamma Correction
  • Save

Hotkeys

File > Hotkeys, or the Hotkeys viewer button

  • Hotkeys popup

A few lines in the popup are out of date; the Hotkeys and Mouse Gestures section below is correct.

Loading background remover

May appear the first time background removal is used in a session, while the model loads, and closes by itself. The program usually loads the model in the background at startup, so it's rarely seen.

Hotkeys and Mouse Gestures

Keys work when no text box has focus

Compositor: Keyboard

  • Duplicate layerCtrl+D
  • Delete layerDelete / Backspace
  • Flip layerF
  • Show / hide layerV
  • Blur on / offB
  • Reset layerR
  • Move forward / backUp / Down
  • Previous / next imageLeft / Right

F, B, Ctrl+D and Up/Down don't work on Action Layers.

Compositor: Mouse

  • ZoomWheel
  • Blur layerCtrl+Wheel
  • Fast scaleShift+Wheel
  • Fast blurCtrl+Alt+Wheel
  • PanMiddle-drag
  • Open layer folderDouble middle-click
  • Select layerLeft-click
  • Move layerLeft-drag
  • Open layer sectionDouble-click
  • Swap Layer ImageCtrl+left-click
  • Viewer menuRight-click
  • Scale layerRight-drag
  • Gamma / contrastShift+right-drag
  • Cycle imagesCtrl+right-drag
  • Replace layer image drop an image file on a layer

The in-app Hotkeys popup is out of date: Ctrl+left-click now opens Swap Layer Image, cycling is Ctrl+right-drag or Left/Right, and its right-click up/down means right-drag.

Image Creator

  • Clear slotDelete / Backspace
  • Output PreviewCtrl+clickDouble-click
  • Save output drag AI Output to a folder

Batch Edit

  • Clear panelDelete / Backspace
  • Copy image drag a panel onto another

Image Adjuster

  • Previous / next imageLeft / Right
  • Clear imageDelete / Backspace
  • PickerHold C
  • EraserHold E
  • Gamma / contrastShift+right-drag
  • Cycle imagesCtrl+right-dragCtrl+left-drag
  • PaintLeft-drag
  • Brush size / falloffRight-drag
  • Output PreviewDouble-click

Tab Bar

  • Rename tabDouble-click
  • Delete tabMiddle-click

Where Your Work Is Saved

Everything is saved automatically: open tabs, their images, text and settings come back the next time the program starts

Files

  • Tabs, settings and API keys %LOCALAPPDATA%\ToonCreator\settings.json
  • Prompt Favorites %LOCALAPPDATA%\ToonCreator\prompt_favorites.json
  • The last Image Creator result %LOCALAPPDATA%\ToonCreator\modify_outputs\
  • Compositions .tcp files in the Compositor's Composition folder
  • Error details crash_log.txt in the program folder

API keys are stored as plain text in settings.json. Don't share that file.

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