If you’ve ever tried to ditch Photoshop for something free, you’ve probably landed on GIMP at some point. It’s no doubt powerful, but it’s harder to navigate than Photoshop, in my opinion, and it uses a very different workflow. So making the switch does come with a learning curve. Even before canceling my Adobe subscriptions, I’ve tried dozens of alternatives because I just love playing with graphics apps. And there is definitely more to Photoshop alternatives than GIMP.
Enter Paint.NET. It’s a rather old graphics app, but it has been consistently updated and modernized throughout the years. And it makes for the perfect Photoshop replacement. Not only is it easier to navigate than GIMP, but it’s also smaller and less resource-intensive. There’s a lot to love about this little graphics powerhouse…
GIMP was the obvious next move after leaving Photoshop
But it’s not the be-all and end-all of PS alternatives
After leaving Photoshop, GIMP was the obvious free alternative to switch my workflow to. I’ve loved it even before ditching Adobe, and knew what it was capable of. It handles layered editing, masks, composites, has a bunch of creative plugins, brushes, advanced color grading, and more. For anyone switching to a free graphics stack, GIMP usually seems like the natural next step.
But expecting it to be a complete stand-in for Photoshop isn’t smart. For starters, the interface isn’t as intuitive, so you’re going to have a steep learning curve just getting used to the navigation. And the feature set is different, too. Some tools that feel core in Photoshop are missing in GIMP, such as smart objects, AI tools, CMYK color spaces, and PSD file support. And the tools that GIMP does have, have different names or are located in different panels. GIMP is powerful, but it’s very different from Photoshop.
What is Paint.NET?
A little Photoshop alternative
Paint.NET was released back in 2004, but it’s kept up with the times. It’s a free graphics app that was originally designed to be a Microsoft Paint alternative, but has since evolved into a viable Photoshop alternative. It actually used to be open-source, too, but the developer closed access to the code some time ago.
Despite its humble beginnings and still-small size, it packs more than enough features for most image editing and design tasks. It’s not a full professional-grade Photoshop replacement, but what makes it a better alternative is that it handles the essentials more intuitively than GIMP. For anyone who wants a free, fast, and approachable editing tool without wrestling GIMP’s quirks, Paint hits the sweet spot.
What you can do with Paint.NET
It packs a punch
Paint covers the same functionality you’d expect from a modern, everyday image editor, but in a simpler and more approachable package than GIMP or Photoshop. You can work with multiple layers, apply blending modes, flip & rotate, and adjust the opacity. There’s a big collection of effects, such as blurs, noise, red eye removal, oil painting, and distortions. And the adjustment controls are plentiful, giving you complete control over the HSL.
The Selection tools are what surprised me the most. You’ve got your Rectangle and Ellipse select, and also a very capable Lasso selection tool. This makes it easy to create masks, do composites, remove backgrounds, and isolate subjects. It also has a Magic Wand tool, which is quite handy but not as accurate as the Photoshop equivalent. The Clone Stamp tool, on the other hand, is accurate and pro-level.
Then there’s also some brush and pencil options, so you can do more creative work like line art, or apply colors and textures to your images. The Text tool is definitely more decent than GIMP’s infamously bad text options. And you can use Paint as a graphic design editor with the Path, Line, and Shape tools. Furthermore, it lets you export in a wide range of formats, including the Paint format .pdn, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, GIF, WebP, and more. Paint covers most of the tasks I used Photoshop for.
Where Paint.NET falls short
It’s not quite on Photoshop’s level
The biggest downside to Paint is that you can’t edit PSD files, at least not without plugins. So transferring your Photoshop projects will be a hassle. Another thing it’s missing is AI tools. Photoshop has its issues, but one area it really shines is AI tools - I actually still miss Generative Fill, no other tool has come close. And, just like GIMP, Paint also doesn’t have smart objects.
I’m okay with these little shortcomings, though, because Paint has never marketed itself as a Photoshop-level alternative, whereas GIMP kind of does. Paint is supposed to be a simpler option.
Paint is the Photoshop alternative you didn’t know you needed
You’ll probably never find the perfect Photoshop alternative, but some options do come close. GIMP might be able to give you high-grade photo editing and graphic design capabilities, but it’s fundamentally different from Photoshop, so it won’t be a smooth transition. Paint.NET never promises to give you Photoshop-level capabilities, but it does give you the Photoshop experience in how similarly it works. That’s why I prefer it.