My first post and general question

[korteck]

Hi, this is my first post. I downloaded v2.72 about 2 weeks ago and I love it! Before that, I had only used Microsoft paint and that seems really lame now. I had never even heard of layers before and I came close to giving up, but I stuck with it, and now I'm making some pretty cool stuff. I wanted to get the basics down before I joined the forum, so I wouldn't seem like a total moron.

I do have a few basic questions that I'd like to ask though. Firstly, I wanted to wait until the next version (3.0) was finalized before I downloaded it. I want to avoid any beta bugs if I can. Am I just being paranoid, or should I go ahead and get it? And if I do get it now, should I download it again when it's finished in a couple of months?

Under file>updates, the option is checked to "automatically check periodically. I can't change it. If I click "check now," will it automatically download 3.0?

I hope I don't drive you guys crazy in the future with too many silly questions. I always try to read up first, before I ask. Thanks again. See you around the forum.

P.S. Where do most of you guys upload your avatars? Do you have a suggestion as to a good site?

[BoltBait]

korteck, since you are not doing mission critical work in Paint.NET, I think you're safe to download the latest beta version.

Since it is a beta version, you will need to keep it updated until the final version ships (sometime in February).

To download the latest beta of 3.0, simply tell your updater to also download beta versions. You can find this option in your update menu.

For what its worth, the latest 3.0 beta is pretty solid.

[Crazy Man Dan]

Welcome to the forums!

It is true that version 3 is in the Beta stages right now, but honestly, PDN v3.0 Beta1 crashes on me less often than The GIMP's current stable version 2.2.13. In fact, the only time it has crashed on me was when I tried to crash it, testing for keyboard shortcuts that require an active canvas when no canvas was active.

If you do download 3.0 Beta now, it will expire on the 30th of this month. This safeguard is in place so no one is running Alpha or Beta software after the final stable version is out, reporting old bugs and whatnot. So if you decide to get the current Beta, you will need to download 3.0 Final when it comes out.

If you click the "Check Now" button, it will check the PDN update manifest and report that v3.0 Beta 1 is out (if you checked the "Also check for pre-release versions" checkbox during installation), and will ask you if you'd like to download and install it. If you choose not to get it, it won't be downloaded.

I'm not sure whether or not there is an option to disable automatic checking for new versions. I think there's something about it in the installer, but I'm not sure...

I hope that answers your questions! If you have more, don't hesitate to ask,

Dan Larson

[korteck]

Wow, thanks. Those were fast replies. If 3.0 Beta expires on the 30th of this month, it hardly seems worth it to download it yet. I think I read that the final release won't occur until Feb, so I'm assuming that everyone will resort back to v2.72 for a while anyway. I've read so many post that I feel like I already know some of you. I think it's you, Crazy Man Dan, who has the sketchpad site. That has been invaluable to me. Thanks

Oh yeah, about those avatars... I've used them in forums before, but I've always uploaded right from my computer. I'm not familiar with off site url's for that. Where is a good, trusted place to go? I'd like to upload my new, self made avatar!

[BoltBait]

No, no one will resort back to 2.72 as Rick will make a new build of 3.0 before the 30th.

[Hellfire010]

korteck, I recommend photobucket.com for all image uploading, but remember you cannot upload .pdn files there.

To post an image in the forum, place the URL in the img tags;

Photobucket provides this form automatically, just copy and paste it where you want.

As for 3.0, I'd say download it. Plain and simple.

[korteck]

No, no one will resort back to 2.72 as Rick will make a new build of 3.0 before the 30th.

Oh, I see. Thanks

Hellfire, thanks for the suggestion. I'll go there for sure. I believe the avatars can only be 64x64 pixels in size, so I guess the first thing to do is resize the one I was going to use. I hope the resizing doesn't adversely affect the quality too much.

Do you have a suggestion as to which file format to use at photobucket, if not a png?

btw Hellfire, I like your avatar the most of any I've seen at this forum, and there's a lot of beautiful avatars around here. I just love the dark, rich quality of it.

[BoltBait]

On Photobucket, PNG is fine, just not PDN.

[Hellfire010]

Thanks!

Yeah, I usually use PNG for the majority of my images.

Also, if you plan on uploading large images to photobucket, make sure (when you are viewing your album) you change the maximum size by clicking on the "Uploading Options" button, near the upload area. Otherwise, it will automatically resize very large images. For EXTREMELY large images, you need a premium photobucket account, but those are like massive and you probably won't be using them.

[korteck]

Duh...you said PDN, not PNG. Sorry about that. That's good too, because I make a PNG copy of everything anyway. I'll make note of your suggestion also.

I've read a few people talk about making their images in small sizes. I guess this is the reason. I think reducing size always distorts an image. Everything I've made so far has been 800x600 pixels. I wanted to make sure that I could see well enough. I suppose that's what zoom is for. When making an avatar for instance, it's probably a good idea to set the canvas for 64x64 pixels? Sigs... I have no idea what their size should be. I've also made a few gifs' and I don't even know what their size is, or how one goes about sizing them.

Could someone talk a little about the subject of sizing. Or maybe that should be in a new thread. I'm not sure.

[BoltBait]

Typically, you would work with a large canvas then scale the final image down for the final output.

[Hellfire010]

Same for me. My avatar, for instance, was originally:

But I scaled it down to 50% that:

Same with my sig:

I admit, the smaller isn't quite as distinct as the larger one, but avatars aren't meant to be big super-detailed images anyway.

[korteck]

Typically, you would work with a large canvas then scale the final image down for the final output.

Really? You know I'm not talking about zooming right? And just to be clear, we're talking about resizing the image and not the canvass correct? I thought for sure that resizing a finished image would distort it somewhat. If an image is painted across 800 pixels and then it's squeezed down to 64, how can it possibly not be distorted? Doesn't something have to give?

While using MS Paint, I would often stretch out or squish down a finished image by dragging it, (while maintaining the aspect ratio) and that would always distort it.

Ok, now I'm thoroughly confused!

Edit:

Hellfire, this is my attempt at recreating your avatar. I missed by a long shot, but I still think it looks pretty good. Especially since I've been using Paint.Net for less than two weeks. Anyway, it was fun to paint.

[Hellfire010]

That's not bad at all. In some ways, I think it's better than mine. Good job

[MegaNight]

Oh nose the Ipods attacks 2 ppl with the Ipod Sig what will happen, in 2 weeks we will all hear Music and stuff from the Sigs..

[Hellfire010]

Wasn't originally an iPod :X

lol, blame Rick for that

[korteck]

Haha, yeah I read that in another thread. I don't see it as a button though. I see it as a globe. I have an old world globe that has the exact same proportions as your avatar. It's a round globe with the same outer ring, and sits on a base.

I think if it were a button, the light source would have to be more consistent across the whole image... like this:

The original image seems to be a perfect sphere, reflecting the light in a normal fashion, but the outer ring appears to be angled, with the left side slightly forward, and the right side pushed back into the darkness.

I see the sphere suspended within the outer ring, perhaps by a pin at the top and bottom, much like an old world globe on a base:

In theory, one could use the rotate feature to rotate the outer ring a little, giving it a more three dimensional perspective. I tried that this morning and it works quite nicely. You just have to split the sphere in half, so that you can cover the back side of the ring with the second half. I don't really think it needs it though.