Microsoft Paint adds two of Photoshop’s best features

Microsoft Paint will soon be an image editor similar to Photoshop. The latest update will add support for layers and transparency, two features most requested by the community. The new version, available to Windows Insiders, allows you to create and manipulate images similar to Adobe’s flagship app.

In a post on the Windows Blog, Microsoft announced that they have begun rolling out the Paint update to members of the Windows Insider Canary and Dev channels. Version includes layers (layers), so now you can add, remove or manage multiple items create an image.

Users will have at hand sidebar for managing layers, with the ability to duplicate, merge or hide them. The operation is similar to Photoshop, where the top list layer has the highest hierarchy. This function can be combined with transparency supportAnother new feature introduced in the latest version of Paint.

The function allows open and edit PNG files with transparent backgrounds. If you want to remove the background of an image and save it as a PNG, it will now be possible because Paint already has a feature that identifies the object and automatically separates it. Users will be able remove background with one click and then save the file with transparency.

The changes will seem minor, but not for old-school Paint users. There is a graphic editor one of the oldest Windows applications and has been enabled since the first version of the operating system. Unfortunately, Microsoft was never interested in adding useful features and soon fell out of favor with more robust software such as Adobe Photoshop.

Revival of Microsoft Paint

Story Paint is an example of durability. Despite the lack of features and the time it takes to update, the app has stood the test of time like no other. A few years ago, Microsoft announced that they would replace it with Paint 3D, although the community reacted and did not let it go away.

The latter was critical to Paint’s future, as Microsoft separated it from the operating system and offered it as an independent application. Thanks to the move to the Microsoft Store, Paint was no longer limited to updating Windows to integrate new features, so it could receive new features faster.

After updating Windows 11, Paint is gearing up to become a more sophisticated image editor. Support for layers and transparency isn’t the only thing on Microsoft’s list of new features, as Paint will use artificial intelligence with a feature that allows it to generate images based on text instructions.

Like other Microsoft applications, Paint a sidebar will be integrated where users will experiment with generative AI. The image editor that for many years served only to insert and crop screenshots will have its moment of glory after 38 years.