Alternative to MS Paint

Topic

New Reply

I would like to find an alternative to MS Paint.

I really like the simplicity of MS Paint. And it is a powerful graphics editor.

The one thing I don’t like about it is that once you’re finished working on an “object”, and you then click on another part of the screen, that object ceases to be an object; it becomes simply a group of pixels. For example, if I create a text box and type some text, once I do anything else, I can’t go back and change the text; I have to start over from scratch. Or if I put a box around something and then do something else, I can’t come back to that box and change the color or the size.

Does anyone know of an MS Paint clone which has the feature I’ve described?

Thanks.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

Reply | Quote

Replies

I read somewhere that paint.net had malware/pups in it but I don’t know whether that’s true or not now. The Gimp is a hardcore app – the equivalent of Photoshop, so that would be way more than Paint. I have downloaded and used Photophiltre (probably v6) and that is better than Paint but without the complexity of the Gimp (which is also free).

Just give the freebies a whirl and see what you think.

Hopefully somebody can show I’m wrong about paint.net as well….

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

Reply | Quote

Hey Y’all,

Personally, I like and use Paint.net as its basic operation is just like paint. Of course it does much more but it will seem very familiar. I haven’t had any problems w/PUPs but then again I have a lot of things to catch them and I can’t remember if that was so w/Paint.net or not.

HTH :cheers:

Happy 2016 :fanfare:

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

Reply | Quote

I was just offered an update to version 4.0.7 and it didn’t install, error in decompressing a file. I did get it from Majorgeeks as a .zip file.

More: looks like it is an installer file and will download and install a new .NET Framework version, 4.6.1.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

Reply | Quote

I just installed Paint.Net 4.0.7 downloading from the web site. Installed just fine. Never had any additional software with the install. Note: .NET 4.6 is required and will install if not present.

I find Paint.Net to be very powerful but easy to use.

Joe

--Joe

Reply | Quote

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

I will download paint.net in the next day or so and give it a whirl. I’ll post my findings here.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

Reply | Quote

I stand corrected on paint.net. Maybe I’ll try it now!

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

Reply | Quote

I stand corrected on paint.net. Maybe I’ll try it now!

I use Paint.Net and have used it for years. It works great and it is simple to use. As with every download, where you download it from and watch what you download it with, but I don’t recall ever having to be especially careful with piggyback downloads. My AV detects PUPs and it has never complained about Paint.Net.

I will also add that having bought a new laptop around a month ago and clean installed Windows 8.1 in my old desktop, I installed Paint.Net in both and had zero issues. I can surely vouch for it.

Reply | Quote

You may want to consider Adobe Photoshop CS2. I know, I know, it’s old (so’s MS Paint )… but it’s still eminently usable and has a huge amount of info, tips, how to’s, etc. out there on the internet.

Plus it’s been free from Adobe for a while now. Just follow this link and get an Adobe ID. Or have a look at this article for more info. In fact, you can download the full Creative Suite 2 if you want.

I’ve used it on Windows 7, have never tried it on Windows 8.x, and have just installed it on Windows 10 to check it works… it does.
43071-cs2
Click to enlarge

Hope this helps…

Reply | Quote

Here’s an update to my original post above:

I downloaded Paint.net and attempted to install it. However, it told me that it needed to connect to the internet during the install, so I figured I should do a backup first. I had an issue with my current backup software (Seagate DiscWizard), so I downloaded a trial copy of Macrium Reflect Home and did a backup. Later on, when the backup completed, I tried once again to install Paint.net. But, unaware to me, my computer had dropped its internet connection. THE PAINT.NET INSTALL WOULD NOT PROCEED WITHOUT BEING CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET! I rebooted the computer, and I was back on the internet.

I always get a bit leery when I am forced to be connected to the internet in order for me to even start an install, so I went back on the paint.net website, to try to find a previous version. If you click on the “Roadmap” tab at the top of the page, it shows you a complete history of every version of paint.net, with download links by some of the versions, so I figured I could download and install a previous version of the program. But all of the download links bring you to the download page, where the only option you have is to download the current version.

I plan on installing the current version in the next day or so. But I wanted to give an update to how it has gone so far.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

Reply | Quote

Hi Jim, I just tried the latest download in a new VM and found the installer for Paint.NET itself was self-contained but then had to go online to download the additional .NET Framework 4.6.1 installer. Perhaps this is the online activity you saw happening?

43108-paintNET
Click to enlarge

Hope this helps…

Reply | Quote

Paint.Net now requires .NET 4.6 or higher. If the installer determines that the required version of .NET is not available it will download and install it. Thus the need for the Internet connection.

Joe

--Joe

Reply | Quote

Rick and Joe, I’m sure you are right. I have .NET 4.5 currently installed.

It just makes me uncomfortable when a software installer tells me right up front that it can’t proceed because I don’t have an internet connection. It would be nice if it would at least get to step 1 or 2 in the process before telling me that.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

Reply | Quote

Rick and Joe, I’m sure you are right. I have .NET 4.5 currently installed.

It just makes me uncomfortable when a software installer tells me right up front that it can’t proceed because I don’t have an internet connection. It would be nice if it would at least get to step 1 or 2 in the process before telling me that.

Paint.NET itself is only 6.6MB while .NET Framework is a 1.6MB Web installer, probably much larger which what a lot of software is doing now-a-days.
http://www.getpaint.net/download.html
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=49981
My Paint.NET Folder is 55MB but shows size on disk as 35MB so parts must be compressed, didn’t need to check any further.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

Reply | Quote

The free version of Artweaver is well worth looking at as a (superior) replacement for MSPaint

http://www.artweaver.de/en/features

Download: http://www.artweaver.de/en/download/artweaverfree

Cheers, Chris

Reply | Quote

My tool of choice is Faststone Capture http://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm. It’s now shareware, but I have used the freeware version 5.3 successfully for some years. It may still may be available somewhere. I tried paint.net and other but always came back to FS Capture, in part because it works the same as the editing portion of the still free FastStone Image Viewer.

Reply | Quote

I use Photophiltre a lot.

Does lots of things – all well, and super easy.

Totally free.

Reply | Quote