- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows XP, Windows 2000
- Date added: April 20, 2006
- Total Downloads: 3,314,678
- Downloads last week: 45,019
- See full specifications
A newer version of Paint.NET is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 848 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
If you just want to retouch images a bit, Photoshop is overkill. Check out Paint.NET, an open-source freeware editor with all the essential tools, including those for cropping, rotating, resizing, adjusting colors, and creating collages.
Paint.NET supports the most popular image formats--JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and others--but not superhigh resolution ones like RAW. However, you'll find such basic effects as Red Eye Removal, Emboss, Mosaic, and Oil Painting, and a few higher-end features such as Clone Stamp, Lasso Select, and Magic Wand. Like a full-fledged graphics package, Paint.NET even supports layers and an actions manager. The interface is very convenient, and the panels are semitransparent, so you won't need to hide them.
Version 3 fixes many old quibbles. Multiple-image editing is done through a convenient thumbnail manager in the upper-right corner of the app; blurry tool icons have been sharpened as well. Paint.NET is far better than Microsoft Paint, and given its free price, it's a no-brainer for anyone who does a lot of minor graphical tweaking.
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Publisher's description
From dotPDN :Paint.NET is image and photo manipulation software designed to be used on Windows computers. It supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. It started development at Washington State University as an undergraduate senior design project mentored by Microsoft, and is currently being maintained by some of the alumni that originally worked on it. Originally intended as a free replacement for the MS Paint software that comes with Windows, it has grown into a powerful yet simple tool for photo and image editing.
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User reviews of Paint.NET 2.61
- Average user rating: 4.2 stars out of 848 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 17 user reviewsSee all 17 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Version: Paint.NET 2.61
"excellent free paint program"
Pros: the best and the simplest painting program i used. similar interface to ms paint but with very enhanced feature that can handle most of the regular/common image task. it support layer, clone stamp, some of the most essential and important image effect. also basic tools like eraser, pencil, etc. the newest version 3.0 has even more advanced feature, like multi-window support, gradient tool and few more effects that makes it a tough player in its category.
Cons: nothing much. the system requirement might be a little high. also if you need to touch-up and manipulate image on the expert level, you may need photoshop or gimp to do the job since this app can't go that far on the level.
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: Paint.NET 2.61
"If you want a free replacement for mspaint, this is for you"
Pros: It is free but still an exellent program. You can get add-ons for it. It has cool effects such as emboss and it supports multiple layers.
Cons: It can be unstable at times. Doesn't support multiple windows.
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1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Paint.NET 2.61
Pros: Amazing, tons of features like Blur, Distort, Layers, etc. The best drawing program I have ever seen, free or paid. The best part is it is free! I use it nearly every day.
Cons: None
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Version: Paint.NET 2.61
Pros: All the functions I could ever want are in this program, plus it has a few that are just plain fun. it's not bulky and it's pretty user freindly.
Cons: You have to install Microsoft.net frame work for the program to work.
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7 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Version: Paint.NET 2.61
"Amazingly simple, easy, effective"
Pros: Where to start? This program has many cool features, including various effects, a simple "wand" to select any area that is entirely the same color, a simple RGB color chooser, and a draw-box select. But above all, it's as simple-to-use and user-friendly program as I've ever seen. Maybe a Photoshop user might not love it so much, but suffocating on Microsoft Paint as I have been, Paint.NET is a breath of fresh air.
Cons: Um... it doesn't come with a free mint when you download it? Considering that this is a free program, I can see nothing wrong with it. In a perfect world, Microsoft Paint would utterly cease to exist, and all computers would come with this program.
- See all 17 user reviews Write review
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