How to Use Paint 3D Stickers and Textures

Paint 3D stickers are small ready-made pictures you drop onto a drawing or a 3D model. Textures work the same way but cover a surface with wood, stone and similar patterns. We placed both on Windows 11 to show every button.

Where the stickers are

Click Stickers in the top bar. The right panel has three tabs along its top:

• Stickers, a grid of ready-made stickers.
• Textures, surfaces such as wood.
• Custom stickers, where you add your own pictures.

How to place a sticker

1. Open the Stickers tab and click a sticker.
2. Click and drag on the canvas or on a 3D model. The sticker appears inside a dashed box.
3. Drag the corners to resize it. Use the round handle above the box to turn it.
4. Press the tick on the right side of the box to apply it.

While the box is still active, the right panel lets you fine-tune it:

• Sticker opacity makes it fainter. It sat at 100% in our test.
• A finish list sets how shiny it looks. It was on Matte in our test.
• The rotate and flip buttons turn or mirror the sticker.

Stamp several copies

The stamp button on the left side of the box places a copy and keeps the sticker ready to use again. The app's own tip says it all: the sticker "will remain available to apply again". It is the quick way to add a row of stars or a pattern of dots.

The app also has a shortcut for this. Hold Ctrl to stamp several stickers one after another.

How to add a texture

1. Draw a 3D object. We used a cube from 3D shapes.
2. Open Stickers and click the Textures tab.
3. Pick a texture, such as wood.
4. Click and drag on the object, size the patch, and press the tick.

While you place it, the texture shows as a round patch with soft edges. Drag the corners of its box to cover more of the surface.

In the app's own words, textures "give your model a realistic surface". They work best on simple shapes. Our guide to Paint 3D 3D shapes shows how to draw them.

How to make your own sticker

There are two ways.

From a picture on your PC:

1. Open Stickers and click the Custom stickers tab.
2. Click Add sticker and choose a picture.
3. Place it like any other sticker.

From part of your picture:

1. Click Select or Magic select and pick the area.
2. In the right panel, click Make sticker.

Magic select gives a clean outline, with no box around the object. Our guide on how to remove a background in Paint 3D shows how to get a tidy cutout first.

Smoother stickers on 3D objects

Stickers and paint on 3D objects can look a little rough. There is a setting that smooths them. First set Adjust display quality to High or Ultra in Menu, then Settings. Then the smooth option in the 3D selection panel becomes available.

Ideas to try

• Label a 3D model. Put a small sticker on a box or a sign, then save a picture of it from a good angle.
• Build a surface. Cover a flat 3D shape with wood to make a table top or a floor.
• Brand your pictures. Turn your logo into a custom sticker and stamp it on each picture.
• Decorate a photo. Add stars, arrows or speech shapes to a photo for a quick social post.

Can you get more stickers?

No new sticker packs will arrive. Microsoft stopped updating Paint 3D, and what ships in the app is the whole set. You can still add as many of your own as you like through Custom stickers. A picture you drew or saved can become one, as long as Paint 3D can open it.

Be wary of sites that offer "Paint 3D sticker packs" as downloads. A plain picture file and Add sticker are all you need.

Common problems

The sticker went on in the wrong place. Press Undo and place it again. Or open History and slide back a step.

The tick and stamp buttons are gone. The sticker is probably no longer active. Press Undo if it went on wrong, or place a fresh one.

The stickers look rough on a 3D model. Turn on the smooth setting described above.

FAQ

Spotted something that does not match your screen? Email [email protected].