Comparing two images: Any way to get two images shown at the same time?

[blickbox]

For me one of the things I really miss in paint.net is the ability to have two images shown at the same time, which is essential when you need to compare something (switching back and forth is not an option).

 

Is there any way to achieve this with a plugin?

 

It would really be useful if Paint.net could implement a way. For instance, being able to right click the thumnail and select "pop out", which opens it in a seperate window. Or maybe just make it possible to run two instances.

[Tactilis]

1 hour ago, blickbox said:

one of the things I really miss in paint.net is the ability to have two images shown at the same time

This capability has been requested several times previously. Unfortunately there is no way to achieve it directly in Paint.NET at the moment. Nor is possible for a plugin to achieve it.

The simplest way to do a side by side comparison is to "pop-out" your second Paint.NET image in a different viewing app.

I use an AutoHotkey script to instantly display a Paint.NET image (including one with layers) full-screen in IrfanView when I press F9.

 

The script is here https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/122164-full-screen-preview-of-current-pic/?do=findComment&comment=610304

I wrote this script specifically to answer the need for a full-screen viewer, but it is easily adapted to show the image in a normal window (see the comments in the script about 'Alternative command lines') so you could zoom & pan.

If you give the current script a try and are happy with the basics of what it does, I'd be willing to enhance it so that on a press of F9 in Paint.NET, it displays the image in IrfanView and resizes the windows such that Paint.NET and IrfanView are automatically displayed side by side. A second keypress could be used to close the IrfanView window and return Paint.NET to the original window size.

[IHaveNoName]

An obvious solution would be to open PDN and create another image with a x2 or more (than the pictures in question ) canvas size and import the two images you want to compare as layers.

 

A transparent background for the canvas might be useful but not essential.

 

With the two images in different layers you could also make the top one partially transparent so you can see the layer below through it if you move it over that. I've used this idea myself on a number of occasions to align or edit text perfectly to match particularly when I'd forgotten to keep the text in a separate layer and it could not be simply copied.

 

[blickbox]

1 hour ago, IHaveNoName said:

An obvious solution would be to open PDN and create another image with a x2 or more (than the pictures in question ) canvas size and import the two images you want to compare as layers.

 

Yes, I often do something like this now just putting them side by side  but it's a bit work, and not a good solution when you need to work on one of the images while you compare with the other (e.g you want to work on the original file)
 

3 hours ago, Tactilis said:

I use an AutoHotkey script to instantly display a Paint.NET image (including one with layers) full-screen in IrfanView when I press F9.

 

The script is here https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/122164-full-screen-preview-of-current-pic/?do=findComment&comment=610304

This is very clever! I will give it a try

Edited September 20, 2023 by blickbox