How to use Paint
Paint is a historical program available on Windows, completely free. Since it does not require any installation, as it is already pre-installed in the Microsoft operating system, to use it you simply need to start it, searching for it in the programs menu.
To do this, click on the button Home (the flag icon located in the lower left corner of the screen) or press the key Win keyboard. Once this is done, click on the folder Windows Accessories and scroll down the list to find Paint. Alternatively, click the icon with the symbol of a magnifying glass, which you find in the taskbar, at the bottom left, and type the term paint. From the results that are shown to you, click on the one labeled as Desktop app, to open Paint.
After starting Paint, you will find a white screen representing the area you can draw on. In reality, however, Paint can also be used to modify pre-existing images: to do this, use the menu File> Open located at the top left. Alternatively, go to the folder where the image resides, right-click on it and, in the context menu that is shown to you, select the item Modification or the voices Open with > Paint.
Now you can move on to editing your photos. The use of the program is very simple: in the bar at the top you will find three tabs, in which the Paint tools are distributed, while in the center you find the drawing area to create or modify an image.
The first tab is called Fillet and allows you to create a new drawing area (New), to open an image stored on your computer (apri), to save the project (Save) or to create a copy in a different format (Save with name). In addition, you can print the project via the printer or to a PDF file (Print) or acquire a photo from the scanner or a camera, if connected to the PC (From scanner or camera). You can also decide to send the work project via email (Send by email) or look at its characteristics (Property), to read the dpi or modify the drawing area, just to give some examples.
In the tab HomeInstead, find all the tools to edit an image or add new elements to it. In the section Instruments, find the icons to use the pencil for free design, the bucket (Fill) to color areas and the rubber to clear errors. You can also make text boxes or use the Color picker, to take the gradation of a color and use it with the paint bucket, pencil or other tools. By pressing the button paintbrushes, then, you can set the type of stroke of the tool Pencil.
In the Form, you can find predefined templates for drawing geometric shapes. You can set an outline or a fill color, respectively, via the items Boundary e Fill, which you find alongside. In the section Colors, instead, you can choose the color to set for the tools that I have previously indicated. If you want to set a color other than those proposed, press the button Change colors and choose one from the palette that is shown to you.
Also, in the section Image, you can use the tool Select to highlight areas to be copied to other projects or moved by dragging. Through the voice Wheel, you can change the orientation of the image in the drawing area. The button Resize instead, it allows you to change the resolution of an image using the values indicated by the user.
Finally, in the tab Show, you can find some features like those to edit the zoom level workspace or those to enable the grid and ruler.
Using the combination of these tools that I indicated in the previous lines, you can perform basic changes to the image or create simple drawing projects. If you want to learn more about the use of Paint, I suggest you read some of my guides that I made, such as how to overlay two images with Paint, how to crop photos with Paint or how to resize a photo with Paint.
How to use Paint 3D
Paint 3D is a Windows 10 application available for free on the Microsoft Store. This app is similar to Paint but brings with it new features, especially in the field of 3D design, and is designed to be used easily on devices with touch screens, such as Microsoft Surface. If you don't find it already installed on your computer, you can download it via the link I provided and pressing the button Get.
After starting Paint 3D, in the window that is shown to you, choose if you want to create a new project (New), open one already created or import an image saved on your computer (apri) or whether to paste an element from the clipboard (Paste).
On the main screen, you can find the drawing area in the center, while on the right there are the tools with which to interact on the image. In the upper area, on the other hand, the tools by category are collected.
In the paintbrushes, find the different types of strokes, which you can use for freehand drawing, the eraser and the bucket for automatically filling an area with a color. Then there are the sections 2D shape e 3D shape, to add predefined templates of shapes or objects to be included in your project. In the card Wall StickersInstead, you can find tools to add predefined or customized stickers to apply to the image or to a facade of a specific geometric shape.
In the Text, you can create text boxes to add captions to the image. The section Effects allows you to change the angle of projection of the light and its color. If you want to change the rotation angle of the image or its resolution, instead, you can interact with the tools in the section Drawing area. Furthermore, in Paint 3D you can import 3D models present in the database, using the button at the top 3D library. You can access many models divided by category to import into your project.
An interesting tool, which is not present in Paint but which you find in Paint 3D, is the Magic selection, which allows you to crop the element of an image to extract it from the background, a bit like the magic wand of Photoshop.
After completing the project you intend to carry out, click on the button at the top left Menu and choose the button Save or Save with name, to change the format or destination. You can also decide to print the project (Print) or share it on social networks or via email (Share). If you intend to add new elements to the project, you can use the function made available via the button Inserisci.
How to use Paint.NET
Paint.NET is a very famous software for image editing. It is distributed for free through the official website, but you can download it from the Microsoft Store for 6,99 euros, to get automatic updates and, above all, to support the development team. It is a fairly professional software that allows you to perform advanced functions that cannot be performed through Paint or Paint 3D; for example, it supports advanced tools such as layers or effects.
If you are interested in this software, please reach the link to the official website that I have previously provided you. On the home page, find the wording Download that you find in the menu bar at the top. In the new section, click Download now, in correspondence with the wording Free, then tap on the item paint.net xxx that you find at the top right to download the file .zip which contains the software.
After downloading the file, double click on it to open the Paint .NET folder and double click on the file again .exe to start the program installation. At this point, press the button Yes in the Windows User Account Control window and, in the screen that opens, select the item Rapida, then press on NEXT. Now, choose Accept and firstly your pulse NEXT to start the Paint .NET installation. At the end of the same, close the screen using the button end.
After starting the program, press the button Fillet, in the menu bar at the top, and choose the item New, to create a new project, or click on the button apri, to open an image on your computer. At this point, use the toolbar Instruments on the left to add new elements to the image or to modify those already present.
For example, you can use the Magic wand to cut out an object from the background or use the bucket pencil or the rubber to change it. The clone stamp to reproduce a portion of the image from an anchored point. At the bottom left, however, there is one palette for color selection.
In the section on the right, then, there is a box relating to chronology of the actions performed on the image, in order to go back to a previous point of the work, in case you have made some mistake, and that relating to levels image.
Through the menu bar at the top, you can access some editing tools: the tab Effects, which allows you to add effects and styles, such as the blur or the pixelation; the board Adjustments, which allows the variation of some parameters, such as brightness or the saturation, and the card Images, which allows you to apply a resizing to the image, to carry out the overturning or the rotation.
After completing the project, just click on the items Fillet > Save o Fillet > Save with name in the top left menu to save the changes made. You can also use the feature Print to print the project via the printer or to a PDF file, or you can acquire an image from connected devices, such as the scanner or camera, using the Acquire. Semplice, see?
How to use Paint
