BoltBait

If Windows tells the Paint.NET installer that the drive is removable... the installer won't allow you to choose that drive.

Due to technical limitations (it's complicated, really) you can't install Paint.NET on a removable drive.

Try this beta build to see if it fixes your problem: https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/116743-paintnet-4213-alpha-build-7497/

What version of Paint.NET are you running and how are you running it?

If you just want to learn how to make a plugin, I recommend starting here: https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/109990-how-to-write-an-effect-plugin-tutorialsresources/

That's the first thing I'd try. Memory is not expensive and it does wear out eventually.

As far as I can tell, the source code was never released.

I don't see that you've written any Paint.NET plugins. What are you planning? If you've started a project and are stuck on one particular item, maybe we can walk you through that issue. What we cannot do is give you the source code to the OP's project--we don't have it. But, many people around here know how to do many of the things his project does. So, if you ask SPECIFIC questions, we can probably help.

ArgusMagnus hasn't been around for almost 2 years... Maybe if you explained why you need the source code, we could help you.

Those are some great optimizations! Thanks for posting. CodeLab is pretty decent in deciding which of your selected effects should go in PreRender and which should go in Render. But, it is always best to examine those choices to make sure they are best. When I wrote the code generator, I had to make it work in the general case. In this case, you make a good point, the setup for calling the contrast effect should remain in PreRender and the actual call to contrast should be moved (and rewritten slightly) to the first line of the Render method. The reason for this is that the PreRender method is single threaded and the Render method is multi-threaded. So, you should do as much work as possible in Render and do as little as possible in PreRender. (I felt that this optimization was outside of the scope of the tutorial, but I'm glad you brought it up so we can talk about it.) Generally speaking, you should be preparing your AUX and WRK surfaces in PreRender and you should be using those surfaces in Render. This is because you want your entire working canvas to be ready when the multi-threaded magic happens. This is important if you'll be reading from multiple pixels from the working surface to apply to a pixel in your DST canvas (like using the Gaussian Blur effect) as there's really no way to stay within your ROI during that type of processing. In the case of the contrast effect, it only looks at a single pixel when computing it's result. Due to that and the fact that our example is so simple, we could have actually moved EVERYTHING from PreRender to Render for better performance due to the multi-threaded pipeline and everything we're using can be limited to a single ROI. So, that was an excellent suggestion! Note: How to tell if something reads more than one pixel to do it's work? Generally, things in the Adjustments menu work on individual pixels and things in the Effects menu GENERALLY read more than one pixel to calculate their results. (Then, there are some special cases, like Floyd-Steinberg Dithering where the pixels you output can effect pixels to be calculated later outside of your ROI!)

How to Write an Effect Plugin (Part 8 - Alpha Manipulation) Wouldn't it be cool if you could manipulate the alpha channel of an image independently of the colors on that layer? Yeah, I thought it would be pretty cool too. So, I wrote some functions to help me achieve just that when using CodeLab! Basically, we need to do 2 things: (1) extract the alpha channel of an image to a separate surface, and (2) apply the modified alpha back into our original image after we've modified it in some way. Once the alpha channel is extracted to a new surface as a black and white image, we can use any built-in effects we want to modify it. Extract Alpha Channel OK, here's a function I wrote to extract the alpha channel from one surface and copy it as shades of gray to another surface: unsafe void CopyMask(Surface dst, Surface src, Rectangle rect, bool aliased, bool invertMask = false) { if (aliased) { byte shade; if (invertMask) { for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; ColorBgra* srcPtr = src.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* dstPtr = dst.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { shade = (byte)(255-(*srcPtr).A); *dstPtr = ColorBgra.FromBgr(shade,shade,shade); srcPtr++; dstPtr++; } } } else { for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; ColorBgra* srcPtr = src.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* dstPtr = dst.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { shade = (*srcPtr).A; *dstPtr = ColorBgra.FromBgr(shade,shade,shade); srcPtr++; dstPtr++; } } } } else { ColorBgra ObjectColor = ColorBgra.White; ColorBgra EmptyColor = ColorBgra.Black; if (invertMask) { ObjectColor = ColorBgra.Black; EmptyColor = ColorBgra.White; } for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; ColorBgra* srcPtr = src.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* dstPtr = dst.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { if ((*srcPtr).A > 0) { *dstPtr = ObjectColor; } else { *dstPtr = EmptyColor; } srcPtr++; dstPtr++; } } } } void CopyMask(Surface dst, Surface src, bool aliased, bool invertMask = false) { CopyMask(dst,src,src.Bounds,aliased,invertMask); } At first glance you might think the code is unnecessarily long with 3 loops in there. However, I did several things to speed up the code: By putting the "if (aliased)" check outside of the actual loop (and thus having 2 similar loops), I only execute the "if" command once per run instead of 480,000 times for an 800x600 canvas had I only had 1 loop with the "if" command inside. Using pointers to access the surfaces saves a TON of time. For example, when you use code like "CurrentPixel = src[x,y];" which is included in the default CodeLab script, Paint.NET takes time to check to be sure that the "x" coordinate is contained within the bounds of the canvas. It also does the same check for "y" before finally returning the pixel at that address. By using pointers, like "CurrentPixel = *srcPtr;" Paint.NET doesn't spend any time verifying that the pixel you're requesting is located on the canvas. It simply gives you what's at that memory location directly. It is up to us to be sure that our loops and our pointers remain valid. So, for our 800x600 src canvas, dst canvas, and aux canvas that saves 2,880,000 boundary checks--"if statements" (x and y, 2 variables, times 3 surfaces times 480,000 pixels). Anyway, now that we have that code, we need a plan to create a plugin. Modify Mask For the purposes of this demo, once the alpha mask is extracted, we will use the Brightness/Contrast effect to lighten the mask making the resulting object slightly transparent. Cool, now that we have a plan, let's start our plugin in CodeLab. (CodeLab v6.0+ is required for this tutorial.) Before we open CodeLab, let's create a sample image that we can view while we are working on the code. Something like this should be fine: It has an object on a transparent background. You can see some anti-aliased edges and some solid areas. Anything similar should work fine. Now let's open Paint.NET, and open Effects > Advanced > CodeLab. Inside of CodeLab, open File > New > Effect. This will open a screen that will allow us to design our effect. Since CodeLab doesn't have built-in commands to extract and combine the alpha channel, we'll substitute the "Copy Surface" command instead. The reason for that choice is that the Copy Surface commands are only a single line long so they'll be easy to replace later. Enter the following items in the Pixel Flow area: Looking at the arrows in the Pixel Flow list, you can kinda see the path the pixels take through your code. Once you have everything entered properly (note the surfaces used at each step), click the "Generate Code" button. This will fill CodeLab with the following code: // Name: // Submenu: // Author: // Title: // Version: // Desc: // Keywords: // URL: // Help: #region UICode IntSliderControl Amount1 = 10; // [-100,100] Brightness/Contrast Brightness IntSliderControl Amount2 = 10; // [-100,100] Brightness/Contrast Contrast #endregion // Aux surface Surface aux = null; // Setup for calling the Brightness and Contrast Adjustment function BrightnessAndContrastAdjustment contrastEffect = new BrightnessAndContrastAdjustment(); PropertyCollection contrastProps; protected override void OnDispose(bool disposing) { if (disposing) { // Release any surfaces or effects you've created aux?.Dispose(); aux = null; contrastEffect?.Dispose(); contrastEffect = null; } base.OnDispose(disposing); } // This single-threaded function is called after the UI changes and before the Render function is called // The purpose is to prepare anything you'll need in the Render function void PreRender(Surface dst, Surface src) { if (aux == null) { aux = new Surface(src.Size); } if (IsCancelRequested) return; // Copy the src surface to the aux surface aux.CopySurface(src); // Brightness/Contrast contrastEffect.EnvironmentParameters = EnvironmentParameters; contrastProps = contrastEffect.CreatePropertyCollection(); PropertyBasedEffectConfigToken contrastParameters = new PropertyBasedEffectConfigToken(contrastProps); contrastParameters.SetPropertyValue(BrightnessAndContrastAdjustment.PropertyNames.Brightness, Amount1); contrastParameters.SetPropertyValue(BrightnessAndContrastAdjustment.PropertyNames.Contrast, Amount2); contrastEffect.SetRenderInfo(contrastParameters, new RenderArgs(aux), new RenderArgs(aux)); if (IsCancelRequested) return; contrastEffect.Render(new Rectangle[1] {aux.Bounds},0,1); } // Here is the main multi-threaded render function // The dst canvas is broken up into rectangles and // your job is to write to each pixel of that rectangle void Render(Surface dst, Surface src, Rectangle rect) { // Copy the aux surface to the dst surface dst.CopySurface(aux,rect.Location,rect); // Step through each row of the current rectangle for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; // Step through each pixel on the current row of the rectangle for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { ColorBgra SrcPixel = src[x,y]; ColorBgra AuxPixel = aux[x,y]; ColorBgra DstPixel = dst[x,y]; ColorBgra CurrentPixel = DstPixel; // TODO: Add additional pixel processing code here dst[x,y] = CurrentPixel; } } } Now, go grab the code from above to extract the alpha channel and paste it into this script just above the PreRender function. Next, find the line "aux.CopySurface(src);" in the PreRender function and change that line to read: // Copy the src surface to the aux surface CopyMask(aux,src,true,true); Instead of copying the entire src surface to the aux surface, we're copying only the alpha mask to the aux surface. Since we are working in the PreRender function, we're processing the entire canvas at once. If we were in the multi-threaded Render function, we would also be specifying the ROI (rectangle of interest)... you'll see that a bit later, but no need to worry about it now. Next, find the UI definition lines near the top and update them to have our planned defaults: #region UICode IntSliderControl Amount1 = 70; // [-100,100] Brightness/Contrast Brightness IntSliderControl Amount2 = 0; // [-100,100] Brightness/Contrast Contrast #endregion At this point in the process, you should probably see the modified mask being output to the canvas by the effect. Now that we have the mask the way we want it, let's use it... Apply Mask to Original Image We're at the point now where we need some code to combine our alpha mask with the original image. Here is a helper function I wrote to apply an alpha mask to a layer and store the results in a different layer: unsafe void ApplyMask(Surface dst, Surface src, Surface mask, Rectangle rect, bool invertMask = false) { if (invertMask) { for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; ColorBgra* srcPtr = src.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* dstPtr = dst.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* maskPtr = mask.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { *dstPtr = (*srcPtr).NewAlpha((byte)(255-(*maskPtr).R)); srcPtr++; dstPtr++; maskPtr++; } } } else { for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; ColorBgra* srcPtr = src.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* dstPtr = dst.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* maskPtr = mask.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { *dstPtr = (*srcPtr).NewAlpha((*maskPtr).R); srcPtr++; dstPtr++; maskPtr++; } } } } void ApplyMask(Surface dst, Surface src, Surface mask, bool invertMask = false) { ApplyMask(dst,src,mask,src.Bounds, invertMask); } void ApplyMask(Surface src, Surface mask, bool invertMask = false) { ApplyMask(src, src, mask, src.Bounds, invertMask); } void ApplyMask(Surface src, Surface mask, Rectangle rect, bool invertMask = false) { ApplyMask(src, src, mask, rect, invertMask); } Grab that code and paste it into your script just above the Render function. See the Results Find the following line in your Render function: dst.CopySurface(aux,rect.Location,rect); Replace that line with: ApplyMask(dst, src, aux, rect, true); Instead of copying the aux surface to the dst surface, we will be applying the alpha mask on the aux surface to the object on the src surface and storing the results on the dst surface. Since we are in the multi-threaded Render function, notice that we are also sending in the "rect"--that is our Rectangle of Interest (ROI). This limits processing of only the portion of the layer our current thread is working on. That should do it! Here is a copy of the final assembled code: // Name: // Submenu: // Author: // Title: // Version: // Desc: // Keywords: // URL: // Help: #region UICode IntSliderControl Amount1 = 70; // [-100,100] Brightness/Contrast Brightness IntSliderControl Amount2 = 0; // [-100,100] Brightness/Contrast Contrast #endregion // Aux surface Surface aux = null; // Setup for calling the Brightness and Contrast Adjustment function BrightnessAndContrastAdjustment contrastEffect = new BrightnessAndContrastAdjustment(); PropertyCollection contrastProps; protected override void OnDispose(bool disposing) { if (disposing) { // Release any surfaces or effects you've created aux?.Dispose(); aux = null; contrastEffect?.Dispose(); contrastEffect = null; } base.OnDispose(disposing); } unsafe void CopyMask(Surface dst, Surface src, Rectangle rect, bool aliased, bool invertMask = false) { if (aliased) { byte shade; if (invertMask) { for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; ColorBgra* srcPtr = src.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* dstPtr = dst.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { shade = (byte)(255-(*srcPtr).A); *dstPtr = ColorBgra.FromBgr(shade,shade,shade); srcPtr++; dstPtr++; } } } else { for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; ColorBgra* srcPtr = src.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* dstPtr = dst.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { shade = (*srcPtr).A; *dstPtr = ColorBgra.FromBgr(shade,shade,shade); srcPtr++; dstPtr++; } } } } else { ColorBgra ObjectColor = ColorBgra.White; ColorBgra EmptyColor = ColorBgra.Black; if (invertMask) { ObjectColor = ColorBgra.Black; EmptyColor = ColorBgra.White; } for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; ColorBgra* srcPtr = src.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* dstPtr = dst.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { if ((*srcPtr).A > 0) { *dstPtr = ObjectColor; } else { *dstPtr = EmptyColor; } srcPtr++; dstPtr++; } } } } void CopyMask(Surface dst, Surface src, bool aliased, bool invertMask = false) { CopyMask(dst,src,src.Bounds,aliased,invertMask); } // This single-threaded function is called after the UI changes and before the Render function is called // The purpose is to prepare anything you'll need in the Render function void PreRender(Surface dst, Surface src) { if (aux == null) { aux = new Surface(src.Size); } if (IsCancelRequested) return; // Copy the src surface to the aux surface CopyMask(aux,src,true,true); // Brightness/Contrast contrastEffect.EnvironmentParameters = EnvironmentParameters; contrastProps = contrastEffect.CreatePropertyCollection(); PropertyBasedEffectConfigToken contrastParameters = new PropertyBasedEffectConfigToken(contrastProps); contrastParameters.SetPropertyValue(BrightnessAndContrastAdjustment.PropertyNames.Brightness, Amount1); contrastParameters.SetPropertyValue(BrightnessAndContrastAdjustment.PropertyNames.Contrast, Amount2); contrastEffect.SetRenderInfo(contrastParameters, new RenderArgs(aux), new RenderArgs(aux)); if (IsCancelRequested) return; contrastEffect.Render(new Rectangle[1] {aux.Bounds},0,1); } unsafe void ApplyMask(Surface dst, Surface src, Surface mask, Rectangle rect, bool invertMask = false) { if (invertMask) { for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; ColorBgra* srcPtr = src.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* dstPtr = dst.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* maskPtr = mask.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { *dstPtr = (*srcPtr).NewAlpha((byte)(255-(*maskPtr).R)); srcPtr++; dstPtr++; maskPtr++; } } } else { for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; ColorBgra* srcPtr = src.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* dstPtr = dst.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); ColorBgra* maskPtr = mask.GetPointAddressUnchecked(rect.Left, y); for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { *dstPtr = (*srcPtr).NewAlpha((*maskPtr).R); srcPtr++; dstPtr++; maskPtr++; } } } } void ApplyMask(Surface dst, Surface src, Surface mask, bool invertMask = false) { ApplyMask(dst,src,mask,src.Bounds, invertMask); } void ApplyMask(Surface src, Surface mask, bool invertMask = false) { ApplyMask(src, src, mask, src.Bounds, invertMask); } void ApplyMask(Surface src, Surface mask, Rectangle rect, bool invertMask = false) { ApplyMask(src, src, mask, rect, invertMask); } // Here is the main multi-threaded render function // The dst canvas is broken up into rectangles and // your job is to write to each pixel of that rectangle void Render(Surface dst, Surface src, Rectangle rect) { // Copy the aux surface to the dst surface ApplyMask(dst,src,aux,rect, true); // Step through each row of the current rectangle for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++) { if (IsCancelRequested) return; // Step through each pixel on the current row of the rectangle for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++) { ColorBgra SrcPixel = src[x,y]; ColorBgra AuxPixel = aux[x,y]; ColorBgra DstPixel = dst[x,y]; ColorBgra CurrentPixel = DstPixel; // TODO: Add additional pixel processing code here dst[x,y] = CurrentPixel; } } } Currently, the x and y loops inside the Render function aren't doing anything. You can delete them. Or, you can do some additional processing in there--your choice. I will leave it up to you to investigate the alias and invertMask parameters on the CopyMask and ApplyMask functions. Final Thoughts I hope this lesson sparks some creativity in you and you produce some wonderful plugins! For example, you could probably modify the helper functions I wrote to extract other channels, like R, G, and/or B. I'm sure you can come up with all sorts of interesting variations. Thanks for reading! Big THANKS goes out to @toe_head2001 for reviewing my code for this tutorial.

BoltBait Plugin Pack Refresh! Now that CodeLab v6.0 is out there, I had some time to revisit my plugin pack. I've made some large and some small changes. BoltBait pack v5.1 new features: - I completely rewrote my Feather plugins (Object Feather and Selection Feather). The new algorithm is the best yet. (See images below for details.) - Updated features (look around, you might find something interesting in your favorite plugin) - Bug fixes (Color Balance plugin fixed, other fixes...) So, if you're a fan of my plugins, I recommend downloading my pack again and refreshing the plugins on your computer. Feather I have never been happy with the algorithm in my Feather plugins. The one thing I always wanted to do was help people make really great composite images, cut-outs. The problem is, once someone uses the magic wand to select and delete the background, there is always a little bit of white left around the edges. My new Feather algorithm is perfect for dealing with that little bit of left overs. Here's a picture to illustrate what I mean: Click on the image to see it full sized. THANKS! A big "thanks" goes out to @welshblue and @Ego Eram Reputo and @toe_head2001 for testing the new Feather algorithm during development and giving me valuable feedback. The new algorithm went through a few rounds of changes and it is MUCH better because of your input. Also, a big "thanks" goes out to everyone who reports bugs in my plugins!

What is this?

Do you have an image on the clipboard when you're using the File > New command?

Try this: https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/12188-color-and-black-and-white-the-pleasantville-effect/

Paint.NET is not compatible with Window Blinds at all. Sorry.

Thanks for typing that up. When I first responded, I was on my phone and was too lazy to type it up. I was kinda hoping the OP would figure that part out.

Step 1: install my plugin pack Step 2: Open your image in Paint.NET. Step 3: Duplicate the layer you want to select from Step 4: Effects > Object > Switch alpha to gray Step 5: Use magic wand (tolerance 0, global selection mode) to select the gray pixel of the alpha level you want to select. Step 6: Switch back to your original colored layer.

Writing such a plug-in would be trivial.

Are you adjusting the Tolerance on the tool bar? After you click with the magic wand, you can adjust the tolerance live to change what is selected.

Select what you want to keep: Click the crop tool:

Ok, show us a screenshot of your Effects folder (including address bar) showing the files installed there.

Click gear ⚙️, click “Plugin Errors”... Is anything listed in there?

First, read this: https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/114255-win7 Second, have you been able to download other plugins and get them working?

I think you are lost. This forum is about an image editing software called Paint.NET. We don't know anything about actual paints and canvas around here. Sorry. Closing.