- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows XP
- Date added: November 11, 2009
- Total Downloads: 4,893,394
- Downloads last week: 18,104
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 866 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on November 09, 2009
If all you want is a quick image retouch, Photoshop is overkill. Paint.NET, on the other hand, is an open-source freeware editor with all the essentials, including tools to crop, rotate, and resize images, adjust colors, and create collages. It supports common image formats--JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and others--but not high-resolution RAW files. There are enough basic and intermediate effects and features to keep image-tweakers happy, including a red-eye removal tool that has seen dramatic improvements. Unlike most free image editors, Paint.NET supports layers, history, and has an actions manager. The pleasing interface boasts semitransparent windows for ease of use.
Version 3.5 addresses many performance quibbles and offers some interface tweaks for the Aero-theme users, but fans of the "dancing ants" may not like the gray-overlay changes made to the selection tools. The useful tools under Effects on the menu bar have seen many additions since version 3, including surface blurs, dents, and crystalize.
The new version automatically downloads and installs the program's prerequisites, including the latest Microsoft .Net version and Windows Installer. It will update in the background now, too, so you can continue to use the program until it's ready to restart. Longtime users should notice that the program starts up about 20 percent faster, according to the publisher. Regardless of minor problems, Paint.NET is far more advanced than Microsoft Paint, and given its free price, it's a must-have for anyone needing to fix images.
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Publisher's description
From dotPDN :Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help, tutorials, and plug-ins.
What's new in this version:
Version 3.5 includes a new Windows 7/Vista interface theme, numerous performance and stability improvements, and new effects.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.2 stars out of 866 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 16 user reviewsSee all 16 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Paint.NET 3.5
Pros: Easy & Free
Cons: None that I can think of.
Summary: Fairly easy to use, especially for "us" non pro types.
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Version: Paint.NET 3.5
"its old style but still its ok"
Pros: oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Cons: hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Summary: ooooohhhhaaaaaaa
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Version: Paint.NET 3.5
"Awesome product, can't beat the price!"
Pros: This is a great photo editing program and for free, you can't beat it. The tutorials, forums and help topics make this fairly easy to use. I'm pretty much illiterate when it comes to photo editing, but I was "creating" within minutes.
Cons: Many of the tutorials are for the older version. Other than that, haven't found any other cons
Summary: Definitely worth downloading. If you don't like it, then just uninstall it.. It's free!!!!
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Paint.NET 3.5
"Life changing for free! Best software yet!"
Pros: Loads of settings and tools, especially the polar distortion setting,
Cons: I found that the new layer setting sometimes had to be opened in by ctl shift n because the dropdown woulnt respond. The help tutorials are pretty awful, I could do with a newbies guide to layering!
Summary: Overall paint is going to be part of my life in the foreseeable future as there is so many options you can lose yourself for hours developing and creating new images.
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Version: Paint.NET 3.5
"A great example of free graphics software."
Pros: Ease of use, price, versatility, stability. Haven't even gotten around to using plug ins. Been using Paint.NET along w/ Jasc-Corel PSP for years now and am rarely at a loss for accomplishing a particular goal.
Cons: eeek. Nothing of substance.
- See all 16 user reviews Write review
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