Adding effects to your photos such as making them black and white or giving them an oil painting or sepia look is fun and creative.
Programs like the free photo management and editing tool – Paint.net include lots of effects you can use to be more creative with your photos.
To use Paint.net you’ll need to install it so click here to download it. Once downloaded, double click the zip file to extract the installation program and then double click to run it and wait as it installs. Paint.net runs on Windows XP, Vista, 7 & 8.
Once installed, launch paint.net and open a photo by choosing File > Open and select the photo in your My Pictures folder to work with.
It is best to save a copy of the image at this time so you won’t damage the original. To do this choose File > Save As and add the word _edited to the end of the file name and click Save. Click OK if the Save Configuration dialog appears. You are now working with a copy of your photo. To save the changes to the photo – assuming you have previously saved a copy of it – choose File > Save, otherwise choose File > Save As and give the photo a new name so you won’t overwrite the original.
It is best to save a copy of the image at this time so you won’t damage the original. To do this choose File > Save As and add the word _edited to the end of the file name and click Save. Click OK if the Save Configuration dialog appears. You are now working with a copy of your photo. To save the changes to the photo – assuming you have previously saved a copy of it – choose File > Save, otherwise choose File > Save As and give the photo a new name so you won’t overwrite the original.
The effects that you can apply to an image are located in the Adjustments and Effects menus. So, to make an image black and white, click Adjustments > Black and White. You can undo this effect, or any other effect that you have applied, by choosing Edit > Undo.
To apply an old style sepia tone to the photo, choose Adjustments > Sepia.
You can also make your photo look as if it were a painting using an artistic filter. To do this, choose Effects > Artistic > Oil Painting. The image will be converted to an oil painting and sliders for Brush size and Coarseness will appear. Adjust the sliders to fine tune the image and click OK when you are done.
