How to Use Paint 3D to Edit Photos

How to Use Paint 3D to Edit Photos

When we want to edit any image on our Windows 10 PC, we think of downloading third party software. However, this is not necessary at this time, unless you plan to create high-end graphics. You can use the preinstalled Microsoft Photos app or Paint 3D to edit images. Here you will find a detailed guide on how to edit photos using Paint 3D in Windows 10.


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Paint 3D offers a lot of cool features. These include stickers, 2D shapes, the ability to use PNG images, a wide variety of brushes, and much more. We’ve covered them all in this article.

Let’s see how to use Paint 3D to edit images.

Open photo

You can start drawing on the blank canvas in Paint 3D or edit any existing photo. To edit an old image, go to the menu in Paint 3D.


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Click Open and then click Browse Files. Select the file you want to edit.


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advice: Right click on your image in File Explorer and select Edit with Paint 3D to quickly open images in Paint 3D.

Add an image on top of an existing photo

If you want to add images above the current image, you can do so with the help of the Insert tool located under the Menu option.


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How to use the selection tool

Like MS Paint, you can use the Selection tool to crop part of the image. Click the Select tool to activate it. Then drag the area you want to cut out using the mouse.


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In addition, with the Selection tool, you can create stickers and cut out 3D objects. You can even copy the selected area (used to duplicate objects), rotate it or flip it as well. You can access all of these options from the right sidebar that opens when selecting an area.


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How to crop images

Fortunately, Paint 3D makes it easy to crop your images. You can use the predefined dimensions to crop images or select a custom area. You can even lock the aspect ratio to maintain a balance between width and height.

To crop an image, click the Crop tool at the top. Then choose a frame of your choice. You can also use the Selection tool to define the area and choose Crop from the right sidebar.


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Use the Magic Select tool

As the name suggests, the Magic Selection Tool is your usual selection tool but with magical powers. You can carefully define the area you want to keep in your selection. This tool is handy for removing the background or unnecessary parts of the image.

Click on the Magic Selection Tool in the menu bar. Using the borders that appear around the image, select the area you want to select. Click Next on the right sidebar.


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Use the Add or Remove tool in the right sidebar to refine your selection. Just click on the area with the right tool selected. Once you have selected the correct area, click Done.


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Draw hands free on the picture

Paint 3D offers a variety of brushes such as markers, calligraphy pens, watercolors, pencils, and even a color fill tool. All of them are present under the Brushes tab. You can change the thickness, opacity, and color of the selected brush.


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To erase a drawing, use the Eraser tool located in the brush set.


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Add a straight line, arrows and other shapes

Whether you are editing a screenshot or creating any other graphic such as a flowchart, shapes such as arrows, circles, square boxes, etc. are useful. Many of these shapes are available in Paint 3D.

Click the 2D Shape tab and select the desired shape. Then draw this shape on the picture.


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You can change the shape’s color, fill it with a color, adjust its thickness, rotate and flip it using the options available on the right sidebar. You can even use the shape’s selection boxes to adjust its size and position.


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Add 3D shapes

Use the 3D Shapes tab to add interesting 3D shapes to your image. To add a 3D object, go to the 3D Shape tab and select the 3D object.


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Use stickers

You can add stickers to your images in Paint 3D to enhance the look and give it a realistic touch. To add a sticker, click the Stickers tab. Select a sticker of your choice and draw it on the image using the mouse. You can add custom stickers using the last tab available in the right sidebar. You can also create stickers using the Magic Selection Tool.


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Another cool thing about stickers is that you can add them to 3D objects. In other words, 3D objects act as a placeholder for stickers. If you place a sticker on a 3D object, it will be placed on the 3D object giving the general appearance of a single image. In the following screenshot, I used fish as the 3D object and placed the tongue sticker on it.


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Add and edit text

Paint 3D allows you to add and edit text using the Text tool. You can add 2D and 3D text. Text can be formatted using the font style, size, color, and alignment tools. They are accessible from the right sidebar. Refer to our guide on how to add and edit text in Paint 3D.

Add photo effects

You won’t find filters in Paint 3D, but you can add color effects to images. To add an effect, click on the Effects tab on the top bar and select an effect of your choice.


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Resize, rotate and flip the image

The Canvas tab of Paint 3D contains some of the important features. These include tools like resize, rotate, and flip. To use any of these features, click the Canvas tab. Then select the required tool.


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If you noticed correctly, the Canvas tab also contains the Transparent canvas option. This tool is used to make the background transparent in Paint 3D and to change the background color.

Use the history tool

When we edit an image, we often think that one of the previous steps was better than the current edit. Paint 3D makes it easy to switch to some of the recent changes. Click on the History tab and use the slider to view previous changes.


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Advice: You can create a record of changes using the Start recording option on the History tab.

Crop the image into shapes

Paint 3D does not provide a direct way to cut images into shapes. However, you can use the combination of 2D shapes and the magic selection tool to crop images into circles and other shapes. Check out our guide on how to crop pictures into shapes in Paint 3D.

Save image

After editing your image, you can save it as a JPG file or keep its transparency by saving it as a PNG file. To do this, go to the menu option> Save As> Image. Select the desired image type. Find out in detail how to convert JPG to PNG in Paint 3D.


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Last updated Feb 24, 2021

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