Short answer: open Menu in Forge's view switcher. Click Presets for a starting point, then click anything on the canvas and change it in the inspector on the right.
On the canvas
- Click to select, Shift+click or drag a box to select several.
- Drag to move, drag a handle to resize, drag the round handle to rotate.
- Double-click a title, label or button to type in it.
- With several selected, the row at the top of Placement aligns and spaces them, and Placement's X, Y, W and H move and scale them as one group.
- Ctrl+D or Alt+drag duplicates a sprite, label or backdrop.
- Ctrl+wheel zooms, Space+drag pans. The percent at the bottom right opens zoom, grid and snapping.
Layers
The Layers panel on the left lists the screen front to back: Above buttons, Buttons and title, Effects, Below buttons, Particles, Backdrops and Canvas. Drag a row to restack it. The eye hides a row in the editor only; the lock stops clicks on it. + adds a sprite, a label or a backdrop.
Canvas is the color or gradient under everything. Backdrops are up to four full-screen images or videos.
Timing
The Sequence timeline under the canvas has one clip per element. Drag a clip to move it in time, drag its edges to retime it, and press Space to play. The idle loop band repeats after the intro.
Camera
Click Camera at the top of the Layers panel.
- Move: pick Push in, Pull back or a Drift. Drag the Start and End frames on the canvas, or type them.
- Idle drift: turn it on and set Amount for a slow drift after the intro.
Backdrops, particles and anything with Moves with camera on move with it. New sprites move with it; labels stay put.
The five buttons
Start, Continue, Load, Settings and Chapters are always there. Style, place and hide each one, or select all five to style them together.
Presets and resets
- Presets with Keep my content on keeps your art, title, labels and music.
- With nothing selected, the inspector names the preset and counts your changes. Reset all to preset and Detach from preset live there.
- The menu next to a part's name has Reset to preset and Reset to stock.
- Actions has Import, Export and the resets.
Ctrl+Z undoes, Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y redoes, and ? lists every shortcut.