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Show HN: GrobPaint: Somewhere Between MS Paint and Paint.net

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Why This Matters

GrobPaint offers a lightweight, cross-platform image editing solution that bridges the gap between basic tools like MS Paint and more advanced editors like Paint.NET. Its focus on essential features without bloat makes it appealing for both casual users and those seeking a versatile, multi-platform editor. This development enhances accessibility and flexibility in digital image editing across different operating systems.

Key Takeaways

GrobPaint

Somewhere between MS Paint and Paint.NET. Multiplatform by default.

Paint.NET doesn't run on macOS. GrobPaint fills that gap: a lightweight image editor with layers, blend modes, and selection tools, built with web technologies and a tiny Python backend. The goal isn't to clone Paint.NET or compete with Photoshop. It's to have the tools you actually need without the bloat.

Features

Layers - add, delete, duplicate, merge, reorder, per-layer opacity and blend modes (16 modes)

- add, delete, duplicate, merge, reorder, per-layer opacity and blend modes (16 modes) Tools - Pencil, Brush, Eraser, Fill, Eyedropper, Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, Text, Select, Magic Wand, Move, Rotate, Scale, Mirror

- Pencil, Brush, Eraser, Fill, Eyedropper, Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, Text, Select, Magic Wand, Move, Rotate, Scale, Mirror Selection - rectangular and magic wand with configurable tolerance, copy/cut/paste, crop to selection

- rectangular and magic wand with configurable tolerance, copy/cut/paste, crop to selection Color - HSV picker, RGB/Hex input, alpha channel, palettes (Lospec 500, PICO-8), swap primary/secondary

- HSV picker, RGB/Hex input, alpha channel, palettes (Lospec 500, PICO-8), swap primary/secondary Canvas - zoom (scroll wheel, pinch, keyboard), pan (space+drag, middle-click, trackpad), fit-to-view, grid overlay

- zoom (scroll wheel, pinch, keyboard), pan (space+drag, middle-click, trackpad), fit-to-view, grid overlay File I/O - PNG, JPEG, BMP, GIF; native .gbp project format preserves layers as a ZIP archive

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