Paint.Net - Alternative to Photoshop

[Mercutio]

I'm not a photoshop person. I know how to use it, I've even taught classes with it, but it's not something I use very often. My photo-editing needs more or less start and stop with a little cropping, removing red-eye and pasting Allyson Hannigan's head on the bodies of naked women.

I've been playing with Paint.NET this morning, and it seems to do pretty much everything I need a photo editing program for. It's free, small if you have .NET installed already, and it supports somewhat advanced tools like multiple layers and "magic wand" selections. It even uses most of Photoshop's keyboard shortcuts.

Kinda spiffy.

 

[Mercutio]

Aw crap. I meant to put this in the toolbox.

 

[Tannin]

Is there any dowside to installing .NET? I've managed to avoid it thus far (a) because there hasn't been any tangible benefit to it (i.e., no software I want that needs it) and (b) because most of the other Microsoft add-ins you get off Windows Update are pox-ridden carriers for nasty stuff like DRM. (Media Player and similar.)

So, is it worth installing .NET to have a look at Paint.NET? Or should I pass?

 

[Mercutio]

Well, to date I've found 3 useful programs that use .NET, and some versions of ATI's drivers require them (I don't install those versions). I haven't found that .NET hurts anything, other than being another potential way for binaries to execute on a computer.

 

[sechs]

If you applications support it, I'd suggest skipping .NET 1.0/1.1 and going straight for 2.0.

Doesn't Google have a free graphics tool?

 

[mubs]

If an app requires 1.1, will it work with 2.0 or is that something that'll have to be tested on a case by case basis?

 

[Gilbo]

Doesn't Google have a free graphics tool?

Picasa. It seems to be quite highly recommended across the net, but it is more an asset management program AFAIK, which is quite different from a Paint program like Paint.net. The former is a general purpose image editor; the latter is designed for managing, archiving, publishing and basic manipulation of photographs. Many people think Picasa is the best thing short of the expensive stuff like iView Media Pro and Photo Mechanic. However, I have never tried any one of those programs myself --stuck firmly on Linux as I now am--, and I've also seen Picasa trashed, although, for no specific reasons that I can recall. (Thank god Bibble makes, IMO, one of the best RAW converters available on all the major platforms --once again a different type of software entirely.)

ArsTechnica has a roundup of some of the big Windoze programs (asset management --not general paint). It might be worth reading (don't know haven't read it, just remembered seeing it).

On Linux, for asset management, I use DigiKam since I moved to KDE. On Gnome I used F-Spot which has become quite remarkable. It's shocking how mature much of the software on the Linux desktop is these days.

 

[Mercutio]

I'm not actually sure what Picasa does that makes it worth installing. It makes "albums", which are probably useful for someone who doesn't understand how to rename directories in Windows. Maybe. The metadata capabilities would be nifty if they could be imported and exported. But they probably can't.

I used a paid-for copy of ACDSee v3 as my picture viewer on Windows and Linux (it works just fine under WINE but it won't install on 64-bit Windows. Sniff). I manage images and metadata programmatically.

Anyway, .NET 1.1 programs may or may not work with .NET 2.0, but all the programs I can think of are .NET 2.0 programs, not 1.1.

 

[Bozo]

When installed, Picasa create folders all over the hard drive. Virtually in every program file. I had a hell of a time cleaning up the mess when I removed it. On occasion, I still find a Picasa file buried some where.
I never found a good use for Picasa either. Seems like it's a indexing service for pictures.

Bozo :mrgrn:

 

[Will Rickards]

I use picasa, even wrote a litte loader that makes it only run on one core to solve an indexing problem it had.
It does create a picasa.ini file or something like that in each folder where it indexes pictures from.

I use it to browse through my pictures and easily e-mail them.
That means it is so easy my wife, in-laws can do it once they are shown how one time.

 

[Gilbo]

In my Photoshop News RSS feed, I just noted an interview with the Paint.NET project lead Rick Brewster.

It's worth reading. Paint.NET is Free, not just free for those who care.