Graphics-Painting with the Computer PAINTING  with Microsoft Paint

0. Historical Context
Macintosh MacPaint  was  the first popularly available GUI (graphical user interface) program for creating graphic images.  The paint tools in Microsoft Paint are derivations and improvements on the original Macintosh MacPaint program. MacPaint and it's derivatives defined the way many later paint programs operate. Painting, after the introduction of the Macintosh, quickly became the way to visually illustrate ideas. Remember the Chinese proverb: "A picture is worth a thousand words". If you have access to a program with paint capabilities, your best guess is that it operates pretty much like MacPaint and Microsoft Paint.

 

In the CSUB labs don't forget to save your creations on your data disk

Figure 1
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Boxes

• Tool box (see figure 1)--selection for paint tools
• Color Box (see figure 1)--selection of paint colors
• Status bar (see figure 1)--describes the function of a tool when the cursor is held over the tool
• Text Toolbar (see figure 2)--lets you determine Font type, size, style (B bold, I italic and U underline). Click the Text Toolbar first then click the location for your text.  You can then bring up the Text Toolbar from the Vew menu.

Figure 2

To change text, select the text, then make changes in the text box
Font, click the arrow beside the font box and choose a font
Size, click the arrow beside the font size box and choose a size
Style (Bold, Underline, Italic), click the style button you desire

• Zoom--allows you to zoom in on a part of your graphic for fine tuning

- Choosing colors; in the Color Box click a color (left mouse button for foreground, right mouse for background).

- Choosing a pencil or brush width; click the tool (pencil or brush) then click the width or brush shape you want to use in the choices that appear below the tool window.

- Click/choose the quality of print you want from the print dialog box that appears (this will vary with printers, CSUB's labs do not print in color), then click on "OK".

(a) Selection tools

These are called the selection  tools.  Their purpose is to select screen areas for duplication, modification,  moving or placement into the clipboard to then paste in another application. When you choose either of these tools a cross hairs will appear when you move your cursor to the screen. The rectangle allows selection of a rectangle area the star shape tool allows selection of irregular areas. How to select.

NOTE: Two clicks of this selection tool selects the whole image

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(b)  Eraser tool
This is the eraser tool. It is perhaps one of the most useful tools to error prone people like myself. When it is selected move your cursor to the screen and the cursor will become a box. You can choose the eraser/box size by clicking the selection under the tools window.  Place the eraser over any unwanted graphics and press the mouse button. Anything covered by the eraser will be erased from the screen! Dragging the eraser will erase anything in its path. Paint Tools
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(c)  Paint bucket tool
This tool is called the paint bucket tool. When you click  this icon a paint bucket like the one shown in the icon will replace your cursor. Choose the color by clicking on your color choice in the Color Box (left mouse button for foreground, right mouse for background). Move the cursor to the location you want to fill.  You pour the paint by clicking your left mouse button. The paint will spread out until it hits a line. Thus if you have a square on your screen and you pour the paint inside the square, it will fill the square with the color you have currently selected from the color box.. If there are any breaks in the lines, the paint will spill out and fill the entire screen! Be careful of this. You have only one delete. You can use the Zoom option to look for gaps in your confining lines.

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(d) Color Box
The Color Box is used to select colors for all paint tools. Choose Color Box from the View  menu if you do not see the Color Box  it on your screen. Choose the color by clicking on your color choice in the Color Box (left mouse button for foreground, right mouse for background). Paint Tools
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(e)  Magnifier
The magnifier tool is used to magnify a selection for fine tuning. Click the magnifier tool, move the mouse (the cursor will change to a small translucent box) over  the selection to be magnified. Click the left mouse button to magnify the area.  To return the graphic to normal size choose click  the View menu  then choose Zoom and drag to Normal Paint Tools
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(f)  Pencil tool
The pencil tool is one of the painting tools. With it you can draw lines like a normal pencil would draw lines. Holding down the mouse button will put the pencil down and letting go of the mouse button will lift the pencil back up. By pressing the shift key while drawing with the pencil, the computer will make sure your  line is a straight vertical, horizontal or a diagonal line (depending on the direction you start drawing the line.) Choose the color by clicking your choice in the Color Box.

NOTE: Pressing <Shift> with this tool selects constrains the pencil to horizontal and vertical lines

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(g)  Paint Brush tool
This is the paintbrush tool. With it, you can paint many different kinds of lines and colors.  Click the paint brush tool, then select  your brush type by clicking your choice in the selections under the tools window and your color by clicking your choice in the Color Box. Paint Tools
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(h)   Airbrush  tool
This is the airbrush tool. This tool creates a spray-paint-type effect in the chosen color. Choose the size of your spray paint effect by clicking a choice in the choices below the tool box. Choose the color by clicking your choice in the Color Box. Paint Tools
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(i)  Text tool
The text tool allows you to put text on a graphic. By right button-clicking, you will pull up a Text Toolbar that will allow you to choose the size, format and font of the text you will type.  Once completed text  is treated just like a picture and can be erased with the eraser but not edited as text.

NOTE: Pressing <Shift> with this tool selects constrains the pencil to horizontal and vertical lines

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(j)  Line tool
This is the line tool.  A line will be drawn from the point you first press down the mouse button to the point that you released the mouse button. Choose the color by clicking your choice in the Color Box. By holding down the SHIFT key, you can draw horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines.

NOTE: Pressing <Shift> with this tool selects constrains the line tool to horizontal and vertical lines

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(k)  Curve tool
This is the curve tool.  You make a curve by clicking the curve tool and making a straight line. Click where you want the arc of the curve to be, and then drag the mouse to adjust the curve and click again to finalize the curve. You  have two points  on a line that can be manipulated to change your curve. Choose the color by clicking your choice in the Color Box.

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(l)  Shape tools
These are special shape tools that are used for drawing basic geometrical shapes. For example, by selecting  the rectangle, a rectangle (and a square--see *below) can be easily made.  Click the mouse in the starting position and drag the mouse to the end position. Release the mouse button. The same goes with the oval (also circle--see *below) and the rounded corner rectangle tool  (and a rounded corner square--see *below). The remaining, the polygon tool (the one that looks like a dented in can) allows you to create a shape with many sides and angles.  First pick a starting point on the screen and click on . Then every subsequent click will lay down an endpoint and draw a line from the last click to the new one. It will stop connecting points when you either double click or you click on another tool in the toolbox. Choose the color by clicking your choice in the Color Box.
 

NOTE: By holding down the SHIFT key when creating a circle, square, or rounded corner square, you can draw a  perfect circle, square or rounded corner square.

Paint Tools
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(a) Selecting an area
(b) Copying a selection
(c) Moving a selection to another application
(d) Flipping/Rotating, Stretch/Skew and Inverting Colors

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(a) Selecting an area

Choose the appropriate selection tool, a  rectangle for a rectangle area, star for irregular areas.  A cross hairs will appear when you move your cursor from the selection tool to the screen.  drag the cross hair to select the area.

For the rectangle area selection tool,  place the cross hair  at a corner of the area you want to select. Hold down the mouse button and drag the cross hairs diagonally across the  object or area to be selected. A dotted line box will be formed. Release the mouse button and the dotted line box will be completed. Whatever is in the box is now selected, and you may cut, copy, or clear anything that is in the box.

For the irregular area selection tool  place the cross hair  anywhere outside the area or object to be selected then drag the tool around the outside of the object or area to be selected. Release the mouse button and a dotted line box will be formed.  Don't be concerned if the box appears around more then you want selected, only the area you enclosed with the selection tool is actually selected. You may cut, copy, or clear anything that is selected.

NOTE: You can change the size of your selection by clicking your mouse at a corner or mid line handle.  A drag tool will appear:

this drag tool will appear at a corner.  Drag to the middle of the area to decrease the size and away from the middle to increase the selection size.

this drag tool will appear at mid line handle.  Drag to the middle of the area to decrease the width or height and away from the middle of a line to increase the width or height.

this tool will appear when the cursor is moved over the selected portion of the graphic. It is used to move the selection to another place on the screen. Just click the mouse and drag the selection to a new location.

(b) Copying a selection
To create a copy of an area of your graphic,  use either of the selection tools and enclose the area you wish to copy

- Choose Copy from the Edit menu (the shortcut keys <Ctrl> and then <C> also works.
 

- To place a copy on your current graphic page choose Paste from the Edit menu. (I suggest using the shortcut keys <Ctrl> and then <c> instead of the Edit menu).  The copy will appear at the top left of your graphic window.  You can move it by placing the cursor over the copy, the  cursor will change to .  You can then drag the copy to any place you want on your graphic screen.

(c) Moving a graphic selection to another document
-Create a copy of the area of your graphic you wish to place in another document,  use either of the selection tools and enclose the area in your  painting you wish to place in another document and copy the area using Edit, Copy or the shortcut keys <Ctrl> and then <c>

- Open the document into which you want place your graphic selection.   Choose Paste from the Edit menu or the shortcut keys <Ctrl> and then <v>.  Not all applications can make this transition of graphics between applications but most common word processing programs can do this easily with Microsoft Paint.

(d) Flipping/ Rotate,  Stretch/Skew and Invert Colors

Select the area to be flipped, rotated or colors inverted then from the Options menu choose:

Flip/Rotate        <-to flip or rotate your selection
Stretch/Skew    <-to stretch your selection vertically or horizontally or skew (pulling the selected area from a corner
Invert Colors    <-to invert the colors in your selection

• Problem; when using paint can to fill an image the color flows outside the area.  Solution: the area for the fill has a leak, missing pixels. Use the zoom, find the leak and with the pencil tool put pixels in the leak
• Problem: Using the curve tool it moves ase does not appear. Solution: you forgot the last click to finalize the curve