BLACKGLASS BROWSER IMAGE STUDIO · V5.1 DEV 9.2

Open Place Smart Load Project

Untitled — 1200 × 800

SMART CONTENTSEditing embedded contents

100%

Brush B

Size Opacity100% Flow80% Hardness80% Pressure 100%

Wet72% Mix65% Load75%

Strength45% Sample merged Aligned Range Mode Alt-click or use Set Source

Source Sample Scale% Rotate° Flip X Flip Y Overlay Ready Texture85% Edges65% New layer Ready Ready Ready

Auto-Select Object Snap Range

Mode

Feather

Tolerance Contiguous Sample merged

Shape Fill Stroke Width

Tolerance Contiguous Ready

Type Reverse Dither

XY

— Ready

Fill shapes Grid Snap

Font

Perspective / Warp Distort

Free Transform X Y W H Angle Link

Tools

DROP IMAGE TO OPEN

Drop an image here
or press Ctrl+O to open a file

Created by Rooke Poole · Open Source

Create without leaving the browser.

BLACKGLASS Studio is a local-first image studio for layered raster editing, editable type and vectors, Smart Objects, masks, GPU effects, channels, asset management, and professional export. Begin directly on the blank canvas, open your own image, or launch a live HTML Starter Document that teaches the real editor one system at a time.

Open an Image

Open the live comprehensive Starter DocumentA guided HTML walkthrough over a blank practice document. Every chapter opens real panels and uses the actual tools, layers, masks, Smart Objects, effects, channels, adjustments, assets, transforms, history, and export systems. →

Core editing stays on this device. The welcome interface is never part of the document composite, saved project, or exported pixels. ☕ Support the project

Live Starter Document · Actual BLACKGLASS systems

Welcome to BLACKGLASS

Orientation

The guide is HTML only; the canvas remains a real editable document.

Universal PreviewNo target

INTERACTIVE

Quality Through —

TEMPORARY · DOCUMENT-SCOPED

Preview Stack

The first checkbox enables a stage; the second includes it in Apply Selected or Convert Editable. Each stage can use a reusable local mask and independent opacity. Alt+↑/↓ reorders. Solo affects preview only.

No stage selected

Add a stage to begin a temporary, reversible preview.

Stage localityGLOBAL

This stage affects the complete image at full opacity.

Independent mask

Direct mask editingCLEAN

Paint in grayscale. White reveals the stage; black hides it. Changes remain temporary until Apply Mask Edit.

Selection operations

Safe transforms

Stage opacity100%

Mask density100%

Mask feather0 px

Enable stage mask Show canvas overlay

Commit and conversion—

Add stages to evaluate editable conversion.

Preview Sessions remain temporary and document-scoped. Stage masks are reusable resources and never change the active document selection. Saved recipes stay local unless exported as strict .bgpreview packages. Pixels change only through Apply; editable conversion creates existing adjustment layers, live effects, and native masks in one undoable transaction.

STUDIO PANELS

Layers1

Groups can contain layers, nested groups, masks, and adjustment layers. Clip a layer or adjustment to the nearest visible content layer below it.

Opacity100%

Blend

Layer MaskEnabled

EnabledLinked

Density100%

Feather0px

Click a pixel or mask thumbnail to choose the edit target. Brush, Pencil, Eraser and Fill edit the mask using foreground luminance. Press \ to switch targets.

Asset Library0 assets

＋ Add FilesRelink / Replace

No assets selected

LOCAL-FIRST · loading asset storage…

Smart Objects & Linked AssetsNo object

Place an image as a Smart Object or convert selected artwork to preserve its source pixels through repeated transforms and replacements.

Source: —
Dimensions: —
Instances: —
Asset ID: —
Updated: —

Replace Contents

Place Image as Smart Object

Linked instances share one embedded asset. Replacing or editing the source updates every instance while preserving each instance's transform, mask, opacity, blend mode, and layer effects.

Perspective, Distort & WarpSmart only

Target: Select a Smart Object
Transform: Inactive
Mesh: 10 × 10

Preset

Direction

Warp amount0%

Mesh quality10

Drag corner handles directly on the image. Distort moves corners freely. Perspective moves paired corners symmetrically. Warp bends the live Smart Object mesh without flattening its source. Space + drag always pans, even directly over the image.

Gradient & Color StudioFG

Red

Green

Blue

Hue

Sat %

Light %

Color harmoniesBased on foreground

Swatches0 saved

Extracted paletteClick to use

Gradient editorDouble-click preview to add a stop

Reverse Dither

StopPosition

Opacity100%

Replace colorSelection-aware

Target

→

Replacement

Tolerance48

Softness24%

Preserve original luminance

Gradient settings are used by the K tool and saved with Version 15 projects. Palette extraction runs locally on the rendered image.

Pen, Paths & VectorsNo path

Fill

Stroke

Stroke width

Shape

Polygon sides

Star inner radius

Layer: —
Paths: 0
Anchors: 0
Selected: —

Pen: click for corners, click-drag for smooth Bézier handles, click the first anchor to close. Path Edit: drag anchors or handles; drag the path itself to move it. Enter closes an open path, Delete removes the selected anchor.

Brush StudioClean Round

Live stroke preview

Tip shape

Texture

Flow80%

Spacing12%

Scatter0%

Roundness100%

Angle0°

Stabilizer0%

Pen pressure response Enabled

Pressure → size Pressure → flow

Minimum size16%

Size responseLinear

Minimum flow18%

Flow responseLinear

Pressure smoothing12%

Watercolor mixingLIVE PIGMENT

Wetness72%

Color pickup / mix65%

Pigment load75%

Dilution42%

The brush samples visible pigment from the active raster layer, mixes it into a per-stroke reservoir, and uses pen pressure for size and flow. Transparent pixels do not contribute black pigment.

Symmetry

Radial count

Symmetry is centered on the document. Brush, Watercolor, Pencil, Eraser, and mask painting share the same mirrored stroke engine. Pen pressure can be tuned above. Use comma/period to cycle presets.

Layer Styles & EffectsNo FX

Select a raster, text, or group layer to build a nondestructive effect stack.

Appearance Stack Enabled

Drop Shadow

Color

Blend

Opacity58%

Angle

Distance

Blur

Spread0px

Outer Glow

Color

Blend

Opacity72%

Blur

Spread

Stroke

Color

Size

Position

Opacity100%

Color Overlay

Color

Blend

Opacity45%

Gradient Overlay

Start

End

Angle

Blend

Reverse

Opacity65%

Inner Shadow

Color

Blend

Opacity45%

Angle

Distance

Blur

Inner Glow

Color

Blend

Opacity45%

Size

Blur

Bevel & Emboss

Size

Depth

Soften

Angle

Highlight

Shadow

Highlight opacity

Shadow opacity

Effects remain editable and follow transforms, masks, groups, clipping, opacity, blend modes, history, autosave, and BLACKGLASS project files. Bake converts the complete visible appearance to pixels.

Editable TextNo text

Select a text layer, or choose the Text tool and click the canvas.

Content

Font

Size (px)

Alignment

Line height

Letter spacing

Outline (px)

Fill Outline Shadow

Shadow blur

Shadow X

Shadow Y

Text stays editable through movement, rotation, scaling, canvas resizing, project saves, undo and redo. Rasterize only when applying pixel filters or painting directly on the letters.

Navigator100%

Rulers, Guides & View0°

Show rulers Show guides Snap to guides Lock guides

View rotation0°

Drag from either ruler to create a guide. Use the Move tool to drag an unlocked guide. Drag it beyond the document to delete it.

History1

AI Vision LabLOCAL

Open an image, then run analysis. Processing stays on this device.

Adaptive visual analysis · no upload · no API key

Metadata Inspector

Document: Untitled
Dimensions: 1200 × 800
Megapixels: 0.96 MP
Layers: 1
Source type: Generated
Source size: —
Modified: —

Quick Adjustments

Brightness0

Contrast0

Saturation0

Hue0°

Preview several adjustments and filters together before creating one undoable pixel change.

Histogram & Tone LabDocument

Select an adjustment layer to edit it, or create a nondestructive tone or color adjustment above.

AdjustmentLIVE

Channel

Input black

Gamma

Input white

Output black

Output white

x: — y: —

Click the graph to add a point. Drag points to reshape the tone curve. Double-click an interior point to remove it.

Brightness

Contrast

Saturation

Hue

Exposure

Gamma

Offset

Vibrance

Saturation

Color range

Hue

Saturation

Lightness

Feather

Temperature

Tint

ShadowHighlight

Strength

Reverse gradient

No LUT loadedImport .cube

Intensity

Local .cube files only. 1D and 3D LUTs are validated and embedded with the project.

Adjustment layers affect visible content beneath them. Use a clipping mask to target one base layer, or a layer mask to localize the effect nondestructively.

Filters

Pilot Preview stages stay temporary until Apply All.

Smart FiltersSmart only

Select a Smart Object to build an editable filter stack. Raster, text, vector, or group artwork can be converted first.

Smart FilterLIVE

Smart Filters are evaluated in list order and remain editable after Free Transform, source replacement, linked-instance updates, Perspective/Warp, undo, and project reload. Rasterize only when a permanent pixel result is required.

Effects LibraryLayer · 0

Layer 1

Nondestructive layer effect stack

Stack On

Split position50%

Canvas controls active. Drag the colored handles; Shift constrains angles. Space or middle-mouse always pans.0 handles

Select a raster, text, vector, Smart Object, or group layer. Adjustment layers use their own Tone Lab controls.

Favorites only

Import Preset

Effect

LIVE

Effect MaskNo mask

Mask enabled

Density100%

Feather0px

Stack MaskNo mask

Mask enabled

Density100%

Feather0px

Brush, Pencil, Eraser, Fill, and selections edit masks nondestructively. White reveals the effect; black hides it.

GPU renderer initializing…
Strength controls the filter result; Output controls compositing. Per-effect masks localize one item, while the Stack Mask localizes the complete chain. Solo and split comparison remain preview-only.

Transform & Document1 selected

Layer X

Layer Y

Align to

Channels & Saved SelectionsRGB

Named alpha channels0 saved

Quick MaskOFF · F4

Overlay colorOverlay opacity46%

Brush, Pencil, Eraser, Fill, and Gradient edit the selection mask without changing the active layer. White reveals selection; black removes it.

Selection FoundationsVIEW ONLY

Range min64

Range max192

Softness24

Target color

Tolerance48

Softness24

Preview

Selection Preview ProLIVE

Sample source Live preview while tuning

Choose a live preview. Nothing is committed until Apply Preview.

SelectionNone

Modify amount (px)

Shift adds · Alt subtracts · Shift+Alt intersects. Polygonal lasso: click points, double-click or Enter to close.

Brush x: 0, y: 0 1200 × 800 Layer 1 Ready. Drop, paste, or open an image. Drag background / Space / middle mouse: pan · Wheel: zoom

Selection Workspace · Shift+F4

Refine Edge

Source & PreviewDOCUMENT

SourcePreview

Auto tolerance48

Object Selection BrushREFINE

Brush size64px

Include paints foreground, Exclude paints background, and Refine uses local foreground/background color models along difficult edges. Pen pressure controls brush influence.

Edge ProcessingNONDESTRUCTIVE

Edge radius2px

Smooth2

Feather1px

Contrast15%

Shift edge0%

Decontaminate35%

OutputONE HISTORY STEP

DestinationName

Open a selection or run Auto Select.

Workspace Layout

Current workspace is not linked to a saved nameSaved

Named workspace

Named layouts, panel sizes, order, visibility, and collapsed sections persist locally. Portable files use the strict Version 1 .bgworkspace format.

Customize Workspace

Changes preview immediately but remain provisional until Apply. Cancel or Escape restores the exact previous workspace.

30 tools · 22 panels

Tools

30 visible

Side Panels

22 visible

Keyboard: Arrow keys select · Alt+Arrow reorders · Alt+Home/End moves first/last · Space shows or hides.

Workspace customization ready.

Unsaved Workspace Changes

The current workspace contains unsaved changes.

Save as named workspace

Project Browser

Open documents, recover working copies, manage linked assets, and choose an explicit native package mode.

Projects and open documents

Search projects 0 projects

Project Browser ready.

New from template

Linked assets

0 linked

Native package

Mode

WORKING · embedded working package

Inspection details

Select a project or inspect dependencies.

Native Project & File Service

No writable file handle is bound.

Native file service ready.

Package inspection

No native package has been inspected in this session.

Manifest, receipt, compatibility and security details

Recent native projects

Recent records contain safe metadata only. File handles and project contents are never persisted in workspace settings.

Working storage and recovery

Dev 9.2 preserves the verified editor while converting matching-format sparse-tile writes to contiguous row blocks, retaining explicit conversion fallbacks, and exposing measured region-I/O counters for reads, writes, tile intersections, rows, bytes, conversions, and fallback pixels. Transactional Blur, Sharpen, Dodge, Burn, and Sponge remain unchanged.

Recovery Dashboard

Storage usage has not been measured.

Recovery dashboard ready.

Recoverable working documents

Recovery inspection

Select Inspect on a recovery record to view its validated replay state.

Recover and Recover as Copy always open a new unsaved document tab. They never write to or replace an external `.bgs` file.

Unsaved Native Project

This document contains unsaved changes.

Save writes a validated `.bgs` package before the tab closes. Cancel leaves the document open.

Project & Assets

New Document

Width (px)

Height (px)

Background

Name

Multi-file Intake

Import modeDecode workers

No files queued.

Resize Lab

Recipe

Resize mode

Aspect

Width / bound

Height / bound

Percentage

Edge target

Megapixels

Crop anchor

Resampling

Background

Custom background

DPI metadata

Allow upscaling

Destination

Import Recipe

Select one or more assets in the Asset Library.

Selected assets

Export Studio

Output

Source

Format

File name

Scale

Resampling

Custom dimensions

Lock×

Trim

DPI / resolution

Background

Quality92%

Include BLACKGLASS metadata where supported Include Effects Library output Include hidden layers in batch jobs Keep dialog open after export

Queue variants 1× 2× 3× Start queue automatically

Advanced packaging and future workflow options

ZIP exports use a built-in local writer with no network dependency. The job model is frame-aware so future animation, artboards, slices, and batch actions can reuse the same export pipeline.

Preview

Preparing export preview…

LOCAL · format support is detected in this browser.

Render GraphNORMAL

Cache enabledPreview quality

Cache warming…

Export Queue & Frame Pipeline

0 B queuedNo jobs

Queue an export to freeze its document frame and output variants.

Each job captures a stable frame descriptor and revision. Editing, undo, tab switching, or closing a document cannot change a queued result. Multi-variant jobs reuse one source frame and package 1×/2×/3× outputs together.

Resize Canvas

Width (px)

Height (px)

Anchor

Scale Image

Width (px)

Height (px)

Preserve aspect ratio

Resampling

Add Editable Text

Text

Font

Size (px)

Alignment

Line height

Letter spacing

Fill color

Outline (px)

Outline color

Shadow color

Shadow blur

Shadow X

Shadow Y

Text remains editable after creation and through Free Transform. Double-click the text layer or click it again with the Text tool to revise it.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Search commands or keys. Use ? at any time to reopen this menu. On macOS, use Command wherever Ctrl/Cmd is shown.

0 shortcuts

Keyboard & Drawing Tablet Input

Import

Additional keyboard bindingsClick a key field

PointerEvent pen buttonsTABLET

Barrel button 1

Barrel button 2

Eraser end

Pointer Events: checking…

Many Wacom and drawing-tablet drivers expose buttons as keyboard keys rather than browser pen buttons. Assign those driver keys above—even F13–F24 are supported. Native barrel and eraser-end mapping is also used when the browser exposes PointerEvent button values.

Performance & Render Foundation

Sparse tiles, bounded jobs, memory pressure, and typed render-graph diagnostics. This panel never modifies document pixels.

Backend

Initializing… Use bounded Web Workers when available

Tile Store

Initializing…

RGBA and alpha tiles allocate only when written. Whole-frame canvases remain the compatibility bridge.

Memory

Initializing…Managed profile

Scheduler

Initializing…

Typed jobs are cancellable and rejected when their document revision becomes stale.

Typed Graph

Initializing…

Source, Gaussian Blur, mask composite, and source-over composite nodes form the first deterministic DAG.

Parity Pilot

Blur radius

Runs a non-destructive tile/worker result against the whole-frame reference on a bounded copy of the current composite.

No parity pilot has run in this session.

About BLACKGLASS Studio

BLACKGLASS Studio

VERSION 5.1 DEV 9.2 · BLOCK-ORIENTED REGION I/O

Created by Rooke Poole

Project

A single-file, local-first image editor built for professional browser workflows: layers, masks, vectors, Smart Objects, Smart Filters, a 25-effect GPU library, retouching, color, transforms, and export.

Privacy

Core editing runs locally in the browser. Images do not require upload to a server, and the built-in Smart Enhance analysis runs on-device.

Creator

BLACKGLASS Studio was created by Rooke Poole. Copyright © 2026 Rooke Poole.

Open Source

Released under the permissive MIT License (SPDX: MIT), allowing use, modification, distribution, sublicensing, and commercial use while retaining the copyright and license notice.

☕ Support BLACKGLASS Studio

MIT LicenseOSI license page ↗

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Rooke Poole

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.