Paint.NET Plugin Pack Outline: What's New and Improved

The latest update to Paint.NET brings a slew of fixes and enhancements that improve the overall user experience. In this article, we'll take a closer look at what's new and improved in the plugin pack outline.

Memory Leak Fix

One of the most notable changes is the fix for a memory leak in the effect system. This issue was causing 1 orphaned thread per effect invocation, which could lead to performance issues over time. Thankfully, this problem has been squashed, ensuring a smoother experience when working with effects.

UI Controls and Crashes

Additionally, some IndirectUI controls were not honoring their default values if initialized in read-only (disabled) mode. This has been fixed, as well as a crash that occurred when running effects with very small selections. Furthermore, the app is no longer prone to crashing when DPI scaling is set to 500%.

Text Rendering and Metadata Issues

The Curves adjustment dialog now renders text correctly, even in non-English translations. This was due to a bug in Windows 7's WIC JPEG codec, which has been addressed. Moreover, saving JPEG images with a particular ordering of metadata no longer results in a PropertyNotFoundException error message.

Error Messages and Image Loading

Error dialogs when opening images now consistently show the file path, making it easier to identify issues. Furthermore, loading very small TGA images is no longer a problem, thanks to a fix that was first reported by users.

Sharpening Settings and HEIC Limitations

The NVIDIA sharpening setting will no longer cause trippy distortions in the canvas area, as this limitation has been lifted due to the resolution of a heap corruption issue. Additionally, saving images with the HEIC file type is no longer limited to a max Quality value of 90.

New Features and Enhancements

The selection outline animation is now smoother, thanks to an increase in framerate from 1x to 2x. The File -> Open Recent menu now includes tooltips with full file paths for each image, providing easy access to file information. A right-click context menu has been added to the image thumbnail/tab, offering commands like Copy Path, Open Containing Folder, Save, Save As, and Close.

XMP Metadata Support

Finally, XMP metadata is now preserved for supported file types (PDN, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, JPEG XR, HEIC, AVIF, WEBP), making it easier to manage metadata across different files. This will be particularly useful for modders who rely on custom metadata in their workflow.

Overall, the latest Paint.NET plugin pack outline brings significant improvements and fixes that enhance the user experience. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, these updates are sure to make your work more efficient and enjoyable.

Paintnet plugin pack outline