So when I first made the switch from Windows to macOS a few years back, one of the gripes I had and can imagine many other people having too is the absence of a stand-alone basic graphics or painting utility application. While Apple kind of pioneered such apps on personal computers with their Macintoshes shipping with, the scenario has been quite different since the last 3 decades with MacPaint seeing its last release in 1988. Today we take a look at 5 different paint app for mac; whether you are someone who has been missing MS Paint on Mac OS or just looking for a basic painting app, this list is for you.Read: Microsoft Paint for Mac 1. PreviewBefore even hopping on and suggesting a bunch of third-party apps, I wanted to shine some light on one of the most underused and under-rated native apps on Mac OS: Preview. While I was on the hunt for a paint app, Preview managed to seriously surprise me with its capabilities.To get started, open Preview and open up the image you want to edit or simply open the image with Preview directly.
Next show the Markup Toolbar by the clicking the icon shown below.Read:You can now find a whole host of editing options from simple sketching and drawing to insertion of various shapes and text and even adjusting image parameters like exposure, contrast, sharpness and a lot more. You also get the ability of adding a signature or signing your PDFs from Preview itself, image size formatting and text formatting options.Although Preview has a lot to offer, it may not be the perfect replacement for some as it does not allow you to create new image files which is its biggest setback.Quick Tip: Be sure to first make a copy of your image before editing with Preview, as it automatically saves all your changes and it could be really hard to revert back if you have already saved the image.
Paint BrushPaint Brush for Mac OS is like the perfect replica of MS paint. The app is quite bare bones and extremely easy to use, offering just the basic functions of a paint application.Unlike Preview, in this app you can create a new document and this is the first thing you are greeted with, on opening the application and you can state the size of your canvas. It offers all the basic functionalities just as MS paint like pencil, colour fill, shapes, text, magnification and also a colour picker tool which comes in very handy. It also supports most image formats including JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF and GIF.Paint Brush is also very fast to open and get work done with and will be perfect for doing some small editing or painting stuff in a jiffy.Price: FreeLink: 3. SeashoreSeashore is a free, open-source paint application for Mac OS built entirely in Cocoa. While the UI might seem a little dated, the app has a lot of tricks up its sleeves which makes it an upgrade to Preview or Paint Brush.SeaShore introduces the concept of layers, just like you have in Photoshop.
Classic MS Paint in the browser, with extra features. Winter Update 2019-12-20 Winter Theme. A new UI skin is available, under Extras Themes Winter, featuring winter and holiday icons, festive fonts, and a palette with seasonal colors and peppermint patterns. Download Paint 3D - Create, customize, share or print your doodles and drawings, both in 2D and 3D, with the help of this new version of the popular Microsoft Paint application.
The layers work like sheets of acetate stacked upon each other and the transparent areas allow you to see through to the underbidding layers. This allows you to create different layers for different effects and adjusting the effects separately or deleting them separately, thus providing easy management.Seashore has a nifty gradient tool where you can specify the direction and strength of the gradient. Some other features include alpha channel editing, texts with sub pixel rendering and textures. Read:Quick Tip: Another free and open source alternative is, which is also cross platform and an exact clone of Paint.NET on Windows.Price: FreeLink: 4. MS Paint using Wine or Play On MacIf you didn’t know, is an awesome and efficient way to run native Windows applications on your Mac and the best part about it is that unlike Bootcamp or VM installations, it does not require a windows license and does not add that overhead.The setup process can be a little tedious, but it is definitely rewarding as you can run most of your Windows apps on your Mac. Play On Mac is a third party tool built on Wine, which we recommend for installing Windows applications on Mac OS. Just download Play On Mac and all the dependencies required for Wine and then you should be able to install any Windows app of your choice.
Open PDF Screenshot in MS Paint: Finally, Launch Microsoft Paint on your windows computer and click on the 'Edit' button on the top and select 'Paste', you can also use the 'Ctrl + V' shortcut to paste the image in paint. After making required changes to the PDF file, you can save the image using the 'Ctrl + S' command from your Keyboard.
To install Paint, go to Install Apps Graphics Paint and hit download. MS Paint should be installed on your computer and it works just as good on any Windows PC.Quick Tip: Although Wine is much less intensive or involving than Bootcamp or a virtual machine running Windows, it still takes up a lot of space with its dependencies and adds overhead.
So we recommend this method if you are someone who is planning on using more Windows apps on your Mac or just cannot do without MS Paint.Price: FreeLink: 5. PixelmatorWhile MS Paint is mostly about simplicity, it doesn’t hurt to include a feature packed app for all the power users out there. As I said, by no means should Pixelmator be considered a basic app as it is far from that, having a boatload of options, effects and features.Pixelmator also offers layers with the option of layer styles presets where you can either use a predefined preset or save your own custom style preset. It also has retouching tools, colour correction tools and a real-time effects machine along with all the drawing and brushing tools. It even sports iCloud support and the ability to publish your pictures directly to social media.What makes Pixelmator stand out from all the other professional graphic utility apps, is its flexibility; while it does have a lot of features, one can also just use the brush or pencil tools to doodle anything just as they would in any other paint app. The app is not at all overwhelming even for a beginner and strikes a perfect balance between simplicity and productivity.
If you do not mind spending $30, Pixelmator is a keeper.Price: $29.99Link: Wrapping Up: Microsoft Paint for MacMac OS doesn’t come with any paint app but that doesn’t mean that there is a dearth of paint apps on Mac and it is quite the opposite. But before downloading any third party app, we highly recommend checking out Preview and checking whether it fulfills all your needs or not. Paint Brush is an awesome simple and easy to use paint application while Seashore is slightly more complex with the addition of layers.Pixelmator is one heck of an app with all its features, but it is very flexible and you can use it as an MS paint replacement to a cheaper Photoshop alternative. And last but not least, if you need to use a lot of Windows apps, Wine is your best bet to get MS paint running on your Mac. So this was our list of the Microsoft Paint for Mac. Which one do you use daily or did we miss yours?
Let us know in the comments below.
Last Updated: October 26, 2018Neither Paint or Paint 3D for Mac exist as Microsoft never released it on macOS but there are some excellent alternatives n 2018.If you’ve switched from PC to Mac, it might seem strange that there’s no default drawing program with macOS. When Macs were first released in 1984, they actually included which came before Microsoft launched MS Paint shortly after in 1985.However, Apple quietly dropped MacPaint from later versions of OS X and macOS, leaving Mac users with no equivalent version of Paint on Mac anymore. Quick Navigation.is a bitmap editor and drawing tool built specifically for Mac users. Patina is an elegant equivalent to Microsoft Paint on Mac which is aimed at those that want something stylish, powerful but simple like MS Paint. For the very modest fee of $2.99, you basically get a better version of MS Paint but with all the same features and more besides.
Patina is extremely easy to use and has a more macOS style interface than most other Microsoft Paint alternatives on Mac that we’ve tried.What we really like about Patina compared to other Paint apps on Mac is that it keeps things very simple and easy. There are no layers or tools to edit specific objects – in fact there are very few toolbars or pallets at all – it’s all about paintbrushes, colors and drawing.
The brush strokes on the canvas in particular are fast, smooth and feel very realistic. Patina is ideal for sketching ideas, drawing diagrams, illustrating a concept or just doodling. It’s also pretty good for image editing. You can crop, rotate and resize images, add arrows, open and import PSD files, PDF, AI and PS files. You can save images with a transparent background and simply drag and drop images onto the canvas for editing.Importantly for Mac users, unlike many Paint equivalents on Mac, Patina is regularly updated to be compatible with the latest versions of macOS including El Capitan, Sierra and High Sierra. This in itself is worth paying a few dollars for because although most similar Paint apps for Mac are either free or open source meaning the developer doesn’t often update them when there’s a new release of OS X and they end up not working anymore. This is what happened to Paintbrush (see review below) which used to be the best alternative to Microsoft Paint on Mac but now doesn’t work properly with OS X 10.11 El Capitan or macOS 10.12 Sierra or 10.13 High Sierra.
Patina works with all versions of OS X from 10.8 Mountain Lion and above and we’ve had no problems with it in the latest versions of macOS.To learn more about exactly what Patina can and can’t do, check out the. For Mac used to be the best alternative to Paint for Mac and is completely free.
However, after the release of OS X El Capitan, it is no longer stable and so it’s only a good option if you’re working on OS X 10.10 Yosemite or lower. As soon as you open Paintbrush, you’ll notice that it features a very similar interface to the classic version of MS Paint with the same kind of color palette and paintbrush tools.You can open and save most image formats in Paintbrush including BMP, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, and GIF images. You can import transparent images although only those that support an alpha channel in PNGs and GIF format. You can also cut and paste images from other applications such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite and OS X Preview. The latest version of Paintbrush for Mac also supports for the selection tool i.e.
The ability to select an object and distinguish it from the background with a dotted-line border. Other useful tools included in Paintbrush include Airbrush, Rounded Rectangle, Eyedropper, and Zoom. You can also of course resize images or the canvas and zoom into images to edit individual pixels like on Microsoft Paint.The biggest problem however with Paintbrush is that it isn’t updated very often. The last update was in 2015 and we’ve noticed it doesn’t work well with El Capitan or above. Note that if you’re still using OS X Tiger or lower, you can download an.
But if you’re on an older version of OS X than El Capitan and don’t want to pay a dime, Paintbrush is definitely worth trying. If you need a basic, streamlined image editor for Mac that can satisfy your need to doodle, entertain the kids, quickly crop a photo or image or add some text to an image, Paintbrush is still a very good equivalent to MS Paint. (formerly known as Paint 2) is a free, easy-to-use drawing tool. However, it’s important to note that although Paint S is free, you’ll have to upgrade to in order to get anything like the tools and features that are in Microsoft Paint.Paint S allows you to draw simple pictures or edit your existing photos. Paint S can open and save images in TIFF, JPEG, PNG and BMP and features all the standard tools you get in Microsoft Paint such as sketch, crop, rotate and scale images.There’s also a fill tool, eyedropper and tools for creating lines, curves, rectangle, eclipses and add text including even curved texts. Alpha transparency is supported as is adding shadows, gradients and reflections.
You can add a grid and rulers to sketches and cut and paste from other apps including Microsoft Office, Safari, Pages etc.Most of these features however are exclusive to the Pro version and although the basic Paint S is free from the Mac App Store, you’ll need to download to upgrade and get a genuine alternative to Paint. Paint Pro unlocks all features, including Layers which allow you to superimpose several different types of image or annotations.Overall, Paint S is too limited to be at the same level as MS Paint but Paint Pro is pretty good and is one of the few Paint style apps on Mac that also handles layers.The great thing about is that it is included in macOS so there’s no need to download anything. What many Mac users don’t realize is that it also has a basic drawing tool which is similar to MS Paint. To access it, either click on Preview in your Dock or search for “Preview” in Spotlight.Open an image in Preview bu going to “File” and then “Open”. We advise making a copy or duplicate of your image first before editing as Preview doesn’t add layers – it edits the image directly and any edits can’t be undone after Saving.
When Preview is open, simply click on the Markup Toolbar icon at the top of the interface. When you click on the Markup Toolbar icon, you’ll see the available tools in a toolbar that appears across the top of the interface.The range of tools available in Preview is pretty good including a rectangular, elliptical, lasso and smart lasso selector that allow you to cut out objects or items in images. The smart lasso for example can automatically detect borders in images as you guide it around thus allowing you to isolate or edit specific objects.
One other neat feature is the ability to add your signature to a document or image using your Trackpad or via your Mac’s iSight camera. Just click on the signature symbol to automatically open the signature tool and select whether you want to add a signature via Trackpad or iSight.Meanwhile the Sketch tool allows you to draw freehand lines and spray-paint colors and the shapes tool allows you to add rectangles, lines, circles and ovals. If you draw shapes but haven’t got a steady hand, Preview will even adjust standard shapes such as ovals to make them rounder and more accurate. There are also tools for adding text, changing fonts, a color palette, adjusting image size, resolution, crop and rotate and image.OS X Preview is a really useful tool for all sorts of basic image editing, adjusting and of course, drawing and painting. It doesn’t do much beyond that however but if you want a very basic drawing app without downloading anything, it does the job.Finally, if you want something really fancy, check out. Pixelmator is like a deluxe version of MS Paint and is aimed at those that want a powerful image editing and drawing tool but it can also be easily used like MS Paint for doodling and simple drawings. Pixelmator is made specifically for Mac users and utilizes all the latest technologies and capabilities of OS X to produce fast, professional and powerful image editing and drawing tools.
It’s already been to take advantage of the new Touch Bars in the allowing you to edit images without even touching your Trackpad.If you need Vector tools and Layers, it’s all there and more in Pixelmator for Mac. There’s far more than the average Microsoft Paint user needs in Pixelmator such as CMYX Proofing, RAW files, 16-bit support and integration with OpenCL, Core Image and it’s built on 64 bit architecture. Pixelmator also supports the widest range of formats in any Paint like program on Mac you’ll find including SD, TIFF, JPEG, PNG and PDF.If you just want to doodle or draw, there’s a toolbox packed with tools that feel ultra realistic when making brush strokes or drawing lines. You can even change the hardness of brushes and blending modes. If it’s image editing you’re after, Pixelmator makes it extremely easy to touch-up images whether it’s removing scratches, cloning objects or people, or just blur or sharpen specific elements in images. There are also 160 special effects to have fun with and breathe new life into images and photos.Finally, you can also share images instantly to social networks and email or export them to OS X Photos, Photoshop or iCloud if you want to show-off your creations instantly.Although $30 is a lot for an alternative to MS Paint on Mac, it’s actually very good value for money in terms of what you get in one design tool.
Pixelmator is so good in fact that it was voted in 2011. Many of the things you can do in Adobe Photoshop for example, you can do in Pixelmator for a fraction of the cost and there’s no monthly subscription like with Adobe Creative Cloud products. Since it’s focused only on Mac too, Pixelmator is also frequently and quickly updated to be compatible with the latest versions of OS X including OS X 10.12 Sierra.If you want something for more than just doodling, and especially if you want a powerful image editor without paying big bucks, Pixelmator is the best image editing and drawing application for Mac for the money. How To Run Paint 3D On MacMicrosoft Paint is no longer just the simple doodling app of old. Nowadays with the new Microsoft Surface, MS Paint has evolved into the sophisticated drawing application Paint 3D that even allows you to draw in 3D with the.
In this respect, only Pixelmator comes close as a replacement for the latest version of Microsoft Paint on Mac although most users probably aren’t looking for something as advanced as 3D and 2D drawings.The good news is that Paint 3D is free in Windows 10 and if none of these Paint alternatives will do, you can also run it on your Mac for free. Nowadays you can run Windows 10 on Mac for free because Microsoft no longer require users to activate it with a Product Key in order to keep using it. Paint 3D is included free with Windows 10 meaning you can use it for free on your Mac and doodle to your heart’s content.To start using Paint 3D on Mac in just a matter of minutes, just follow these instructions how to. ConclusionWe hope we’ve shown you that you can easily live without Microsoft Paint and Paint 3D on Mac and even get something much better in the case of. Paintbrush used to be the go-to Paint utility for Mac users looking for a Paint alternative although since it no longer works on the latest versions of macOS, it’s no longer an option for many Mac users and you’re much better off going for.
If you just want something really basic and free, is worth checking out although you really need to upgrade to to make it a genuine alternative to MS Paint. Finally, Preview in macOS is often overlooked when it comes to drawing and image editing and you might find that the alternative to Microsoft Paint on Mac you’ve been looking for, is already under your nose.If you have any comments, experiences or suggestions about the apps featured here or Mac paint or drawing apps, let us know in the comments below.