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Microsoft Paint

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Microsoft Paint, commonly known as MS Paint, is a raster graphics editor included with all versions of Microsoft Windows. A raster graphics editor is a program that creates and modifies images using a grid of pixels, which are tiny dots of color.

Because of its simplicity and wide availability, it became one of the most used Windows applications. For many people, it served as the first introduction to digital painting on a computer. The software can open and save various file formats, including BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and single-page TIFF. While it supports color mode, it does not feature a grayscale mode.

Working in Paint involves using specific tools to manipulate the digital canvas. Users can select tools like a pencil, shapes, or various brushes to draw. In Windows 7 and later versions, Microsoft introduced "artistic" brushes. These brushes use varying shades of gray and different levels of transparency to create more realistic effects. For example, the oil and watercolor brushes are designed to simulate real-world physics. They can only paint for a short distance before the user must click again. This design gives the illusion that the paintbrush has run out of paint.

MS Paint Win7 PaintBrush types
MS Paint Win7 PaintBrush types

There are several ways to interact with the canvas beyond simple drawing. Users can use a "stamp mode" to copy parts of an image. By selecting a portion of the image and holding a specific key, the user can move a copy to a new location. This allows for repetition without cutting the original piece out. Additionally, users can resize the canvas by dragging a blue handle in the lower right corner. This action can either expand the canvas or crop the existing graphic to remove whitespace. Some versions also allow users to draw perfect shapes by holding a key while dragging the mouse.

The history of Paint began in late 1985 with the release of Windows 1.0. Dan McCabe programmed the initial version at Microsoft, adapting it from a program called PC Paintbrush made by ZSoft. This early version was quite limited compared to modern standards. It featured only 24 tools and supported only monochrome, or black-and-white, graphics. It also used a proprietary file format known as MSP. Over time, Microsoft repurposed the MSP extension for the Windows Installer Package format. In Windows 3.0, the program was superseded by Paintbrush, which introduced true color support and the BMP file format.

As Windows evolved, so did the underlying code of the application. With the release of Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft began writing the source code entirely from scratch. This meant they no longer licensed code from ZSoft. This era introduced the ability to save and load custom color palettes as .pal files. However, this specific feature only worked correctly if the image color depth was 16 bits per pixel (bpp) or higher. By the time Windows XP and Vista arrived, the program used GDI+ technology. This allowed Paint to natively save images in formats like JPEG and PNG without needing extra software filters.

In recent years, the future of Paint faced significant changes. In July 2017, Microsoft added Paint to a list of "deprecated" features for Windows 10. This meant they planned to phase it out in favor of a new application called Paint 3D. Paint 3D allows users to import and manipulate three-dimensional models rather than just 2D images. However, an incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia from users changed this plan. Microsoft decided to keep Paint as a free standalone application in the Microsoft Store. Consequently, Paint 3D was the version that was eventually deprecated instead.

The latest versions of Paint, specifically for Windows 11, include modern digital art features. These updates include a revamped user interface, dark mode support, and an improved font picker. Microsoft also added layers, which allow users to stack different parts of an image. Recent updates have even introduced an AI art generator and a background removal tool. However, some newer technical processes have caused issues for certain artists. When resizing small images, Paint uses interpolation algorithms that can automatically blur the pixels. This effect is particularly noticeable for those working with pixel art or video game sprites.

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File:Brazilian boy drawing the Brazilian flag on Microsoft Paint.jpg
Brazilian boy drawing the Brazilian flag...
File:MS Paint Win7 PaintBrush types.png
MS Paint Win7 PaintBrush types.png
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