If you’re a person who made pixel art with Paint in Windows XP or Windows Vista you’re likely to dislike the new version of Paint Windows 7. Windows 7.
While the brand new Paint includes some new features and is based on the latest Ribbon UI that Microsoft is using in all of their Windows as well as Office products, they’ve also taken away a number of the features that are cherished by many.
This article I’ll look at some features were removed and some of the features that were added. After having used the previous version of Paint as well as the new version I can see how those who are new to Paint might find the new version to be a good fit However, those who have been using it for a while will be a bit disappointed.
I’ll also discuss ways to get the previous version of Paint and install it in Windows 7 and higher. If you’re just looking to do this, scroll over to the Install Old Version of Paint within the Windows 7/8/10 section.
Before we begin, let’s look at the GUI interface distinctions. As you can see in the pictures below you will notice that it is clear that the Windows 7 Paint interface is entirely different from that of the XP or Vista Versions of Paint.
What’s Good in Windows 7 Paint?
It’s true that there aren’t any features in the latest version of Paint that are as good when compared to previous versions. Here is what I came up with.
Windows 7 Paint has a sleeker and more modern design
Regarding the GUI The new Version of Paint certainly appears better. However, that doesn’t mean it’s easier to find the tools or options that you require, but the interface is sleek and contemporary.
I’ve been using the latest versions of Office over the past few years and I’ve become accustomed with the new ribbon-based interface so it’s not such a big difference to see buttons instead of menus.
Additionally, Windows 8 and Windows 10 utilize the same interface for ribbons across the OS, meaning everything is moving in the same direction.
However, you are able to utilize the CTRL + and CTRL to increase the line’s thickness using the different drawing tools.
In the dropdownmenu, there are only four sizes available to select from that are pretty insignificant therefore it’s crucial to be able to change the thickness to any size by using the hotkeys.
Another benefit is that you’re able to put an object in a paste and then utilize transparency to take out the white areas to reveal the real. I was under the impression that they’d got rid of transparency however it’s now concealed under the Select button.
The only other good things I can think of is the addition of additional brushes and forms. Paint was designed to be a simple tool, therefore there’s not any options, tabs or buttons to begin with.
What’s Bad in Windows 7 Paint?
There’s a lot to complain about according to me! A majority of these complaints aren’t too significant but they make for a difficult experience for the veteran Paint users. Paint.
Let’s start with one of my most difficult issues: the automatic anti-aliasing of all things.
Certain people will appreciate this feature, however most people will find it to be very unpleasant. For those who are not experts Anti-aliasing can make everything appear beautiful and smooth, however If you’re an artist then you might not desire everything to be smoothed out automatically. A setting should have been added to allow this feature to be turned either off or turn it on.
A second issue: Paint will automatically select the line, object or other you draw after you sketch it.
In older versions of Paint you could begin drawing a line , and draw another line right when you release the mouse. This made it very simple to draw point-to-point with Paint.
When you trace a line it will select the line, and you’re unable to continue drawing from there. This is extremely irritating and makes drawing with Paint much more difficult.
Third issue: using a brush to draw solid colors brush won’t work with the paint buckets.
What I am referring to is the time you sketch solid color with the brush, and then attempt to fill it in with another color and the new Paint creates an outline of the stroke of the brush.
When using Windows XP and Vista Paint the issue wasn’t a problem. It was possible to fill in the stroke with a different color and it would then fill the entire stroke, without outline. It’s a minor tweak however, it makes a huge difference for certain kinds of artists.
There is a solution to this, and it’s by employing the pen tool creating a line, following it with to paint the bucket. If you use the pencil, there’s an absence of a black line.
Fourth mistake: removal brush strokes that are solid
If you’ve done many editing of pixels in Paint earlier versions, the old version allowed you to edit at a pixel level with the pixels that were solid. Today, you can use modern brushes, like airbrush, crayon and others that are good, but the old brushes shouldn’t be removed.
Other issues are also present to be aware of, however, I’m not going to spend all of my time discussing them. Certain things are difficult to find, but it was easy to find in earlier versions.
For instance, changing colors in the old version was simple: simply hit the menu button or press the hotkey. In the latest version, you need to click on the object with the right mouse button and then select the option. It’s not a huge deal however it takes a bit of time to adjust to if you’re from the earlier version.
Install Old Version of Paint in Windows 7/8/10
If you are able to live with the latest version of Paint congratulations. However, if not, then it could be worthwhile to revert to the previous version.
It is a good thing that there is an easy method to install the old Paint for Windows 7 and higher. There are two options to choose from: download software or manually replace Paint within Windows 7. The first option is more simple to know and safer.
Paint XP is the original version of MS Paint that you can run on Windows 7 and Windows 10.
If you launch your EXE file, be sure that you select the Custom Install option and then remove the junk software that it is trying to install. When you do this you’ll only receive the Paint program and only that.
The second option is more complex, but it is good to know that someone has the tutorial. I hope that one of these two options will work for you. If you have questions you’d like to ask, please leave comments. Enjoy!