Yet Another Tasty Freeware: Paint.Net

The fact that Photoshop (Adobe) has become a generic verb, like Google (as in, Google it) shows that many people are familiar with its function as image manipulation software. Its pricing, however, makes it practical only for professional use. I personally don't know anyone who has it installed on their computer for their own personal use because of the great expense involved. I do know there are many who would like to have the ability to do more with their photos/images than the basics offered by pre-installed programs like Microsoft's Paint. I know, because I'm one of them.

For us, there is Paint.net. It's not new, of course, and it's not necessarily a secret. This open-source freeware has been available for a few years and already has a substantial user base. If you're not already one of them, read on, because there just aren't many valid reasons NOT to have Paint.net handy on your computer.

While it certainly doesn't do every single thing Photoshop does, Paint.net has more than enough capabilities and features to satisfy everyone from the most basic to the more advanced users. This, coupled with the fact that it's FREE makes it a more than worthy alternative to paying hundreds of dollars for an imaging software with features you may never use. It's also a practical alternative to other freeware alternatives like GIMP, which many find more comparable to Photoshop, though many average users find the GIMP user interface difficult to learn and use.

Some that I have talked to about the generous feature set on Paint.net have been uncertain about difficulty. Truly, that's hardly an issue. Keep in mind the fact that I'm no high-toned tech geek, so when I first installed it, I used it mostly for simple photo editing. Now that I've used it for a little while, I'm learning how to make professional-looking graphic images for book cover art. Translation: If I can do it, so can you.

Now, let's talk about some of those features:

Simple User Interface shortens that pesky learning curve and gives you the confidence to explore your own creativity, actually increasing your proficiency
Impressive Tools and Effects not commonly found in free image editing freeware, like layering, unlimited undo/history, and special effects
Expansive Online Support from the Paint.net developers and an ever-growing community of basic, intermediate, and advanced users means there's always someone to turn to when you need it, and offers you the opportunity to share what you know
Timely Software Updating gives you the benefit of the developers' ongoing improvements, keeping you abreast of those changes frequently, without intrusive update alerts every single time you use Paint.net

So, here's the part where I direct you to all the info/exploration goodness. First, you need to know that it's currently available for Windows only. To date, the minimum system requirements are: Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or later), Windows Vista, or Windows Server (2003 Service Pack 1 or later). A great place to start, of course, is CNET Download.com reviews. While you're there, you can snag yourself a copy of the latest version. You can also check out the Paint.net main site, if you'd rather do that first.

While you're still here, though, here's a YouTube teaser of what Paint.net can do:



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