Paintbrush 2.0.1 has just been released, incorporating a handful of minor bug fixes. Specifically, the text tool’s antialiasing has been improved, and a small glitch with the new color selectors has been resolved. As this is only a bug-fixing update, no features have been added, and no major tweaks have been made.

Which brings us to the future of Paintbrush. The current plan is as follows (remember, anything to follow is subject to change!):

2.0.x: These releases will continue to include small tweaks and bug fixes. New versions will be released whenever an important bug is discovered, but their features will remain virtually identical to the original 2.0 release.

2.1: Work is ongoing on a significant new point update to Paintbrush, version 2.1. Several key structural components are being either overhauled or completely replaced, and at least one new tool is being implemented. It will not be as significant a release as the jump from 1.2 to 2.0, but will require much more time and effort than a release in the 2.0.x branch. As stated, development is progressing nicely, but it is still too early to provide an estimated release date. Keep your eyes peeled for more information as its feature set solidifies.

3.0: That’s right, even as 2.1 enters its first alpha-quality development builds, rough plans are underway for version 3.0. This will be a very significant update, even larger than the jump to version 2.0. Please note: Paintbrush 3 is still in its initial design phase! In other words, it doesn’t exist yet beyond mockups and a rough plan. Don’t expect to hear much about this one for a long, long while, but do know that it is coming.

Rest assured, steady progress is being made on all three fronts. Now that the development team has completed a few outside obligations, expect rapid progress to be made in the near future.

In the meantime, do you have a cool idea for a new feature you’d like to see in the future? Go ahead and sound off in the comments!