Tactilis

Yes. See the license https://www.getpaint.net/license.html

In what way has it got worse and worse? The paint.net user base is huge and the consensus seems to be that it is getting better and better with every new release. What version of Windows are you using? What version of paint.net are you upgrading from/to? Or is this a brand new installation of the current 5.0.13 version? Please post a screenshot showing the error message. Nothing can be done to help you without some basic information first.

To select a layer, i.e. make it the active layer you just click on it in the Layers window. This is explained in the Documentation, which you have been advised to read in answers to other questions you have asked. https://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/WorkingWithLayers.html To move a layer's contents you use the Move Selected Pixels tool as is explained in the Tools -> Move Tools section of the Documentation https://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/MoveTools.html You keep asking pretty basic paint.net usage questions, which people answer for you - but you don't then appear to help yourself further by reading the Documentation, watching YouTube how to videos, searching the forum, reading the Beginners Tutorials https://forums.getpaint.net/forum/20-beginner-tutorials/ If you have done all that and are genuinely still stuck, then please ask again, and explain where you are getting stuck. Making a picture of a fish have the appearance of being behind glass and in water is more advanced. You will find techniques that you can apply in the Tutorials section of the forum. But you really do need to work on learning the basics of using paint.net first.

@SonOfBenway In paint.net you can already do exactly what your video shows. Read the Tools -> Move Tools documentation. Specifically here: 'Move or Rotate a copy of a selection' https://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/MoveTools.html#12 Hold down Ctrl as you do the move to move a copy.

I'm not sure I understand how this would work: a. You'd see an exact copy of the 'Clone-from' area in the 'Clone-to' brush circle? Or would what you see be adjusted according to the Hardness setting? or b. You'd see an exact copy of the 'Clone-from' area in the 'Clone-to' brush circle - but only while the mouse button is up? When you hold the mouse button down, you get to see the cloned image applied to the layer, just like you do now, based on Hardness setting, Blending Mode, etc? If b) then what happens when you let go of the mouse button, so it's now up again? Does the 'Clone-to' area go back to showing a copy of the 'Clone-from' area? If so, then this will obscure the piece of image that you just applied. I don't get it. But then I don't know how Photoshop's clone stamp works.

@PlainoldTony FYI, use of the Space + mouse shortcut is described in the Documentation here: https://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/ViewTools.html#Pan And here the Documentation describes how you can use the arrow keys too: https://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/KeyboardMouseCommands.html#2 (scroll down to 'Pan canvas' and 'Pan canvas x 10')

Are you talking about paint.net or have you mixed it up with a different image editing app? What you have described is not how the Clone Stamp tool works. See https://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/CloneStamp.html

@Rick Brewster I've found other unexpected focus behaviour in the Colors window. This might get swept up in your fix for the problem described above but I'm reporting it here so it can be checked when you investigate the above. This problem does not prevent the Tools shortcuts from working; it's more of a UI quirk, but it probably points to some incorrect focus handling code that might be related to the above bug. Expected Behaviour Clicking on the background (or certain other areas) of the Colors window should not momentarily give focus to a color entry field. Actual Behaviour Clicking on the background (or certain other areas) of the Colors window in the way described in 'Repro Steps' below, momentarily gives focus to a color entry field. Initial Setup 1. Run paint.net and display the Colors window in its expanded state. 2. Close paint.net 3. Run paint.net again. The Colors windows is displayed at startup. - As expected, none of the entry fields (i.e R, G, B, H, S, V, Alpha) has focus. Repro Steps 1. Click in one of the color entry fields (for example the R field). - The R field is given focus as shown by the blue underline on Windows 11 (or blue outline Windows 10). 2. Click in the Color Wheel - The R field no longer has focus 3. Click on the background of the Colors window (or on the Primary/Secondary color control, the Swap Pri/Sec icon, or the reset to black/white icon, but not on the Color Wheel or the Palette area) - The R field is given focus for the duration of the mouse button being held down. This should not happen. The following screen video shows focus momentary being given to the R field when clicking on the background but not when clicking on the Color Wheel. Note that the 🟢 highlight at the pointer shows when the mouse is clicked.

I have been able to reproduce the OP's reported problem. A bug report is here: https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/125376-tools-shortcut-keys-stop-working-due-to-incorrect-colors-window-field-focus-handling/

Prompted by this slightly confusing report https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/125342-cursor-selects-value-on-clicking-color-window I have been able to find a set of steps to reproduce the problem of the Tools shortcuts not working after the user interacts with the Colors window in a particular way. Expected Behaviour After clicking on the Color Wheel or on other parts of the Colors window, the Tools shortcut keys should always still work. Actual Behaviour After interacting with the Colors window in the way described in 'Steps to demonstrate incorrect behaviour' below, focus is wrongly given to one of the color entry fields, which results in the Tools shortcut keys no longer working until the user clicks on the Canvas/Editing Window. Version tested 5.0.12 on Windows 11 Steps to demonstrate CORRECT behaviour: Initial Setup 1. Run paint.net and display the Tools window, and the Colors window in its expanded state. 2. Close paint.net 3. Run paint.net again. The Tools & Colors windows are displayed at startup. - As expected, none of the entry fields (i.e R, G, B, H, S, V, Alpha) has focus. - As expected, pressing the Tools shortcut keys S and G swaps between the Rectangle Select and Gradient tools. Repro Steps 1. Click in one of the color entry fields (for example the R field). - The R field is given focus as shown by the blue underline on Windows 11 (or blue outline Windows 10). 2. Click in the Color Wheel (or anywhere else in the Colors window) - The R field no longer has focus 3. Press the Tools shortcut keys S and G - As expected, the active tool swaps between the Rectangle Select and Gradient tools. Steps to demonstrate INCORRECT behaviour: Initial Setup Follow the same Initial Setup steps as described above. Repro Steps 1. Click the icon to hide the Colors window. 2. Click the icon to display the Colors window. It is the act of redisplaying the Colors window that triggers the bug. 3. Click in one of the color entry fields (for example the R field). - The R field is given focus as shown by the blue underline on Windows 11 (or blue outline Windows 10). 4. Click in the Color Wheel (or anywhere else in the Colors window) - Note that the R field still has has focus. This is the bug. The field should not still have focus. 5. Press the Tools shortcut keys S and G - The shortcut keys are swallowed by the R field so they no longer swap between the Rectangle Select and Gradient tools. Try to correct the situation 6. Click on the Canvas/Editing Window - The Colors window R field no longer has focus 7. Press the Tools shortcut keys S and G - As expected, the active tool swaps between the Rectangle Select and Gradient tools. But the bug reoccurs if you interact with the Colors window again 8. Click in the Color Wheel (or anywhere else in the Colors window) - Note that focus is returned to the R field. This should not happen. 9. Press the Tools shortcut keys S and G - The shortcut keys are swallowed by the R field so they no longer swap between the Rectangle Select and Gradient tools. Additional Info Note that this bug, which is triggered by hiding and redisplaying the Colors window, has some similarity with this bug, which is triggered by hiding and redisplaying the Tools window: https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/124320-tools-shortcut-keys-stop-working-if-you-click-in-the-colors-window-after-hiding-the-tools-window/

Send me a message to discuss. I can merge some of the layers for you then re-save the file. But ultimately, you need more RAM if you are going to work with large, multi-layered files.

Even though in this case your .pdn file is not corrupt, you do need to create regular backups of your data files to guard against losing a month's worth of work.

Look at the error details you posted. You are out of memory. The file is not corrupt.

You have insufficient RAM for the size of the image and number of layers. Buy more RAM. Read this:

Welcome to the forum @Frozen Bok The good news is that your file does open OK here using 5.0.12, so the .pdn is not corrupt. There is something else happening on your system.

You don't need to click on your actual image to get the shortcuts working again; you can click anywhere on the drawing area that surrounds your image. Doing that won't cause the fill tool, or whatever is currently selected, to operate. I think I've found what is happening. I'm just trying to pare it down to the minimum number of steps to reproduce the behaviour reliably. Can you confirm whether, at some point in your session, you did click in the V field (or on its up/down arrows) to adjust the brightness value?

What "value text box" are you referring to? Do you mean that one of the entry fields in the Colors window (i.e. one of R, G. B. Hex, H, S, V, Alpha) becomes the the entry field with focus so swallows the Tool letter shortcuts. Or are you referring to a different "value" field; for example, in the toolbar? Note that there is a bug/quirk/feature of the Colors window that if you click on its title bar (i.e. the very top of the window with the word "Colors" and the X button), then the Tools shortcuts no longer work until you click on the canvas (i.e the image drawing area). I suspect this is what is happening for you. If so, just avoid clicking on the title bar.

Where did you read that? It must have been part of a really ancient thread in the forum. The paint.net download page https://www.getpaint.net/download.html is very clear:

The very wording of your question suggests that you are new to image editing... You don't have a separate "overlay image" and a "base image". You just have an image. There is no drinks can "base image" under the pieces of chocolate. Of course it's possible with paint.net, but obviously not automatically and not without a fair amount of work. You have to erase the pixels that represent the pieces of chocolate, etc. which are occupying the space where drinks can pixels should be, and then create the missing pixels to match the shape, colour, texture of the can. You are going to need to learn some basic techniques first such as drawing, painting, copy/pasting, cloning... and learn to use layers. You should consult the excellent Documentation, which you can access by clicking the Help icon top right in paint.net. There are also many tutorials in this forum and various how-to videos on YouTube.

That's your prerogative. Or... instead of saying Goodbye, you could describe the problem here (which you have just started to do) and have Rick or someone else help you solve it.

It assuredly doesn't need to be accurate to a few thousandths of an inch. You'll be fine just typing in your 3dp inch width and height, letting paint.net round them to 2dp and convert them to pixels. As I showed above, you won't be able to measure the difference.

@Dalrayes This is a year old thread relating to upgrading paint.net from v4.3.7 to v4.3.10. Before posting again, please read the Forum Rules, which are linked at the top and bottom of every page. Note in particular #7 and #11. If you have a question about upgrading to the latest version of paint.net, please start a new topic.

Please say exactly what you mean by this. Do you mean remove the white background and grey shading that @BoltBait has done for you, replacing it with transparent pixels? If so, then search the forum for remove background. You'll find several techniques. But if you mean something else, you'll need to ask more clearly.

There are two things happening here: 1. The New image dialog's Print size width & height fields allow only 2 decimal places (2dp). So your entered 3dp figures get rounded to 5.33 x 6.75 inches. 2. Then, as explained in the comments above, you have the conversion and rounding to an integer number of pixels for the canvas size. Let's do the calculation using paint.net's 2dp rounding and then again using your unrounded 3dp figures: You can see that the difference between your desired 3dp size and the equivalent print size after rounding to to 2dp and to integer pixels is only a few thousandths of an inch. Is that really of any significance for your project?

@Garrymo Once again, I would urge you to read the excellent paint.net Documentation. The Colors Window section says: You keep asking questions that are already well explained in the Documentation. Please take a little time to work through it step by step and experiment as you do so. You'll learn a lot.