How to Edit a Photo in Paint

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MS Paint, a program that comes standards with most Windows operating systems, is a simple tool that allows you to draw and edit images. You can add text as well. Microsoft describes it as a "digital sketchpad." Although Paint isn't the program that professional graphic artists and image editors use to modify photos, it does have some basic photo editing tools.

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Step 1

Click "File" then "Open" on the Paint main menu. Browse for your photo document and click "Open" to load it in your workspace.

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Step 2

Select the "Line" tool to add straight or curved lines to your photo. The "Pencil" tool in Paint also allows you to create lines across your photo. After selecting the tool, choose your desired color for the line from the "Color" box at the top (or bottom in some cases) of the screen.

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Step 3

Create a draw shape within your photo using the "Shape" tool from the toolbar. This is useful if you want to add a separate section to your photo to make it more interesting. You can select a polygon, square, circular or rectangular shape from the list of options and also use the "Color" box to add different shades to the photo.

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Step 4

Click the "Text" tool if you want to add a message to your photo, such as a name or caption. If the text is too dark in relation to the photo, you can lighten it up using the "Color" toolbar.

Step 5

Choose the "Eraser" tool from the toolbar if you want to erase certain elements from the photo. Keep in mind that the background will show up as white by default, but you can also click the color of your choice for the erased background from the "Color" box.

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Step 6

Modify the brush stroke of your line, shape, or eraser tool by clicking the "Options" box under the Paint toolbar. You can change the thickness of the brushes as well as the fill or outline of the box if you've chosen to add a shape to the photo.

Step 7

Click "File" then "Save" on the Paint main menu and select JPEG or GIF from the list of format options under the "Save as type" drop-down box to save your edited photo.

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