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What do you want to know
- The Paint app on Windows 11 is expected to receive several major features, including support for layers, transparency, and the addition of a background removal tool.
- The new features are available to Windows Insiders in the Dev and Canary channels starting yesterday, September 18, 2023.
- Support for layers and transparency are major additions to the creative app that was once expected to be abandoned by Microsoft.
Painting fans, rejoice! Microsoft has announced plans to add several powerful features to the creative app. Paint will soon support layers, transparency, and feature a background removal tool (although we already knew about the latter feature). These additions should significantly improve Paint’s capabilities, which is interesting given that Microsoft had been planning to move away from the app altogether.
Windows Insiders in the Dev and Canary channels can already try out Paint’s new features. Microsoft announced the deployment to Insiders yesterday.
Adding layers fundamentally changes the layout of Paint. Layers are common in other creative applications, such as Adobe Photoshop. These are not a new concept, but they are essential for many types of work. For example, you can stack layers containing different images on top of each other.
Layers wouldn’t be very useful without transparency support, so it makes sense that Microsoft would roll out the additions next to each other.
While background removal is useful without support for layers and transparency, the tool is enhanced by Paint’s other additions. With all the options together, a creator can remove a subject from an image and have a transparent background, stack the resulting image on top of another photo, then add graphics, text, or other enhancements with more layers .
Even with support for layers, transparency, and the addition of background removal, Paint doesn’t compete with the full version of Adobe Photoshop. Microsoft’s creative tool could replace lighter photo-editing apps in some people’s workflows, however. Adobe Express is also more powerful than Paint, but that may not be necessary for some. GIMP and Paint.net might see less love from consumers if there’s a more powerful Paint on Windows 11.
