Everyone loves a good picture, and a great photo makes for an even better one. But sometimes we want to edit our images as well, to turn them from “good” to “great”. If you want to take your photos to the next level, then you need one of the best free photo editing software for Windows 10 that I’m talking about right now.
There are plenty of different photo editing apps out there and some of them aren’t worth your time. I’m here to help you look through the massive collection of photo editor software for Mac and choose the best apps for your needs!
Pixlr
Pixlr’s free, lightweight editing software works well for beginners and more experienced editors in need of a quick solution for basic edits. Beginners won’t find much guidance within the platform, though advanced users familiar with Photoshop will likely manage to navigate through the software’s toolbars.
While Pixlr supports layers and masks and features several essential editing tools such as customizable brushes and visual effects, the software doesn’t provide users with a professional lineup of photo retouching options. You may also notice that the program renders slowly, resulting in frustrating, inconsistent movements of your mouse or touchpad.
Though the program rarely crashes, ad-heavy banners and poorly navigable pages reduce the functionality and aesthetic appeal of the platform. That said, Pixlr’s streamlined layout and a minimalistic array of tools help simplify the editing process for absolute beginners.
Without a fully-loaded editing suite to search through, you can more easily locate tools like spot-healing brushes, stamps, and skin retouch or make minor adjustments to the photo’s color and lighting. Casual users may enjoy making small tweaks to their pictures or creating collages within Pixlr’s software, but if you need a user-friendly option with a more comprehensive array of tools, Pixlr won’t make the cut.
Instead, a PC-optimized software like PhotoDirector will reduce lag and rendering time while providing you with a full suite of professional-quality editing features.
Best Features:
- Quick integration between desktop and mobile editing
- Somewhat customizable editing interface
- Fairly solid collection of basic functions
InPixio – We Have a New Winner for 2021!
Inpixio is a foolproof, no-frills photo editor that makes photos POP with minimal effort and requires absolutely 0 technical knowledge or editing skill.
All of the features are available in the FREE version, and there are none of those annoying ads reminding you to upgrade, so UI is on point.
Check out how clean the photo editing page looks:
Adjusting the temperature, hue, exposure, and other facets of your photos is as simple as dragging the bar. You can ignore tone curves if you want, it’s not super important (for basic editing)
Another awesome feature is the “before and after” view that lets you see changes to your photos. That way, you can bask in the amazing editing skills you just showed off.
The tool isn’t very powerful, but it’s perfect for uploading enhanced photos to social media or showing off travel photos to friends on Instagram (which is obviously why you would want a tool like this).
InPixio Photo Clip is also a trusted free tool to add text to photos.
Pros
Pros
- Easy
- Decently powerful for a simple editor
- Before and after feature
- Connects to Facebook
Cons
Cons
- None. Seriously, we absolutely LOVE this software!
Fotor – The revolutionary photo editor
Fotor is our runner-up for best free photo editor of 2021. The previous title-holder has been knocked out, and the challenger now reigns supreme.
Fotor has tons of features that you usually find in high-priced camera editing software, but it’s insanely easy to use. And it’s all from right in your browser.
It’s so easy to enhance photos, it’s almost comical. There are 13 different 1-tap options, so you can make all of the most common photo enhancements with next to no human effort. This is basically iRobot in reality (humanity is useless with Fotor).
If you aren’t a photo editing pro and just want to make great images, then Fotor is the best editor to start with.
That’s why we nudged it up to the top spot over the previous champion (coming next). We figured most people looking for a free photo editing app weren’t pros, so we went with the most convenient option.
Just because it’s convenient doesn’t mean it isn’t capable of creating amazing photos though….
That being said, Fotor doesn’t have nearly as many features as the other photo editing software listed, so if you want to make serious photo enhancements, go with the true #1 photo editor for 2021 – InPixio.
Pros
- High-powered and easy to use
- 1-tap enhancements are stupidly easy
- Looks great and feels intuitive
Cons
- Ads are annoying
- Not as powerful as more complex software
Fotor Online Photo Editor is packed with features that make creating beautiful images as easy as executing a few clicks on your computer. It is free to use and also offers a modestly priced Pro version with enhanced capabilities.
Getting started with the photo editor requires you to sign up for a free account. Once that is complete, you have access to a wide variety of tools that enable you to edit your photos and design stunning collages and images using their large selection of templates.
You begin an editing session by importing the photograph of your choice from your computer, Dropbox, Facebook, or the Fotor Cloud. Within the editor, you can modify any aspect of the photo that you desire, including size, coloration, brightness, and contrast to name just a few.
Taking advantage of the large selection of templates lets you easily create photo cards, invitations or leaflets. Add clip art to your creations and choose from hundreds of fonts to achieve the exact design you want.
A great feature of this tool is the ability to beautify a photograph by taking actions like eliminating wrinkles and blemishes. You can always look your best by touching up your photos before posting them.
Fotor provides users with informative tutorial videos which walk you through the process of editing your photos and creating graphic designs. This makes it easy to discover the features that will make your images stand out from the crowd. You should add Fotor to your photo editing toolbox today.
Gimp – Oh, How the Mighty Have Fallen
Gimp hangs its head in shame as it comes to grips with the harsh reality of being #3 (Now you know the other half lives, Gimp).
Gimp is the most popular free photo editor online by far. It’s not even close. And if you squint your eyes really hard, you could swear you were using Photoshop or some other super expensive editor.
Look at how many editing options you get…
Unlike most other programs on the list, Gimp is more than a photo editing program. It’s an “image manipulation program.”
This is the most sophisticated image editor online. It’s used by more scientists, graphic designers, illustrators, and wannabe Instagram models than any other.
Check out how awesome it is:
- Photo manipulation: Retouching, editing, restoring—the only limit is your imagination.
- Graphic design: Create icons, graphic design elements, and images.
- Original artwork: Artists love how Gimp lets them create truly unique art.
Gimp also has a huge advantage over competitors: it’s constantly evolving. Thousands of people in the Gimp ecosystem are constantly extending its functionality by introducing new and exciting capabilities every day.
There’s nothing gimpy about Gimp. The only reason it’s not #1 is that it’s a bit tough to get the hang of for non-techy people, whereas the true #1 photo editor for 2021 InPixio is by far the easiest photo editing software availble today.
Pros
Pros
- Unrivaled features
- It’s basically Photoshop but FREE
- Great UX
- Always evolving
Cons
Cons
- Hard to get used to (but worth taking the time to learn)
Luminar
Luminar is an all-in-one photo editor with excellent RAW editing capabilities. It is aimed at both beginners and professionals alike, thanks to its intuitive and customizable interface that has something for everyone.
Other than providing advanced image editing tools like noise reduction and selective adjustments, Luminar contains 45 filters that are all geared to achieve professional-quality images in a single click. These are paired with over 60 presets that can each be used as a base on top of which users can make their own adjustments.
Luminar is also very quick at what it does, up to 6 times faster than other image editors of its calibre. It’s also available as a plugin for software like Lightroom and Photoshop, providing users with unmatched flexibility in the way they edit their photos.
As a result, Luminar is quickly becoming the preferred image editor for photographers at various levels of expertise. It is especially recommended if you are new to the world of photo editing and need something that lets you get to grips with advanced editing tools and allows you to take your editing to the next level when you are ready.
inPixio Photo Studio
inPixio Photo Studio 11 is a photo editing solution for Mac that delivers an impressive array of advanced features that enable you to take full control of your digital photographs. The tool’s developers merge the fields of photography and technology in their products, providing users with a powerful and easy-to-use photo-editing application.
Features available with inPixio include the ability to cut out any unwanted details in a photo with just a few clicks. Once items have been selected and removed from a photo, they can be pasted to any background to make creative photomontages or collages.
A creative blur can be used on portions of a photo to highlight certain elements and give the image an artistic touch. Visual settings such as brightness, contrast, and saturation can be modified to create perfect images. Advanced cropping and a versatile text tool to annotate your photos let you take a raw image and modify it in just about any way imaginable.
The Pro version of the tool employs one-click image correction to automatically improve the quality of your photos in less than a second. inPixio offers users a quality photo editor that lets anyone create stunning images.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a variety of free picture editing software programs out there. We only covered a few of the more popular ones here, but if you know of some great free photo editors that we missed, feel free to post in the comments! It’s important for all designers to know about these resources, and to keep them in mind when there’s an opportunity to edit photos at work.