Photo editing is a fun and extremely popular task that most people do on a daily basis. If you own your own content creation business or just take photos as a hobby, then you probably already know that finding the right editor for your photos can be challenging.
Some online services charge by the minute, others require recurring subscription fees, and yet most are entirely free. Here, i have listed out the most frequently used platforms which are free online.
Pixlr
Best browser-based free image editor for a quick touch-up.
Pixlr is a suite of free online photo editing tools. It’s browser-based, so you can use it on any computer, and there is a mobile version you can use with your smartphone’s browser.
One helpful feature is the background removal tool. The tool uses AI to detect the main object of your photo and removes the rest of the image. You can then download the picture as a .png file with a transparent background to paste into another setting.
You can also touch up any image using a wide range of tools and apply filters and effects to transform your photo.
Features include:
- Work with layers, objects, and custom brush sizes.
- Do complex edits in fewer steps using advanced tools.
- Includes pre-sized templates for the major social media platforms.
- Add stickers, borders, and text overlays.
- Remove backgrounds with an AI-powered one-click tool.
- Create flyers, business cards, and photo collages.
Link: Pixlr
Canva
As someone who likes to have the luxury of a wide range of editing tools, I have loved using Canva. Despite being feature-rich, it has kept complexity at bay. Probably the best part about this online photo editor is the clutter-free interface that feels quite responsive. So, you can go about editing images without any lag. Another feature worth taking note of is the ever-growing library of filters. As the filters are fully customizable, you can fine-tune each one of them to suit your workflow better. For instance, you can adjust the contrast, saturation, and brightness with ease. Moreover, it has a pretty straightforward drag-and-drop control to crop and resize images. And you also get the option to select pixel dimensions and change the aspect radio quickly. Beyond these handy features, Canva should appeal to those who wish to get creative but without getting into complexity.
Availability: Online
BeFunky
Best free online photo editor for one-click editing.
BeFunky is a free online photo editor that’s simple to use and easy to learn. It can apply lots of different effects to an image with a few clicks. One of the standout features is a ‘Cartoonizer’ which converts any photo into a cartoon with one click.
There are more businesslike tools as well. If you need to create brochures or flyers, BeFunky is an ideal tool for creatives to produce marketing assets quickly.
BeFunky is free to use, but if you want to access some of the more advanced tools, it costs $4.99 per month.
Features include:
- Crop, resize, and remove backgrounds.
- Touch up tools to fix image problems.
- Convert any photo into a cartoon.
- Add texture to backgrounds or make them transparent.
- Hundreds of photo effects and filters.
- Batch image editing tool.
Link: BeFunky
Pixlr
Recently updated for 2021, Pixlr is an amazing online photo editor that helps you create better images in your browser. There are AI-powered tools to help you create more professional edits, as well as a variety of design templates, pre-made filters, and collages. You can even quickly remove the background from your images.
Pixlr is great if you want to spice up your next marketing campaigns with artsy images, thanks to a huge range of filters and one-click effects. It’s also very easy to use for beginners.
Features include:
- Robust one-click editing tools for saturation and sharpening
- Tutorials for beginners
- Free vector graphics editing
- Selection of free stock photos
- Pre-made templates and filters
Works on: Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Best for: Making quick tweaks to colors and saturation
Fotor
Fotor Photo Editor welcomes you with a screen that asks you whether you want to edit a photo, design a card or get a collage ready. In three of these, you have to upload the file, which will be in the fully-fledged online editor of Fotor, in no time. What we loved most in the editor interface is the presence of 1-Tap Interface features, which let you edit your photographs in single click; there are options to crop, rotate, re-size or fine-tune the image you have uploaded. In the effects section too, there is a lot to choose from, such as Classic, Vintage, Lens Flare etc. Although not as quick as of PicMonkey, Fotor user interface took little time to load. In addition, after uploading the file, you can use same images for different purposes. For instance, whether you want to create a Facebook cover or create a card; all things would be possible from same page.
Availability: Online
BeFunky
BeFunky is a fully-fledged online photo editor and collage maker, which is available in an ultra-simple interface. It has support for getting a photo from your desktop, capturing from webcam or other sources like Facebook or Dropbox. It’s a lot of features, arranged in various categories, such as Basic Editing, Touch Up, Effect, and Graphics, etc. All these sections have been brought through an easier interface, in which you can select and apply the filter or effect in a few seconds only. The Graphics section was the one we loved most, for it consists of several graphical elements that can be inserted into the uploaded image in no time. Also, BeFunky interface for editing is really quick and simple to learn & there is also an upgrade option available. Altogether, in our experience, BeFunky was simply superb.
Availability: Online
SumoPaint
SumoPaint is not your typical online photo editor. It brings a fully-fledged Photoshop-like editing interface into your web browser screen, with almost every capability you would need, such as the color picker, info about image etc. You can have multiple windows as you’d like it, and managing these windows are easier as if you’re using a fully-fledged editor that is installed in your PC. In short, we really loved the way SumoPaint has set up things. Altogether, anyone — we dare to say that — will just love the minimal interface of SumoPaint and it takes only a few seconds to load. It is also available has a pro version for 4 USD a month which unlocks some more exciting features and even lets you use the app offline.
Availability: Online
Instasize
Built to empower tomorrow’s Instagram influencers, Instasize is one of the most popular apps for quick and affordable photo editing. There’s a simple interface that allows you to navigate through photo filters, one-click clarity editing, exposure management tools, and more.
Though this tool started as a service specifically for Instagram, it’s now suitable for use with a wide range of visual social media channels like Snapchat and TikTok. You can even resize your photos in seconds to suit any social channel.
Features include:
- Full set of editing tools for saturation, color, and contrast
- Video and photo cropping for Instagram and other platforms
- Plenty of unique filters and photo borders
- Collage making with templates included
- Tons of font and text options
Works on: iOS and Android
Best for: Creating shareable images for Instagram and Snapchat
GIMP
Perhaps the best free alternative to Photoshop on the market, GIMP, or GNU Image Manipulation Processor, is a state-of-the-art editing system built for professionals. Though a bit more complicated than some of the best free photo editor options mentioned, GIMP is a highly flexible and versatile product.
You can customize your editing experience by adding unique filters, brushes and even changing your interface design. There’s also plenty of support for saving images in different file formats.
Features include:
- Custom interface to make the experience as simple as possible
- Quick and simple digital retouching features
- Distortion and imperfection management
- Plenty of file format options
- Convenient set of brushes and filters available to download
Works on: Mac, Windows, Linux/GNU
Best for: Adding custom feature and filters
piZap
Best online image editor for novice users.
piZap is a browser-based free online photo editor. Free online photo editors like PiZap are easy to use and have four quick start icons at the top of the editor. You can work on an image uploaded from your computer, Facebook, or Dropbox. But if you don’t have the image you need, you can select from an extensive range of free stock images.
Once your image loads, you can apply filters, edit the colours, and add text and other overlays.
piZap is free to use for seven days, so you can utilise the tool’s full functionality after a quick registration process. If you want to keep on using the tool, it’s reasonably priced at $2.99 per month.
Features include:
- Themed borders.
- Cut-out tool for removing an image background.
- Templates sized for popular social media platforms.
- Also works on iPad and smartphone.
- Apply text with special effects like glitter.
- Meme editor with a choice of popular templates.
Link: piZap
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Ashampoo Photo Optimizer
If you often find yourself looking for software that can batch edit your photos, Ashampoo Photo Optimizer might be exactly what you need. This free photo editor for Windows and Mac has a clean and uncluttered UI. You can easily import a bunch of photos to Ashampoo photo optimizer and have the software batch-edit them, whether you want to rotate them, mirror them, etc. Moreover, the software comes with an auto-optimization tool which can be really handy when you just want to quickly make a photo look better. On the other hand, if you like manually adjusting things, you can fine tune the exposure, contrast, colors, and everything else.
Availability: Windows
Conclusion
If you want to make your photos look better without paying for Photoshop, there are plenty of online photo editors you can try. Some are good, some are downright awful. But if you use the ones I recommend on this list, you should be able to get the job done. Even if you don’t need to edit photos often, it’s nice to have one of these toolkits in your back pocket for when you do need it!