Have an image you need to resize and crop, or perhaps a photo with a bad case of the red-eye?  In order to do that, you could use a photo editing software like Photoshop, Corel or Paintshop Pro.  However,  professional-level software can be expensive. Besides, what if you need it right away?  Luckily, there is a great alternative, and it can be downloaded immediately for the low, low price of $0.00!

Paint.NET is a free photo editing software for computers that run on Windows. The magazine PC World was so impressed they included it as #19 on their “Top 100 Products of 2007” list.  Paint.NET has a very intuitive user interface, and dozens of editing tools.  You can easily resize and flip an image, tweak the color or contrast, and use features like the Clone Stamp for perfect retouches.  Special effects can be used to  make a photograph look like an ink sketch or painting.  More experienced users will want to experiment with “layers,” which allow you to combine two or more pictures.

The most difficult thing about Paint.NET is remembering where to go to download it.  It’s at: http://www.getpaint.net  (NOT paint.net), and installation takes between five and ten minutes.  Help documentation, tutorials and a user forum are also located on the site. 

Give it a try, you have nothing to lose but your red-eye!