I’ve been showing you the basics of Microsoft Paint – the free image editor that’s included with Windows – in a series of articles. To learn more about the basics of Paint, click here. We’ve also moved on to some hidden tricks that aren’t on the Tool menu. We’ve learned all about the stamp/clone tool and now we’ll move on to making trails.
We’ll start out assuming you know how to open or create an image in Paint and have a basic understanding of the function of each of the tools pictured on the menu. I’m going to show you a trick not pictured on the menu.
We will start out with this basic image.
I’ll use the Select tool to choose the square.
Simply left-click and drag over the image you wish to choose.
Now hold down the Shift key while you drag that selection and you get a trail.
Or we could use this photo of bats and the moon
Let’s choose the freehand selection tool.
We’ll zoom in on a bat with the magnifying tool.
Then we’ll outline a bat. You’ll do a much nicer job than I managed.
Then hold down the shift key and drag that bat wherever we’d like it to fly.
Have fun playing with Paint!
~ Cynthia