Border around Windows Snipping Tools disappearing when pasting in Paint.NET

[Oden84]

When creating screenshots with the Windows build in snipping tool, it creates a nice border around it.

When I paste the screenshot in a program, the border stays with the picture. When pasting the screenshot in Paint.NET however the border disappears and it seems to be transparent in stead of a border. I can't remember when this was starting to happen, is this a setting that I have overlooked in Paint.net?

 

[Eli]

Could you use the Print Screen  option on your keyboard to show us the border you are talking about?

[AndrewDavid]

Hi @Oden84

Welcome to the forum.

I use the snipping tool quite often and I think you are referring to the red border line the tool displays to show what you have selected.

Under Snipping Tool options ensure "Show selection overlay when Snipping is Active" is check marked.

Not a Paint.Net issue

 

[Oden84]

Thanks for the replies!

I did some testing with the snipping tool. The option "Show selection overlay when Snipping is Active" is marked. Notice that when I paste the picture in other programs, the border is showing correctly.

 

After some more research I found out that this problem was only when I selected "black" as border in the snipping tool. When I select another color like a red border, it does paste correctly in paint.NET.

 

@ AndrewDavid: Can you test this? Changing the default "Red" color in the snipping tool to black and paste it in paint.NET to see if you got the same results?

[AndrewDavid]

@Oden84

Agreed. Using black in the snipping tool translates to transparent black in Paint.Net. Easily demonstrated when pasted onto a white layer.

@Rick Brewster will have to comment on this now.

[Rick Brewster]

You can use ClipSpy ( https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/168/ClipSpy ) to check out what's actually on the clipboard

 

It's an ooooooollllllllddddddddd tool but still totally works. I can supply binaries if you need, it might only have the source code up at that link.

 

From there, I can tell you whether the black is turning into transparent because of normal clipboard ambiguity (a Windows design flaw), or because of something Paint.NET is doing wrong.

[null54]

1 hour ago, Rick Brewster said:

I can supply binaries if you need, it might only have the source code up at that link.

 

The source code download includes a compiled binary in the bin folder, but you need a CodeProject account to download it.

 

1 hour ago, Rick Brewster said:

From there, I can tell you whether the black is turning into transparent because of normal clipboard ambiguity (a Windows design flaw), or because of something Paint.NET is doing wrong.

 

The snipping tool places a CF_BITMAP, CF_DIB and CF_DIBV5 on the clipboard.

 

Edit:

 

It appears that using a black border is causing Paint.NET to incorrectly detect the CF_DIB as having premultiplied alpha.

When any other border color is used it sets the alpha channel to 255.

[AndrewDavid]

I just tried the new Snip and Sketch in WIN10 and it works properly. I go with the Windows design flaw.

 

 

[Rick Brewster]

I've got an idea for something that may be able to fix this... no promises, it's speculative, but it would be in 4.1.7 if it does work since it should be easy.

[Oden84]

Thx for the replies! Nice to see a bit more in depth technical replies  I will use the gray border as workaround :-). Meanwhile I will look forward to updates to see if there is a fix for this one.

I use paint.NET almost on daily basis since a couple of years. Thx for this wonderful program!

 

 

[Rick Brewster]

This should be fixed up in 4.1.7, thanks to @null54