Insider previews for Notepad and Paint with more AI features
In new versions of Notepad and Paint for Windows Insiders, Microsoft is adding more AI features. Notepad is learning more Markdown.
(Image: Microsoft)
Microsoft is rolling out updated preview versions of Notepad and Paint to Windows Insiders. The developers are packing more AI features into the software. Notepad is also learning more Markdown features.
This was announced by Microsoft in a blog post. Notepad will reportedly gain “lightweight formatting” with Markdown syntax. The developers are highlighting strikethrough text and nested lists, for example. The features can be used via the toolbar, keyboard shortcuts, and directly using Markdown syntax. Notepad will also receive a splash screen upon application startup, “designed to help users discover and learn about the app's latest and most useful features.” This nag screen apparently cannot be turned off completely. However, users can “close it at any time and revisit it later by clicking the megaphone icon in the top right of the toolbar.”
The developers are also expanding support for streaming results from AI text features, which display them word by word during generation rather than only at the end. These appear for Write, Rewrite, and Summarize for both external creation from the cloud and local generation.
Creating coloring books with Paint
Paint, on the other hand, is getting a new AI feature for creating coloring book images. This generates templates based on a prompt for coloring, meaning only the outlines of the specified image elements. It can be accessed via the Copilot icon. The feature is exclusively available on Copilot+ PCs, and users must sign in to a Microsoft account.
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As a second new feature, a slider for tolerance when filling areas has been added. This allows users to set how far image regions should be filled. This is helpful for slight color gradients, for example.
The new build versions are 11.2512.10.0 for Notepad and 11.2512.191.0 for Paint.
At the end of November, Microsoft had already significantly revamped Notepad in the Insider preview. The developers added native support for tables with Markdown syntax and streaming results for the integrated AI functions Write, Rewrite, and Summarize.
(dmk)
