ZenPaint, a pixel-perfect MacPaint recreation for the browser
I've been recreating the original MacPaint in the browser on and off for a few years. It's still alpha quality, but I'm finally ready to share it more widely. The goal was pixel-perfect accuracy, so I spent a lot of time with Atkinson's original QuickDraw source code, emulators, and my iBook G3 to get details like font rendering and the shape tools exactly right. Some technical notes: - Font rendering was surprisingly tricky; understanding the original pipeline's quirks took lots of experimentation, and avoiding canvas smoothing/aliasing required careful handling. - Written…
In plain words
ZenPaint is a browser-based recreation of the original MacPaint application, built for pixel-perfect accuracy. The tool recreates classic MacPaint features including font rendering and shape tools by studying Atkinson's original QuickDraw source code and vintage hardware. Written in React with performance optimization through buffer pooling, it allows users to create pixel art and share artwork via links. The project is currently in alpha and designed for desktop use.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
I've been recreating the original MacPaint in the browser on and off for a few years. It's still alpha quality, but I'm finally ready to share it more widely. The goal was pixel-perfect accuracy, so I spent a lot of time with Atkinson's original QuickDraw source code, emulators, and my iBook G3 to get details like font rendering and the shape tools exactly right. Some technical notes: - Font rendering was surprisingly tricky; understanding the original pipeline's quirks took lots of experimentation, and avoiding canvas smoothing/aliasing required careful handling. - Written declaratively with React; performance is kept reasonable with a buffer pool and copy-on-write semantics. - You can share links to artwork from within the UI. E.g.: https://zenpaint.org/#p=KQumBQ5x - Mobile support was not considered here (for obvious reasons). It might still be usable on a larger phone or tablet but I have not tested this at all. There's something magical about making art within MacPaint's constraints: the 1-bit graphics, the limited resolution, the peculiar set of tools that still feel surprisingly expressive. Still some rough edges and missing features, but I'd love feedback from anyone who remembers the original.
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