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Simple Painting Application

robbieduncan

robbieduncan

Moderator emeritus
Original poster
Jul 24, 2002
25,611
893
Harrogate
Announcing: Poster Paint

I've noticed the recent flurry of posts from people wanting a simple painting application like Microsoft Paint. So I've written one :D It's not finished yet but it works already. I'll be updating it over the next little while but I thought I'd start getting some users and maybe some feedback early.

The current version supports BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG and TIFF images, has most of the basic drawing tools, zoom, grid and so on.

It's open-sourced and around 150k to download the app.

So give it a go if you want a basic painting app, and sorry for pimping my wares :)

Version Tracker Listing
 
robbieduncan said:
Announcing: Poster Paint

I've noticed the recent flurry of posts from people wanting a simple painting application like Microsoft Paint. So I've written one :D It's not finished yet but it works already. I'll be updating it over the next little while but I thought I'd start getting some users and maybe some feedback early.

The current version support BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG and TIFF images, has most of the basic drawing tools, zoom, grid and so on.

It's open-sourced and around 150k to download the app.

So give it a go if you want a basic painting app, and sorry for pimping my wares :)

(Version Tracker listing in progess)
Click to expand...


hehe...pretty cool app...nice job xD
 
Nice. I bet with time, when you start to refine functions, it will become a great app. :)
 
Nice work robbieduncan. Look quite similar to MS Paint and it's light. But I have problem dragging any image (a .jpeg) into it. It just doesn't read. Suggestion?
 
I really like the look of the toolbar, very stylish. I think this has a lot of potential. So keep us posted as to it's development. ;)

P.S. If you remember the program Kidz Pix, it would be great if you could incorporate the cool eraser tools :p
 
Cool little app. One feature that I would certainly make many people happy, is the ability to write text into images.
 
fayans said:
Nice work robbieduncan. Look quite similar to MS Paint and it's light. But I have problem dragging any image (a .jpeg) into it. It just doesn't read. Suggestion?
Click to expand...

Where are you dragging them too? If you drag them to an application window it won't work. If you drag them to the icon in the dock it should open them. If it doesn't then can you tell me what the extension on the file is? (case may well be important).

If you are dragging them to a window what would you like the program to do? Open the image in a new window?

Soulstorm said:
Cool little app. One feature that I would certainly make many people happy, is the ability to write text into images.
Click to expand...

I hope to be able to add this in the future in a MS Paint style (i.e. once it's added you can't edit or alter the text). Once I move the tools to a more extensible architecture (plugin based) new tools can be added with less disruption.

max_altitude said:
P.S. If you remember the program Kidz Pix, it would be great if you could incorporate the cool eraser tools
Click to expand...

I've never seen Kidz Pix! Have you got any links to the tools you are talking about? As above: once I have plugin based tools I can add tools easily and offer optional tools.


I've already got a couple of minor improvements so 0.0.1 will probably be released in the next couple of days. Current improvements are new document creation is much faster (try creating a 2000x2000 image with 0.0.0, it's painfully slow) and image DPI is ignored to ensure 1:1 pixel display. I'm working on making the rect and oval tools faster, but it's messed up right now!
 
robbieduncan said:
I've never seen Kidz Pix! Have you got any links to the tools you are talking about? As above: once I have plugin based tools I can add tools easily and offer optional tools.
Click to expand...
Kid Pix was the hot app back in the day. I loved going to the computer lab solely for that reason. Doubt there is anything like it that doesn't run without Classic though...:(

Great work on the app Robbie...:)
 
Where are you dragging them too? If you drag them to an application window it won't work. If you drag them to the icon in the dock it should open them. If it doesn't then can you tell me what the extension on the file is? (case may well be important).

If you are dragging them to a window what would you like the program to do? Open the image in a new window?
Click to expand...
As I mentioned on my earlier post that I tried to drop a '.jpeg' image into the icon in the dock but it doesn't open. Not even after I open a new window. I was having the thought that it should open the image in a new window.

I also agree with Soulstorm about the ability to insert text into the image or probably note caption would be better. :)
 
fayans said:
As I mentioned on my earlier post that I tried to drop a '.jpeg' image into the icon in the dock but it doesn't open. Not even after I open a new window. I was having the thought that it should open the image in a new window.

I also agree with Soulstorm about the ability to insert text into the image or probably note caption would be better. :)
Click to expand...

You didn't actually say on the dock :p That should work (it should open in a new window)! If you use File->Open will the app open that image? I'm going to assume that it doesn't let you try and open it as for some reason it's not being recognised as a supported file. It should recognise files with .jpeg or .jpg extensions as jpeg images (capitalisation does not seem to matter). Is it just a single image or can you not open any JPEGs?
 
f you use File->Open will the app open that image?
Click to expand...
No, it doesn't. But I could see the toolbar. :eek:
Is it just a single image or can you not open any JPEGs?
Click to expand...
In my case, all types of images.

BTW, I am on Panther. Does it work with it as I was too excited to download I didn't read the FAQ? :p
 
Undo and redo don't work for me. Sorry if it's already been said, no time to read I gotta go.
 
fayans said:
No, it doesn't. But I could see the toolbar. :eek:

In my case, all types of images.

BTW, I am on Panther. Does it work with it as I was too excited to download I didn't read the FAQ? :p
Click to expand...

Hmm I didn't think it would even start up on Panther. Shows how little I know! Anyway, no Panther is not supported! Sorry, but there are too many cool extras in the Tiger APIs.
 
Woa! This is awesome!

Finally, I can draw stick-figure diagrams w/o having to open up the Gimp. :D

but one thing... when you make a 100x100 pixel document, maybe the window could be the same size or make the pinstripes darker? I know that there are faint pinstripes on the not active area, but I couldn't see it, so I was clicking around for about 10 minutes getting kinda angry.. "WHY CAN'T I DRAW!!?!!?!" :eek:


but when I finally figured it out (oh man, I am stoopid), I was like "damn, this sweet!"

Rock on, RobbieDuncan!
 
Sweet! Looking forward to a super-quick drawing app to fall back on for quick fixes. Throw in some basic crop and resize tools (though I'm not sure if that's in the scope of what you're doing--is it?) and you'll be my friend for life--it's a pain firing up GraphicConverter just to crop and resize a couple of DVD screenshots.

One interface thing to put on the list: You should definitely try to keep the palette from grabbing focus from the main window, so it doesn't take two clicks to start drawing after selecting a new tool.

Oh, and KidPix was indeed awesome for all the funky stamps and drawing tools you could use (they included fun sounds, too). There was actually an OSX compatible version, I think--I've read about a "Version 4 for Schools" that claims OSX compatiblity, and VersionTracker lists some sort of update for version 3 from MacKiev that claims OSX and iLife compatibility, though I know nothing of either.

[Edit: Figured it out; apparently Broderbund licenced KidPix to two different companies, and Riverdeep released "Version 4", which is OSX compatible but sucks, and MacKiev released 3X which is also OSX compatible and does not suck]
 
katie ta achoo said:
but one thing... when you make a 100x100 pixel document, maybe the window could be the same size or make the pinstripes darker?
Click to expand...

I was considering doing that but I haven't worked out how yet (!) and for really small documents (100x100 say) it probably doesn't make sense. I might be able to darken the rest of the area though...

Makosuke said:
One interface thing to put on the list: You should definitely try to keep the palette from grabbing focus from the main window, so it doesn't take two clicks to start drawing after selecting a new tool.
Click to expand...

Yep that needs sorting too :)

Both of these have been added to the list of bugs...
 
On my PowerBook, drawing is really slow. If you try to use the pencil or brush tools and move the mouse very fast at all, you just get a series of dots or circles instead of a line. You probably already realize this, but just thought I'd mention it. For a 0.0.0 app, it's great! Assuming you keep improving it (I'm sure you will) it could become a viable answer to all of those "Where's MS Paint?" threads.
 
robbieduncan said:
I've noticed the recent flurry of posts from people wanting a simple painting application like Microsoft Paint. So I've written one :D It's not finished yet but it works already. I'll be updating it over the next little while but I thought I'd start getting some users and maybe some feedback early.
Click to expand...

I opened this thread ready to vent on a newbie for not searching before posting. Instead I get a good example of why I like this forum - people being constructive and helpful.

Good work robbieduncan.
 
It doesn't seem to work for me... The program will open, but the window size 100px by 100 or whatever I set it to is always the same, and when I choose any tool and click on the window, it just makes a really big black square. And that's is.

This is on my Ti PB, running 10.3.9 with all the latest updates.

Cool idea though, hope I can get it to work! I've been looking for something like this for a loooong time!
 
livingfortoday said:
It doesn't seem to work for me... The program will open, but the window size 100px by 100 or whatever I set it to is always the same, and when I choose any tool and click on the window, it just makes a really big black square. And that's is.

This is on my Ti PB, running 10.3.9 with all the latest updates.

Cool idea though, hope I can get it to work! I've been looking for something like this for a loooong time!
Click to expand...

See above. 10.4 required.
 
New version : 0.0.1 available.

New or improved in this version
  • New document create for big documents is much faster (2000x2000 is more or less instant)
  • Much faster rect and oval drawing
  • Image DPI ignored so all images display 1:1 pixels
  • Basic printing support
  • Non-document area of window is easier to tell as it's darker (see post above by katie ta achoo)
  • Undo and redo for all tools
  • Saved files have preview as icon
  • Selecting a tool no longer puts input focus on the toolbox (see post above by Makosuke)

I'd like to say thanks to all you guy for the feedback and support so far. If I just went by the Version Tracker feedback I'd probably give up and throw myself off a cliff :D
 
robbieduncan said:
I'd like to say thanks to all you guy for the feedback and support so far. If I just went by the Version Tracker feedback I'd probably give up and throw myself off a cliff :D
Click to expand...

Don't listen to those reviews over on versiontracker. I really see potential with Poster Paint with continued improvement. It's not much now, but every app ever written started out really simple at one point.
 
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