What is the best photo editing software? These are the most popular and my favorite picture editing apps for PC. Of course, it would be impossible to compile a list that satisfies everyone, and some of you might be wondering why one editor is preferred over another. Let’s explore this topic together, while keeping in mind that you will most likely have to try out multiple editing applications before you find the one that works the best for you.
Here are the best you can possibly get out there!
Visme
At first blush, Visme looks like most other graphic design tools aimed at the business world.
It has the ability to make relatively elaborate presentations and publications, in addition to the standard infographics and edited photos. However, what sets this one out from the rest is the huge number of integrations that it supports. Some competitors include YouTube or social media managers. But, they don’t generally work with your email client, file storage, or survey tools.
In addition, you can integrate Visme with Slack, allowing for plenty of collaboration. Social media posts other than video must be uploaded separately, however. This app is geared more towards users outside of social media marketing. However, it is still a solid choice for content marketers due to the wide variety of content types available.
Pricing: Limited free. Then, choose an individual Standard plan for $15/month, or Business for $29/month for each user. Custom options are available.
Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer is a full-featured vector design app suitable for all manner of jobs, from screen and icon designs through to presentations, illustration and animation.
- Windows / Mac / Linux / Browser
- Precision – Unmatched precision in any unit from creation to exporting.
- Structure – Powerful pages with masters, real layers and symbols to structure your content.
- Vectors – Non-destructive booleans, knife tool, and path graphs.
- Layout – Grids, anchors and auto-layouts made for pixel perfect screen designs.
- Multiple fills/borders, effects and blending modes together with shared styles.
- Text – Handcrafted powerful text engine with text on path, web fonts, and styles.
- Export high quality PDFs, SVGs and Images using slices and multiple assets.
- Advanced – Presentations, sketch and EPS import, design templates, transformations, and more.
Gravit Designer Tutorial – A Free, Feature Packed, Multi-OS Design Tool
Inkscape
Inkscape is an open-source vector graphics editor similar to Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, Freehand, or Xara X. What sets Inkscape apart is its use of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), an open XML-based W3C standard, as the native format.
- Windows / Mac / Linux
- Drawing: pencil tool (freehand drawing with simple paths), pen tool (creating Bézier curves and straight lines), calligraphy tool (freehand drawing using filled paths representing calligraphic strokes)
- Shape tools: rectangles (may have rounded corners), ellipses (includes circles, arcs, segments), stars/polygons (can be rounded and/or randomized), spirals
- Text tool (multi-line text, full on-canvas editing)
- Embedded bitmaps
- Clones (“live” linked copies of objects), including a tool to create patterns and arrangements of clones
- Transformations (moving, scaling, rotating, skewing), both interactively and by specifying exact numeric values
- Z-order operations (raising and lowering)
- Grouping objects (“select in group” without ungrouping, or “enter the group” making it a temporary layer)
- Layers (lock and/or hide individual layers, rearrange them, etc; layers can form a hierarchical tree)
- Alignment and distribution commands
PhotoScape X
Best for: Novice users looking for impressive features
PhotoScape X’s list of tools seems to be nearly infinite. The software, which is described as an “all-in-one photo editing software” is heavily focused on one-click enhancement features that allow beginners to easily bring their ideas to life.
The program includes thousands of filters, frames, brushes, shape crops, smart cut out tools, a color picker, and clone stamps. Photographers will be able to take full advantage of the RAW conversion feature, while those with a large collection of images to process will be happy to hear about the several batch editing tools the software includes, such as format change, resize, and rename.
PhotoScape X’s capabilities also include much more creative options, such as collage, merging, stickers, effects, text, and brushes. These tools are especially catered to users who want to create original content for their social media profiles or email marketing campaigns.
In order to make sure users make the most of the tens of thousands of creative options in PhotoScape X, the photo editor’s website includes a long list of video tutorials that show how to use each tool to achieve the desired effect. If you are interested in more advanced tools, check out the software’s paid version, which includes a wide selection of manual editing tools.
The + : Thousands of one-click filters and effects, supports many file formats, creative templates
The – : Interface might be confusing, lag problems, no advanced tools
Platforms: Desktop only (OS X, Windows)
Paid version: PhotoScape X Pro (only Windows) for $39.99
Fotor
Best for: Straightforward image enhancement
Fotor offers a long list of basic tools and features, ranging from simple edits like brightness and saturation to more complex concepts such as wrinkle remover and teeth whitening. Fotor also boasts a large selection of effects, frames, stickers, and text options primarily aimed at social media sharing.
In addition to its photo editor, Fotor also includes collage and design sections. In these segments, users can choose from diverse premade templates to build their creations with. These templates are categorized by use, such as general collages, social media posts, marketing resources, documentation, and ads. This enables novice users to easily create high-quality content for all their needs, without having to worry about anything other than the visual appearance. Some of the templates and more high-end tools are only available on the paid version of the software.
Overall, Fotor might be best defined as an image enhancer rather than a photo editing software. Photographers and other media creators will most likely require more sophisticated capabilities than the ones available through Fotor. Yet, the program’s offerings comprise all a small business needs to make the most of their online presence.
The + : Creative composition tools, batch image processing, user-friendly creative templates
The – : No manual edition capabilities, no plugin support, displays ads
Platforms: Web, desktop (iOS, Windows) and mobile (iOS, Android)
Paid version: Fotor Pro starts at $8.99 per month
Photos Pos Pro
Best for: Beginners aiming to expand their post-processing skills
Photos Pos Pro was developed with an ambitious goal in mind: creating the perfect photo editing software for beginners and experts alike. In order to do so, the program actually offers two different interfaces for users to pick from.
The advanced layout includes a broader range of tools for more sophisticated manual edits, including layers, brushes, masks, gradients, actions, textures, and RAW conversion. All edits can be made in image batches, potentially saving a lot of post-processing time.
On the novice interface, Photos Pos Pro’s layout is significantly decluttered and heavily focused on automatic edits that can rapidly provide beautiful results. These image enhancements are mainly distributed through filters and creative effects that users can pick and choose from.
Users can access Photos Pos Pro Premium’s more advanced features for free during a 21-day period, allowing them to get a full taste of the program before deciding which option best suits their needs.
The + : Novice and advanced interfaces, numerous filters, batch image processing
The – : Export resolution limited to 1,024 x 2,014 pixels, no advanced tools, steep learning curve
Platforms: Desktop only (Windows)
Paid version: Lifetime Photos Pos Pro premium license for $49.90
InPixio
Best for: Quick, creative edits for online sharing
Essentially, InPixio offers a user-friendly program which allows those with minimal photo editing skills to create beautiful images to share on social media or with their close ones. The software’s most notable features include hundreds of filters, blur effects, creative frames, textures, tone sliders, preset creation, and automatic online sharing capabilities.
InPixio’s free photo editing software is only available for Windows and iOS mobile devices, however, the premium version of the software is also available for Mac computers. This pro version, known as inPixio Photo Studio 10, offers a wider range of manual editing features, as well as professional-level photo restoring tools and advanced photomontage capabilities.
The + : One-click social media sharing, easy to use, supports all image formats
The – : Limited manual editing, free version includes watermarks, not completely available on OS X
Platforms: Desktop (Windows) and mobile (iOS)
Paid version: InPixio Photo Editor PRO for $19.99
BeFunky
Best for: Creative image enhancement online
BeFunky offers easy-to-use photo editing tools that enable users of all levels to achieve professional results. Its interface is uncluttered and user-friendly, making it easy to find the right tools and see the effects on the image in real-time. All edits can be seen in the image’s history, and users can undo or redo the changes if necessary.
Much like Fotor, BeFunky’s program is also divided into three sections: photo editor, collage maker, and graphic designer. In fact, looking at them side by side, it’s easy to see just how similar the two programs are. BeFunky seems to be the clear winner in terms of both number of photo editing features and design composition templates, yet most of them are only available for premium users.
The photo editor’s capabilities include a significantly wide range of tools, from basic editing like exposure and contrast, to portrait touch up capabilities, artsy effects, creative overlays, and textures. Each of these sections offers both free and premium features which users can test beforehand.
As for the collage and design sections, both display a long list of fully customizable templates for users to choose from. All three products are offered on BeFunky mobile, which is also available for free or with a premium subscription.
The + : Drag and drop composition features, stock image access, numerous creative templates
The – : Limited free editing tools, displays ads, most templates require premium subscription
Platforms: Web and mobile (iOS, Android)
Paid version: BeFunky Plus starts at $4.99 per month.
Conclusion
There a few free editing apps that you can use and of course, more expensive ones, which would work much better. There is no way to tell which one will work best until you try them by yourself. With these free photo editing software shortlisted, it would be easier for you to choose from a wider range of them. However, we can only provide this list and some descriptions about these editors. It is up to you to determine which one best serves your purpose.