Skip to main content

Paint for Mac doesn’t exist, but here are some great alternatives

Since 1985, Windows has always shipped with a basic image-editing program: Paint. There is no paint for Mac, though, even if you're running the latest version. Apple removed MacPaint long ago.

However, Apple's default app for opening images, PDFs, and other files -- called Preview -- comes close. It doesn't mirror Microsoft Paint, but it has a few editing tools, like drawing, adding text, and inserting shapes. Most people don’t know these features exist because they’re hidden behind a button they never think to click.

Keep in mind that Preview doesn't allow you to create new artwork from scratch like Microsoft's Paint -- there's no blank canvas. These tools are more for annotating and highlighting photos and other files rather than creating new pieces of artwork.

Read on to find out how to enable the paint features hidden on your Mac. We’ll also go over how to use the built-in tools, and if you’re looking for something simpler, we’ll go over one-for-one Paint replacements you can download.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

  • Preview on Mac

Note: The screenshots provided below are based on MacOS Big Sur. All the functions are still the same, but the presentation is slightly different. We also used MacOS in Dark Mode -- and a fluffy kitten.

Finding the hidden tools in Preview

Use Finder to locate the image you want to edit in Preview.

Step 1: If the image only appears in the Photos app, right-click on the photo, select Edit With on the pop-up menu, then click Preview.

Step 2: With the Preview app open, click the Markup button resembling the tip of a pen inside a circle. As shown below, it’s located immediately left of the search field. This button displays the Markup Toolbar.

MacOS Preview Show Markup Toolbar
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Step 3: If all you want is to quickly draw on your image, click the Pencil icon and get to it. Changes are saved as you go, so if you want to keep the original image intact, consider making a copy of the image to edit before diving in.

Cursor tools

The other tools should be fairly obvious if you’ve ever used an image-editing app. However, read on for a quick rundown of each tool, starting from the left.

Step 1: Selection Tools is the first tool on the left. It controls what mode your cursor is in, with four individual options. Here, you can select a portion of the image to move or edit. There’s the standard rectangle for selecting an area, along with an elliptical selection tool. Two additional lasso tools cling to shapes as you select an area.

MacOS Preview Rectangular Selection
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Step 2: Next, the Instant Alpha tool lets you click an area of the image to “magically” select an entire region of a similar color.

Step 3: The Sketch tool allows you to draw freehand. If all you want is to quickly draw something on top of your existing image, Sketch is what you want. Preview will even automatically tidy up your sketch.

For example, if you attempt to freehand a circle, the application automatically smooths the curve. A rough circle like the image below ...

MacOS Preview Sketch Tool Raw
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Step 4: … quickly becomes smooth, as shown below. If you don’t like the correction, an option to eradicate it appears in the bottom-left corner.

MacOS Preview Sketch Tool Fixed
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Step 5: Keep in mind that Sketch is different than Draw in that it automatically corrects lines unless you select otherwise — Draw doesn’t do that. Sketch also doesn’t register varying line widths. Draw, on the other hand, relies on a Force Touch trackpad to capture various stroke widths.

Insert shape and edit tools

The next button group mostly relates to adding specific shapes and text. It also includes the ability to resize photos.

Step 1: The Shapes tool lets you add shapes — rectangles, circles, speech bubbles, and stars — directly to an image.

MacOS Preview Create Shape
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Step 2: There’s also a magnifying feature called Loupe to zoom in on something specific. Adjust the overall size using the blue handle and the magnification using the green handle.

MacOS Preview Loupe Tool
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Step 3: The Text tool inserts a text box to the center of your image. You can type whatever you want, then move the text box to its desired location. Font and color choices are handled with the Text Style tool on the right-hand side of the toolbar. You can set the font, size, color, and alignment of the current text box or the next text box.

MacOS Preview Add Text
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Step 4: The Signature tool lets you insert a previously-saved signature.

Step 5: The Adjust Color tool brings up a panel to change the contrast, saturation levels, and so on. Experienced designers will know what to do here, but everyone else could do worse than hitting Auto Levels and seeing if they like the results.

MacOS Preview Adjust Color
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Step 6: The Adjust Size tool lets you change the size of the image using a menu.

MacOS Preview Adjust Size
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Style and color toggles

The final section of the toolbar lets you set the thickness, colors, and fonts used by the tools we previously outlined. These tools are used before or while editing sketches and shapes.

Step 1: The Shape Style tool lets you choose the thickness of lines created by other tools. You can also use it to add a variety of textures and add a drop shadow.

MacOS Preview Shape Style
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Step 2: The Border Color tool, shown below, lets you set an outline color for the current shape or the next shape you create.

Step 3: The Fill Color tool, set to the right of the Border Color tool, lets you set a shade for the inside of your current shape or the next one you create.

MacOS Preview Border Color
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends
MacOS Preview Crop Image
Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Menu bar

That’s it for the Markup Toolbar. You’ll notice a few features are missing, such as options that allow you to crop and rotate an image.

You can find these options by clicking Tools on the menu bar. You’ll also see most of the Markup Toolbar functions listed under Annotate on the Tools drop-down menu.

Paint alternatives for Mac

Of course, some people might find Preview’s hidden photo editor to be too complicated, especially if you’re a Windows transplant. You might want something simpler and a bit more familiar.

If you truly desire a stripped-down version of Paint, we recommend taking a look at Paintbrush. This simplistic editor shares the same abilities as Paint and performs them in about the same fashion.

Patina is a great Paint alternative if you don’t mind spending three dollars to receive comparable features paired with a wider scope. For what you get out of the app, the cost is just a drop in the bucket, so we think it’s a fair price for Patina.

Paintbrush and Patina are extremely similar to Microsoft’s classic Paint application. Both apps will take some practice before you’ll be able to use them effortlessly. We compare the learning time to the functions in Preview, which becomes easy to use once you give each tool a try.

No matter what app you decide to play around with, you’ll be able to learn it quickly and find it to be a fun way to be creative. Whether you recently switched to a Mac computer or laptop, or you’ve been reminiscing about your childhood Paint adventures, you can’t go wrong with any of these creative apps.

Before you spend any money on a different type of Paint app, we suggest that you give Preview a try because though it seems like a simple app, it has a lot to offer. Preview includes a great variety of features that might help you do all of the creative work you want.

Editors' Recommendations

Justin Pot
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Justin's always had a passion for trying out new software, asking questions, and explaining things – tech journalism is the…
Which iMac should you buy? Here’s our guide to picking a new Apple all-in-one
Apple has powered up its iMac lineup, but which one should you opt for?
An Apple iMac running business software.

The iMac doesn't get a lot of attention at press keynotes or investor calls. In fact, Apple rarely gives it much attention at all. But for those looking for a clean all-in-one desktop setup, it's a tried-and-true classic.

The best part? With its recent bump in specs and internal components, the iMac is now powerful enough to be a creative workhorse again. Between all the different options and configurations, though, it can be tough to know where to start. Here's our guide to choosing the right iMac for you.
The new 4K and 5K options

Read more
Tim Cook doesn’t believe customers want MacOS and iOS combined
top tech stories 2 21 2016 tim cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook believes that MacOS and iOS should remain as separate operating systems, and never merged as a single platform. He expressed this view in an interview after a recent event in Chicago, saying the company has no desire to "water down" either platform for a unified experience. Why? Because each platform is exceptional in their target devices. 
"Both [the Mac and iPad] are incredible. One of the reasons that both of them are incredible is because we pushed them to do what they do well. And if you begin to merge the two ... you begin to make trade-offs and compromises," he said. 
Of course, with just one operating system to rule all Apple devices, the company would be more efficient, he acknowledged. But Apple isn't targeting efficiency, but rather what customers want out of their devices, whether it’s the new iPhone X or the MacBook Air. According to Cook, Apple wants to empower customers with the hardware they want for expressing their creativity, expressing their feelings, or changing the world. 
"This merger thing that some folks are fixated on, I don't think that's what users want," he added. 
Cook may be indirectly referring to rumors hinting to a unified platform across all Apple devices codenamed as Marzipan. But Apple isn't shooting for a one-OS-fits-all-devices solution. Instead, the move is something akin to Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform for Windows 10. A single app should work across all Apple devices no matter the underlying hardware and Apple-based operating system. 
Currently, developers must generate separate apps for MacOS and iOS, and right now, they appear more inclined to develop for iOS than MacOS. Just look at the Mac App Store's seemingly barren state, which is devoid of popular apps like Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and Hulu. Yet now developers are reportedly able to create a single app that works on both platforms while supporting touchscreens, trackpads, keyboard, and mice in the process. 
Will this "universal app platform" be what developers need to provide Mac owners a better app experience? Time will tell. Twitter pulled the plug on its Mac-based app in February, stating that Mac owners can get the “full” Twitter experience using their web browser. Meanwhile, Twitter’s app still remains on the App Store for iOS, Google Play for Android, and the Microsoft Store for Windows 10. 
Cook's view on a MacOS/iOS merger is similar to Google's take on Chrome OS and Android. The move seems imminent given Chrome OS now supports Google Play and Android apps. But according to Senior Vice President of Android, Chrome OS, and Play Hiroshi Lockheimer, merging just doesn't make sense. 
“I think we’re very fortunate as a company to have two very successful platforms each in their own way and in their own segments,” Lockheimer said in late 2016. “For us, there’s no point in merging them. They’re both successful. We just want to make sure both sides benefit from each other, so that’s why we brought Google Play from Android over to Chrome OS.”  

Read more
The MacBook Air doesn’t need a price cut, it needs a redesign
new macbook wishlist 2018 air ports

A new report from a reliable source has indicated Apple is looking to release a cheaper MacBook Air later this year. Obviously, we don't know the specifics yet, but it's an interesting report, especially when compared to the January report that the MacBook Air was going to be replaced later this year.

It could come in the form of a dramatic price cut of the 12-inch laptop, or in a complete redesign of the MacBook Air -- either way, it's time for something new in the entry-level market, not just a price cut. Apple has been riding the wave of the MacBook Air for years, selling it on name recognition alone. According to Apple, it was meant to be discontinued a long time ago, but has stayed in circulation due to how well it sold. An update has been a long time coming.

Read more