🎨 PyDPainter v2.2.0 — Deluxe Paint Nostalgia Meets Modern Pixel Power
If you’ve ever gotten lost in the groove of Amiga-era pixel art, PyDPainter brings that magic back — rebuilt in Python, powered by PyGame, and polished for modern workflows.
✨ What is PyDPainter?
PyDPainter is a modern, PyGame-powered tribute to Deluxe Paint — embracing that left/right-mouse workflow and tight, tactile control that made pixel art feel immediate.
- 🖌️ Familiar L/R mouse drawing & erasing
- 🎞️ Animation support (GIF, IFF ANIM, animbrushes)
- 🎨 Amiga HAM & palette-friendly tools
- 🧰 Windows, macOS (Intel & ARM), and Linux builds
🚀 What’s New in v2.2.0 (June 14, 2025)
- 🌀 Brush Trails (ex-“Spacing”) — rotate/scale brushes dynamically with smooth ease-in/out.
- ⌨️ Quick Controls — Rotate:
9/0· Scale:-/=(+) · Or use the 🎡 mouse wheel. - 👁 On-screen Brush Indicator — Live brush type, rotation, and size.
- 📂 Native File Dialogs — Use your OS picker.
- 🖋 Signed Windows EXE — Fewer antivirus false positives.
- 🍏 macOS polish — Native ARM
.app+ proper ⌘ shortcuts. - 📋 Clipboard → Text Tool — Paste text directly.
- 🖱 Click/Click Menu Mode — Friendlier on laptops.
- ↩ Undo Boost — from 20 to 256 levels.
- 📚 Docs updates — Brush Trails guide, Screen formats.
🕰️ Milestones So Far
- 📦 v2.0.0 (Sep 2023) — Animation (GIF/IFF ANIM), color cycling, HAM, recovery mode.
- 🧪 v2.1.0 (Jan 2024) — Animbrushes, sprite-sheet import, palette preservation, better fills.
- 🚀 v2.2.0 (Jun 2025) — Deeper brush control, UX upgrades, performance.
🧭 Roadmap & What’s Next
Peek at the evolving plan here: RoadMap.
- 🖼 Stencils & masks
- 🏞 Background layers
- 🌀 Advanced animbrush tools
- 📐 Perspective guides
- 🔤 Improved font handling
❤️ Why Pixel Artists Love It
PyDPainter balances retro charm with modern power — ideal for sprites, retro illustrations, and hypnotic color-cycle animations. With a forgiving 256-step undo and a workflow that “just feels right,” it’s a welcoming space for both newcomers and Amiga veterans.