Can anybody recommend a simple and lightweight image editor?
I use GIMP for serious editing, but it takes a long time to load and is a heavy resource user.
For much editing, I would prefer a more streamlined tool.
I currently use PAINT which comes with Windows, but the cursor in the Windows 10 version is huge and blocks too much of the image. Because I cannot use Windows 7 forever, I would like something similar I can download and install.
The functionality I need:
Open and save PNG file format
the ability to paste a screenshot from the clipboard
undo
flood fill
the ability to switch between flood fill and drawing lines using the keyboard
two colors selected by use of either the left or right mouse button
and most important, the ability to draw single-pixel wide horizontal and vertical lines. In particular, the ability to constrain a straight line in the horizontal or vertical direction
Absolutely, Photopea is a fantastic suggestion for a lightweight and user-friendly image editor. It’s a web-based photo and graphics editor, serving a variety of purposes such as image editing, illustration, web design, and converting between different image formats. Being a web application, it’s incredibly light on system resources and is compatible with all modern web browsers, including Opera, Edge, Chrome, and Firefox.
If there’s interest or a need for more in-depth knowledge on using Photopea, I’d be happy to put together a class or tutorial for members who don’t require the full suite of a design program.
For those considering a paid option, my go-to recommendation that’s not Adobe is Affinity. They’re currently running a Black Friday Sale, and it’s an excellent opportunity to grab their entire bundle for under $100. Affinity offers a unique model where you buy the software once, and it’s yours for life, including updates for a substantial period. The bundle includes Affinity Designer 2 (similar to Illustrator), Affinity Photo 2 (like Photoshop), and Affinity Publisher 2 (comparable to InDesign). If you don’t need all of them, you can also opt for Affinity Photo 2 alone, which is priced at around $40 or $50.
You can check out the deals at Creative Software For Professionals | We Are Affinity. Given its usability and low system resource requirements, Photopea would be my top pick for the best option in your case. I’m actually picking up the new version of Affinity myself during this sale, so it’s a great time to invest in powerful and cost-effective design software!
my Windows 10 machine is a netbook with limited memory; it is running the 32-bit Windows
I prefer not using anything cloud or web-based
Krita does not appear to be small and fast. I did not go any further than read their web page.
Paint.NET is currently 64-bit only. An attempt to get an older version went down with a nondescript error message.
I searched further and found PhotoScape. It failed on two counts: no single pixel wide lines and no flood fill.
As a last resort, I found and downloaded the Windows XP version of Paint. It works and is usable; its cursor is huge like the Windows 10 version, but it does not block the view of the underlying image as badly.
I am trying to find and download a 32-bit Windows Paint.
