photocraft/docs/ui-parity.md

UI parity: tools, handles, modifiers and feel

Last reviewed: 2026-10-10 · Last updated: 2026-10-12 · Change: minor (⇧-dragged guides land on ruler ticks; layer and selection keys; tool keys) · Target: Adobe Photoshop 2026

How PhotoCraft's direct manipulation compares with Photoshop 2026 (27.11.0): the toolbox, the handles and modifier keys of each gesture, nudging, snapping, numeric precision, navigation, shortcuts and panels. Painting feel has its own checklist in brush-parity.md and right-click menus in context-menu-parity.md. The design system (themes, tokens, widgets) is ui-design.md.

Status: done (behaves as in Photoshop, with a test), partial (exists, differs or untested), missing. Evidence is a file under crates/ui-egui/src/ unless another path is given, a scorecard id, or an issue. Modifier names are macOS first (⌘ ⌥ ⇧); Windows/Linux use Ctrl and Alt.

Summary (estimated, weights = how often the gesture is used): ~40% ready. Tools 56/68 present (82%, measured). Free Transform modifiers and Crop are close to Photoshop; the gaps are in the long tail of modifiers, in-transform UI, spring-loaded tools, panels and preferences. Remaining: 60–110 h for transforms and modifiers (gap G5), 60–100 h for tools (G6), 150–250 h for panels and workspace (G9).

Tools

Measured: the Tool enum (state.rs:64) and TOOL_SECTIONS (panels.rs:17, 22 flyout slots) against the 67 <tool> entries of Photoshop's Default Keyboard Shortcuts.kys plus Remove, Triangle and Curvature Pen (minus legacy Rounded Rectangle and Targeted Adjustment) = 68.

Group	Present	Missing
Move, artboard	Move, Artboard
Marquee	Rectangular, Elliptical, Single Row, Single Column
Lasso	Lasso, Polygonal, Magnetic
Selection	Object Selection, Quick Selection, Magic Wand
Crop and slice	Crop, Perspective Crop, Slice, Slice Select
Frame	Frame (frames are groups clipped by a rectangular or elliptical mask)
Eyedropper	Eyedropper, Color Sampler, Ruler, Note, Count
Retouch	Remove, Spot Healing, Healing, Patch, Content-Aware Move, Red Eye
Brush	Brush, Pencil, Mixer Brush	Color Replacement (paint.colorReplacement exists)
Stamp	Clone Stamp, Pattern Stamp
History	History Brush	Art History Brush
Eraser	Eraser, Background Eraser, Magic Eraser
Fill	Gradient, Paint Bucket
Focus, toning	Blur, Sharpen, Smudge, Dodge, Burn, Sponge
Pen	Pen, Freeform Pen, Curvature Pen (#1054), Convert Point (#3204; also ⌥ with Pen)	Add Anchor Point, Delete Anchor Point
Type	Horizontal, Vertical, Vertical Type Mask, Horizontal Type Mask
Path selection	Path Selection, Direct Selection
Shapes	Rectangle, Ellipse, Triangle, Polygon, Line, Custom Shape	(Star is a Polygon option in Photoshop)
View	Hand, Rotate View, Zoom
Toolbar controls	Edit Toolbar, colour chips, Quick Mask, Screen Mode

Toolbar behaviour	Status	Evidence
Letter shortcuts, ⇧+letter cycles the group, "Use Shift Key for Tool Switch" (on by default, as in Photoshop)	done	shortcuts.rs:413
Group remembers the last tool used	partial	L always resets to Lasso (#2608)
Press-and-hold or click-drag opens the flyout	missing	right-click only (#2301)
Edit Toolbar customization	done	edit.toolbar

Free Transform (⌘T) and transform handles

transform_tool.rs (3,158 lines), behaviour summary in ui-design.md.

Behaviour	Status	Evidence
Eight handles, drag inside moves, outside rotates with rotation cursor and live angle	done	#1948
Corners and edges proportional by default; ⇧ frees them (edge stretches one axis)	done	#1873
⌥ scales about the reference point; ⌥-click places it; draggable reference point	done
⌘-corner distort, ⌘-edge skew, ⌘⌥⇧ perspective, ⇧ rotate in 15° steps	done
Warp: presets, bend, split crosswise/vertical/horizontal, 3×3–5×5 and custom grids	done
Options bar X/Y, W/H % with link, angle	done
Options bar H/V skew fields	missing
Interpolation in the options bar	partial	Bicubic/Bilinear/Nearest; no Bicubic Smoother/Sharper/Automatic, Preserve Details
Commit/cancel buttons in the options bar	missing	#2442
Right-click menu during transform (Scale, Rotate, Skew, Distort, Perspective, Warp, flips, rotates)	missing	TOOL-214-5
Arrow keys nudge the box 1 px, ⇧ 10 px	done	move_mods.rs
Preview keeps layer order, blend mode and mask	partial	mask yes (BUG-205-2); order/blend not (#2439)
Preview clipped to the canvas, follows edits while open	done	#2201, #2099
Hand (space) mid-transform doesn't interrupt it	partial	#2302
Blend mode / opacity edits while transforming	missing	#1384
Locked layer refused before the drag	missing	fails only at commit (#2585)
Transform a copy (⌥⌘T), step and repeat (⌥⇧⌘T)	done	2026-10-07
Transform a targeted alpha channel	missing	BUG-207-4
Smart object perspective (non-affine)	missing	FILE-215-6, #579
Type-layer transform while editing (⌘ held), no ⌘-corner distort on type	done	ui-design.md
Puppet Warp mesh follows the outline	missing	block grid (TOOL-214-6)

Move tool and nudging

Behaviour	Status	Evidence
Arrow 1 px, ⇧-arrow 10 px for layers	done	move_mods.rs
Arrow nudge of a selection outline (selection tools)	done	#1502
Arrow nudge of the crop box, X swaps orientation	done	TOOL-214-19
Arrow nudge of path points with Direct Selection	missing	no arrow handling in direct_select.rs
⌘-arrow nudges the layer from any tool	missing	#2474
⌥-drag duplicates, ⇧ constrains to 45°	done	move_mods.rs
Auto-Select with hover outline, box-select layers, double-click fit	missing	TOOL-214-4
Auto-Select bounding box and snapping follow the picked layer	partial	follow the previous layer (#2666)
⌘-drag temporary Move shows the box and snaps	partial	#2681
⌘-right-click layer list under the pointer	done	layer_pick_ui.rs
Double-click type to edit it (caret at the pointer, Type tool)	done	#1132, type_tool::edit_at
Moving a selection on a mask moves the mask, not the pixels	partial	#2468

Selection modifiers

Behaviour	Status	Evidence
⇧ square/circle, ⌥ from centre, live W × H readout (marquee)	done	marquee_tests.rs
⇧ add, ⌥ subtract, ⇧⌥ intersect from modifiers at press	partial	works; only a badge test (BUG-208-4)
Space repositions the marquee while dragging	done	hold_keys.rs
Polygonal Lasso ⇧ snaps to 45°	missing	#2352
Autoscroll at the window edge while selecting	missing	#2231
Single-pixel rows and columns kept on release	partial	#2391
Esc deselects / ⌘Z undoes the last selection	partial	#2674, #1432
Select › Modify live preview	missing	#1752

Pen, paths and shapes

Behaviour	Status	Evidence
Click corner, drag smooth, ⌥ breaks a handle, ⌘ direct-selects, ⇧ 45°	partial	TOOL-214-10
Handle on the last point, close-drag handle	partial	#1482
Path operations in the options bar (combine, subtract, intersect, exclude)	partial	layer.combineShapes.*; Pen options #1397
On-canvas corner-radius handles on live shapes	missing	TOOL-214-12
Shape stroke controls (dash, caps, joins, align)	done	TOOL-1053-1, shape-strokes.md
Rotated shape selection hints correct	partial	#2512
Curved shape bounds exact	partial	one pixel too wide (#2537)

Crop

Behaviour	Status	Evidence
Drag outside rotates (⇧ 15°), angle readout; ↵ rotates and crops in one undo step	done	TOOL-214-18
Straighten button and ⌘-drag line	done	TOOL-214-21
Default-mode resize snaps handles without camera feedback; image and frame use the same camera in each rendered frame	done	crop_mode.rs::a_live_resize_snaps_the_handle_without_feedback_from_the_camera, tests/crop_default_mode.rs::a_resize_renders_the_frame_and_image_with_the_same_camera (2026-10-10)
Ratio presets and W × H changes immediately fit the current frame around its centre; Swap button and X share the fitted ratio, Enter needs no resize	done	crop_ui.rs::choosing_a_ratio_fits_and_commits_without_a_resize, crop_size.rs::choosing_a_size_with_the_canvas_ratio_commits_without_a_resize, tests/crop_default_mode.rs (2026-10-10)
Roomy Crop options bar does not scroll; narrow tool bars retain horizontal scrolling	done	panels.rs::a_wide_crop_options_bar_does_not_scroll, panels.rs::narrow_tool_options_can_scroll_to_the_last_control (2026-10-10)
Overlays (thirds, grid, diagonal, triangle, golden ratio/spiral), O / ⇧O	done	TOOL-214-20
Crop shield, Show Cropped Area (H)	done	TOOL-214-22
Default mode: the image turns and moves behind an upright box; Auto Center Preview; Use Classic Mode	done	TOOL-214-23
W × H × Resolution with units, built-in size presets, Front Image	done	TOOL-214-9 (crop_size.rs)
Saved custom crop presets	missing	TOOL-214-9
Content-Aware crop fill, Delete Cropped Pixels off	partial

Snapping, guides, rulers, precision

Behaviour	Status	Evidence
Snap to guides, grid, layers, document bounds and centre, selection, slices; ⌘ disables while dragging	done	engine/src/snap.rs, snap_ui.rs
Snap vector tools and transforms to the pixel grid	done	snap_ui.rs:196
Smart guides (magenta alignment lines)	done
Smart guide distance and spacing labels	missing
Ruler units px/in/cm/mm/pt/pica/%	done
⇧-drag a guide out of a ruler: it lands on the nearest ruler tick	done	rulers.rs snap_to_tick (#3770)
Status bar follows the ruler unit	partial	#2602
Ruler corner and gaps drawn as Photoshop	partial	#2600, #2601, #2551
Guides stored as f64	missing	Vec<f32> (UI-217-20)
Geometry precision	partial	geom::Point f64, paths f64; paint internals mostly f32
Numeric fields: arithmetic, scrubby labels	partial	units in expressions and double-click reset missing (UI-217-13)

Navigation

Behaviour	Status	Evidence
Space = Hand, ⌘Space / ⌘⌥Space = zoom in/out, spring-loaded while held	done	hold_keys.rs
Hold any tool letter for a temporary tool	missing	#2672
Scrubby zoom	done	zoom_tool.rs
Flick panning	done	flick_pan.rs (Preferences › Tools › Enable Flick Panning)
Animated zoom	missing	unread pref; #566
Double-click Zoom tool = 100%, double-click Hand = fit	partial	Zoom missing (#2508)
⌥-wheel zoom in gentle steps	missing	UI-217-18
Wheel, smooth scrolling and pinch as in Photoshop	partial	#2485, #2463, #1989
Trackpad rotate drives Rotate View	done	rotate_view.rs:136
Zoom levels to 3200% and beyond	partial	#1813
Physical 100% at any display scale	done	#1943
⌃Tab / ⌃⇧Tab switch document tabs	missing	#2340

Keyboard shortcuts

Measure	Value	Kind
Photoshop default shortcuts (.kys)	58 tool keys, 107 menu commands with 115 shortcuts, 25 tool-area commands	measured
PhotoCraft	~199 shortcut assignments, 113 distinct modifier/F-key combos, 20 tool letters, 3 temporary-tool bindings	measured (source)
Shortcut audit	214 → 0 failures (2026-10-07)	measured then; not re-run here
.kys import	done (engine/src/kys.rs)
Shortcut glyphs per platform	done (UI-217-19)
Brush size/hardness keys on non-US layouts	done (#3109): [ ] need AltGr on many layouts, so Photoshop uses other keys there (German: Ö / #, ⇧ for hardness). layout_keys.rs has a data table of such layouts (LAYOUTS, add rows to support one more) and a fallback for all others: the keys at the US [ / ] positions act as [ / ] when they don't type brackets. Off once a real bracket is typed; Edit › Keyboard Shortcuts overrides still apply
Layer and selection keys: ⌘, toggles visibility, ⌘\ targets the mask, / locks transparency, ⌘⌥2 loads luminosity, ⌘⌥⌫ fills from history, Tab / ⇧Tab rename the next layer, ⌥-click a thumbnail fits the layer	done (2026-10-11)
Tool keys: ← / → turn the brush tip (1°, ⇧ 15°), ⇧-click with Type starts new text over old, Space+F / ⇧Space+F cycle the pasteboard colour	done (2026-10-11)

Panels and workspace

30 of 35 Window-menu panels exist (measured). Missing: Libraries, Comments, Contextual Task Bar, Discover, Generative variations. Dock tabs: Layers, Channels, Paths, History, Actions, Layer Comps, Properties, Adjustments, Navigator, Histogram, Info, Color, Swatches, Character, Paragraph; the rest open as in-app floating windows.

Behaviour	Status	Evidence
Panel groups float and tear off into OS windows	missing	UI-217-5, #1828, #1213
Drag panels to reorder and regroup	partial	#2272, #2305
Docked resize pushes the neighbour	partial	#2573
Color panel wheel and RGB/HSB/CMYK/Lab sliders	missing	UI-217-17, #2569
Window size and dock width remembered	done	UI-217-2
Command palette with recents	done	UI-217-7
Every preference takes effect	partial	46 of 149 do nothing (scorecard)
UI scale presets	missing	UI-217-9, #2492
History snapshots: camera button, snapshot rows (click returns, rename, delete), history.*Snapshot commands	partial	history_cmds.rs, snapshot_rows in panels.rs; New Snapshot dialog, first snapshot and History Options to come (#2966)
Themes: Photoshop's four greys	partial	five themes; #2661
Document tabs: overflow, context menu, reorder	done	UI-217-6; middle-click close #2570
Layers panel: wheel steps blend modes, drop on New/Trash	partial	UI-217-14

Revision history

Date	Change	Summary
2026-10-10	major	First version, from a source audit against Photoshop 2026 27.11.0's shortcuts file and the open issues
2026-10-10	minor	Fixed Crop live resize snapping feedback and outdated-camera rendering, applied ratios immediately to centred inscribed previews, and removed two-point options-bar overflow; added pointer, rendering, dropdown/Enter, Swap/X and scrolling regressions
2026-10-11	minor	Flick panning done: releasing a moving Hand drag (tool, Space or middle button) glides and decays, gated by Enable Flick Panning
2026-10-11	minor	History snapshots: the camera button takes one, snapshot rows return to it as a new state, rename and delete it (#2966)
2026-10-11	minor	⇧-drag a guide out of a ruler lands on the nearest ruler tick (#3770)
2026-10-11	minor	Layer and selection keys from Photoshop's shortcut set: ⌘, toggles, ⌘, /, ⌘⌥2, ⌘⌥⌫, Tab rename-next, ⌥-click thumbnail to fit
2026-10-11	minor	Tool keys from Photoshop's shortcut set: ← / → rotate the brush tip, ⇧-click for new type, Space+F canvas colour