As a graphic designer myself since 2006, I feel we should learn more about free graphic software so that we can do our job and make better designs in the world. At least I have never heard of a person who is rich by recreating the same design over and over again. I can be sure to program but not to design. Due to my love for graphic design and web design, I try to learn as much about photoshop alternative -2021 sites.
Free graphic software like photoshop? Is it possible? Yep! I can feel your excitement and it is justified. Being a software developer, I’m really excited to show you some of the best alternatives to photoshop that are freely available online.
Adobe Photoshop Express
Best free online photo and image editor for mobile.
Adobe Photoshop is the gold standard in image editing. So good that the name is used as a verb to describe image enhancement. Alongside their premium product, Adobe also offers a free smartphone image editor called Adobe Photoshop Express for editing on the go.
It’s free to download, and you can access the tool with a Google or Facebook account. The
Adobe Photoshop Express app lets you quickly improve your images using filters it calls ‘looks’. Plus, you can also add text, correct image faults like red-eye, and use textures to add that finishing touch.
A premium subscription package is available, which has more advanced tools like cloning and RAW image editing.
Features include:
- Stich photos together to create a collage.
- Artistically blur parts of your photo.
- Straighten images with perspective correction.
- Blend your photos with creative textures.
- Remove haze and fog using an easy slider.
- Add captions to create meme style images.
Pixlr
Pixlr is unique because it’s a completely web-based photo editor. It allows you to make basic adjustments such as vignettes, color correction, saturation, contrast, and frames. The mobile version makes it easy to edit photos on the go.
Pros: Pixlr is a good choice for those who don’t have any room to download extra programs on their computer. The interface is easy to use and reminiscent of Photoshop Elements. Pixlr even supports layers, which is hard to find in an online editor.
Cons: You’ll need a constant internet connection to edit photos using Pixlr. If you stick with the original Pixlr Editor, you’ll also need Flash for it to work. However, the new Pixlr X runs on HTML5.
GIMP
When it comes to free photo editors, GIMP is king. Short for GNU Image Manipulation Program, GIMP is the closest you can get to Photoshop without paying a dime. It comes equipped with an impressive number of professional-quality functions, a completely configurable interface, allows fine-tuning of images, and contains a fully-integrated toolset that allows the creation of professional quality original artwork.
If you can do it in Photoshop, you can almost certainly do it in GIMP. If you want even more options, you can also use Photoshop plugins, which provide you with unmatched flexibility compared to any other free photo editor. GIMP is also open-source, which means that if you have the know-how, you’ll be able to add your own filters and features should you desire.
If you are experienced in image editing software you should get the hang of GIMP relatively quickly, but those not well versed in image editing software may find the interface cluttered or non-intuitive. A fair compromise for the sheer editing power you get at no cost!
Best for: Experienced users and those wanting powerful processing and art tools for a zero dollar price tag.
Canva
Best free online photo editor for collaborating with teams.
Canva is a popular online design and publishing solution, with a free online photo and image editor as part of the package. Canva’s users have created over 1 billion designs since the tool launched in 2013.
Canva’s free service gives you 250,000 templates to customise and 5GB of cloud storage to save your designs.
The online free photo editor requires registration; then, you can apply filters, resize images, and add text overlays.
If you like Canva and opt to pay the $99 annual subscription, you can schedule social media posts, create brand kits, and use 100GB of cloud storage.
Features include:
- Quickly add stickers and drag and drop speech bubbles.
- Straighten photos and apply textures and filters to enhance your images.
- Add photo frames to images
- Add animated text.
- Templates sized for most social media platforms.
- Offers a desktop client for Mac and Windows, plus smartphone apps too.
Paint.NET
Paint.NET was originally created as an alternative to Microsoft Paint but has since developed into a simple photo editor. It includes basic tools that offer the ability to edit using layers, curves, and levels. While the tools and filters are limited, you can download free extensions to add more versatility. Since Paint.NET is used by a large number of people, there are plenty of forums where you can find tutorials.
Pros: Paint.NET is simple for beginners to use and offers basic photo editing tools for those who don’t need any frills.
Cons: This software has limited functionality and is only available for Windows operating systems.
Luminar
If you’re looking for comprehensive free Photoshop alternatives, the free trial of Luminar 4 is a fantastic option. Luminar combines photo management and advanced RAW editing. Luminar is perfect for professional photographers and designers.
Pros: Aside from photo management, Luminar 4 also offers amazing photo editing capabilities. Use it to edit RAW photos with a high degree of accuracy. You can even make precise edits to attributes such as contrast, highlights, saturation, and brightness. Plus, Luminar comes with AI-enhanced filters including Accent AI 2.0 and Foliage enhancement. These automatic tools offer lightning-fast editing with outstanding quality.
Cons: It’s only free for a 7-day trial period. The full version is available for $69.
Photoscape X
For a free program, Photoscape is actually quite impressive—it’s fantastic for editing and managing your personal photo archive. While Photoscape is a bit lacking in the interface department (it can be somewhat confusing), it contains an image viewer, batch processing, a screen-capture tool, and a great selection of filters and effects to take your photographs to the next level.
The photo editing portion of this app is where it truly shines, and even new users will be able to produce exceptional, professional-looking shots in moments. Photoscape even has some handy little functions to make your photographs look like analog shots, a decent cut-out feature, image transformation capability; it also gives access to over 240 figures, frames and borders, and more than 1000 patterns to use in your creatives.
Best for: Batch processing and experimentation projects.
Fotor
Best free photo editor online for beginners
Free photo editor Fotor is a browser-based option with an interface that makes it easy for creatives, photographers, and marketers to edit photos. Unlike other web-based programs, Fotor is fast and won’t slow up your computer while using it.
Fotor makes advanced photo editing techniques achievable for less-technical people. You can easily apply filters, add effect, and edit images on the go. It’s intuitive and simple application helps you do more with your photos even without a background in photo editing and graphic design. Fotor is one of the best free photo editors out there, though for a small monthly fee you can upgrade to Pro for added features.
Features include:
- One click batch processing for Scenes, Effects, and Borders.
- State-of-the-art photo processing engine for adjusting exposure, brightness, contrast, white balance, and saturation, removing red eye, and more.
- Flexible text editing tool for adding text to any photo.
- Collage tool with over 80 templates and up to nine photos per collage.
- Batch resizing, renaming, and file format conversion.
- 100+ exclusive photo effects, 30+ photo frames, and 300+ custom stickers.
Available for: Web, iOS, Windows
Price: Free, ($4.99 per month for Pro)
Conclusion:
Are you thinking about trying out graphic software but don’t know where to start? I mean, there are so many programs out there that it’s hard to know which one will be the best for you. You may have been using Photoshop to create your graphics for years, but what if Adobe decided not to support it anymore or far worse, went bankrupt and stopped all of their services. You would be left with a big old expensive piece of outdated software with no way to get your work done.