Microsoft Paint finally adds some of Photoshop’s best features

Microsoft is on the slow path to making Paint a useful tool for actual creators by implementing one of Photoshop’s core features: layers. as part of The update is being rolled out for testing by Windows Insiders (Build 11.2308.18.0, available to some people in the Canary or Dev channels), Microsoft Paint offers support for both layers and transparency. These features have long been stakes for general editing in Adobe Photoshop, but they are essential for doing proper manipulation of images and digital art. Most importantly, they have come up with an app that is free to use on Windows.

In the new version of Paint, users can use basic functionality needed to work with layers (add new layers, move, rearrange, merge, duplicate, etc.) to create more advanced works of art using stacked image elements. Another major part of this update is image transparency, including support for opening and saving transparent PNG files without backgrounds — which aligns well with another recent Paint add-on that brought a background removal tool.

I know a lot of this may seem very basic if you’ve been using powerful tools like Photoshop for a long time like many of us, but this seems like a win for Windows users who just want easy image processing without the expensive subscriptions associated with software that’s really designed for working professionals. like Adobe price hike Other services like Canva put these tools behind a paywall, and I welcome the day when I can tell family members that it’s okay to use Paint for basic family photo collections instead of having them open Pandora’s Box by starting a free trial of Photoshop.

If you’re looking to try out the new Paint tools for yourself, you can subscribe to the Windows Insider Canary or Dev Channels and wait for the update to come to you; However, it may not be available to everyone right away.