Paint.Net for Mac – 5 Tools that Act as Alternative on macOS

Most of us know about Microsoft paint that comes bundled with the Windows operating system but what most of the users don’t know is that there is another version of Paint and is known as Paint.Net. It is developed in the Microsoft.Net framework and is an open-source managed and updated by a large community. It was developed originally by Rick Brewster as his University project. With time paint.net has evolved as a dependable graphics editor with a lot of layers, special effects and out-of-the-box tools.

The features this editor offers are at par with other image editing software like Adobe Photoshop. You cannot install Paint.net for Mac, but some alternatives can be used on Mac computers.

Features of Paint.Net

User-friendly Interface. Every component of this app is easy to understand and instinctive. You do not need any help or tutorial to learn the features. To make the navigation easy, the interface is in tabbed form, and the description of the image is presented in a thumbnail rather than text.

Responsive Editor. The paint.Net not only opens quickly but the response time is also fast on every mouse click. It is compatible use on computers with low-end processors like Atom processors.

Support Layers. Unbelievable!  But yes, paint.net supports layer-based editing of images. This advanced feature is available in premium photo-editing programs like Photoshop, and you get the same free of cost.

Handy tools. Developed as a simple drawing app, paint.net has now been updated with many powerful editing tools and special effects. The tools include eye reduction tool, image adjustment (sepia conversion) tools, clone stamp tool for erasing, magic wand, rotate or zooming, blurring, curves, hue and much more.

Online Community. It has an online forum with a large number of community members. These members contribute the latest updates and plugins to enhance the functionality of paint.net. You can also find tutorials and online support on this forum.

Unlimited Undo’s. “To err is human”. Whether you are a new or a seasoned designer, anybody can make a mistake. Unlike in other editing software where you can undo the action a limited number of times, in this tool the number of times you can undo your mistake is unlimited.

Cost. Already said, Paint.Net is absolutely an open-source application, and you need not spend a penny to download it.

5 Alternatives to Paint.net for Mac users

If you can’t afford to buy a premium photo editing software like Photoshop, you look for a feature-rich image editing software that is free. Paint.net is what most Windows users prefer as an open-source app, but it doesn’t run on Mac systems. Here we have picked the best and free alternatives for Mac systems.

1) Gimp

Gimp is a free image editor with many powerful tools to manipulate photos. It’s an open-source that is managed by a large community of contributors. You can add your own code or plugins and is free to download and distribute. So whether you are an illustrator, artist, graphics designer, scientist or photographer, Gimp offers effective tools for everybody.

Features

• Retouch and restore images beyond your imaginations.
• It has a simple User Interface that is easy to understand
• Can be used effectively with desktop publishing software
• Channel Mixer for color conversion and picture optimization
• Compact interface for tablet users to ease the use of the stylus.
• You can import and export the images in JPEG, TIFF, GIF, and PNG (supports PSD and XCF standards)
• Powerful Generic Graphics Library
• Unlike Paint.net which is developed on the Dot-Net framework, Gimp supports multiple languages like C, C++, Scheme, pearl, Python and many.
• Enhanced customization is possible due to integration with a large number of programming languages.
• Can be installed on multiple platforms like OS X, Linux, and windows
• Free Gimpshop software that is comparable to Photoshop
• Both Gimp and Gimpshop are free

2) Pinta

It is an open-source cross-platform to edit and draw images, and all the features are quite similar to paint.net. Pinta was developed by Huang in 2010 as an alternative and advanced software like Photoshop. Since then it has developed into a multi-featured image editing app with regular add-ons from its community. With a simple to use interface, it offers editing tools, special image effects, unlimited undo history and layers. Moreover, you can customize the user interface in multiple windows or can use a docked interface.

Features

• Draw any shape, freehand, squares, rectangles, lines, ellipses and much more with simple drawing tools.
• Fine-tune images with thirty-five adjustments and effects.
• It is multilingual editing software, and currently, it can be converted to 55 languages.
• It has no limit on history as long as your hard disk is not full. You can undo endless times.
• Edit various elements of the image with multiple layer features.
• Customize your workspace with floating or docked windows.
• Free of cost software.
• Add-ins to upload the final image directly to “image hosting sites”.
• The text tool can be operated by using various keyboard shortcuts.

3) Krita

Built by artists themselves, Krita is a free painting software and is open-source for contributors. Designed for artists, illustrators and the VFX industry, both amateurs and experienced artists in its features useful. While exploring more on Krita, you will find that it has, in fact, more functional features than Photoshop or Paint.Net. Let’s take a look at some of the key features of Krita.

Features

• The drawing tool consists of nine drawing assistants to help you draw straight lines, ellipses or draw points to create and edit grids.
• Friendly user interface with the option to customize your own workspace and create shortcuts to quickly access your favorite tools.
• For shaky hands, Krita provides three stabilizing tools to smoothen the brush strokes.
• You get mirroring tools directly on the toolbar, and with the multi-brush tool, you can rotate mirroring. To flip the canvas, you can use the mirror canvas tool
• You can create and customize your own brushes with the support of 9 brush engines. You can later organize these brushes with Krita’s proprietary tagging system.
• Krita allows you to import brush packs from other artists who have shared them on community resources.
• In order to organize your artwork, Krita comes with a number of layers. Krita provides three ways to view different layers.
• Supports PSD files which allow you to open your work on multiple software.
• Supports HDR images.
• Krita is free and provides you with its own training resources.

4) MyPaint

Developed in 2004 by Martin Renold, Mypaint is a simple yet lively painting app suitable for all indulged in digital painting and artwork. Apart from the basic features of Paint.net, MyPaint offers much more to experiment with on your graphics tablet. It comes with a configurable brush engine and you can be more expressive in your work by customizing the standard brushes. Mypaint offers a distraction-free experience with full-screen mode so that you focus on your paintwork rather than the tools.

Features.

• The fastest loading time of all painting and image editing software. It loads in quick time.
• Minimalistic user interface. With the customization option, you can turn menus on or off. You can also control the keyboard shortcuts as per your needs.
• Although MyPaint is a painting software you can also enjoy many image editing features including layers.
• With a single click, you can open brushes and increase the brush size with keyboard shortcuts. You can see the complete list of brushes and organize them into different categories. You can also create your own brush.
• “View dropdown menu” provides various viewing options including rotation, zooming, and much more.
• In order to make lines sharper, you can use a powerful feature named “magnetic ruler”.
• You can reverse your mistakes an unlimited number of times by Undo feature with no limits.
• MyPaint is a free and open-source app.

5) Mischief

Mischief started as an open-source sketching software. Dazzled by its astonishing features, a company dealing in visual effects has recently purchased it. It is available as a free and paid version and is compatible to use with Mac and Windows. It is light software that does not take up your system’s resources. With a simple interface, you are ready to sketch and draw paintings. The software is best for artists or painters and for those who create graphics based novels or comics.

Features

• Both Free and Paid versions are available
• Light on resources
• Infinite Canvas for maximum zoom-in and zoom-out to do image detailing
• Dropping pins on different areas of sketch or painting allow you to work on various areas and later pick the pinned portion of the image.
• The software is not compatible with Android or iOS but works well with Mac and Windows.
• A limited number of brushes are available but you can create your own brushes.
• You can save your file in multiple formats like BMP, PNG, JPEG, TIFF and more.
• Comprehensive support and training through videos and FAQs

Finally…

You can enjoy free image editing and painting software similar to Paint.net for the Mac system. All these 5 alternatives are tested by experts in graphics and art. If you have some other alternative to mention, share it in the comments section.