There’s no native alternative for Paint on MacBook. You can, however, edit pictures like Paint on MacBook without downloading any third-party apps. Here’s how:
Unfortunately, the Preview app doesn’t let you create a new blank image. But you can download a plain white image from Google and use it whenever required. Or open this image and save it.
Selection Tools
Thankfully, the editing tools in Preview offer a selection tool. Open an image in Preview and click on the Pencil icon at the top. Then, click on the first icon to open the Selection tools. You will find:
Rectangular Selection
Elliptical Selection
Lasso Selection
Smart Lasso
Once a selection is made, press the Delete key to delete the selected area or click the Crop icon at the top to crop the picture. There’s no Invert selection tool here.
Remove Background From Image
Use the Instant Alpha tool in the Preview to remove the background from your image. Click on the tool and select the background. Then, press the Delete key on the keyboard. Alternatively, go to Tools > Remove background. Learn how to remove background from pictures on iPhone.
Rotate, Flip, or Resize a Picture
To rotate a picture, click on the Rotate icon in the top bar of the Preview app.
To flip a picture, go to Tools and select Flip Horizontal or Flip vertical in Preview.
To resize a picture, click on the Adjust Size icon in the second toolbar in Preview or go to Tools > Adjust Size.
Draw on a Picture
On a Macbook, you will find two tools for drawing on an image. Use the Sketch tool to convert drawings into shapes, whereas if you want to draw freehand, use the Draw tool. What’s interesting about Mac is that you can move your drawings anywhere on the canvas. Just click on them once to select them and then drag them. Also, use the Shape Style tool to change the brush style.
Color Picker Tool
The color picker tool is hidden in the Preview app. First, click on the Border or Fill color icon in the toolbar. Then, click Show Colors. The color palette pop-up window will appear. Click on the Color picker icon.
Add Text or Speech Bubble
Adding text to a picture on a MacBook is easy, like Paint. Click on the Aa icon in the toolbar or go to Tools > Annotate > Text or Speech Bubble.
Add Shapes Like Arrows, Star, Heart, Etc.
Click on the Shapes icon in the toolbar and select the desired shape. You can change its border style using the Shape style tool. You can also fill it with color using the Fill color tool.
Put an Image on Top of Another or Side by Side
The Preview app doesn’t support layers as such. However, you can still put an image on top of another or keep them side by side. What you need to do is open the first image in the Preview and copy the second image using Command + C. Then, paste it on the first image using Command + V. A better approach is to start with the blank image and then paste both images on it.
Eraser Tool
There’s no eraser tool in the Preview app. Press Command + Z to remove any previous drawings.
Fill/Bucket Tool
In Paint, the Bucket Fill tool would fill the entire white space with the selected color. That’s not possible in MacBook.
Are There Any Paint App Alternatives on Mac?
Yes, many apps are almost similar to the Windows Paint app. Here are some Paint equivalent apps for MacBook:
Mehvish Mushtaq is a computer engineer by degree. Her love for Android and gadgets led her to develop the first Android app for Kashmir. Known as Dial Kashmir, she won the prestigious Nari Shakti award from the President of India. She has been writing about technology for 6+ years and her favorite categories include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for iOS/iPadOS, Android, social media, and web apps.
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