Pinta3.1.2

Pinta is a free, open-source drawing and bitmap editing software that supports Windows, macOS, Linux and some BSD systems. It places brushes, constituencies, shears, layers, colour adjustments and common features in a clear set of desktop interfaces, suitable for a picture, simple illustrations, pixels and less complex photographs.

I ran the Pinta official network, the user guide and the 3.1.2 release record over and over again. Its strengths are clear and it can start painting once installed, without the need to understand the full working area of the professional image software. The functional depth also has boundaries. Large-scale layout, pre-professional printing, complex RAW photo processing and long multi-layer projects are still more suitable for delivery to specialized software.

Core functions

Pinta provides brushes, pencils, rubber, paint buckets, gradients, text, cloned stamps, magic sticks and a variety of electoral tools. Users can create new canvass, and can open common images, and then finish tailoring, rotating, flipping, scaling and resizeing. When the tool is selected, the top will show the options associated with the current operation, and no starter will need to search for settings between many panels.

Layer functions separate text, draft, colour and background. Each layer can be sequenced, transparent and mixed, with complete historical records and unlimited revocations in case of error. This structure is enough when you make an icon, a screenshot or a small piece of text for a photograph.

The adjustment menu contains items such as brightness, contrast, curve, colour, colour and saturation. The Effect Menu provides fuzzy, sharpening, noise-mitigating, oil painting, pencil sketches, pixelization, dark angles, etc., and shows previews before application. Pinta also supports the extension component, which can be built-in for ordinary users, meet specific needs and consider additional extensions.

Product characteristics

Pinta’s interface remains tight. The left is a drawing tool, with a canvas in the middle, and the right is a layer and an operating history. Those who are familiar with drawing software will soon be able to find access, and users of the first contact layer will be able to see at what level each step falls. The official network locates it as an easy-to-use drawing and image editing programme, which is more accurate than a professional design package.

Software covers Intel and ARM devices. 3.1.2 The official distribution page provides both Windows x86_64 and arm64 installation programs, as well as macOS mirrors for Intel and Apple chips. Linux users can access Flatpak or Snap installation channels from the official network. The project repository contains documents translated into Chinese, menus and common tools are available in Chinese, and a few extension notes and community information remain mainly in English.

It is easy to edit ordinary pictures, and professional work is limited. Pinta does not use vector layout, page design, RAW graphics and print colour management as core competencies. When the canvas is large and there are many layers, memory and operating fluidity are also affected by image size and computer configuration. Important documents should be retained and copies should be stored at the stage.

Install and use tutorials

1. Opens the Pinta official download page and selects how to install it according to the computer system. Windows users first confirm the processor structure, most normal computers download x 86_64 installation, Windows on ARM devices select arm64. macOS page provides images of Intel and arm64 respectively.
2. Windows double-click the installation and completes the installation by the wizard. 3.1 The non-administrator installation has been added to the series and the corresponding options can be noted when the computer does not have administrator privileges. macOS user opens the DMG and installs it by system hint. Linux users give priority to the official channels listed in the official web as Flatpak or Snap.
3. Creates a new canvas or opens a picture in the file menu after the first start. A separate working paper was saved before the drawings were modified to avoid covering the only original one. If the interface language is not automatically switched, you can view the language settings in the preferences and restart the software when you have finished.
4. Leave the required area with the selection and cropping tools, and resize it from the image menu. The final pixel size is determined when it is intended to be sent to a website or social platform, and the General Assembly is repeated to make the edges and the text pass.
5. Creates a new layer reuse when text, label or local colour is required. This allows for a separate change of location and transparency, and also allows for the hiding of this layer at any time. The chart table shows the currently selected object, which floor is selected before you start drawing.
6. Use the preview window to observe changes when adjusting the brightness, colour or special effects. The effect is too heavy to lose the texture, with a smaller value and then slowly increasing. Save working papers when satisfactory and ultimately use saving to export PNG or JPEG.
7. JPEG is suitable for photographs and saves in a way that balances the quality and volume of the file. Icons, screenshots and pictures that need a transparent background are more appropriate for PNG. After export, re-open the finished product, check the dimensions, transparency areas and text edges, and confirm that the re-send or upload is correct.

Apply scene

The day-to-day descriptors, simple cover and social platforms are suitable for Pinta. The number of tools will not be filled with a single window, cutting, drawing arrows, adding text and lighting. It can also be used to understand the basic processes that are edited by beginners in the layers and basic constituencies.

Pixels, small size icons and simple illustrations are equally appropriate. Brushes, pencils, palettes and layers already cover common operations, and historical records make repeated attempts more reassuring. People who occasionally fix photographs can use it to handle exposure, colour and a small number of defects, and to save time by using the Photo Workstream software when a large number of photographs or fine-tune images are managed in bulk.

Free scope and permit

Pinta can download free of charge. Source code uses MIT license. The official network does not list subscriptions or pay professional versions, Windows and macOS official installation documents are available on the project distribution page, and Linux’s Fletpak and Snap can also download from the official web page. Community-maintained software packages may have a different pace of renewal, and such packages have been identified separately from official support channels.

MIT licences permit the use, modification and redistribution of source codes, and it is sufficient to retain the original copyright and licence statements. The advertising status of the software is not separately described. When using third-party extensions, fonts and materials, the corresponding licences are followed separately, and the open-source licences for Pinta do not automatically cover imported content.

Use of evaluation

Pinta is for someone who wants a desktop drawing tool without taking a long time to organize the interface. The electoral districts, layers, historical records, adjustments and effects are all in a familiar position, and after a cut-and-marking exercise, the next learning route is more natural. The documents were fully installed across the platform and the threshold for first use was lowered in Chinese.

It did not pursue all design tasks. Complex projects will require greater text layout, colour management and document compatibility, and Pinta will retain some restraint in these areas. My judgment is that normal graphic editing, transcribing, pixel drawings and basic illustrations can be used first in Pinta, and then in the case of work content, after printing, RAW photos or large multi-tage layers, professional tools can be replaced.

Update Notes

The current stable version is 3.1.2, which was published on 2 April 2026. Windows x86_64 Installer app 57.91 MiB. The distribution page also provides Windows arm64, macOS Intel, macOS arm64, source compression package, verification file and signature file.

3.1.2 The problem of the inability of the GTK version to load the icon was repaired and the collapse of the right-click layer to set the grade gamma value to zero was addressed in specific cases. Gradient tools no longer generate redundant historical records, and the layer right-key menu adds up or down the layer. The project repository was not archived and code updates were still available in August 2026.