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Old February 20th 17, 02:41 AM posted to rec.photo.digital,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
PeterN[_3_]
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Posts: 3
Default Why exactly does Paint.NET make bigger files than Irfanview?

On 2/16/2017 2:48 PM, Stijn De Jong wrote:
On Thu, 16 Feb 2017 13:02:48 -0500, PeterN wrote:

I have never used the freeware programs for processing and cannot
compare them to PS. I have changed the canvas size many times in PS,
and find it trivial to extend the canvas, on any side. As in many
other objectives, there are several methods to extend the canvas. For
my purposes a simple resize works just fine.


I don't generally work on photographs so much as screenshots, so the basic
freeware combination of Irfanview for what it does best, and Paint.NET for
what it does best, is what I use mostly.

Since I don't use the payware stuff you use, I can't say the next sentence
with certain assurances; but having used freebie editing programs for
decades, I can say with reasonable confidence the following two sentences:

1. Nothing on Windows is faster (nor simpler) than Irfanview, for viewing
images, setting up basic batch processing of those images, and for cropping
and adding a set-sized canvas to all the photos to be batch resized,
converted and renamed.

Howeever, Irfanview positively sucks in the things that Paint.NET excels
in.

2. Nothing on Windows is both easier for a suite of basic curved arrows
than the way the arrow features of Paint.NET was designed. The feature to
add captions is pretty good, as is the feature that circles things with
boxes and elipses, but the real beauty of Paint.NET is how it does
arrowing.

The portable editor with the most promise, is Pinta:
http://pinta.en.softonic.com/mac
In my humble opinion, any engineers who are designing a new paint program,
should first try out these two sets of features for basic screenshot
editing. They use the fewest steps possible and cover a wide range of basic
options.

As an example of how to add text wrong, with Paint.NET you just click once
and start typing. If you want to change fonts or colors or position, you
can do that at any time, but it's just point and type to start. In many
other programs, you have to draw a bounding box first, which is just crazy
to add an unnecessary step that adds no initial value.

Likewise, for arrowing, in Paint.NET you just click on the start point
(which sets the direction) and then you click on the ending point. The line
you drew is "alive" in that you can change the shape, curves, width, color,
dottedness, arrows, endshapes, etc., at any time.

That's how adding text and arrowing should work, IMHO.
Any other way is too many unnecessary steps, AFAIK.


Our response has nothing to do with the expression: "canvas size." My
canvas size could be 12x18," with the image size 2x3." I would simply
have a lot of blank canvas. That you use it only for screen shots, is
irrelevant to the concept.


--
PeterN
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