Paint 3D

Although it was never the best graphic editor you could get your hands on, thanks to its overall straightforwardness, support for a plethora of formats and the fact that it came by default with Windows versions from the past, Microsoft Paint has been part of our lives for quite a while now.

Equally, sadly and fortunately, we can slowly start saying goodbye to the legendary Paint app, as with both eyes on the future, Microsoft recently revealed its predecessor, called Paint 3D.

Upon launching the app, the first thing that becomes evident is the massive overhaul in the looks department. This is no longer the old school app we have all come to know and love but, instead, it features a modern and very functional user interface that looks right at home on Windows 10.

In spite of all the changes, the app has become even more user-friendly, if anything else. There's a simple 'Hamburger menu on the upper left part of the main window that allows you to create new projects, save or open already existing ones, insert elements, as well as publish, print or share them with ease.

On the middle part of the top toolbar, you will find menus that encompass everything from drawing and painting tools, 3D shapes or models, stickers, textures, text tools, backdrop controls and canvases, basically, everything you need to create and extensively customize both 3D and 2D objects.

The toolbar is completed with quick controls for undoing or redoing your latest actions and, a very funky feature that allow you to replay all the steps in creating your projects.

Within a few minutes of fiddling about with the app, you will get the hang of working with Paint 3D in all its three dimensions and with its wide array of neatly-designed new tools.

Worthy of a special praise is the so-called 'Magic Select' tool that makes it easy for you to modify foreground and background subjects and the feature that allows you to turn any 2D drawing into 3D with just a single click. The latter capability is accessible from the tiny toolbar which lives in the bottom part of the main window.

By now, it should be clear that the app's interface is quite exploitable even with a standard keyboard and mouse-based setup but, surely, touch screen or pen-capable computers will be able to provide you with a far better overall user experience.

As a statement of their commitment to getting involved in the 3D business, Microsoft has bestowed upon Paint 3D quick export and sharing options to some of the most popular social media networks and other types of apps.

Since Windows 10 features native support for 3D printing, it is now simpler than ever for you to print your creations to both 2D and 3D, without even having to leave the app.

To conclude, one thing's sure: by managing to keep alive all the traits that made the original Paint application such a success and by adding fresh and efficient technologies alongside them, Microsoft is now ready to continue on its most relevant legacies, that of providing the everyday user with one of the most easy-to-use tools for graphics editing, now with all new 3D capabilities as well.