
Revamped Direct2D and more: Paint.net 5.0.3 brings exciting changes
The popular image editing software, paint.net, has released its latest version, 5.0.3, which brings a host of new features and improvements. One of the key additions is the ability to draw shapes from the center, which can be done by holding down the Ctrl key. Additionally, users can now resize shapes and selections uniformly from the center, also by holding down the Ctrl key.
Apart from these new features, the update includes several bug fixes, such as fixing issues with the Text tool recentering the view when keys like Ctrl are pressed, and resolving a rare crash in the Magic Wand and Paint Bucket tools. The update also fixes an issue with some older plugins that were using the legacy Gaussian Blur effect with radius=0 and adds an /ignoreCorruptPDNChunks command-line parameter to assist with certain data recovery scenarios for .PDN files.
One of the more significant changes in this update is the rewriting of the Direct2D initialization code to modernize it. This involves switching away from ID2D1HwndRenderTarget and enabling the use of newer Windows technologies like DirectComposition and DirectManipulation. While users may not see any immediate difference in rendering or performance, future updates are expected to deliver improved memory usage and canvas interaction capabilities.
Overall, the paint.net 5.0.3 update offers a range of improvements and fixes that should enhance the user experience and make image editing even more efficient. Users can check out the release post for a full list of new features and changes.