Paint.net - Free photo editing software

Posted on July 1, 2008 at 5:39 am

It would be a redundant statement to say that there is no shortage of image editing programs on the market. Adobe Photoshop, Ulead PhotoImpact, and the Corel Draw Graphics suite are a few of the paid programs. Then you have the free ones such as GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program) and IrfanView readily available for downloading on the Internet. There are too many to name.

One program that I believe is worth taking a look at is Paint.NET (www.getpaint.net). This is a freeware image editing program, which was built to run on top of Microsoft’s .NET platform (.NET 2.0 and higher to be specific). It is relatively easy to use, and comes with a wide array of tools.

The current release runs on either Windows XP or Vista. It is a rather light on processor and memory use; so for the Vista crowd, this may be a good choice. The installation is simple, and it will notify you if you need the .NET files in order to complete the installation.

Upon opening Paint.NET, you will have a variety of floating toolbars. There is a color wheel for coloring choices, this will probably grab your attention first. If you look at the other open toolbars, you will notice one with a group of icons on it. These are the same tools, in compact form, which you can see by clicking on the Tool button (it has a paint brush next to it).

Looking over this list, one will notice selection tools, a tool for filling objects with color (Paint Bucket), a Paintbrush tool, and a Pencil tool, among others. This is quick drop down menu for switching between image tools.

For those of us talented enough to utilize layers (e.g. not me), Paint.NET does handle layers, with the Layer menu options. We can also rotate or flatten images with the Image menu choices. That is all good an well, but for those of us that like to play around with photos, the next sections are for you.

The Adjustments menu shows the beginning of where we can make some quick, but major changes, to an image. We can use the Black and White tool, to turn a color image, in a crisp looking black and white image. We can adjust hues, contrast, brightness, and overall color levels with the other options here. If you really want to see something interesting, choose Invert Colors. This will take your picture, and turn the colors inside out. Should you have the need to create what appears to be a more historic image, there is specific selection called Sepia. The will assist in adjusting the image to a more dated appearance.

The Effects menu has a multitude of selections for playing around with a digital image. As an example, I will show you three of the Effects that Paint.NET has to offer. All of these were simply the default options, with not additional adjustments applied.

We will start with a picture of a leaf bug (Author’s Note: I am a far cry from an entomologist, and the bug looks like a leaf, hence leaf bug, tada).

We will start by applying an Oil Painting effect, located under the Artistic selection. Keep in mind that the Control+Z button combination can be your best friend when manipulating images, and Paint.NET is pretty forgiving.

Oil Painting adds some subtle blotches to the original image, and attempts to create a picture that appears to be created by oil-based brushing. Not too bad for a couple of mouse clicks, considering this may take a real artist a while longer. Let’s mash the Control+Z combination, and try something different. How about Tile Reflection, under the Distort menu selection?

I am not certain how often one would use this effect. It tried to recreate an image if it was viewed through tiled glass(?). I think that unless a project called for this type of manipulation, this in one that may be more for fun.

The third one I will throw out is the Emboss tool, located within the Stylize menu option. With this image, it gives is a pressed, fossilized look. This one could be used for specialized logos as well as other artistic work. It may also come in handy for finding small defects in an image.

Is Paint.NET the best image editing tool out there? Maybe or maybe not. Is it free and easy to use? Yes. Even if this software does not do everything you want, it can serve as a complimentary program to your set of image editing tools. Better still, you are not out any money by using it.

Technorati Tags: Paint.NET,image editing,photo editing,digital photos,image manipulation,digital image tools,freeware image software

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5 Responses to “Paint.net - Free photo editing software”

Gopinath M said on : July 1st, 2008 at 8:10 am

I love this Application. Even though it is not as powerful as Photoshop, for basic image editing it is the best application.

narendra.s.v said on : July 2nd, 2008 at 12:20 am

its reallt fabolous coz its easiest of all

rahul,via@gmail.com said on : July 21st, 2008 at 4:54 am

The current release runs on either Windows XP or Vista. It is a rather light on processor and memory use; so for the Vista crowd, this may be a good choice. The installation is simple, and it will notify you if you need the .NET files in order to complete the installation.

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