Photoshop is the industry standard for image editing. And while many of us don’t own it; you probably still want to edit some images online on occasion ― whether it be to create invitation cards, make your profile pic look beautiful, or retouch some work-related snaps.
So where does one find the best free photo editor online? Below is a good software to begin with.
Advantages of an online video editor
You can create simple videos for free, and pay as you go for HD videos or videos with more effects. This is ideal if you are only doing a few videos at a time. If you plan on making videos regularly, you should do the math and figure out which option will be the most affordable.
Photopea
Photopea is a free alternative to Photoshop. When you arrive at their website, you can jump straight into a project, with many of the tools you’re used to enjoying in premium photo editing tools. Photopea lets you add text, crop images, blur, change colors, and much more. Plus, you can export the final product in most of your favorite formats: PNG, JPEG, SVG, and more. Among the free products showcased in this article, this one is probably the most similar to Photoshop.
OS: Web-based
Pricing model: Free
Potential downsides: Many people use free tools for their simplicity. In this case, since it’s so much like Photoshop, Photopea can come with a bit of a learning curve for new designers.
GIMP
GIMP empowers designers with the tools to edit photos and create graphics. It also provides different code support for developers who want to use their designs across websites and have more customization options. GIMP offers many top photo editing features to help you touch up your favorite photos, add filters, and even customize your working interface.
OS: GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows, and more operating systems
Pricing model: Free
Potential downsides: While the tool offers great features, it may require downloading other design tools (like Scribus and Inkscape) to get the most out of it; outdated UI
PhotoScape X
As another free alternative to Photoshop, PhotoScape X helps you design and edit photos using a variety of powerful tools. You have all the normal editing tools like cropping, filters, brushes, and color and background changes. It also includes bulk-editing features: batch resizes, batch format change, and more for streamlined organization and editing. Whether you’re cleaning up an image or creating a graphic from scratch, PhotoScape X is a strong free Photoshop alternative.
OS: Windows and Mac
Pricing model: Free
Potential downsides: Some regular users complain about limited free tools, particularly regarding paint options.
FireAlpaca
First of all, the Alpaca’s bowtie is on point. (#classy)
FireAlpaca is a free paint tool with simple functionality for creating graphics. You can use templates or start completely from scratch. FireAlpaca gives you different viewing options as well, including a 3D view. Use the Pencil, Airbrush, or Blur tools to edit graphics with artistic precision. If you’re leaving Photoshop because it’s too complex, FireAlpaca is founded on simplicity.
OS: Windows and Mac
Pricing model: Free
Potential downsides: This tool is intentionally lean. If you’re looking for a tool to keep up with Photoshop’s optionality, FireAlpaca might not have the features you’re looking for.
Photoshop Express
Adobe has also gotten into the free image editing and collage app game with Photoshop Express. The difference here boils down to interface and functionality—plus the fact that Photoshop Express is “built for mobile device photography.” You can think of it as Photoshop lite for mobile. With intelligent edits, spot healing, auto-fix, and robust filters and effects, you can edit photos for social posting to your heart’s content in this little app.
OS: mobile app for Android, iOS, and Windows
Pricing model: Free (Premium version for $9.99/month)
Potential downsides: Very simple, social-focused functionality—but that’s it
Adobe Photoshop.
Best Overall Photo Editor for Mac and PC.
Adobe Photoshop deserves a special mention in any article about the best editing software. After all, the name “Adobe Photoshop” is pretty synonymous with photo editing by now.
It is one of the most popular photo editing software tools on the market. Photoshop is the primary tool for its legions of fans across the world, including designers, artists, and illustrators.
Unlike Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop is meticulously designed for professionals who need all the advanced features in one package. You name an editing feature, and the chances are Photoshop will have it.
KEY FEATURES:
It is practically impossible to include all the features that Photoshop offers. Here are some key features that would help you to make a better decision:
- Its masking and selection tools are the best in the business
- Incredible cloning and retouching capabilities
- Photoshop is incredibly fast even with larger size images
- It comes with depth map support for HEIF files and 360 editing tools
- Photoshop supports all of the main file formats like JPG, PNG, GIF, as well as raw files
- It uses adjustment layers for non-destructive editing to enhance the appearance of your image
PRICING PLANS:
Initially, you get a 1-week free trial. Adobe Photoshop comes bundled with Creative Cloud storage of 100 GB. Its annual plan costs around $20 per month.
The Creative Cloud Photography plan includes Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom for photo management.
Corel PaintShop Pro.
Best Easy Photo Tool for Beginners.
Corel PaintShop Pro is a capable and one of the most inexpensive photo editing software tools out there. Some photographers call it an Adobe Photoshop alternative, but it lacks Photoshop’s most advanced flagship features, including Camera Shake Reduction, 3D modeling, Faces Liquefy, detailed typography, among others.
However, if you want software for basic yet effective image editing, then Corel PaintShop Pro is not a bad option. Just don’t expect it to be as shrewd as its other more advanced counterparts.
KEY FEATURES:
Some of its unique features which make it worth trying are as follows:
- Perfect for beginners
- 360-degree image editing capability
- User experience is crisp and smooth
- Designers can start working from pre-existing graphic design templates
- Extensive library of gradients, picture tubes, colors, pallets, among others
PRICING PLANS:
It offers two paid versions – PaintShop Pro 2018 version is $63.99 and The PaintShop Pro 2018 Ultimate costs $79.99, for a one-time purchase. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
CONS:
- PaintShop Pro is only available on Windows. No Mac version is coming in the near future
Skylum Luminar.
Best HDR and Filters for Photographers.
Skylum Luminar is an excellent alternative to Adobe Lightroom. As a result, it has been gaining massive popularity among photographers.
It comes with powerful image editing capabilities with more affordable pricing. Its latest version, Luminar 4, is faster and provides a perfect blend of both Lightroom and Photoshop. With one single software, you get the best of both worlds.
KEY FEATURES:
Some of its notable key features include:
- Adjustment layers and masks
- Offers 24/7 Technical and Sales Support
- Fast editing controls with a lesser lag time
- Clever shortcuts for automatic management of photographs
- Folders are always updated with the content available on the hard disk
- Viewing options include filmstrip view, gallery view, and single image view
- AI-powered sky enhancer, and accidental AI and sun rays
PRICING PLANS:
Unlike recurring payment for Adobe editing tools, Luminar comes with a more affordable one-time payment plan of $70. You also get a 60-day money-back guarantee.
CONS:
- Healing and cloning tool is not always reliable
- Handling of workflow and organization could use improvement
Adobe Lightroom.
Best Online Photo Editing Tool.
Adobe needs no introduction in the world of photo editing. In fact, it continues to be a pioneer in releasing cutting-edge photo editing software updates over the years.
Adobe Lightroom is another powerful editing software by Adobe. Ideally, it is perfect for photographers who want a more straightforward yet capable tool to edit their images.
Unlike Photoshop’s complicated and intimidating user interface, both Lightroom Classic and CC offer a more intuitive and user-friendly interface for image editing.
KEY FEATURES:
Some of its incredible features include:
- Sliders are customizable
- Blurring and fixing tools
- It syncs with multiples devices
- Cam and lens-based corrections
- Gradient and brush adjustment tools
- Professional filters along with numerous presets
- Its face detection capability helps in organizing the photographs more efficiently
PRICING PLANS:
The cloud-based photo editing tool offers seamless editing capabilities across mobile, web, and desktop through a single subscription plan. The annual subscription of its Basic plan starts at around $119.88 and ranges up to $239.88 for up to 1 TB of Cloud storage.
CONS:
- Limited editing options
- Absence of layers or blend modes
- Fewer graphics designing elements
Skylum Aurora HDR.
“The word’s most advanced HDR photo editor for Mac and Windows.”
Skylum Aurora HDR facilitates the efficient merging of imagery to create final shots that look both natural and stunning at the same time. It operates as a standalone app and can be plugged right into other tools like Adobe Photoshop.
You can also integrate it as an Apple Photo extension. Aside from the traditional methods to create HDR images, Aurora enables photographers to create HDR images from a single file through its AI-based neural network.
KEY FEATURES:
Aurora HDR is a boon for HDR photography as it offers several leading-edge features to create cutting-edge images. Here are some of its key features:
- It comes loaded with 20+ tools that help you create stunning HDR images
- It smartly cleans noise and enhances depth & details
- Its HDR clarity feature optimizes clarity and enhances localized contrast for better results
- You can leverage its 80 unique presets to create RAW images into creative masterpieces in a few seconds
- You can also use manual mode to take all the control in your hands.
PRICING PLANS:
It costs around $99 and comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Get started with Skylum Aurora HDR.Try Skylum Aurora HDR
iPad 10.2-inch (9th Gen)
The best iPad for gaming and great value.
SPECIFICATIONS
Processor: A13 BionicDisplay: 10.2-inch Retina, 2160x1620Storage: 64GB to 256GBCamera: 8MP Wide cameras today’s BEST DEALS
REASONS TO BUY
+Nice and cheap+Perfect for games+Perfectly capable
REASONS TO AVOID
-The least powerful option
The basic iPad is looking a little underpowered compared with the rest of the rage right now, but it’s still a decent tablet and a strong all-rounder, and if you’re after the best iPad for playing games, you can’t go far wrong with it. It’ll cope happily with all the popular games (although it could struggle with the latest heavyweight 3D titles), and you’ll be spoilt for choice with thousands of options available on the App Store.
Affinity Photo
The best Photoshop alternative overall
SPECIFICATIONS
Platform: Mac OS 10.9+, Windows 10+; iPad version sold separately: iOS 12+Latest version: 1.10.1Free trial: YesFree version:
REASONS TO BUY
+Professional tool +Advanced features
REASONS TO AVOID
-No Android version -iPad version sold separately
Fully compatible with Photoshop and other file formats, Affinity Photo is the most serious of the Photoshop alternatives we’ve seen to date. Aimed squarely at professional photographers and designers, it’s hugely cheaper than Photoshop (with no subscription). But its creators argue it’s actually better.
Affinity Photo comes with a promise of higher speeds, fewer crashes, and unlimited undo. That said, the amount of improved performance you’ll get will probably depend on what equipment you’re using (it’s been specifically designed to take advantage of the latest quad-core technology).
Affinity Photo is available for both Mac and Windows, and there’s a separate version for iPad. If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to Photoshop, Affinity Photo is definitely worth investigating.
Conclusion
Adobe Photoshop is the industry-leading image editing software, and while it’s expensive to own, you can still edit photos online for free. If we’re talking about free online photo editors — and we are — then it logically follows that we need to discuss Adobe Photoshop too. It’s the granddaddy of them all and has been around for 22 years!