Airbrush Paint

Computer Tutorials: How To Use MS Paint Tools

Anyone with a Microsoft Windows operating system should have the free application Paint. With all the drawing and image editing software available on the market, Paint is often overlooked. Many users simply do not even realize they have it.

This tutorial will introduce you to the tools available in Paint. Before long, you'll be drawing your own images. It takes a little practice to get used to using a mouse to draw, but even that isn't that difficult.

The first step is to open the Paint application. Go to Start - All Programs - Accessories - Paint. An alternative is to open Paint through the Run command. Go to Start - Run. Type mspaint.exe into the prompt and you are ready to start drawing.

Selection Tools

Your tool box in on the left hand side of your screen. The first two tools you see on the top row look like a dotted star and a dotted rectangle. These are your selection and cropping tools. The dotted star is the Free Form Select Tool and allows you to draw a dotted line around the area of an image you wish to move, copy into another paint session or delete from your main image. The dotted rectangle works much the same way except you can only select a square or rectangular area.

Please see my previous article to see a detailed tutorial on cropping images in Paint.

Eraser and Fill Color

The next two tools are your eraser and fill color paint bucket. The eraser is one of my favorites since I have never been able to draw well. You have four different sizes to choose from once you select the eraser. Simply move your eraser over an area in your image and it will turn disappear. The fill with color tool allows you to select a color from the color palette at the bottom of your screen and fill in any area of your image with that color. Just as a side note, for an area to be filled with color, it must be completely closed in.

Pick Color and Magnify

The pick color and magnify tools are next in your tool box. The pick color allows you to move the dropper over an area in your image and choose that particular color. This is wonderful if you have an image that's color is not in the color palette. You can then draw or paint with this color. The magnify tool is perfect for detail work. You have four options ranging from 1x to 8x.

Pencil and Brush

The pencil and brush tools are probably the most popular tools. The pencil works just like a normal pencil. Choose a color in the color palette and start drawing. Black is the default. The brush gives you twelve different line types. Choose a color and line type and start painting. This is a good tool for filling in areas that are not completely enclosed.

Airbrush and Text

Your next two tools are the airbrush and text tools. Airbrush allows you three different sizes and works similar to a real airbrush. Simply choose a color and size and start spraying some paint. The text tool allows you to draw a text box and brings up a menu to change the font and size. You can also change the color through the color palette.

Drawing Lines

If you're like me and can't quite draw a straight line, then the line and curve tools are going to help you a lot. The line tool offers five different line thicknesses. Place your mouse where you want the line to start and drag to the ending point and viola, a perfectly straight line with no stress. The curve tools works pretty much the same way, but once the line is drawn; you can select part of the line and pull it into a curve shape.

Drawing Shapes

The last four tools in your toolbox allow you to draw shapes. All four have three options. The first is an empty shape, the second is a filled and outlined shape, and the third is a filled shape. The first shape available is the rectangle tool. You can draw any size square or rectangle you wish. The second shape is the polygon. This one allows you to draw connecting lines to create your shape. Until you select another tool, the polygon tool will automatically connect the dots as you move draw your lines.

The third shape available is the ellipse. This allows you to draw circles and ovals with ease. The fourth and final shape is the rounded rectangle. This is exactly like the rectangle but with rounded edges.

The shapes, lines, pencil, airbrush, paint brush, fill color, and text tools all allow you to choose colors from the color palette. So take a little time and get used to the tools available in Paint. Sometimes a simple program is better and easier to understand than one that costs hundreds of dollars.