Multipaint 2023

Multipaint 2023.1 (Version 26.2.2023)

With Multipaint, you can draw pictures with the color limitations of some typical 8-bit and 16-bit computer platforms. The screen formats supported are Commodore 64 high resolution, Commodore 64 multicolor, Commodore Plus/4 Hires, Commodore Plus/4 multicolor, Commodore Vic-20 Hires, Commodore Vic-20 multicolor, ZX Spectrum, ZX ULAplus, MSX 1, Amstrad CPC mode 0/1 (and 0 with Overscan), Sinclair QL, Commodore Amiga and Atari ST low resolution.

Latest version

Multipaint 2023.1 fixes a few things in plus/4 export modes. I adopted the .p4i extension for Botticelli exports. Multipaint now inserts a MULT stamp to Multi Botticelli files. The plus/4 palette window is now more ordered.

I also fixed a bug some modes had with the custom brush dither, added Ptoing palette to C64 modes (palette dialogue) and added a provisional PC CGA mode to the Extras window. Check the palette dialogue to adjust CGA alternatives.

Tooltip box shows attribute coordinates below the pixel coordinates, not relevant to all modes.

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Multipaint 2023 is the eighth major release of Multipaint. New modes include VIC-20 hires and multicolor modes, and finally the Amiga mode has been made "official". Pan tool has been added, which works in magnify mode either using the dedicated tool or by dragging the middle mouse button. There are various user interface touches, such as using Upper/lowercase text for dialogues and menus, and an option to force the window scale.

All the target platform exports and imports are handled by external scripts in the data folder. This is the largest change for this version, although not very visible to the user. Currently I don't encourage the modification of the scripts but it is possible.

Some less complete modes can be tried from the menu "Extras" found under "File" menu. Here are for example Amstrad GX4000/plus mode and Tandy Coco3 modes. Also the C64 hires free has been moved here. I wanted to give easier access to these experimental modes without cluttering the main selector.

VIC-20 export note: There are different exports for unexpanded VICs and with expansion. With unexpanded VIC exports, you need to provide a 10 LOAD "image",8,1 loader or use PuCrunch.

See also:

A blog post with some background for the 2023 version.

Features & Download

Multipaint features common drawing tools, color clash emulation, cut brushes, dither patterns, grid / snap, 20-step undo, spare page, magnify modes, direct executable export, export as source, import/export in native formats and much more.

Download Multipaint application for Windows/Linux/Mac (zip)

Multipaint manual at Google Docs. (The manual is no longer included with the zips.)

Download Multipaint Processing sketch 18.2.2023 (zip, no manuals)

General note, Java and the JRE

As Multipaint is written in Processing, it should run in Windows, Mac OS X and Linux 32/64 bit systems. For running the application, you need the Java Runtime Environment. It may turn out you already have it. For some systems, installing something like Arduino might also install a version without further hassle.

From what I know, open variants of Java probably don't work. If an error message demands an exact version of Java, I cannot guarantee that this actually means what it means. An older version of Java might even be better.

Processing binaries cannot be guaranteed to work correctly across all operating system versions. The ultimate solution may be to install Processing 3 and run the sketch instead or export the application to your system.

I developed Multipaint with a two-button mouse where the wheel works as the third, middle mousebutton. The wheel zooms/pans and the middle button works as an instant pipette. This might be the ideal mouse for using Multipaint.

For old school pixel work, it might be better to slow down the pointer movement in your system.

Wacom-style tablets or a Cintiq display should be ok, but I can't promise it.

/data/prefs.txt handles some of the general preferences of the software, such as the default path for your images. On Mac, the data folder is probably "inside" the application, and you can get there with "show Package contents".

Keysheet with highlighted important options

NOTE to Mac users (24.11.2020)

Tested on Yosemite 10.10.5, Catalina 10.15.7 and El Capitan 10.11.6.

There may be security/ file quarantine related issues with the Macintosh. You may need to allow the file to run separetely from your privace/security settings. Depending on your Mac OS and Java version, the application may have problems with finding the prefs.txt file. This should no longer be a problem with the 2020 version. See further below for more information.

NOTE to Windows users (12.2.2023)

I have disabled the specific file selector for Windows, because it apparently caused some trouble. If you want to enable the better fileselector for Windows, check the prefs.txt file in the data folder and alter the line to read FSELECTOR=1

Windows 10: If you encounter a problem where resizing the Multipaint window makes the window unresponsive (immobile, non-resizable) or otherwise crashes the program, you may need to update your Windows. On a 20H2 it seemed to work fine.

Your security software may tag the Multipaint archive as a potential malware/virus just in principle, which ALMOST certainly is a false positive. Furthermore, like with Mac, your security settings may prevent you from running web-downloaded content. Take care!

NOTE to Linux users (24.11.2020)

The application window resize didn't work properly on some Linux setups. Marq (of the PETSCII editor fame) found a solution and it has been shown to work on various setups.

Special thanks to Compyx and Shine for testing and patience.

As an additional note, it might be good to install libcanberra-gtk-module, if Multipaint says it is missing. This reveals itself when running ./multipaint from the command line. It shouldn't be necessary, though.

NOTE to Raspberry Pi users

My experiences have shown the program can run on Raspberry Pi 3B+. Run the 32-bit linux version included. However it is not especially fast, and the new 2020 version is likely to be even slower. If there's really some need to run Multipaint on Pi 3, you could revert to the 2019 version. I believe a Raspberry Pi 4 might be fast enough to run Multipaint ok.

Running on Mac

Most of the Mac problems should have gone by the 2020 version. However, if Multipaint warns you that the prefs.txt could not be found, this should indicate something is wrong.

The prefs.txt is now situated at a Java/data/ folder, but you may need to "show package contents" instead of opening the application to access it.

If you run Multipaint through the terminal, you likewise need to get into the multipaint.app/Contents/MacOS folder structure and launch ./multipaint from there. The console log can give some clues on where the application is trying to get its files from. However this might be different than running it from the icon!

Related projects

Here are a couple of related software. Especially if you now have Java runtime environment installed you can have a try at these:

PETSCII, a multi-platform text art editor

Pixel Polizei, a multi-platform graphics utility

Multipaint Gallery

Here are some works where Multipaint has been put to use.

Cem Tezcan has found an interesting use for Multipaint, when rendering a 1970s scene. Have a look at the article at MAGAZINE by Substance.

Facet told me that all his C64 pixeling from since 2018 has been done on Multipaint. Thanks!

Special thanks to Jonathan Eggelton who gave permission to include his work. Jon takes inspiration from C-64 game covers and loading screens. You can view more of his work through this CSDb page.

I have also permission to include works by Andy Green. Andy has been very prolific in creating ZX Spectrum art, both re-imagined loading screens and new images. To see more, check Andy's ZXart gallery and his Facebook page.

The demogroup GOTU made a demo on Commodore plus/4 called Promised Land, and told me they used Multipaint for the graphics. See the entry at plus4world!

There are also loading screens for an add-on to the multi-platform text adventure Hibernated 1: This Place is Death, which is called Eight Feet Under. The pictures were made by Rail Slave. Get Hibernated from here, it's quite an atmospheric game.

Stefan Vogt, the author of Hibernated, has been testing the Atari ST mode for making the screens for The Curse of Rabenstein. I'm told all the modes (Amiga, DOS, ST) are based on the ST Degas images. Thanks Stefan! Check Curse of Rabenstein.

TITAN (Eric Cubizolle) gave permission to include some of his Amstrad CPC works on this page. More of his output can be found from this page. (Scroll to the bottom to see the Multipaint images)

Davide Bucci has used Multipaint to create loading screens for his multi-platform text adventure The Queen's Footsteps. For more information, go to this page.

Contact

Multipaint 2016-2023 by Tero Heikkinen AKA Dr. Terrorz. Comments and queries can be sent to the address below:

Before asking for new features, please consider reading the manual first. The feature might already exist!

I am reluctant to add new modes, especially if it is obscure, or has 256+ colours or has higher resolution than 320 x 200. I am considering Atari 8-bit modes.