To draw a 
straight line

To draw a 
free-form line

To draw a 
curve

To draw an 
ellipse or circle

To draw a 
rectangle or 
square

To draw a 
polygon

To type and 
format text

To set the default 
foreground and 
background colors

To fill an area 
or object 
with color

To paint 
with a brush

To create an 
airbrush effect

To create 
custom colors

To use black and 
white instead 
of color

To invert all the
 colors in a picture

To change the 
color of an 
existing line

To copy color 
from one area 
or object to 
another

To erase a 
small area

To erase a 
Large area

To clear an 
entire image

To undo 
changes

To select part 
of a picture

To copy and 
paste part of 
a picture

To save part of 
a picture into 
another bitmap 
file

To change the
 size of your 
picture

To zoom in 
or out of 
a picture

To enlarge the
 size of the 
viewing area

To display 
gridlines

To flip or rotate
 a picture or 
object

To stretch or 
skew an item

To print 
a picture

To insert a 
bitmap into 
the current 
picture

To use a picture 
as the desktop 
background

To show or 
hide the 
toolbox

To draw a straight line

1. In the toolbox, click .

2. At the bottom of the toolbox, click a line width.

3. To draw the line, drag the pointer.

Notes

• The default background and foreground colors appear at the left in the color box. You can draw with the foreground color* by clicking, or you can draw with the background color** by right-clicking.

• You can draw a perfectly horizontal, vertical, or 45-degree diagonal line by holding down SHIFT while dragging.

• * The foreground color is used for lines, borders of shapes, and text.
  ** The background color is used to fill the inside of enclosed shapes and the background of text frames. It also appears when you use the eraser.

  To draw a free-form line

1. In the toolbox, click .
2. To draw the line, drag the pointer.

Notes

• The default background and foreground colors appear at the left in the color box. You can draw with the foreground color* by clicking, or you can draw with the background color** by right-clicking.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

• * The foreground color is used for lines, borders of shapes, and text.
  ** The background color is used to fill the inside of enclosed shapes and the background of text frames. It also appears when you use the eraser.

1. In the toolbox, click .
2. At the bottom of the toolbox, click a line width.
3. Draw a straight line by dragging the pointer.
4. Click where you want one arc of the curve to be, and then drag the pointer to adjust the curve. 
   Repeat this step for a second arc.

Notes

• The default background and foreground colors appear at the left in the color box. You can draw with the foreground color* by clicking, or you can draw with the background color** by right-clicking.
• Each curve must have at least one arc but no more than two.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

• * The foreground color is used for lines, borders of shapes, and text.
  ** The background color is used to fill the inside of enclosed shapes and the background of text frames. It also appears when you use the eraser.

1. In the toolbox, click .
2. Drag the pointer diagonally.

   You can draw a perfect circle by holding down SHIFT while you drag.

Notes

• You can create a colored fill by clicking a fill style at the bottom of the toolbox. Click a new color in the color box to change the line color, or right-click a new color to change the fill color.
• The default background and foreground colors appear at the left in the color box. You can draw with the foreground color* by clicking, or you can draw with the background color** by right-clicking.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

• * The foreground color is used for lines, borders of shapes, and text.
  ** The background color is used to fill the inside of enclosed shapes and the background of text frames. It also appears when you use the eraser.

1. In the toolbox, click to create a square-cornered shape, or click to create a round-cornered shape.
2. To draw a rectangle, drag the pointer diagonally in the direction you want.
3. To draw a square, hold down SHIFT while dragging the pointer.

Notes

• The default background and foreground colors appear at the left in the color box. You can draw with the foreground color* by clicking, or you can draw with the background color** by right-clicking.
• You can create a colored fill by clicking a fill style at the bottom of the toolbox.
• The border width of the box is the same as the thickness selected for the line tools. To change the border thickness, click the line or curve tool in the toolbox, and then click the thickness you want in the box below the toolbox.

• * The foreground color is used for lines, borders of shapes, and text.
  ** The background color is used to fill the inside of enclosed shapes and the background of text frames. It also appears when you use the eraser.

1. In the toolbox, click .
2. To draw the polygon, drag the pointer and click at each corner, and then double-click when done.

   To use only 45- and 90-degree angles, hold down SHIFT while dragging.

Notes

• The default background and foreground colors appear at the left in the color box. You can draw with the foreground color* by clicking, or you can draw with the background color** by right-clicking.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.
• You can create a colored fill by clicking a fill style at the bottom of the toolbox.

• * The foreground color is used for lines, borders of shapes, and text.
  ** The background color is used to fill the inside of enclosed shapes and the background of text frames. It also appears when you use the eraser.

1. In the toolbox, click .
2. To create a text frame, drag the pointer diagonally to the size you want.
3. On the text toolbar, click the font, size, and style you want for the text.
4. Click inside the text frame, type the text, and then do any of the following as needed.
   • Move or enlarge the text frame.
   • Click a color to change the color of the text.
   • Click in the toolbox to insert the text on a colored background. 
     Then right-click in the color box to change the background color.

Notes

• You can view the text toolbar by clicking the View menu and then clicking Text Toolbar. If it obscures part of the Paint window, you can drag the toolbar to any location in the window.
• You can enter text into a picture only in Normal view.
• You can insert text into the picture by clicking outside the text frame.
• When the text tool is selected, you can paste text only. You cannot paste graphics.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

• To set the foreground color* click a color in the color box.
• To set the background color** right-click a color in the color box.

• * The foreground color is used for lines, borders of shapes, and text.
  ** The background color is used to fill the inside of enclosed shapes and the background of text frames. It also appears when you use the eraser.

Note

• The default background and foreground colors appear at the left in the color box. The top color chip represents the foreground color. The bottom color chip represents the background color.

1. In the toolbox, click .
2. Click the area or object you want to fill.

Notes

• If the shape being filled has any breaks in its border, the filling color leaks through to the rest of the drawing area. You can find and close any openings by clicking the View menu, pointing to Zoom, and then clicking Large Size or Custom.
• The default background and foreground colors appear at the left in the color box. You can fill with the foreground color* by clicking, or you can fill with the background color** by right-clicking.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

• * The foreground color is used for lines, borders of shapes, and text.
  ** The background color is used to fill the inside of enclosed shapes and the background of text frames. It also appears when you use the eraser.

1. In the toolbox, click .
2. At the bottom of the toolbox, click a brush shape.
3. To paint, drag the pointer.

Notes

• The default background and foreground colors appear at the left in the color box. You can paint with the foreground color* by clicking, or you can paint with the background color** by right-clicking.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

• * The foreground color is used for lines, borders of shapes, and text.
  ** The background color is used to fill the inside of enclosed shapes and the background of text frames. It also appears when you use the eraser.

1. In the toolbox, click .
2. At the bottom of the toolbox, click a spray size.
3. To spray, drag the pointer.

Notes

• The default background and foreground colors appear at the left in the color box. You can draw with the foreground color* by clicking, or you can draw with the background color** by right-clicking.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

• * The foreground color is used for lines, borders of shapes, and text.
  ** The background color is used to fill the inside of enclosed shapes and the background of text frames. It also appears when you use the eraser.

1. In the color box, click the color you want to change.
2. On the Colors menu, click Edit Colors.
3. Click Define Custom Colors.
4. Click the color swatch to change the Hue and saturation (Sat), and then move the slider in the color gradient to change the luminescence (Lum).
5. Click Add to Custom Colors, and then click OK.

1. On the Image menu, click Attributes.
2. Click Black and white.

Note

• If you change back to color, only new work will be in color.

Note

• Each color is replaced by its color complement. For example, red becomes cyan, and blue becomes yellow.

1. In the toolbox, click .
2. In the color box, click a different color.
3. Position the pointer so that it is touching the line you want to change, and then click.

Notes

• If the line is part of a shape, any connecting vertical and horizontal lines will also change to the new color.
• To make sure you change only the line color and not the surrounding area, you can zoom the picture to a larger size.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

1. In the toolbox, click .
2. Click the object whose color you want to copy.
3. In the toolbox, click .
4. Click the object or area where you want the new color.

Note

• To use a color as a background color or to erase with a color that isn't in the color box, right-click the color in your picture.

1. In the toolbox, click .
2. At the bottom of the toolbox, click an eraser shape.
3. Drag the pointer over the area you want to erase.

Notes

• The selected background color** shows what color the eraser will leave behind. You can change the background color by right-clicking another color in the color box.
• You can change a specific color (and nothing else) by changing the foreground color* to the color you want to erase and the background color to the color you want to replace it with. Then, when you click the eraser, you can right-click to change the color.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

• * The foreground color is used for lines, borders of shapes, and text.
  ** The background color is used to fill the inside of enclosed shapes and the background of text frames. It also appears when you use the eraser.

1. In the toolbox, click to select a rectangular area or click to select a free-form area.
2. Drag the pointer to select the area you want to erase.
3. On the Edit menu, click Clear Selection.

Note

• The current background color will be used to fill the cleared area. 
  You can choose a different background color by right-clicking a color in the color box.

1. If any part of the image is selected, click outside of the selected area.
2. On the Image menu, click Clear Image.

Note

• The current background color will be used to fill the cleared area. 
  You can choose a different background color by right-clicking a color in the color box.

On the Edit menu, click Undo.

Note

• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

 In the toolbox, click to select a rectangular area, and then drag the pointer diagonally across the area.

Or, click to select a free-form area, and then drag the pointer around the area.

Note

• You can remove the selection box by clicking outside the box.

1. In the toolbox, click to select a rectangular area or click to select a free-form area.
2. Drag the pointer to define the area you want to copy.
3. Select a method of pasting:
   • Click  to paste opaquely
   • Click  to pastetransparently
4. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
5. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
6. Drag the selection where you want it.

Notes

• You cannot paste graphics when the text tool is selected.
• You can paste multiple copies of an object by holding down CTRL while you drag the pasted object to a new location. 
  Repeat as needed.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.
• You can remove the selection box by clicking outside the box.

1. In the toolbox, click to select a rectangular area or click to select a free-form area.
2. Drag the pointer to define the area you want to save.
3. On the Edit menu, click Copy To.
4. Specify a folder and a file name, and then click Save.

1. On the Image menu, click Attributes.
2. Click the unit of measurement you want to use for the width and height.
3. Type the measurements in Width and Height.

Notes

• You can also resize your picture by dragging the three image resize handles, located at the bottom right corner and along the bottom and right sides of your picture.
• If your current picture is bigger than the new size, the picture is cut from the right side and bottom to fit within the smaller area. If your current picture is smaller than the new size, the extra area is filled with the selected background color.
• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

On the View menu, point to Zoom, and then click Normal Size, Large Size, or Custom.

Note

• You can enter text into a picture only in Normal view.

On the View menu, click View Bitmap.

Your picture fills the entire viewing area. You can return to your former view by clicking anywhere in the picture.

Notes

• You cannot make changes to a picture in this view.
• You can also enlarge the size of the viewing area by hiding the toolbox, color box, or status bar. You do this by clearing their check marks on the View menu.

1. On the View menu, point to Zoom, and then click Custom.
2. Under Zoom to, click 400%, 600%, or 800%, and then click OK.
3. On the View menu, point to Zoom, and then click Show Grid.

Note

• You can remove the gridlines by repeating step 3 and clearing the Show Grid check mark, or by clicking View, pointing to Zoom, and then clicking Normal Size.

1. In the toolbox, click to select a rectangular area or click to select a free-form area.
2. Drag a box around the item you want to flip or rotate.
3. At the bottom of the toolbox, select one of the following:
   • Click  to flip or rotate opaquely.
   • Click  to flip or rotate transparently.
4. On the Image menu, click Flip/Rotate.
5. Click the option you want.

Note

• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

1. In the toolbox, click to select a rectangular area or click to select a free-form area.
2. Drag a box around the item you want to change.
3. On the Image menu, click Stretch/Skew.
4. Click the stretching or skewing option you want, and then enter the amount.
5. At the bottom of the toolbox, select one of the following:
   • Click  to stretch or skew opaquely.
   • Click to stretch or skew transparently.

Note

• You can undo up to three changes by clicking the Edit menu and then clicking Undo for each change.

On the File menu, click Print.

Notes

• You can see how the printed picture will look before you print by clicking the File menu and then clicking Print Preview.
• You can set margins or change orientation by clicking the File menu and then clicking Page Setup.

1. In the toolbox, click and then drag the pointer to define an area to put the bitmap in.
2. On the Edit menu, click Paste From.
3. Locate and double-click the bitmap file you want to insert.
4. Drag the bitmap where you want it, and then click outside the selection.

1. Save the picture.
2. On the File menu, click either of the following commands:
   • Set As Wallpaper (Tiled) covers the screen with repetitions of your picture.
   • Set As Wallpaper (Centered) places your picture in the center of the screen.

To show the toolbox, click the View menu and make sure a check mark appears next to Tool Box. To hide the toolbox, click to clear the check mark.

Note

• You can drag the toolbox to any location in the window.

Created by Keith Richardson
from the Paint "Help File"
10th November 2002.