The Windows Starter Kit is a collection of some of the best and most essential freeware to get your new PC going. From browsers to productivity to utilities, we cover all the bases. If you're looking for the best in security freeware, check out our Security Starter Kit for all your antivirus needs. Essential utilities have earned their own kit, too: the Windows Utilities Starter Kit.
Image editors
Just as there's more to productivity than Microsoft Office, there's more to image editing than Photoshop. More, and free, too.
GIMP
- CNET editors' rating: 5.0 stars
The volunteer developers of The GIMP have developed a polished, user-friendly, and open-source image editor. Although the separated palette windows may disturb users who prefer traditional layouts, your comfort level should grow as you discover how pain-free the program is.
Comparable to Photoshop, GIMP's features include channels, layers and masks, filters and effects, tabbed palettes, editable text tools, color operations such as levels, scalable brushes, revised selection tools, full-screen editing, printing, red eye removal, perspective clone, lens distortion, and more. It even has regex-based pattern matching for power users, but also like Photoshop, it might be much more powerful than what you need. We've recommended a more basic image editor below.
Paint.NET
- CNET editors' rating: 5.0 stars
If all you want is a quick image retouch, The GIMP is overkill. Paint.NET, on the other hand, is an open-source editor with all the essentials, including tools to crop, rotate, resize images, adjust colors, and create collages. It supports common image formats but not high-resolution raw files.
There are enough basic and intermediate effects and features to keep image-tweakers happy, though the red-eye removal tool is notably weak, so those images may require manual attention. The pleasing interface boasts semitransparent windows for ease of use. Unlike most free image editors, Paint.NET supports layers and has an actions manager.
Gadwin PrintScreen
- CNET editors' rating: 4.5 stars
With sophisticated features at no cost, it's hard to reach higher than Gadwin PrintScreen. An attractive, easily navigated interface opens up a customization wonderland for users to decide default settings for shortcut key associations, capture preferences, and output.
For our purposes, the clicking and dragging region is the clear choice. Misjudge your region's dimensions and Gadwin PrintScreen lets you readjust them without having to start over, something many commercial competitors don't do. Setting the app to automatically open each screen capture in your favorite viewer or editor makes up for the program's lack of built-in image editor, still achieving a seamless screen capture experience from start to finish that grabs and delivers shots just where you want them. We've found it works seamlessly with both The GIMP and Paint.NET for smooth screen-to-edit transitions.
