Paint.NET is a free image editing programme for Windows that is not as powerful as Photoshop, but provides a lot of basic functionality in a very uncomplicated way. For example, there are layers, many typical tools and filters as well as numerous import and export formats.
The Paint.NET 5.0 interface
With the recently released version 5, a lot has changed under the bonnet. This is because there is now GPU support for a large part of the effects, which significantly increases the speed of the programme in many areas.
A large part of the user interface now uses the graphics card (which can be from NVidia, AMD or Intel). Acceleration includes the Layers and History tool windows, the ruler, the image list at the top of the main window, and the user interface for curve and layer adjustments. The acceleration can be set via a corresponding dialogue in the programme's settings.
The GPU settings in Paint.NET
Paint.NET also offers a plug-in interface that now also allows GPU acceleration. For the old, compatible interface, countless extensions can already be found on the net to extend the programme for special use cases.
Also new is the support of numerous pens and pen-like input devices such as graphics and drawing tablets from Wacom or the Surface Pen. This works by supporting Microsoft's abstraction layer for pointer systems ("Windows Ink"), which should work with most widely used pens. Functions such as pressure sensitivity are thus also now directly supported.
New additions include a bokeh blur effect.
It hardly makes sense to list all the newly added functions here for those who are interested, as these are described in great detail 
in this forum article.
The new version 5.0 will continue to be available free of charge without a subscription or anything similar. However, if you like it, you can support the developers directly with a Paypal donation or buy the programme at via the Microsoft Store for .99. For an image editing programme with the scope offered, this is certainly not too much to ask for and it directly supports further development.
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