TutorDraw

TutorDraw is a powerful annotation and drawing tool designed for educators, presenters, and content creators. It provides a seamless overlay canvas that allows you to draw, annotate, and highlight directly on your screen during presentations, tutorials, or demonstrations.

Features

Drawing Tools

• Pencil: Freehand drawing tool
• Highlighter: Text-aware highlighting that aligns with existing text
• Shapes: Rectangle, Circle, Diamond, Arrow, Triangle, Hexagon, Pentagon, Octagon, Star, and more
• Advanced Shapes: Double Arrow, Curved Arrow, Cloud, Callout, Speech Bubble
• Text: Add text annotations with customizable font properties
• Laser Pointer: Smooth animated laser pointer for presentations
• Eraser: Remove annotations selectively
• Zoom: Magnify specific areas of the screen

Smart Features

• Text-Aware Highlighting: Automatically detects and aligns with existing text for precise highlighting
• Selection & Transformation: Select, move, resize, and rotate drawn elements
• Fill Mode: Fill shapes with color
• Undo/Redo: Full editing history support
• Theme Support: Light and Dark themes with customizable colors

Toolbar Management

• Auto-Hide: Toolbar automatically hides when not in use but stays accessible during interaction
• Peek Functionality: Hover over the hide icon to temporarily show the toolbar
• Toggle Visibility: Use Ctrl+Shift+H to show/hide the toolbar
• Orientation: Switch between horizontal and vertical toolbar layouts

Board Modes

• White Board (Default): Full white background to hide other applications
• Black Board: Full black background to hide other applications
• Transparent Annotation: Draw on top of existing content
• Left Sidebar: Excalidraw-like sidebar for changing canvas color and fill settings
• Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+B to toggle board on/off
• No Fill Button in Toolbar: Fill options moved to sidebar
• Reset to Defaults: One-click reset all settings to default values
• Whiteboard Mode: Solid background for clear presentations

Global Keyboard Shortcuts

These shortcuts work even when TutorDraw is running in the background!

Shortcut	Function
Ctrl+Alt+P	Pencil tool
Ctrl+Alt+R	Rectangle tool
Ctrl+Alt+E	Ellipse/Circle tool
Ctrl+Alt+A	Arrow tool
Ctrl+Alt+T	Text tool
Ctrl+Alt+X	Eraser
Ctrl+Alt+V	Select mode
Ctrl+Alt+M	Mouse mode
Ctrl+Alt+H	Toggle toolbar visibility
Ctrl+Alt+B	Toggle board mode on/off
Ctrl+Alt+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Alt+Y	Redo
Ctrl+Alt+C	Clear canvas
Ctrl+Alt+S	Full Screen Screenshot
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S	Area Screenshot
Ctrl+Alt+L	Long Screenshot (Scrolling)
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+L	Scrolling Screenshot
Ctrl+Alt+Rec	Start/Stop Recording
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Rec	Record Area
Ctrl+Alt+F	Toggle Fill Mode

Legacy Shortcuts (for reference)

Shortcut	Function
Ctrl+Shift+H	Toggle toolbar visibility
Ctrl+V	Select mode
Ctrl+P	Pencil tool
Ctrl+R	Rectangle tool
Ctrl+D	Diamond tool
Ctrl+E	Ellipse/Circle tool
Ctrl+A	Arrow tool
Ctrl+T	Text tool
Ctrl+L	Laser pointer
Ctrl+X	Eraser
Ctrl+Shift+B	Toggle board mode on/off
Ctrl+I	Toggle text italic
Ctrl+Shift+>	Increase text size
Ctrl+Shift+<	Decrease text size
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y	Redo
Esc	Exit application

Installation

Quick Start (Source Code)

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/TutorDraw.git
cd TutorDraw

2. Create and activate a virtual environment:

python -m venv .venv
# On Windows
.venv\Scripts\activate
# On macOS/Linux
source .venv/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run the application:

python main.py

Pre-built Binaries

Download pre-built binaries from our releases page:

• Windows: Portable (.exe) and Installer (.msi) versions
• macOS: Portable (.app) and Installer (.dmg) versions
• Linux: Portable (AppImage) and Installer (.deb/.rpm) versions
• Android: APK for mobile devices

All binaries are available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions where applicable.

Usage

Getting Started

1. Launch TutorDraw using python main.py
2. The toolbar will appear at the top center of your screen
3. Select a drawing tool from the toolbar
4. Start drawing directly on your screen

Drawing Techniques

• Freehand Drawing: Use the pencil tool for natural drawing
• Precise Shapes: Use shape tools for perfect geometric forms
• Text Annotations: Click the text tool and type your annotation
• Smart Highlighting: The highlighter automatically aligns with existing text

Advanced Features

• Element Selection: Use the select tool to move, resize, or rotate drawn elements
• Layer Management: New drawings appear on top of existing ones
• Theme Customization: Switch between light and dark themes in settings

Configuration

TutorDraw stores user preferences in tutordraw_settings.json:

• Custom keyboard shortcuts
• Laser pointer settings
• Default colors and thicknesses
• Toolbar orientation preferences

Building from Source

🚀 Complete Automated Building (ONE COMMAND!)

Create ALL installer packages for ALL platforms with a single command:

# Build everything automatically - creates MSI, DEB, RPM, AppImage, DMG, PKG, APK
python build.py

This single command will:

• ✅ Create Windows MSI installer
• ✅ Create Linux DEB/RPM/AppImage installers
• ✅ Create macOS DMG/PKG installers
• ✅ Create Android APK installer
• ✅ Organize everything in proper directories

🔧 Platform-Specific Building

Build for specific platforms when needed:

# Build for specific platform only
python build_complete.py --platform windows    # Creates MSI installer
python build_complete.py --platform linux      # Creates DEB/RPM/AppImage
python build_complete.py --platform macos      # Creates DMG/PKG
python build_complete.py --platform android    # Creates APK

# List all available build scripts
python build_complete.py --list

📁 Build Output Structure

build_dist/
├── windows/
│   ├── portable/
│   │   └── TutorDraw-Win64-Portable.zip
│   └── installer/
│       └── TutorDraw-Installer.msi          ← COMPLETE MSI INSTALLER
├── linux/
│   ├── portable/
│   │   └── TutorDraw-Linux64-Portable.tar.gz
│   └── installer/
│       ├── TutorDraw-Ubuntu-Installer.deb   ← DEB for Ubuntu/Debian
│       ├── TutorDraw-Fedora-Installer.rpm   ← RPM for Fedora/RHEL
│       └── TutorDraw-Linux-Installer.AppImage ← Universal Linux
├── macos/
│   ├── portable/
│   │   └── TutorDraw-macOS-Portable.app.zip
│   └── installer/
│       ├── TutorDraw-Installer.dmg          ← DMG installer
│       └── TutorDraw-Installer.pkg          ← PKG installer
└── android/
    └── installer/
        └── TutorDraw-Android-Installer.apk    ← COMPLETE APK INSTALLER

⚙️ Advanced Manual Building

For developers who want granular control:

1. Generate all installer build scripts:

python create_installers.py

2. Run platform-specific installer scripts:

# Windows (MSI)
build_dist\installers\build_windows_installer.bat

# Linux (DEB/RPM/AppImage)
bash build_dist/installers/build_linux_installer.sh

# macOS (DMG/PKG)
bash build_dist/installers/build_macos_installer.sh

# Android (APK)
bash build_dist/android/build_apk.sh

📦 Complete Installer Features

• Windows: MSI installer with desktop shortcuts and registry entries
• Linux: DEB (Ubuntu/Debian), RPM (Fedora/RHEL), and AppImage (universal) packages
• macOS: DMG and PKG installers with proper application bundling
• Android: Signed APK installer ready for Google Play Store

Git Repository Management

The project includes a comprehensive .gitignore file that excludes:

• Build artifacts and output directories
• Python cache files and virtual environments
• IDE configuration files
• OS-specific files
• Log files and temporary files

To maintain the .gitignore file:

python maintain_gitignore.py

This script will:

• Check currently ignored files
• Verify common patterns are included
• Add missing patterns if needed
• Provide maintenance tips

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! Please see our CONTRIBUTING.md file for guidelines on how to contribute to this project.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

For support, feature requests, or bug reports, please open an issue on our GitHub repository.

Acknowledgments

• PyQt5 for the GUI framework
• All contributors who have helped make TutorDraw better