Paint.NET

Since I installed 3.35 I have this really ugly background, something I didn't have before.
Is this a bug or can I change the background back to normal somewhere?

http://i36.tinypic.com/i78mj7.jpg

I never saw something like that, but I'm just going to throw around the possibility that you are using a custom design for your windows and that design is messing with it...

I've been using this XP Theme for more then a year now and this is the first release where I see another background

Ok change to the default XP theme, and see if the background remains...

It changes with every theme. Strange though, Photoshop doesn't do it.

Hm...

Which themes did you try, and what colors came on those?

In this latest release, Rick changed the background from a light gray to dark gray gradient into a solid gray color.

It seems to me that he accidentally used a "system" color instead of a real solid gray color.

I thought that too, but I didn't want to say anything...

No, I purposefully based the background color on the system colors. There was no "accident". If you don't want a green background then don't use a system scheme that has lots of green in it ... pretty simple.

Come on Brewster. You had a nice beatifull program and now you are screwing with people that have been using Paint.net from the start. I've been using Paint.net and my XP theme for years. I've used every beta version and reported every bug I encountered. I worked in a PC-shop and installed Paint.net on every single PC I formatted.

And now I would have to change it just because ONLY YOU think that a sytem color is better. If you don't change it back in the next release there is only one word for your action, stubborn.

Change it back to the way it has been for years. Seriously, don't force me to change my entire windows design just so that I can work with a decent background in Paint.net, software I use on a daily basis.

A software interface should never change depending on wich OS or theme you're using. Come on, change it back please!

Already found another complaint about it on this page:
http://tweakers.net/meuktracker/18009/p ... t-335.html

Actually the vast majority of software tries to respect the user's theme settings in order to blend in better. For example, one of Firefox 3's major goals was for it to change its look depending on the OS it ran on. Imagine if you chose XP's olive color and Paint.NET forced everything to be blue. In my opinion, it makes perfect sense for Paint.NET to match the color settings you yourself set.

The only thing that changes in Firefox is the browser interface, not the background on websites. Every single program I use has the XP Theme interface, but not a single program I have has that ugly ugly ugly background color. Becides, it doesn't mather wich theme I use, they all add a hidous background color in Paint.net .

Good developpers always say "if it's not broken, don't fix it!"

Not a single program on the planet gives me the ugly background I get on Paint.net, so don't post that the majority of the programs have it because I have at least 50 applications installed.

I've had the reverse complaint before -- I had a guy send me a screenshot and he said, "Why aren't you employing professional programmers! Why aren't you honoring the system color scheme!" And it was seriously the most horrid color theme I'd ever seen, with reds and yellows and all sorts of horribleness. And then Paint.NET had its grey gradient background and it didn't fit in.

This isn't as clear cut a situation as you might think, Jelle. I ran the new theme-based background color in Vista, XP Luna (all 3 colors), and Classic, and it looked alright to me. Clearly you think otherwise, but please give me the benefit of the doubt and believe me when I say I'm not trying to make it look "ugly". It doesn't help to have you jump on my case calling me stubborn or that I'm "screwing with people", etc. Please trust that the last thing I want is an ugly piece of software with my name on it. I'm not trying to oppress your eyes or anything!

The background color was in beta for weeks and nobody complained about the color, only that they had liked the gradient. So, this wasn't even brought to my attention until just now. (The gradient had to go, however, as it was causing honest problems in the context of an image editor.)

Anyway let me think about a good way to solve this. Please remember that updates are easy to deploy quickly ...

(And in my defense, it looks great in Vista ... !)

Jelle Mees don't be so cranky and loosen up, though I agree that a neutral color (gray) is better for a image editing program regardless the color scheme that the main OS uses.

So [I Like]Pi although firefox does it that's normal because a browser does not rely on the color for work purposes. Now Paint.NET does rely on the background color, which IIRC was subject of change on v3.35, from a gray-ish gradient, to pure gray, so it shouldn't chnge regardless the color scheme.

EDIT: As Rick posted at the same time as I and now I've read his post...

...I'd say that both [Jelle and Rick] are right, though personally I stand by me , neutral colors for a image editing program are way better than theme blending, BUT an idea is that in the help menu we could have the option to 'Blend' and 'Un-blend' with the color scheme/theme the user is currently using...

That dark-olive background doesn't look too bad, actually. I would have thought that with your liking towards the olive colour in your scheme, you would have revelled in the background colour. Perhaps you need time to adjust to it; you said you've been using default Windows themes for many years now, it's bound to be a shock to suddenly be presented with that stark difference.