Automated background removal was also added recently.
Screw you Microsoft, I switched to Paint.net forever ago and I’ll be long dead in the cold, cold grave before I recognize Missourah, I mean switch back to Paint.
Hell freezes over, MS Paint adds support for layers and PNG transparency
Submitted 7 months ago by stopthatgirl7@kbin.social to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
AngryHumanoid@reddthat.com 7 months ago
Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Some other random company got the url “paint.net”, so confusingly you need getpaint.net to download the product paint.net
For those unfamiliar, it’s a free art program that’s… idk 80% of what photoshop is? But you can install community-made plugins to add features (shoutout to Grim Color Reaper).
Also on their download page, you want this one:
If you do the microsoft link, you’ll have to pay microsoft. For a free product. That microsoft doesn’t own. Dafuq.
insomniac@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
The developer of paint.net sells it on the Microsoft store to support the product. Not any different than buying an app through the App Store or Google play store.
It’s created by a Microsoft Engineer, not super surprising they leverage Microsoft tools to get paid.
lemmy___user@lemmy.world 7 months ago
You can also use winget to install it, if you’re into package managers
winget install --id=dotPDNLLC.paintdotnet -e
That way you can still get semi-automatic updates
lanolinoil@lemmy.world 7 months ago
galloog1@lemmy.world 7 months ago
The single most historically aware yet still funny to the unaware joke that the Simpsons ever put out.
ICastFist@programming.dev 7 months ago
Win11 exclusive? Welp, guess I’ll never use it, then.
The_Mixer_Dude@lemmus.org 7 months ago
Windows 11 is pretty awesome though
ICastFist@programming.dev 7 months ago
- Once you remove all the tracking and ads, which were already fucking intolerable in 10
otter@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
It’s still missing a handful of features from Windows10, which might keep some people from upgrading
omicron@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Windows 11 is a much better experience for developers than Windows 10. I see a lot of people who just hate on it for no real reason other than it’s different.
HidingCat@kbin.social 7 months ago
Eh, I don't hate Windows (unlike a lot in the Fediverse), but I wouldn't say Win11 is awesome. It probably just works. From what I see it's just a mildly-improved 10, which is nice, but missing a few things (no grouped task bar button option in my case), which is why I'm holding out for now.
Kolanaki@yiffit.net 7 months ago
I’ve used Vista “exclusive” programs on XP back in those days so I’m kinda curious how exclusive it really is if I could get the installer/files for it.
ICastFist@programming.dev 7 months ago
Shouldn’t be too hard, I expect it to be a single executable stored in
C:\Windows\System32, much like the current mspaint.exe. Copy it over, run, have fun
fne8w2ah@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Actually a truly useful update in a sea of bloatware crap.
squirrelwithnut@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Those are great features and two of the biggest reasons I never bother with Paint. But locking them to Windows 11 and not putting them out on Windows 10 is some Grade A bullshit.
ManosTheHandsOfFate@lemmy.world 7 months ago
It sure isn’t enough to get me to bother installing 11.
kaesaecracker@leminal.space 7 months ago
I get why they do it though - why change to win10 needs testing and so on. You can always download a free (as in freedom) image editor, some are even on the Microsoft Store. Be glad they did not backport all the bad sides of win11…
dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
They had no problem turning windows 10 into mock windows 11 despite what the userbase may think. I don’t think adding QOL updates to Paint is going to be met with furor.
youRFate@feddit.de 7 months ago
Why would they port new features back to a legacy OS, there is no reason…
lord_ryvan@ttrpg.network 7 months ago
Because everyone still uses it.
Unicode13051@lemmyf.uk 7 months ago
I’m a hobbyist digital artist and have had to do a handful of graphic design projects for my mundane, non-art-in-anyway job.
As our computers are locked down Windows PCs, I’ve had to manage with MSPaint. It’s always taken me double the time as on any other program or app, and I have been wishing it had layers for years.
Since this update is Windows 11 only, I’ll have to for my company to upgrade, so I can look forward to layers in maybe 5 years.
aksdb@feddit.de 7 months ago
sonnenzeit@feddit.de 7 months ago
MargotRobbie@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I recommend Krita, it’s free and open source, and very good at making digital art of any kind.
schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 7 months ago
The commenter you replied to literally wrote the computers are locked down, ie no way to install any new software.
UnD3Rgr0uNDCL0wN@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I use Krita too. Was using Inskscape too but someone told me about Krita about 7 or 8 months back and its been so much easier.
tvbusy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
Try Paint.net. Layers, transparency, filters and even plugins. It’s free to download from their website. Install from Windows Store does have cost as a way to donate.
eee@lemm.ee 7 months ago
Idk why you got downvote but paint.net is where its at.
Vodik_VDK@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Paint.net is nice because it has plugin support.
And009@reddthat.com 7 months ago
It’d probably bore you to do things the easy way anyway. Accept happiness.
saze@feddit.uk 7 months ago
This is what I’ll be telling myself as I rock and cry myself to sleep at night.
phx@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
Are you able to use WSL under Windows? Combined with something that can display X11 graphics (such as MobaXterm) you could pretty much use whatever Linux-based software from within the windows environment, including stuff like GIMP which does transparency and layers etc just fine
CherryRedDragon@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Excellent! Now I can draw things on the wrong layer in yet another program
etler@programming.dev 7 months ago
Have you tried using descriptive layer names like layer 1, later 2, later 3?
Why9@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Layer 1, Later 2, Lazer 3.
FTFY
dukk@programming.dev 7 months ago
Or just use only one layer.
ares35@kbin.social 7 months ago
meanwhile, wordpad.. probably used by more people over the age of seven than paint is, getting axed.
microsoft has office subs to sell, but they do not have a photoshop or gimp or even a paint.net alternative to sell.
MrLuemasG@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I’ve literally never met anybody that used Wordpad, whereas I know a lot of tech normies that’ll use MS Paint for quick memes and things
pomodoro_longbreak@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
I used it back in my Windows days. Out of the box, I think it’s the only way to do rich text on Windows. Also (used to be anyway) one of the less resource intensive options.
You know, for when you’ve got Napster, Winamp (with visualisation), ICQ, and MSN all up and barely running. You don’t want to have to run, like, WordPerfect at the same time! Your MP3s will start skipping :p
Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
They can cut WordPad, if they kill Notepad then IDK what to say…
Classy@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
I’ve been using Notepad++ for a good while now and it’s proven to be a great alternative to MS WordPad.
private_account@lemmynsfw.com 7 months ago
Can you format at all in Notepad++? I tend to use it for notes jot down in a rush or editing tiny scripts. For stuff that needs to look prettier, I tend to use Google Docs.
kaesaecracker@leminal.space 7 months ago
They created WordPad because of antitrust issues and never changed it. Try opening a Word document created by a recent version, it’s pretty useless today.
Notepad rules though, it even got UTF8 support recently-ish! /s
AndreTelevise@lemm.ee 7 months ago
I think they’re just pushing people to use OneNote (which is free).
theRealBassist@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Free with lots of features stripped out
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Great. Now my customers are going to send me even worse art.
echodot@feddit.uk 7 months ago
At least with less support you can now extract the individual parts of the image.
What used to drive me nuts is when they send me over everything and I couldn’t separate the various components out.
Voyajer@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Their clients will still manage to send them a 6MB bitmap somehow
dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
I don’t think your average paint user knows what a layer is.
ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I as someone who enjoys doodling in Paint, this is great
Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
What did you think of the changes between Paint XP and modern versions? I used to adore Paint XP, but brush smoothing (though toggleable) and a clunky interface really spoiled the newer versions for me, and I don’t enjoy using them as much. I think I just became so used to the primitive way of drawing well in the old versions that it sort of became it’s own art form. Now they there are more advanced tools, it feels like extra baggage. In the words of Karl Havoc, “THERE’S TOO MUCH FUCKIN’ SHIT ON ME!”
ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Honestly, I never used Paint XP. I’ve only used the modern version.
HawlSera@lemm.ee 7 months ago
Huh… I thought they discontinued this program.
dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
Who told you that? MS Paint is basically a critical windows utility.
jadegear@lemm.ee 7 months ago
If you remove mspaint.exe then Windows will refuse to boot. It’s true, I knew a guy!
tmijail@lemmy.world 7 months ago
They discontinued Paint 3D
Lyrl@lemm.ee 7 months ago
They did. I guess the community outcry was so loud even Microsoft had to heed it and reverse course.
Anders429@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I thought so too. I remember looking for alternatives for when it would be removed completely.
Blackmist@feddit.uk 7 months ago
Paint.NET has been my simple go to for over a decade. I’ve never got on with Gimp or Photoshop. Paint.NET is more like Paintshop Pro used to be.
Piers@lemmy.world 7 months ago
No. Wordpad is the one being discontinued. Paint is one of several programs that can now be uninstalled from Windows by end users without any special tricks.
kamenlady@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I read that WordPad also was being discontinued, in the same article stating the same about MS Paint iirc
Nepenthe@kbin.social 7 months ago
But today Microsoft announced that it is finally adding two features that could make the app a bit more useful for power users: support for Photoshop-esque image layers and the ability to open and save transparent PNGs.
What kind of person is an MS Paint power user. I just use it to paste screenshots into if I'm not intending fine editing, otherwise it might as well not exist as a program.
Actually, if they kept this kind of momentum up for the next 20 years, it might put it on par with Fire Alpaca. It's an interesting move, they're just so incredibly late to the game that even other free programs are still leagues better than they are and no one will ever take them seriously again.
And the only person who seriously uses MS Paint for artwork is that one guy who recreated the Mona Lisa out of hundreds of pieces of variously burnt toast. Real, usable art tools would destroy the purpose and make that guy sad.
Deceptichum@kbin.social 7 months ago
I use Paint almost daily.
Especially when I can’t be arsed opening steam/aesprite. Paint is a pixel art work horse.
Nepenthe@kbin.social 7 months ago
I forgot about people who do pixel art, and I'm terrible. People like you are invaluable to the gaming industry and the ornate ones are their own skillset
InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Reading about other peoples workflows is always really cool. Thanks for re-contextualizing a tool :)
WhyIDie@kbin.social 7 months ago
I really do like it for something that I want to just do quick/small edits, or something that can be slapped together quickly. But I do hope this isn't the start of a trend to bloat mspaint and aim to compete against more robust image editors.
The pessimist in me fears they're going to, and start slapping on AI data harvesting measures that they're integrating into Windows, like for training their own AI art generators. But this addition, in a bubble, is a welcome change.
Aielman15@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Very cool.
I like Paint for its simplicity, and since I don’t need all the extra bells and whistles most of the time, I’ve never bothered with learning how to use Photoshop or GIMP.
I’ve been using Paint.net for the last few years, but I’ll try the new Paint features as well and compare them to see which one I find better.
WindowsEnjoyer@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
I’ll stick to good ol’ jspaint.app
Works on Linux too.
TrismegistusMx@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I make all my memes with paint.net
quazar@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Does it still save in one of the most basic but still GIGANTIC file sizes?
asteriskeverything@lemmy.world 7 months ago
So many artists started with paint. I am really glad it is adding some features that are significant improvements that will help today’s young artists even more.
I’m talking about kids, like an age before you’re likely to become aware of other free tools… Wait. Fuck, do kids even use windows computers anymore or is the closest a chromebook?
Anonymousllama@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Sounds like a good little update, love seeing more default apps/programs getting new visual updates and helpful features
randon31415@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Didn’t they say they were retiring ms paint in 2017 for some other program no one had heard of?
jayandp@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
What’s the low-down on if extracting the EXE and putting it on Windows 10 works?
iforgotmyinstance@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I use paint nearly every day to save something quickly. Glad to see it continue to.be supported.
autotldr@lemmings.world [bot] 7 months ago
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The venerable, equally derided and beloved MS Paint app has been on a roll lately, picking up a major redesign, dark-mode support, better zoom controls, and other fit-and-finish updates all within the last couple of years.
But today Microsoft announced that it is finally adding two features that could make the app a bit more useful for power users: support for Photoshop-esque image layers and the ability to open and save transparent PNGs.
In an image program without support for layers, adding new elements to an image like this is always destructive—you lose the ability to see and edit the part of the sky that is covered by the plane and the cloud, and the part of the plane that is covered by the cloud.
Support for creating, editing, and saving transparent PNG images goes hand in hand with support for layers, since it’s useful to be able to pull a single object out of an existing image so you can put it in a new one.
Transparent PNG support goes well with the automated background removal button that Microsoft added to Paint builds earlier this month.
The redesigned Paint is rolling out to Windows Insider testers in both the Dev and Canary channels, the two bleeding-edge and less-stable versions of Windows 11.
The original article contains 388 words, the summary contains 213 words. Saved 45%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
What stops them from bundling paint.net instead?
The license allows for redistribution
bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
I’d love to see KDE KolourPaint add these features
calebcharles@slrpnk.net 7 months ago
Developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers!
AndreTelevise@lemm.ee 7 months ago
Do they have variable weight? Are they planning to add that? Because I’d really like that for quick sketching and doodling.
LetterboxPancake@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
Better hold on to your pants, Photoshop. Here’s the new contender!
Death_Equity@lemmy.world 7 months ago
As GIMP cries in the corner.
3laws@lemmy.world 7 months ago
GIMP 3.0 stomps door with sexy moustache
HidingCat@kbin.social 7 months ago
As it should, I've tried twice to use GIMP, always gone back to Photoshop.
toxicbubble@lemmy.world 7 months ago
been using photopea for years, highly recommended for quick projects!
Matriks404@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Paint is not designed to be GIMP/Photoshop alternative. It is just a simple drawing program. Although it is great that they have finally added these long-awaited features, as I may finally move from paint.net, which is also great but it has one huge drawback - it is not a single window, which is a hassle.