When comparing PhotoFiltre 7 vs Paint.NET, the Slant community recommends Paint.NET for most people. In the question“What are the best free Photoshop alternatives?” Paint.NET is ranked 5th while PhotoFiltre 7 is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose Paint.NET is:
Unlike most photo editing software, Paint.NET is simple to learn and easy to use. This means less time is spent learning the in's and out's of Paint.NET and more time on photo editing. For those who only edit photos sporadically and don't have time to invest in learning complicated tools for editing, Paint.Net will suit your needs.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Portable version
Pro Allows quick access to predefined folders
A toolbar at the top of the interface allows quick access to predefined folders that allow quick access to selections, masks, patterns.
Pro Allows adding to and substracting from selection
It's possible to add to or subtract from a selection using ctrl and alt keys.
Pro Supports masks
Masks (called PhotoMasque in PhotoFiltre) change the alpha channel based on the mask.
Pro Has an erase tool
The erase tool works like a brush revealing the bottom layer.
Pro Automatic stroke and fill option
Lets you fill in and draw an outline of a selection.
Pro Supports several layers types
PhotoFiltre supports bitmap, text, settings (gamma, contrast, hue) and color (transparency) vector types.
Pro Reasonable selection of brushes
PhotoFiltre has round, square and oblique line brushes of different sizes and allows custom shapes to be used as brushes. Gradient colors as well as effects such as 3D, pastels, charcoal can be used with brushes.
Pro Multiple selection methods
PhotoFiltre allows selecting via shapes such as rectangle (square and rounded), ellipse, triangle and rhombus, or in a free-form way. Selections can be saved to be used later.
Pro Good selection of filters available
Includes filters that allow adjusting brightness, contrast, saturation, gamma as well as stylize the image with watercolor, pastels, Indian ink, pointillism, puzzle effect filters.
Pro Easy to learn and use
Unlike most photo editing software, Paint.NET is simple to learn and easy to use. This means less time is spent learning the in's and out's of Paint.NET and more time on photo editing. For those who only edit photos sporadically and don't have time to invest in learning complicated tools for editing, Paint.Net will suit your needs.
Pro Free software
There is no charge for this software; but donations are welcomed.
Pro Lightweight
Paint.net provides a streamlined but effective core tool set. Support for advanced and niche features is provided through modular plugins, allowing the user to install only what's needed.
Pro Actively developed
The project is active and being continually expanded and refined.
Pro Active and friendly community
The forums are filled with tutorials, as well as people who are friendly and eager to help.
Pro Plugins allow extra functionality
Plugins can be made by anyone in the community, and are offered for download on the forum. They extend the capabilities of Paint.NET to cover most tasks.
Pro HiDPI support
Paint.NET supports fully HiDPI displays, with no scaling problems.
Cons
Con Some PhotoFiltre functionality is locked behind a paywall
The following features are available in PhotoFiltre Studio X:
- Animated Gif
- Vectorial Path
- PhotoPNG
- RAW Format
- 8BF Filters
- Tool Nozzles
- Tool Deform
- Tool Retouch (red eye, ...)
- Advaced and Inverse Eraser
- Perspective correction
- Horizon correction
- Border effects for layers
- Transparent gradient in Alpha Chanel
- White Balance
- Adjust filter using curves
- Deform using curve
Con Only available on Windows
Paint.NET is only available on Windows.
Con No project-based interface
You can only edit a single image at a time in Paint.NET. For example, in other tools you can open 5 or a 100 images at the same time, and stack those windows in all directions.
Furthermore, when you are editing in Paint.NET you can only "view" a single image at a time, even though you can have multiple images open. This limits your zooming ability, as the image will go fullscreen quite quickly, and hide parts of it behind the floating toolbars which can not be embedded anywhere on the screen.