ScrapbookWithPDN

Hey, thank you very much. I appreciate that. You're awesome! and if you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas....and if you don't, I still wish you good thoughts.

Happy Holidays to everyone. I hope it's peaceful and safe travels. So, we have the option to save a file as an .abr file, and it almost completes, but then never does. It's a black and white PNG. If it helps, here is what the error report says. Application version: paint.net 4.1.5 System.AccessViolationException: Attempted to read or write protected memory. This is often an indication that other memory is corrupt. at AbrFileTypePlugin.AbrSave.GetBrushAlphaData(Surface surface, Rectangle imageBounds) at AbrFileTypePlugin.AbrSave.SaveLayer(BinaryReverseWriter writer, BitmapLayer layer, AbrFileVersion fileVersion, Boolean rle) at AbrFileTypePlugin.AbrSave.Save(Document input, Stream output, PropertyBasedSaveConfigToken token, ProgressEventHandler progressCallback) at PaintDotNet.FileType.Save(Document input, Stream output, SaveConfigToken token, Surface scratchSurface, ProgressEventHandler callback, Boolean rememberToken) in D:\src\pdn\src\Data\FileType.cs:line 293 at PaintDotNet.Controls.DocumentWorkspace.<>c__DisplayClass253_2.<DoSave>b__2() in D:\src\pdn\src\PaintDotNet\Controls\DocumentWorkspace.cs:line 2995 at PaintDotNet.Functional.Func.Try(Action f) in D:\src\pdn\src\Base\Functional\Func.cs:line 174 Also, if we are supposed to and can be allowed to save a file as an .abr file, would be then be able to save multiple layers like maybe 5...or 10, into one .abr file? Since PDN uses .abr files and opens the collection of them as PNG layers, we can make our own grouping of PNG layers to use at one time. I think that's cool. So, maybe since I'm not logged in as Admin? Would that matter? Also, I often work on a 12" x 12" canvas (or smaller) and always 300 dpi. My magic wand tool sometimes causes everything to freeze up, not crash, just stay in a frozen state of limbo if no other windows are open and with just one or two layers. I have a huge ram and memory, and icore 5 or 7, if that helps. Windows XP....just kidding, Win 10. Also, in case it helps, when working in 300 dpi, using the gradient tool to make an image transparent, when using in an area not full size (12" x 12") but maybe half of that, the gradient tool over reacts. It often makes everything way too transparent when I haven't even gone near the area to make transparent. Usually, the entire layer, regardless of where I have used it. Not entirely transparent, but very noticeably transparent. It seems if it's a layer smaller than my entire layer size, it gets a bit hyperactive. I just thought I would mention that in case anyone else may have noticed it. This software does incredible things, regardless, but just in case it helps.

I want you to know I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this plugin, along with several others, but I use it so often. I haven't found anything in any other software that matches its quick and easy use. Thank you MichaelVinther, so much.

Hi, I work with hi resolution, too. So, like you, I can't use it, either. Total huge bummer. I work in professional printing dpi, which is usually 300dpi, not 96. I'm having a few issues with other plugins doing barely noticeable effects with some of the plugins, too, using 300 dpi. Sometimes it helps to duplicate the process repeatedly, or the layer, repeatedly. Not always, or it kind-of does, but some of the time not how it would show up in 96 dpi. PDN is fantastic for 96 and 120 dpi work. I'm still using PDN for some other things it works fantastic with, so, that's a good thing. It's forced me to use the alternative software, which I genuinely loath - because it's so bloated but it's also free, so I shouldn't be so ungrateful, but I've gotten pretty good at that one, too. Still, I'd love to just stay with PDN if I can and when I can. PDN still does a great deal. It's my first go to. From there, I give it my best and anyone reading this, make no mistake, PDN is still incredible and has incredible features to use for 300 dpi.

Null54, you're pretty amazing. I asked about this and BAM! 2 minutes later here it was. What a great Christmas present you made for us in the PDN world. So kind of you....AND SO FAST! I blinked, and there it was.

So, I didn't read every post on every page on this thread but I did skim over them. I didn't see anything about this so I'm going to ask about it. When I use this plugin, using 300 dpi, I wanted to make a sheet full of parallel vertical lines. Every time I do, kind of near the center, is always this noticeable rectangle. I guess to get rid of it the only solution is to copy and paste a cut out of a squared normal area, do my best to try to line it up and put it on top of the lone rectangle, to hide it? It's 12" x 12" at 300 dpi. Can't we get rid of that rectangle that's kind of near the center of the paper? The lines I make are not fat/wide. They are thin.

Hi. I saw this and, knowing NOTHING about code writing, I noticed it seemed associated with C++ and I think PDN uses C++? I was wondering, since this pile of effects seems associated with a number of Windows based software, could this be written to also be a plugin for PDN? Thank you. ...and, remember, I'm clueless about most of the developing process, but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask.

OK, I just used Brush Factory again, just now, a bit more extensively. It works really well under 96 dpi settings with the increased brush sizes using hi resolution brushes. No lagging that I noticed. When using Brush Factory in 300dpi settings, it still works nice, no lag issues, but the brush size is still really small. The Jitter tab works great, too. I did notice it's a bit quirky in 300 dpi settings to decrease or increase the size of the canvas, but not much. The mouse scrolling doesn't work in 300 dpi like it does in 96 dpi, and I'm with Toe Head about enlarging and decreasing the canvas that way, because it makes it easy to get it adjusted quickly the way you need it without the canvas slider tab being way too sensitive and quick to make the canvas too big or too small. In 300 dpi settings, having to use the tab thing to change the size of the canvas can drive you a bit nutty. It goes too fast and is too big or too small and the mouse center scroll button no longer works to make the canvas bigger or smaller, at least it didn't for me. HOWEVER, I found a way that does it smoothly. If you click and hold the mouse button down, placing the mouse pointer just to the right of that adjustable slider tab, and slide your mouse pointer NOT directly on the slider tab button itself, you can adjust the canvas smoothly that way. Just don't actually click on and hold the slider tab button itself. If you can make the brushes larger for those using 300 dpi settings (often used for professional printing purposes), since many of mine are hi res brushes, that would be very helpful. Having said that, and I'm not sure about how others use it, but maybe you could create an alternative Hi Res Brush Factory with a much more increased brush size and completely get rid of the "Color" tab at the top, next to the Jitter tab. I found no reason to use it when playing with it. Of course, maybe it's something important to other users, but for me it was not even needed to make sure I get specific colors using the color palette in or out of Brush Factory. I hope this has helped.

So, using Joshua's latest 1.7xx version, the changes are awesome. Regarding the color palette, it picked up the color I had my PDN color palette set to, but when I closed Brush Factory, did something to one of my layers, changed my PDN color palette color, the Brush Factory color palette still remained on the previous color I had my PDN palette set to. If the Brush Factory color palette could read my first color from my PDN color palette, can't it be configured to read the next color I changed the PDN color palette to before reopening Brush Factory? If not, can the Brush Factory color palette have an input for the hex code the PDN palette uses? Otherwise, I'll just have to keep a note pad and keep writing down color changes and enter them that way. Thank you both, Johsh and Null54. If that's how it's gotta be, then that's what I'll do. No complaints.

UPDATE: UPDATE! The increased brush size, for some reason, didn't take effect right away, but it does now! Oh, MAN!! AWESOME! It's WOW! and no issues. Great job, man! Thank you!

Hi, Pixey, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to make this tutorial and for the pdf file that goes with it. It's cool and fun tutorial. I don't know if you have heard of Jane Davenport, but I like her spin on facial drawings. So, I drew a few of my own. I like regular watercolor but I like the digital watercolor look, too. This had some excellent tips in it for adapting this process to PDN. So I truly appreciate it and I can see from examples others have uploaded that it was very appreciated. No doubt so many made very cool ones from this. I know Manga is extremely popular, and your tutorial is well done, so if you have the time, maybe after the holidays, you should think about making a Youtube video on this one, especially because of the popularity of the subject matter. Some of my relatives and friends LOVE Manga/Anime. They go to conventions. I love Comic Con conventions.

Hi, Josh, I just installed the newest version 1.7 xx...I didn't use it on every setting, just the main ones. In case it helps, there was no lagging. If you need the specs for the no big deal Dell I used it on, I can give them to you. If you can increase the brush size even more, that's fine. If not, I understand. I just made a beautiful digital paper using the watercolor brushes, 300dpi setting 12" x 12" (3600 pixels x 3600 pixels...I think). I haven't noticed anything buggy so far, in my limited use. You made an incredible plugin. Thank you.

Thank you for increasing the size of the brushes!! (and above all else, for your time) I remember the days when some of the other features of PDN took bit of time...eventually, many of them were able to become faster, for whatever reasons, and one thing I have learned at this forum, for PDN; just because it seems impossible or impractical, doesn't mean it is impossible or impractical, because so many of you smart people have learned there are many ways to skin a cat....and a lot of thinking outside the box. That can work wonders, and has.

You guys are living legends.

Whatever it is, I bet it's gonna be very cool.

Holy Cow! You're a friggin genius! Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this to me. I'll take a screen shot of it.! I'm grateful for your time.

Thank you SO MUCH, Toe Head. I really appreciate it. I know you're busy....Maybe you should change your name to "The BIG Toe".

Hi, Joshua. I used your Brush Factory plugin, version 1502xxxx. I used watercolor brushes. This is a beautiful plugin and I'm so grateful, as I am sure others are, for it. This is because I can still use Paint.Net and not have to deal with more complicated software or software that takes so long to load. It means I can stick with Paint.Net and not have to venture off. I do still use Krita and Krita makes Gimp or Photoshop no longer needed. I use it just for painting some of my scanned drawings. For anything else, at this point, PDN can handle it in 300 dpi. Anyway, Brush Factory is an incredible plugin. The only thing that makes it somewhat difficult is that it actually paints right on the layer you want to have painted. That sounds so dumb, doesn't it? Well, if a layer could be used or created ON TOP OF the layer that is showing (as a guide), that would make the plugin more useful for layering purposes. We have to move the painted layer around or edit that lawyer without touching the layer we are painting on top of, or under. Also, if we can KEEP the colors we selected to use, unless we close Brush Factory, but still keep the same colors even when we change brushes, so we don't have to keep entering or finding a color we just used with a prior brush, or be able to load a color palette, that would help a great deal, especially while working on a project. How it is, when I change a watercolor brush, I have to manually keep entering 3 or 5 different colors codes. I know making such a cool plugin probably takes up too much time in your life, and I honestly have a problem with asking a plugin creator if they can change or add to it, since it was a free gift and sacrifice of your time, to begin with, but, if ever one day or evening, if that's even possible to do, I know many would be grateful. I have a PDN tutorial website for a large group of digital scrapbook and digital painters (and similar related digital imaging projects). They only use one or two of the other softwares. Many have laughed at PDN or not even heard of it. Some are really impressed with it after finding out about it. For a certain niche of people doing a particular common function, within that world of people, PDN is equally as good, less steps to do it, and easier to learn how to use than what they use or what they are trying to learn how to use. With the brushes of your Brush Factory plugin, the brush work itself is impressive, but if Brush Factory could be used in a more practical way that would help even more. I hope I don't sound rude. I'm not intending to. I just thought I would ask. Maybe this has come up thousands of times and you're sick of it. If so, I'm sorry. It takes a great deal of time to try to read everything at this forum. Sometimes I miss things but I try. This will be one of the plugins I dedicate a page to if it can function just a bit more practically, for this fairly large niche of users, if that's possible and I am willing to show them how to use it for that area, in between life, but I'm pretty good at micromanaging my weekly schedule and periodically dealing with sleep deprivation. I also know there is a possibility that what I am hoping for is not even possible to comply with PDN structuring. So, I understand that, too. Thank you, Joshua. You created a cool and useful plugin, regardless.

I've used Palette to Image now several times. At least 20. It's never crashed my PDN, yet. I do want to be clear that I only open PDN up to use it for Palette to Image, when using that plugin. I don't keep doing anything else afterwards. I'll make one palette after the other, opening and closing Paint.Net each time, but the software opens up really fast for me. Even if it didn't open as fast as it does now, I'd still use it, because to wait about 5 seconds longer each time, wouldn't be horrible. Maybe this is kind of sad to share, but I've linked to that plugin from my tutorial website, for explaining about custom palette creation, the turbo fast way to create one. Once I finish that segment, I'll have also explained the possible issues, so people have the full monty of it. I'll also explain to people not to be afraid of what they see when they try to save the file, and to rename it and add the .zip at the end....unless some kind soul, with the capability, who feels like it, would be willing to rename the file properly, if it's allowed, since the thread is closed and left in a dark and lonely corner of PDN world....I would add "collecting dust", but I dusted it off.

I tried this today on something and it looked absolutely beautiful. I'm so glad you showed us this because I never would have thought of it. It's an easy and fast way to create something very cool and in some cases, dramatic. I'm glad Boltbait suggested it.

This is a good and very useful tutorial. I think I found something close to this about 2 years ago from another editing program. I kinda sorta adapted it to PDN, in numerous steps, but yours was done so precisely, in far fewer steps, and for the newer versions of PDN. This is a very useful tutorial. Thank you for making it. This is THE MOST organized I have ever been with PDN in saving tutorials, written and videos, of current stuff and, if applicable, older info. Previously, I'd have one or two file folders, maybe, with some stuff thrown in there but after ShapeMaker, lol, and the last few updates of PDN, I take this bad boy super seriously now. I've gotten fairly good with GIMP, but, with almost all things, I can do it with PDN in a far less complicated environment. PDN is a powerhouse more so now, much better with higher DPI work, too, at least for me, or maybe I'm just performing better. Also, I'm blown away with how fast PDN opens up and is ready to go, not just opens then waits to gather its thoughts and then you can use it, but it's as fast as blinking, and I have mine loaded with plugins and shapes. It's not like I'm on some kind of super expensive computer, either. Just a semi decent so so processor that was on sale.

ReMake, these were such well made tutorials. To take the time to explain such seemingly little steps that are SO IMPORTANT and SO HELPFUL. You're a wonderful teacher. These can save someone a lot of frustration and a lot of time.

Very cool use of Brush Factory

Oh, wow! I love your city and landscapes and the candy house the best. They are SO PRETTY!! All of them are incredibly nice. Don't get me wrong, but I love the style of the city town, candy house and a few others that really stood out.

Great stuff. You make incredible landscapes and buildings. So good!