How PyDPainter Differs from Deluxe Paint

Updated

PyDPainter is a modern pixel art program written in Python with PyGame, explicitly inspired by the Commodore Amiga version of Deluxe Paint released by Electronic Arts in 1985. It keeps Deluxe Paint's core interaction model — tool bars, menus, and left/right mouse buttons for painting and erasing — while adding features meant to make it workable on current computers. If you already know Deluxe Paint, the main differences fall into three areas: platform and licensing, file compatibility, and modern additions.

What stays the same

PyDPainter deliberately preserves the parts of Deluxe Paint that defined the paint program interface:

  • Tool bars and menus as the primary UI structure.
  • Left and right mouse buttons used for painting and erasing, described on the site as a "novel use" that Deluxe Paint helped define.
  • Deluxe Paint III compatible file formats, so work created in that tradition can be opened.
  • A pixel art focus with limited color palettes, rather than high-resolution 24-bit color.

The project's stated goal is to bring back "an old but reliable tool" rather than to reinvent the workflow.

Where it differs

Platform and distribution

Deluxe Paint was tied to the Commodore Amiga. PyDPainter runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and is distributed as open source under GPLv3. That changes how you obtain, run, and modify it compared to the original.

File formats

PyDPainter lists support for IFF, ANIM, GIF, BMP, PNG, and more. The IFF and ANIM formats are the ones that connect it to the Deluxe Paint lineage; GIF, BMP, and PNG are the modern interchange formats you would expect from a current tool.

Features added beyond Deluxe Paint

The site's "Top Features" section lists capabilities that go past the classic toolset:

Feature What it means for you
Color Cycling Animated palette effects without redrawing frames
Animation Built-in support alongside static pixel art
Color gradient fills Graduated fills rather than flat color only
Painting modes: smear, blend, smooth, and more Blending-style brushes beyond plain paint
Symmetry: mirror, tile, and cyclic Repeating and mirrored drawing modes
256 levels of undo Deep undo history
Easy-to-use UI with tooltips Guidance for users who did not grow up with the original

The site also maintains a dedicated "Differences from Deluxe Paint" section, which is the authoritative place to check specifics rather than relying on general impressions.

How to decide

  • Choose PyDPainter if you want the Deluxe Paint interaction style — tool bars, menus, left/right button painting and erasing — on a modern OS, with open source licensing and modern formats like PNG and GIF alongside IFF and ANIM.
  • Check the "Differences from Deluxe Paint" page first if your workflow depends on a specific Deluxe Paint behavior. That section exists precisely because the two are not identical.
  • Look at the video resources if you want to see the interface in motion before committing: the site links a Quick PyDPainter Demo, trailers for versions 2.0, 2.1.0, and 2.2.0, and a tutorial playlist.

For current progress and known gaps, the site points to its RoadMap and Documentation table of contents.