5 Surprising Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do with Microsoft Paint

Microsoft Paint may seem like a basic drawing tool, but it offers more than meets the eye. From creating pixel art and glitch effects to making seamless patterns and faking gradients, it has hidden creative potential. It’s also a handy tool for resizing and converting images quickly without needing extra software.

5 Surprising Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do with Microsoft Paint

While Microsoft Paint isn’t as advanced as programs like CorelDRAW, Procreate, or Photoshop, it still has plenty of surprising features. Many people see it as just a basic drawing tool, but with a bit of creativity, it can be used for much more. From crafting pixel art to resizing images and creating glitch effects, here are some unexpected ways to make the most of MS Paint.

1. Pixel Art and Low-Res Sprites

One of the best uses for Microsoft Paint is creating pixel art, thanks to its precise control at the pixel level. Whether you’re designing retro game sprites, icons, or pixel-based landscapes, Paint serves as a great starting point.

To get started, enable the grid by navigating to View > Gridlines. Then, choose the Pencil tool, adjust its size to a few pixels, select a color, and zoom in to begin drawing. For greater accuracy, set the brush size to a single pixel to manually place each pixel exactly where you want it. Although time-consuming, the end result can be highly rewarding.

2. Glitch Effects

Even without professional tools, you can create glitch effects in Microsoft Paint using a few simple tricks.

• Shift-Glitch Method:
  1. Draw an image or shape using at least two different colors for contrast.
  2. Use the Rectangle Selection tool to outline your drawing.
  3. While holding Shift, move the selection around slightly to distort it. This creates a glitch-like appearance.

• Freeform Selection Glitch:
  1. Select the Freeform Selection tool.
  2. Draw irregular lines through your image.
  3. Move the selected parts a few pixels in any direction for a distorted effect.

• Manual Glitch Blocks:
  1. Use the Rectangle Selection tool to draw small boxes over the image.
  2. Press Delete to remove the selected parts.
  3. Fill the gaps with vibrant colors like yellow, cyan, and magenta (YCM) to mimic a digital glitch.

3. Seamless Patterns

MS Paint makes it easy to create patterns, which can be used as wallpapers or printed as custom wrapping paper.

• Start by drawing any shape.
• Use the Rectangle Selection tool to outline the shape and copy it (Ctrl + C).
• Paste it (Ctrl + V) and align it next to the original.
• Repeat the process to quickly expand the pattern across the canvas.

With just a few steps, you can generate intricate, seamless designs with minimal effort.

4. Faking Gradients

Although Microsoft Paint lacks a dedicated gradient tool, there’s a simple trick to achieve a smooth color transition.

1. Fill the canvas with two or more colors.
2. Click the Resize button in the top panel.
3. Uncheck Maintain aspect ratio and shrink one dimension to just a few pixels.
4. Resize it back to the original dimensions.

This compression and expansion process blends the colors together, creating a gradient effect that can be used for backgrounds or shading.

5. Image Resizing and Format Conversion

Microsoft Paint is a quick and efficient tool for resizing and converting images.

• Open an image in Paint by right-clicking it and selecting Open with > Paint.
• Use the Resize tool to adjust the size by percentage or pixels. Make sure to check or uncheck Maintain aspect ratio as needed.
• Alternatively, manually resize the image by dragging the white handles while keeping an eye on the pixel count in the Status bar.
• To change the file format, go to File > Save as and select the desired format (e.g., PNG to JPG).

More Than Just a Simple Drawing App

Microsoft Paint may seem like a basic tool, but with a bit of experimentation, it can accomplish more than expected. Whether you’re making pixel art, glitch effects, seamless patterns, or resizing images, its capabilities go beyond simple doodling. Sometimes, the simplest tools offer the most creative possibilities!