Where to Find PyDPainter Tutorials and Demos

Updated

PyDPainter's own site points to a quick demo video, version trailers, a tutorial playlist, and a documentation table of contents — all reachable from the main page. If you want to see the program in action before installing it, start with the Quick PyDPainter Demo; if you want structured lessons, the tutorial playlist is the closest thing to a course. The site also links a Facebook group and a Mastodon account where you can ask questions when a video doesn't cover your case.

Video resources listed on the site

The PyDPainter homepage collects its video material in one place:

  • Quick PyDPainter Demo — a short overview of the program in use.
  • PyDPainter 2.0 Trailer
  • PyDPainter 2.1.0 Trailer
  • PyDPainter 2.2.0 Trailer
  • PyDPainter tutorial playlist — a multi-video series rather than a single clip.

The trailers are version announcements, so they show what changed in each release rather than teaching technique. The demo and the playlist are the two entries worth opening first, depending on whether you want a quick look or a step-by-step walkthrough.

Written documentation

The site links a Documentation: Table of Contents, which is the reference material for the program itself. Use it alongside the videos: videos show the workflow, the documentation covers the details of specific tools and file formats. There is also an External Links page under External Resources if you want material hosted outside the project.

Community channels for questions

When a tutorial doesn't answer something, the site lists these places to ask:

  • Facebook group: PyDPainter
  • Mastodon: @[email protected]
  • GitHub and Twitter are also linked under "Participate in the community."
  • Ko-fi donation page (ko-fi.com/mriale) — for supporting the project, not for support requests.

A RoadMap page is linked as well, which is useful if you want to know whether a feature you're trying to learn is finished or still in progress.

What to expect from the tutorials

PyDPainter is described as a usable pixel art program written in Python with PyGame, inspired by the Commodore Amiga version of Deluxe Paint (Electronic Arts, 1985). That lineage tells you what the tutorials will likely cover: a toolbar-and-menu interface, left and right mouse buttons for painting and erasing, and Deluxe Paint III compatible file formats. The feature list on the site — color cycling, animation, color gradient fills, painting modes like smear/blend/smooth, symmetry (mirror, tile, cyclic), and 256 levels of undo — is a reasonable checklist of what to look for as you work through the playlist.

Practical starting order

  1. Watch the Quick PyDPainter Demo to confirm the interface matches what you want.
  2. Download the latest release (the site links it directly) so you can follow along.
  3. Work through the tutorial playlist in order.
  4. Keep the Documentation Table of Contents open for tool and format details.
  5. Post remaining questions in the Facebook group or on Mastodon.

One caveat: the site does not state how long the playlist is, how current each video is relative to the latest release, or whether the tutorials assume any prior pixel art experience. Check the version numbers in the trailer titles against the release you downloaded before assuming a video matches your build.