This menu works with motifs: areas of your cross stitch pattern that you copy from the canvas to paste somewhere else, transform, save under a name and reuse in other works.
A motif keeps its cross stitches, its backstitch and its colours. When you paste it into a work with a different palette, Puntotek adds the missing colours so the result keeps its original look.
The buttons, one by one
Copy (CTRL+C)
Draw a box around the area you want to copy. That selection goes to the clipboard as a motif and the original drawing stays untouched.
Cut (CTRL+X)
Works like copy, but it also clears the selected area on the canvas. If that was not what you wanted, undo brings it back.
Paste (CTRL+V)
The motif follows the cursor with a preview. Place it on the canvas and tap to drop it. You can paste it as many times as you need.
Paste behind
Pastes the motif only over empty cells. Whatever was already stitched is left alone, so you can add backgrounds, shadows or ornaments without covering the existing drawing.
Horizontal mirror
Flips the motif from left to right. Useful to repeat a symmetrical figure or to build the opposite side of a border.
Vertical mirror
Flips the motif upside down. Combine it with the horizontal mirror when you want to try several orientations before pasting.
Rotate left
Rotates the motif 90° anticlockwise. The preview updates before you paste, so you can check the orientation without touching the work.
Rotate right
Rotates the motif 90° clockwise. Combining rotations and mirrors gives you the usual orientations for borders, corners and symmetrical layouts.
Save motif
Saves the motif on the clipboard under the name you choose. If another motif already uses that name, Puntotek warns you before overwriting. You will find it afterwards in the motifs tab of the file list.
Open motifs
Opens your motif library. From the list you can preview a motif and load it onto the clipboard, then go back to the canvas and paste it.
Close / Help
Two simple buttons: leave the menu, or open this help page when you need a reminder.
- Close the menu: Goes back to the canvas; whatever you copied is still there to paste. It also closes with the Esc (Escape) key, without touching the button.
- Open help: Opens the explanation for the current screen.
Tips
Before copying, set the selection box carefully. Empty cells are part of the motif too, which is handy to keep margins or to separate one piece from another when pasting.
- A motif is also a way to carry a cross stitch palette around: copy an area of one work with the colours you want and paste it into another to add them.
- Backstitch and special stitches inside the selection travel with the motif.
- Every paste is stored as an undo step. If it does not fit, press CTRL+Z and place it again.
A workflow that works
To repeat a piece inside your cross stitch pattern, copy the clean area first, try rotations or mirrors while you watch the preview, and paste once the position is right. If the motif has to sit behind finished work, use Paste behind to protect what is already stitched.