Pixel grid and pattern preview in Paint by Zaweba
Use the pixel grid, Pixel Preview, 3 x 3 Pattern Preview for repeating tiles and Pixel Aspect Ratio views in Paint by Zaweba, and know what each one shows.
Some jobs need you to see the picture as it really is at the level of single pixels, or to see how it will behave once it is repeated or shown on a particular screen. Paint by Zaweba has four view options for this: the pixel grid, Pixel Preview, Pattern Preview and Pixel Aspect Ratio. None of them changes the image. All of them change what you can judge.
The pixel grid
From 600 percent zoom, a fine grid appears over the picture showing the edge of every pixel. It is on by default. At that magnification each pixel is a large square, and without the grid it can be hard to count them or tell where one ends and the next begins.
This matters for pixel art, icons, favicons, and any small graphic where you place pixels one by one. It also helps when cleaning the edge of a cut-out, since you can see exactly where the edge pixels sit. If you are zoomed in to judge texture and find the grid distracting, you can turn it off.
Pixel Preview
Pixel Preview shows hard pixels at every zoom level. Normally a picture shown at many zoom levels looks smooth and pleasant, and that smoothness hides what the pixels are doing. With Pixel Preview on, you see the blocky truth.
For pixel art this is invaluable, because a smoothed view makes crisp work look soft and can trick you into thinking edges are blended when they are not. For photographs you will usually leave it off.
Pattern Preview
Pattern Preview tiles the picture 3 by 3 on screen, so you see copies all around it. Edits show in every copy at once. This is the quickest way to make a tile that repeats cleanly: textures for games and 3D work, backgrounds for websites, fabric and wrapping paper prints.
The job is to make the joins invisible. With Pattern Preview on you can see the seams where the right edge meets the left and the bottom meets the top, and paint or clone across them while watching the copies update. You will also spot the other common problem with tiles: a single distinctive mark that repeats in an obvious rhythm. Soften or remove it and the pattern stops looking like a pattern.
Pixel Aspect Ratio
Some video formats use pixels that are not square. Pixel Aspect Ratio lets you view the picture as square, D1/DV, HDV or anamorphic, so a frame meant for one of those formats looks right on screen. It changes the view only, not the file, so it is safe to switch on and off. If you are not preparing images for those video formats, leave it on square.
How they fit the rest of the app
These views pair well with other tools. Pixel art work uses the pixel grid and Pixel Preview, and Image Size has a Pixel art resampling method for scaling such work up cleanly. Tile making uses Pattern Preview alongside the retouching tools. For checking a finished tile at size, Filter > Tile can make a larger image filled with copies of the layer.
Avoiding mix-ups
Pattern Preview is easy to leave on by accident, and a tiled view of an ordinary photo can be confusing. If you see your picture repeated, that is the preview, not a change to the file. Similarly, if a photo suddenly looks blocky, check whether Pixel Preview is on.
Four quiet options, each one built for a particular kind of close looking in Paint by Zaweba.
