BEFORE you request a feature ...

[Rick Brewster]

Three things:

1. Make sure you have the latest version, 2.63. Look in the title bar of Paint.NET.

Otherwise, go here and get it: http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/download.html

We've had people reporting bugs that are fixed simply by getting the latest version, and we've had people requesting features that are already implemented. So it saves us and you a lot of time if you just make sure you've got the latest version.

2. Check the roadmap (http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/roadmap.html) to see what has already been implemented. If it's on the list, please don't request the feature again. However, if you have other questions about the feature, that is ok to post about.

3. Read our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), http://paintdotnet.12.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=489 . Many questions can be answered simply by reading this.

Thanks!

[Rick Brewster]

2.6 is just a port to Whidbey and x64, we're not planning to put any new features in to it.

[Rick Brewster]

Just request whatever features you're interested in, and we'll worry about categorizing and triaging them

[Rick Brewster]

Use the Pencil tool.

[Alph Tech / STUART]

Airbrush (Advanced Feathering?). And if we won't have the ability to make custom tools, could you add a feature like Paint's shift-drag (I think it's shift) that treats an image like a brush?

Also, this might be more possible with effects, but I'd like to see a feature to convert alpha channel to a black-and white "alpha channel image" and vice versa.

[A_Pickle]

Airbrush (Advanced Feathering?). And if we won't have the ability to make custom tools, could you add a feature like Paint's shift-drag (I think it's shift) that treats an image like a brush?

It's shift. And uh.... WOW. I had no idea you could do that....

[S0S]

Airbrush (Advanced Feathering?). And if we won't have the ability to make custom tools, could you add a feature like Paint's shift-drag (I think it's shift) that treats an image like a brush?

I was thinking about this, what are the developer's opinions on letting people make tools but in the form of an effect, like the aforementioned airbrush?

That would settle the need for it, (to some people) without actually adding it to the Toolbar.

[Rick Brewster]

"Letting people make tools" implies those people writing code and publishing DLL's. Thing is, everybody always asks for the ability to add plugins, but nobody actually writes plugins.

Generalized Tool plugins won't ever happen -- they're just coupled too tightly to the rest of the application for this to make sense.

There is the idea of applying an effect with brush strokes (maybe Brush Style -> "Effect ..."), which is the most likely idea to happen, although definitely not for awhile. I could see writing a "brush style plugin", but again that means writing a plugin (see first paragraph). This would actually simplify some of our code, too, as we could make the Eraser, Clone Stamp, and Recolor tools just be a special type of paintbrush plugin or something.

So short answer: sure, hopefully, someday. But it's not nearly as easy as it sounds for us to implement. And we'd have to make sure we weren't sacrificing our goals of simplicity and feature discoverability.

[S0S]

"Letting people make tools" implies those people writing code and publishing DLL's. Thing is, everybody always asks for the ability to add plugins, but nobody actually writes plugins.

Yeah, I see what you're saying, that's why I asked in the other thread about them, I've got an idea or two for a plugin but it would be a while before I actually published any.

It would be better if more of the people asking for requests, whether it be for a file format or an effect just decided to get together the right tools and compile and publish the plugin on their own.

Also, if a plugin is made available in the future for the majority of the Paint.NET userbase could we send them to you and have the .DLL hosted on WSU's servers?

[Rick Brewster]

If we were to start publishing plugins we would probably do it similar to the way we're doing the language packs: host the file on the eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net webserver, and provide a list of links in the forum.

That said, for us to publish plugins requires a certain amount of trust to exist. At a technical level, I can not trust that a DLL from someone is safe for users. It may contain malicious code, or it may contain an exploitable vulnerability. Or the code might just suck and not work right. The last thing I want is an e-mail from someone saying, "Hey Paint.NET formatted my hard drive!!!"

I don't believe that most people would want to do this, but as the prevalance of AV and AS software can show you, it is a problem. I'd rather not open Pandora's Box without some sort of policy that places the burden of liability in the right place. Maybe we'd require that all plugins provide the source code as well, and then we'd compile and digitally sign them, but even that doesn't provide any guarantees. Plus, not everybody wants to publish their source code.

So I'd like to, but there's a lot of logistical things that have to be figured out first. I'd love to see a community of plugin developers and publishers. Because there's only 3 of us working part-time on Paint.NET, things proceed slowly (but surely).

[Alph Tech / STUART]

So what's wrong with adding feathering/AA options? Shift-drag? Don't forget, folks: PDN IS open source. If you want to make tools just go into the source and hook one in.

As for my idea of B&W alpha channel (for things like VTF or whatever the Valve image format is), it would be as simple as this:

Per pixel, make R,G,B = alpha value

And the same in reverse, but with desaturation first.

That would be quite handy.

PS: AV and AS?

[jacec]

Awesome final 2.6 release! Thank you so much.

Will you please consider adding jpeg 2000 support?

[Bob]

Please create a new topic...

[BigWillie]

How about the ability to stroke and fill a selection?

- W

[aatwo]

If you would like to do so, allowing the use of a scroll wheel in the layers box?

I know thats probably the most petty suggestion you have ever heard in the history of your life, but I am a sad sad person.

[Rick Brewster]

Scroll wheel in the layer window isn't something I can promise. We have to play a lot of "where's the focus?" games to make all of the windows appear as "one" application. If you used Paint.NET v2.1 you will remember that the floating windows' title bars would flick between focused/unfocused whenever you clicked on them (bleh!). 2.5 fixed that by doing some tricks to prevent them from ever drawing in the "inactive" state.

[aatwo]

Is it possible to change the main focus depending on what part of the screen the mouse is hovering above?

For example if you hover the mouse above the layer box, the scroll wheel then takes effect in the scroll box.

I'm not much of a programmer so dont make fun of my ignorance.

[Rick Brewster]

We already do a lot of that. It's just a cat-and-mouse game where you have to find all the situations where focus and input have to be redirected from one part of the app to another part. It can be hard to do without turning the code into spaghetti mess.

[aatwo]

mmmmm spaghetti.

Well like I said it is a very petty suggestion and lets face it, who is ever going to use a scroll wheel in the layer box.

I just felt like adding my two cents. But thanks for replying.

[Crazy Man Dan]

Hey Rick, I think you should add an airbrush...

I don't think that the scroll wheel should take over the palette until it is clicked. Hover focus can get annoying, in my opinion. For instance, the toolbox gets focus when it is hovered over, and I've lost quite a few nudges by accidentally hovering over the toolbox.

However, I do think that it'd be cool to use the scroll wheel once the layers palette is selected via clicking, just not hovering.

That's my two cents, anyway.

[Rick Brewster]

Right, like I said, focus games.

If we don't focus the Tools window when you move the mouse over to it, we don't get the tooltips.

Part of this madness is due to the fact that Paint.NET is composed of 5 windows (4 "floaters" + 1 main window), which is not standard. The insanity thus ensues trying to make it behave like it's 1 logical window.

[S0S]

Hey Rick, I think you should add an airbrush...

Ha..ha..I think this is sarcasm, right C.M.D?

I just read "Curious George's" (pun intended) comments on that one thread he created and to that I'll requote myself.

I was thinking about this, what are the developer's opinions on letting people make tools but in the form of an effect, like the aforementioned airbrush?

That would settle the need for it, (to some people) without actually adding it to the Toolbar.

If it isn't going to be added to the main toolbar, I don't see any harm in making it an "effect". It may not have the same desired effect that an airbrush tool would have but it would still be within the program's bounds. Also he mentioned "ask any professional if a graphics program has an airbrush and see what his response will be" or something to that effect.

It's been stated before that Paint.NET is a personal application not a professional application.

Issue resolved.

[Ridiculous]

You developers are pretty friendly to the community here, so I'm risking a reply...

I got Paint .NET because I needed a tool for drawing textures, but I found that it wasn't all too good for drawing, or painting. It's ok for photo editing though, which is good. So besides just a brush, and even an air brush (as several have suggested), and the fill styles, I think that there should be an artist's pallet of tools, including:

• Brush (same as now)
  Pencil (pencil textured brush)
  Airbrush (soft edge)
  Charcol (texture thing again)
  Chalk (texture)
  Marker (saturation stuff)

Probably more could be added to that list. But the one I really was looking for was the charcoal one. If you've ever used a program called Photo Impact 8, you would probably know what it is. Photo Impact has a lot of features that aren't available in mainstream image editors such as Photoshop (which is strange because it's not as popular). So anyway, It's not my job to dish out work, but I think adding those features will make it a true drawing program.

That and something called Soft Edge which softens the edges of a brush, somewhat like alpha where the pixels farther away from the center of the brush are blended with underlying pixels. It takes a percent value. Also somewhat like the already implimented anti-aliasing. It could replace it, but it's not quite the same thing. Might not need an airbrush anymore because a soft edge brush is essentially the same thing.

So anyway, I'll get the source code and try to figure something out on my own.

EDIT: Actually, I take back what I said. It is pretty good for drawing with. Just need to set the alpha.

[darknight]

I find this library which give the possibility to open a psd:

DevIL.NET - Image Library for .NET [url : http://www.mastropaolo.com/devildotnet/ ].

But this join the layer into a single bitmap. I try to edit them, but it's made with c++, and I don't know this language.

I'm new into.net tecnology too. I hope this could help someone in creating a plugin for psd file.

I would like too to try made one but i don't know how to made, there is a place where i can find the source of other plugin for filetype, so I can learnhow to made one?

Other suggestion is to add animated gif support [which are the first reason i started using photoshop].

I hope this is the right place for this post

[Rick Brewster]

This is not the thread to post in for suggestions. Just create a new thread.

No reason to keep this thread open any longer, it's just causing confusion on where people should post. (so I've locked it)