This update focuses on improving performance — sometimes significantly! — and fixing a handful of really important bugs. Special thanks go out to @Bruce Bowyer-Smyth for his contributions in this release.
If you’re using the Windows Store release, you should get the update automatically within the next 24 hours. You can also force an update check by following these instructions.
For the Classic release, you should be offered the update automatically within the next week or so. You can get the updater soon by going to ⚙ Settings → Updates → Check Now. You can also download and install it directly from the website.
- Improved: Image -> Rotate should now complete almost instantly (thanks @Bruce Bowyer-Smyth!)
- Improved: Optimized a portion of the rendering engine for newer CPU instruction sets (SSE2, SSSE3, AVX2). Depending on zoom level, CPU type, and other factors, rendering throughput has been improved by 10-50%.
- Improved: Some performance optimizations for code that uses the indexers on the Surface class, which should improve effect plugin performance (thanks @Bruce Bowyer-Smyth!)
- Fixed: Shortcut keys for the Adjustments menu weren’t working until after you opened the menu for the first time
- Fixed: Canvas checkerboard, used to indicate transparent regions of the image, now scales with DPI
- Fixed some of the more rare cases of the SEHException/AccessViolationException crash caused by Direct2D
- Fixed: A bug in IndirectUI was resulting in a crash when using @BoltBait‘s Level Horizon plugin
- Fixed: Per-user fonts no longer cause a crash for the Store version
- New: The paintdotnet: protocol now works for the Classic version
- Fixed: The paintdotnet: protocol should now work properly with paths that have spaces in them
- Fixed: Hardened security for loading Custom Shape plugins via XAML (thanks @Bruce Bowyer-Smyth!)
Enjoy! 🙂
paint.net blog 
Awesome update as always, thanks guys. Can’t wait to see what’s in store in the next major version 😀
Hello.
Could you please add polyline selection tool!?
I am asking this for more than 3 years!
The todo list is about 100 years long, so please be patient 🙂
I love the updates, but, is it possible to add a 5th node to the line tool please?
Please, add the polyline selection tool!
Thanks for the update. Any info on the optimization using SSE2, SSSE3, AVX2 from managed code? Great job on this awesome tool. I use it on a daily basis.
I’m not using managed code for the SIMD optimizations. I’ve been writing them in C using intrinsics.
I’ve been using your app for a while now and even drawing on it, but i never thought about thanking the great person that was making this. Well, this is now done, you have my eternal gratitude for making and keeping updated the amazing paint.net !
You’re welcome 😁 Glad you like it!
Are the instructions for running this in Portable mode still the same as they were in July 2017 (https://blog.getpaint.net/2017/07/21/portable-mode-in-paint-net-4-0-17/)?
Is there any chance that on the downloads page you could make a packaged zip with the modifications to the PaintDotNet.exe.config file already handled?
Personally, I’m using the portable version because I don’t have admin rights on my work machine. Therefore, updating Paint.Net becomes a mini project every time (rather than just downloading the latest zip and overwriting my current version, as I do for updates to all my other portable apps).
Yup, those instructions should still work.
Providing an official portable release is kind of a problem, however. It’s very important to keep up-to-date with the latest version, and the portable version can’t do that. Otherwise folks will be exposed to old bugs, they’ll be missing out on new features, and performance won’t be as good. These may not be fatal flaws for those who know what they’re doing, but I’m hesitant to encourage people into this state. I’m not saying I’ll never do this, but I’m not comfortable doing it just yet (honestly I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it either).
Hi,
I am a very long time internet engineer and desktop support technician. Wish I was a programmer like you have NO idea. But Sa la Vie. Of note, regarding your thoughts on a portable edition. I understand your concerns. However, the general public doesn’t know about such things and has no idea how to install a portable Edition. I realize no installation is necessary but the majority of the users have no idea how to apply a portable program. I hate anything that isn’t portable. I have 9.4 gigs of portable apps and only 2.3gigs installed. I have had too many corrupt registries due to installations. Over the years, MS has become more robust, but things happen. Some day when developers get intelligent, pun intended, they will realize to be virus proof, a registry is a stupid thing and needs to be completely sandboxed, or separated and only allowed to be altered with proper rights. This would be a huge move towards more stable systems, faster, secure etc. So, offering a portable version prepackaged, will only appeal to a small eclectic group who know more than the average public. The average public could not even tell you what a portable app is. But, for the small group who want portable, the link to make a portable app, is an acceptable solution. Thanks!!!!!
Also, I’d like to add that, regarding portability of Paint.NET: my plan is to improve the situation over time, but I just don’t have an idea of the specifics and the timing. There’s soooooooooo much work to do on Paint.NET 🙂
.NET Core 3 should help to improve the situation once Paint.NET is migrated to stand on top of it. (See more here: https://blog.getpaint.net/2018/12/26/whats-next-for-paint-net-in-2019/ ).
And yes it’s a little ironic that I state that providing an official portable copy could make the updates situation worse for some users, while it’s clear that not providing it also makes the situation worse. I’d love to make the portable version be able to update itself, but that’s a HIGHLY complex situation (what if there’s no space on the USB stick? etc. x1000) and I’m not sure it’s worth the investment to have an additional updating system that won’t be used as much. Suggestions are welcome.
Everytime I update this program, there is a sequence that says something about “Optimizing your system”. I don’t know original English sentence but that’s what it says in my language. Uh.. I don’t want optimazation of my system by paint program though? Is this just gimmick to show me donation panel for some extended second or it actually doing something without telling me what it does?
It’s using NGEN ( https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/tools/ngen-exe-native-image-generator ) to optimize Paint.NET’s performance via AOT (ahead-of-time) compilation. It really helps startup performance, especially.
Maybe the translation is bad … in English, it’s “optimizing for your system,” not “optimizing your system for”
Thanks a tone!
This is the most aggressive program I’ve ever had regarding updates. Pretty much every time I exit paint.net, I am forced to submit to an update no matter what.
Sometimes fixes need to be pushed out in quick succession as new data comes in to prove that those fixes were complete or not. Also, the last update was at the beginning of December … which was two months ago. (Honestly you’re basically complaining that I was working hard to fix things …? There were some really bad crashes happening, should I have left those in place …?)
And if you want the updates to be completely transparent, then you can buy the Windows Store version.
I’ve been using your app last 6years,, but i never thought about thanking the great person that was making this. Well, this is now done, you have my eternal gratitude for making and keeping updated the amazing paint.net !
Will, there ever be a custom paint brushes added to the program? Like how photoshop has them? I think it would be epic to see it!
Read my newer blog post: https://blog.getpaint.net/2018/12/26/whats-next-for-paint-net-in-2019/