How to Invert Color in MS Paint

Do you need to use MS Paint to invert colors in an image? Since MS Paint 6.1 (Windows 7), Microsoft has changed the way users must proceed to invert colors. While it is still very easy to implement, the change is not always immediately obvious. For a quick color inversion, press Ctrl+Shift+I . Read on to see how to invert colors on both old and new versions of the program!

Table of Contents

On Windows 7 and later

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You need to know that the Invert Cpors tool has changed. Don’t look for the Invert Cpors tool in the top toolbar like in Windows Vista or earlier. As of MS Paint 6.1, we can only invert the color by selecting and right clicking on the image. This means that if you have Windows 7, 8, or 10, a new version of Paint will come pre-installed. ^{[1] X Research Source} You may be confused after years of using the top toolbar to adjust colors – but don’t worry! Although the new process is different, it will still be very simple.

The Invert Cpors tool is quite useful if you just want to inverse the colors available in the icon or image and do not need to completely replace the colors.

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Select photo. If you want to inverse colors in the entire image, you need to select the entire image. You can select photos with the Select tool, or click “Select all” from within Select Options. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If you only want to inverse colors in part of the image: just select the part of the image you want to manipulate.

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Image color inversion. First, right click on the photo. Then scroll down to the “Invert cpor” option at the bottom of the drop-down menu. Click “Invert cpor”. The part of the image you select will be inverted immediately. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

For a quick color inversion, press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+I .

On Windows Vista and earlier

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Open the image in MS Paint. You can do it both in or out of Paint.

In Paint: Open MS Paint by clicking the icon on the Desktop or looking in Programs. After Paint opens, click “File” then “Open”. Find and select the photo you want to inverse. Then, press ↵ Enter or click “Open.” ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Outside of Paint: Find the file you want to inverse. Right click on the file and select “Open with” > MS Paint. The file will open in MS Paint.

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Click “Image” at the top, then select “Invert cpors.” The colors will instantly be inverted. The colors in the inverse image are exact complements of the colors in the original. The yellow ball will become blue (rather than purple – the traditional complementary color) in the reversed version. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

For a quick color inversion, just press Ctrl+I . Remember: this only applies to Windows Vista and earlier!

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Save Image. Click “File,” select “Save as…”. Choose an easy-to-remember name along with the file type (if needed). Make sure you save the file in a place where it can be found again. Finally, click “Save” to confirm.

Advice

You can use the Select tool, or the free-form select tool to select a specific area of the image you want to inverse.
Instead of opening the image in Paint, you can find the file in “My Document” or somewhere saved, then right-click and select “open with”… “Paint”.
Quickly open a file by pressing Ctrl+O on the keyboard.
“BMP, “PNG”, “JPG”, and “GIF” are common formats. In most cases, PNG will produce the smallest file size without loss of quality. Choose JPG if the image is an image. Saved as a photo, however, note that this format tends to degrade the file. minimize file size.
To see the afterimage, zoom in on the inverse and then look at the center for 30 seconds. Then quickly look at the white wall. You will see the image in its original color. Remember that this only works for photos and large images.
Press Ctrl+I (with Windows 7 or later Ctrl+Shift+I ) on the keyboard to have the same effect as when selecting an action in the menu.
Pressing Ctrl+Z will return to the previous 3 actions.
Search the Internet for interesting images to try. But you need to remember that most images on the internet are copyrighted. In theory, you can edit any photo, as long as you’re not trying to sell, distribute, or claim it’s yours.
The same effect is still possible in many other programs. The process may not be the same, but the effect is the same.
If you use the free-form select tool instead of the regular select , you need to click and drag the selection a bit, and then put it back to its original position to invert. Otherwise you will inverse a rectangle instead of the drawn shape.

Warning

If you’re having trouble finding the “MS Paint” program on your computer, (or don’t have it), chances are you’re using a non-windows computer/laptop. However, there are many other similar graphics software (free and paid) that are much better. You can ask people, or search online.
On Windows 7, you need to right-click on the selected image to invert the colors.
If you click “Save” instead of “Save as…” you will overwrite the old image. Don’t do this if you want to keep the original image side by side with the edited image.
If you hold down CTRL + I (or CTRL + SHIFT + I), the color will flash quickly. Be careful: you can get a headache!

Things you need

The image you want to edit
Software Microsoft (MS) Paint

Steps

On Windows 7 and later

On Windows Vista and earlier

Advice

Warning

Things you need

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