Book Image

Getting Started with Paint.NET

Book Image

Getting Started with Paint.NET

Overview of this book

Paint.NET is a free, reliable program that rivals the most expensive photo editing programs currently on the market.Paint.NET supports plugins, which add image adjustments, effects, and support for additional file types. They can be programmed using any .NET programming language, though they are most commonly written in C#. This book will teach you everything you need to know to edit and manipulate images. Written with very clear walkthroughs, hands-on tutorials,and amazing resources, this book will turn you into a photo wizard with Paint.NET. The book starts with simple tool-based tasks, introduces you to the workpane and then builds up to more complex areas taking a deep dive into the commonly-used features of Paint.NET. With this book, you will learn how to do everything from making simple adjustments to full artistic rendering with tools not available in any other program. Starting with the very basics of photo editing, you will gain an understanding of the basic principles of manipulating images. From layering to special effects, this book will give you all the knowledge you need to create images that leave a lasting impression. This book has everything you need to make amazing, artistic photos using completely free software. Filled with fun exercises and valuable information, you will learn how to master every tool and every effect in Paint.NET. Within minutes, you will be able to resize images, make adjustments to brightness and contrast, and apply color correction. By the end of this book, you will be working with layers and effects to create images that rival some of the most advised and expensive pieces of software. With simple exercises and information, this book will take you from absolute novice to an accomplished photo editor quickly and easily.
Table of Contents (15 chapters)
Getting Started with Paint.NET
Credits
About the Authors
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Adding a new layer


By default, Paint.NET will assume that the first layer you have opened is your background layer. The background layer will always be the one at the very bottom. This layer will also be a solid layer and by default, will not be transparent.

We are going to start a new project by using a simple background. Then, we are going to use the Paint Bucket tool to turn the entire canvas blue. This will serve as the background for our image:

Next, we will hit the icon that adds a layer. This is the small square icon with a plus symbol at the extreme left-bottom of the screen. This will add another layer to the image we are working on, and our Layers window will look like the following:

Notice that it looks like nothing has happened? That's because the new layer is transparent. It will remain transparent until you start adding something to it. If you look at the Layer window, there are check marks next to each layer. This determines if the layer is visible or not. For now, we will uncheck...