Layout
Rainbow Painter basically consists of a picture editor/viewer in the center, with a number of panels (see below) around it.
Panels
The static windows scattered around the large picture editor/viewer window are called panels.
Two of the most important panels are Picture Controls and Layer Controls, situated to the right.
Panels with similar or related functionality share the same background color, to make them more intuitive.
Popup-Help
As you may have noticed, this manual doesn't cover every last nook and cranny of Rainbow Painter.
That's where the popup-help comes in.
Whenever you're wondering what a button does, just hover the mouse pointer above it for a couple of seconds and a short explanation will (in most cases) appear.
Lists
Many of the buttons found in the panels bring up a so called list, when clicked.
A list works just like a menu or a contextual menu in other programs, with one important difference:
You can make a list permanent by clicking in the empty box in the lower left-hand corner of the list, or by moving it.
This way you can keep, for example, a list of tools or layer operations wherever you want on the screen and use it much quicker!
Also in the lower left-hand corner of the list, is a button with a '-' that will make the size of the list smaller.
A second click on that button (which then will have a '+' on it) will bring it back to full size.
Dialogs
You are most probably already familiar with standard dialogs where you adjust a few sliders and switches and then click 'OK', and Rainbow Painter doesn't do it that differently...
Just like the lists, a dialog can be made permanent by clicking in the empty box in the lower left-hand corner of the dialog, or by moving it.
So it's up to you whether you want the dialogs to disappear after one use, like other programs do it, or if you want to keep them up and re-use them later!
Also in the lower left-hand corner of the dialog, is a button with a '-' that will make the size of the dialog smaller.
A second click on that button (which then will have a '+' on it) will bring it back to full size.