PowerPaint

Pros

• Plenty of cool features
• The program is very easy to use
• Little need for tutorials
• A ton of prefab options

Cons

• The trial version offers little
• Lacking in layer features
• It’s not as advanced as other programs

PowerPaint is an alternate to Windows Paint. It offers a lot of different features and functions and is more comparable to a lighter version of Photoshop.

What You Get with PowerPaint

Image editors have always been popular mainstays on computers. Even some of the earliest models of home computers had a basic image editor, and each new version of Windows makes improvements on its classic Paint software. Though if programs like Photoshop and GIMP have proven anything, it’s that people want programs that offer more than the basics. This is where PowerPaint earns its stripes. Billed as a Paint replacement, PowerPaint offers a full-featured editor that’s easy to use and that allows for customizable images.

Flisoft created this program and they bill it as the number-one replacement for the Paint program on the market. However, since it is a paid program and not freeware, the company’s take on its own product should not come as a surprise. So, how does PowerPaint stack up against other programs on the market? For this, we’ll need to take an in-depth look at the features.

Some Key Features of PowerPaint

One feature you will notice straight away with PowerPaint is that its interface is quite similar to Paint and other basic image editing programs. Just looking at the program, it seems rudimentary. However, once you delve into the controls, you find that there is in fact a lot going on.

For instance, not only can you edit your photos in PowerPaint in much the same way you can edit in expensive, large, resource-heavy programs like Photoshop. You can also use the basic Paint-like features and create your own drawings. You can’t combine images in layers in a straightforward way like with Photoshop. However, the tools help you navigate through your projects without having to take time out to read online tutorials or the program’s help function. So what it might lack in features, it makes up for in user-friendliness.

There are also a lot of cool prefab features offered by PowerPaint. These include: a variety of shapes, textures, halftone and graying options. Not to mention a background-fill feature that works rather well, unlike Windows Paint, which leaves you pressing the “undo” button half a dozen times.

Granted, it isn’t quite as feature-rich as some more expensive programs on the market. If you’re considering going the PowerPaint route over Photoshop, remember that --while similar in function-- programs like Photoshop are at the top of the food chain. Though if you’re after something that’s affordable and a far sight better than Paint, PowerPaint might be a good choice.

Pros

• Plenty of cool features
• The program is very easy to use
• Little need for tutorials
• A ton of prefab options

Cons

• The trial version offers little
• Lacking in layer features
• It’s not as advanced as other programs