BoltBait's Plugin Pack for PdN v4.2.12 and beyond (Updated July 16, 2020)

[BoltBait]

Here is what I consider my "Essential", award winning , plugin pack for Paint.NET v4.2.12 and beyond.

 

It includes 46 plugins in 36 files, 1 palette file, and 48 shapes. This allows you to pick and choose to install only the effects you want. Then, later you can run the installer and uncheck an item to uninstall it.

 

When you see  in this post, you can click it for more information (including source code in some cases).

To install, download this file to your Desktop, unzip it, and run the install program.

 

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Note: This is an older version of my plugin pack for paint.net v4.2.12.
For the most recent version, go here: https://forums.getpaint.net/BoltBaitPluginPack

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       Download   Donate 

I'm going through a really tough financial time right now,
so anything you can spare would be much appreciated.

 

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Which of my plugin packs is right for you?

You need to look at the Paint.NET version number in the title bar.

 

Classic:   Download:
3.5.11      https://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/8318-b
4.0.x         https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/32048-b

4.2.12+    Download above

4.3.10+    https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/120037-b

 

 

Windows Store version of paint.net: You're in the right place!  Click the download button above

When you see the main screen (shown below), select the "I'm running the store version of Paint.NET" checkbox.

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Installer / Plugin Manager:

 

Once you click the download button above and open the zip file, run the included install.exe file.  You'll see this:

When the installer first runs, it updates the check boxes to what's currently installed (checked for installed, unchecked for not installed). However, if nothing is installed, it automatically checks ALL the boxes figuring the user would like to install everything.

Carefully review each line and make sure the items you wish to install are checked.  When you click the Install button, checked items will be installed and unchecked items will be uninstalled from your system.

 

For high volume network managers: Plugin Manager has a silent install function... for more information:  C:\> install /?

 

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New for this pack:

 

I have gone through all of my plugins and redesigned the User Interface (UI) for each with the goal of making the UI dialog box shorter.  With shorter UI's, less of your image will be covered by the effect UI while you're working on it.

 

For example, here is a comparison of the previous version of Gradient (left) and the new version (right):

 

 

I have always been a fan of shorter UI's and in this pack I take advantage of some new functionality in Paint.NET v4.2 that allows for a more compressed look.

 

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Help:

 

If you need help with an individual effect, look for the question mark "?" in the top right corner of the effect UI (near the X) and click it.

 

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Once you install this plugin pack, here's what you get:

 

Adjustments menu

 

 Black and White+  Use selected method for converting a color photograph into B&W.

 Color Balance  Easily adjust the tint of an image. Useful for color correcting photographs taken indoors without flash. The difference between this and the built-in Hue/Saturation adjustment is that this one will affect black and white areas.

 Combined Adjustments  All of your favorite adjustments on one screen.

 Hue/Saturation+  Conditional Hue / Saturation effect.

Temperature/Tint  Temperature / Tint effect.

 Transparency  Adjust the transparency of a selection just like you can adjust it for an entire layer.

 

 

Effects menu

 

 Flip Horizontal - flips the selection on the vertical axis. Similar to the layer flip of the same name.

 Flip Vertical - flips the selection on the horizontal axis. Similar to the layer flip of the same name.

 

 

Effects > Artistic menu

 

 Dream  This makes your picture look like it was seen in a dream.

 Oil Painting+  Makes your photographs look painted.

 Pastel  This makes your picture look like it was drawn with pastel chalk or water color paint.

 

 

Effects > Blurs menu

 

 Gaussian Blur Plus - With it, you can blur only the Red, Blue, Green, or Alpha channel of the image. It also allows you to blend the original picture with the blurred image. (Try blurring all channels of the image with a radius of 10 and a Darken blend mode. Cool stuff.)

 

 

Effects > Fill

 

 From Clipboard  Fills the current selection with the graphic on the clipboard.

 From File  Fills the current selection with a graphic file.

 

 

Effects > Object menu

 

An "object" is a group of pixels on a layer that is completely surrounded by transparent pixels (or the edge(s) of the canvas). These are useful when doing "cutouts" or with text on a new layer.

 

 Bevel Object  This effect allows you to make objects 3D. Works great with text!

 Feather  This effect softens the edges of objects. 

 Inner Shadow  Renders a shadow on objects so they look like they have been cut out.

 Object Shadow  Renders a shadow behind objects.

 Outline - This effect puts an outline of the selected color around your object.

 Paste Alpha - This effect takes the graphic on the clipboard and converts the colors to shades of gray and then uses that for the alpha values of the current layer. Useful for using masks.

 Switch Alpha to Gray - This effect converts the image to shades of gray based on the alpha value of each pixel. Useful for making masks.

 Switch Gray to Alpha - This effect deletes white from and image and converts all other pixels to black. Useful for isolating line art.

 

 

Effects > Photo menu

 

 Combined Adjustments  Many adjustments for photographs all on one screen

 Level Horizon  Rotate an image by drawing a line across the horizon.

Meme Maker   Create your own Memes.

 Remove Dust  Removes little white dust particles by clone stamping them out. I find this very helpful when scanning photographs.

 Sharpen Landscape  Makes your landscape photographs look like they belong in a magazine!

 Seam Carving - Reduce height  Reduce the height of an image without scaling (squishing) the image.

 Seam Carving - Reduce width  Reduce the width of an image without scaling (squishing) the image.

 Vignette+  Extends the capabilities of the built-in Vignette effect with colors and the ability to render a vignette to a blank canvas.

 

 

Effects > Render menu

 

 Calendar  Render a monthly calendar.  Month name and Days of the week are localized. Includes many options.

 Charts and Graphs Like a mini spreadsheet, enter your data and plot a graph!

 Dimensions  This doesn't measure anything. It just renders the dimension arrows and label text.

 Flames  This effect allows you to render flames. It is based on Tom Jackson's excellent fire tutorial.

 Gradients  Render colorful HSV (rainbow) gradients.

 Grid / Checkerboard  Create checker board or grid patterns.

 Polygon / Stars  This effect allows you to render triangles, pentagons, hexagons, etc. It also allows you to render stars. It is useful in making standard shapes and the pointed edges of stickers.

 

 

Effects > Selection menu

 

Effects in this menu perform their effect by following the selection outline (marching ants). While they will work with a square selection (or no selection by using the edges of the canvas as their path), they are more interesting when the selection is curved , selected by hand , or by magic wand .

 

 Bevel Selection  This effect allows you to make selections 3D. Works great with text!

 Blur Selection Edge - This effect feathers the edges of a selection using the surrounding colors instead of transparency. Useful when the selection is not surrounded by transparent pixels.

 Feather Selection  This effect softens the edges of your selection. It works just like the feather in other graphic$ program$.

 Inner Shadow Selection  Renders a shadow on the inside of a selection so it looks like it has been cut out.

 Outline Selection  This effect allows you to outline a selection.

 

 

Effects > Stylize menu

 

 Floyd-Steinberg Dithering  This effect will reduce the colors of your image using the Floyd-Steinberg dithering technique.

 

 

Effects > Text formations

 

 Creative Text Pro  Creates professional looking 3D text.

 Outlined / Gradient text  Creates text that is outlined with a selected color and filled with a solid color or a gradient.  User "xod" has published a version of this plugin with even more features.  If you find that my plugin isn't enough, install his.

 

 

Window > Colors > More > Open Palettes Folder

 

 I have also included my Rainbow Palette. This is very popular on the forums.  In the Color docker window, click the  button and choose Rainbow from the list.  This is what the Rainbow Palette looks like:

 

 

 

Custom Shapes

 

This plugin pack also includes 48 custom shapes.  In the installer, you can pick-and-chose which ones you want.

 

 

This pack supersedes my plugins available elsewhere. I will be updating the other locations eventually, but if you want the latest versions, download my plugins from this post.

 

Enjoy.  

 

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Also, for you luddites that refuse to use the installer, here's a zip file with all the DLL's in it: BoltBaitPack51DLLs.zip  How to install Paint.NET plugins.

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BoltBaitPack51.zip

[hippolippo]

Why do I need to give this administrator permissions?

[BoltBait]

16 minutes ago, hippolippo said:

Why do I need to give this administrator permissions?

 

Administrator permissions are required by Windows to install files in the Program Files directory.

 

If you have the classic install of Paint.NET, that's where these plugins are going to be installed.

 

You can be sure that my plugins are safe as they have been vetted by MANY users here on the forums... and I'm a moderator here.

 

[ArgusMagnus]

On ‎9‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 8:37 PM, BoltBait said:

 

I have always been a fan of shorter UI's and in this pack I take advantage of some new functionality in Paint.NET v4.1 that allows for a more compressed look.

 

How can we (plugin authors) do this?

[BoltBait]

On 9/9/2018 at 11:37 AM, BoltBait said:

I have always been a fan of shorter UI's and in this pack I take advantage of some new functionality in Paint.NET v4.1 that allows for a more compressed look.

 

On 10/20/2018 at 1:13 AM, ArgusMagnus said:

How can we (plugin authors) do this?

 

These graphics I prepared should give you some ideas.

 

The colorwheel control now has 3 different sizes to choose from:

 

 

As big as the "Alpha (Largest)" colorwheel control is, it is still smaller than having a separate alpha slider.  And, you can make it even smaller by hiding the colorwheel's reset button.  Not all controls have reset buttons. So, I think hiding the colorwheel control's reset button shouldn't hurt usability that much and saves you quite a bit of vertical real estate.

 

 

Before we had a filename control, we had to use a string control followed by a button control:

 

Use CodeLab to generate the code for you after using the Interface Designer.

 

[Thundrex]

Thank you for this great pack!

[JKDesign]

Thank you for this plugin pack. After years of using PS commercially, I'm using paint.net at home because of budget as I am getting some graphics ready for streaming.

 

So I thought I'd send you a greeting and let you know that your hard work is very much appreciated. 😄

[Woodwalker]

Is this virus free?

 

[BoltBait]

7 minutes ago, Woodwalker said:

Is this virus free?

 

 

Of course it is!

[Woodsy]

It's as safe as safe can be!!!

[Bevan]

Hey mate. I just sent you some funds.. Thanks for the awesome tools and hope things are cool in your world.

[BoltBait]

9 minutes ago, Bevan said:

Thanks for the awesome tools and hope things are cool in your world.

 

Thanks!

 

Things have been really tight for a long time, but they're starting to turn around.  If my luck holds out, I should be OK soon.

[LannyShadok]

Hi ! Thank you for this amazing work.

I use these plugins since a few months and it's very useful.

I recently reinstalled Paint.NET and all of my plugins but I don't understand something with the Gradient/Outlined Text tool : I can only use the plugin with the basics Microsoft fonts, no more with my custom fonts. I reinstalled Paint.NET one more time and it changes nothing... Don't know why ! Thanks a lot for your help ! 😁

 

[BoltBait]

Sorry, but not all fonts are compatible with the plugin.

 

The plugin requires fonts that are compatible with GDI+ (the graphics library that I'm using in that plugin).  Those fonts include TrueType, but not OpenType or PostScript fonts.

[Seerose]

 Sir @BoltBait!

 

Thank you so much.   

[Ego Eram Reputo]

I'm a big fan of the new icons! 👍

[Kaylad]

Thank you for the new update. Donated

[BoltBait]

3 hours ago, Kaylad said:

Thank you for the new update.

 

You're quite welcome!

 

3 hours ago, Kaylad said:

Donated

 

Very much appreciated!

[BoltBait]

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!

 

[Andrej59]

It's just amazing what you can do with coding!

[skullzy]

Hello, first post here...Just recently when I use the Color Balance plugin and finish with the suitable color adjustments, I press 'o.k.' to save but those adjustments go back to the original. Just cannot get it to save the color changes I apply. Love this plugin, always worked until recently. Please help...thanks.

[toe_head2001]

@skullzy

Please install the latest version of the Color Balance plugin. The download link is at the top of this page.

[skullzy]

Too easy, thanks for your help....problem fixed.

[Seerose]

❤️ Sir @BoltBait!

 

Thank you so much for your effort. 🧁 ☕

[Iceberg]

Hi BoltBait, 
 

I love your work, sincere thanks to you.

However, I wanted to give you a feedback on a "potential bug" in your pack.

In the latest version of your pack, the "Object Shadow" effect is EXACTLY the same as "Object Shadow Pro".

Is it possible to have again, via a small update, "Object Shadow" like v4.6 ? (like the version I send as an attachment) 

I love both versions and I use them for different tasks especially since version 4.6 of "Object Shadow" is excellent and very simple.

Thank you very much for what you do for the community and hope to get a positive response from you.

(Sorry for my bad english i'm french)