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Good Photography Editing Software Free

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  1. Photography Editing Software Free
  2. Good Photography Editing Software Free
  3. Free Software For Photo Editing
  4. Good Photography Editing software, free download

What are some free open-source photo editing software out there?

For pro-level editing, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom are the best option.

Another video editing software program for both Windows and Mac is VideoPad, from NCH Software. It's free for non-commercial use. It supports drag-and-drop, effects, transitions, 3D video editing, text and caption overlay, video stabilization, easy narration, free built-in sound effects, and color control. In the world of photography, there are some extremely good quality pieces of photography software that can hit you right in the hip pocket. But, depending on your specific needs as a photographer, there are also a lot of solid pieces of software that are totally free. Here is a list of the top 100 pieces of free photo editing software and management tools. Top Photo Editing Software for Beginners Free/Paid. The following are some of the Best Image Editing Programs that both professional and beginner photographers should check out.

Using these two image editing software, you can do all sorts of image editing from basic to advanced.

But the only downfall is you need to pay Adobe every month for using it that is difficult for many starters like me.

In the beginning, I didn't have much money to use Photoshop for doing all types of image retouching.

So, I looked for free photo editing software that let me perform basic to advanced retouching.

Fortunately, I found a lot of free options that let me do color correction, crop & resizing, change orientation, correct light, cutout objects, organize photos, and much more.

Even I can edit SVG files, perform non-destructive editing workflows using those free photo editing apps.

In this guide, I have included 7 best free photo editing software for the newbie like me.

You may ask- what I do as a newbie or hobbyist if I have the budget to use Photoshop and Lightroom?

Well, it doesn't make sense to pay Adobe per month for using it as a hobbyist or a newbie. You can change your plan like me after mastering on editing.

And these free photo editing software I have listed let you be a master on editing.

So, let's dive in.

Contents

7 Best Open Source Photo Editing Software in 2020


Here is the complete list of free photo editing software.

  • GIMP
  • Darktable
  • Inkscape
  • Digikam
  • Raw Therapee
  • Paint.Net
  • Krita

01.GIMP – Best free open-source photo editing software

GIMP is an acronym of the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It has packed with advanced image editing tools and has a Photoshop-like interface.

With GIMP, you can do every type of editing including color correction, retouching, fix distortion, and so on.

To remove background from photos, it has an advanced pen tool, Fuzzy Selection tool, and Free selection tool.

Plus, it has an advanced layer mask tool like Photoshop has. Using this tool, you can precisely erase the background from a complex photo.

For doing advanced retouching, it has come with the Clone Stamp tool, Blemish Remover tool, and Healing brush.

With these tools, you can make your portrait photo stunning.

Moreover, it has a lot of tools to correct perspective distortion, photo color correction, and much more.

Indeed, you can do everything using GIMP as the users of Photoshop do.

So, if you are a pro editor and don't have much money to use Photoshop, then GIMP is the best option to do advanced retouching.

Features

  • Advanced image editing tools
  • Include layer system
  • Upgraded masking tool
  • Advanced color management tool
  • Upgraded transform tools
  • Retouching tools
  • Support all types of file format

Pros

  • Customizable interface
  • Completely free to use
  • Best for professional photo editors

Cheap external hard drive for macbook pro. Cons

  • Steep learning curve
  • Doesn't offer non-destructive editing workflow
  • Don't let you organize photos

Solution of the cons

If you are a beginner, then you find GIMP a little bit complex. However, there are a lot of websites that offer tutorials to be master on using GIMP.

Check out this article that includes a list of websites that make tutorials on GIMP. Also, you can join on these GIMP forums including GIMP-Forum.Net, Gimpusers.com, GIMP Chat, Gimper.Net, and Reddit.

As GIMP doesn't let you organize photos, you can use Darktable instead of it.

02.Darktable- Best free Lightroom alternative

Darktable is a free photo editor app for mac.

For those who want to do basic editing, organize photos, correct photo color and so on, then Darktable is the best selection.

Like Lightroom, it also offers non-destructive editing workflows. Besides, it has a lot of presets and filters to enhance photos with a few clicks.

The interface of Darktable is similar to Lightroom. At the same time, it has packed with a lot of editing tools like Lr has.

That's why Darktable is considered as the best free Lightroom alternative app.

On Darktable, you can organize photos using tag, location, name, rating, and stars.

It helps you to get the file immediately when you want to edit the photos.

Therefore, it has slider-based image editing tools like LR offers to make the retouching work fast and simple.

Something that I like about Darktable is its automatic repetitive tasks. It helps to make my editing workflows fast that save time.

Features

  • A lot of adjustment tools
  • Includes a lot of presets
  • Advanced color correction tools
  • Raw photo processor
  • Basic photo editing tools

Pros

  • Offer non-destructive editing
  • Easy to use
  • Perfect for organizing photos
  • Free to use

Cons

  • Not perfect for advanced retouching

Solution of the cons

Use GIMP open source photo editor that lets you perform advanced retouching workflows.

03.Inkscape- Best free vector design software

Inkscape is a free vector design creation software.

If you are an amateur vector artist and want to create logos, text effects, rendering, and much for free, then Inkscape is for you.

Even you can edit the SVG file precisely on Inkscape.

Indeed, it is solely designed for vector designers to create stunning designs.

The plus of Inkscape is it enables you to convert raster file to vector. Even it lets you open and edit PDF and AI files.

Also, you can convert bitmap files to vector using Inkscape. Therefore, you can create your social media content using this free photo editing software.

Though it is a robust vector graphic design software, the interface of Inkscape is intuitive.

There is no steep learning curve. That means you can easily be a master in using Inkscape.

Those who don't have enough money to use Adobe Illustrator can use Inkscape as an alternative.

The best part is it is free and lets you do almost everything as Adobe Illustrator does.

Features

  • Advanced objection creation tools including drawing tool, shape tool, and text tool
  • Include a lot of object manipulation tools
  • Upgraded Fill & Stroke
  • Rendering
  • Supports multiple file-formats including SVG, PDF, PNG, DXF, EPS, SK1

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • No learning curve
  • Adaptable layout and interface

Cons

  • Keyboard shortcuts do not perform well
  • Occur unexpected crush

Solution of the cons

The keyboard shortcuts of Inkscape don't perform well. So, it is better to use each of the tools manually or selecting from the toolbar.

Crush happened when you add a lot of paths to a project.

So, stop adding multiple paths to a single project. If possible, try to use Adobe Illustrator to avoid these problems.

04.Digikam- Free photo organizing software

DigiKam is a free photo management software. It is solely created for organizing and managing software.

However, I have included this software both for editing and organizing photos.

Besides organizing photos, it also lets you edit photos as it has come with a lot of advanced image editing tools.

Photography Editing Software Free

With DigiKam, you can process raw photos, correct photo color, adjust brightness & exposure, and much more.

Nonetheless, you can also apply batch photo processing using DigiKam.

Digikam has an advanced module named Light Table for sorting images smartly. Using this module, you can compare each of the photos you shoot.

Furthermore, you can organize photos using meta-tags, stars, ratings, and locations.

The exciting part of Digikam is you can also process raw photos and share them on different social channels.

To get the insight view of DigiKam, you can check out this article by Fix The Photo.

Features

  • Support multiple cameras
  • Smart photo organizing tools
  • Raw processor
  • Batch photo processing
  • A lot of image editing tools

Pros

  • Perfect for photo organization
  • Easy to navigate
  • Offer batch photo processing

Cons

  • Lack of advanced photo editing tools
  • Darktable photo organizing system performs better than DigiKam

Solution of the cons

Try to use GIMP instead of DigiKam for advanced image retouching. For organizing photos smartly, use Darktable.

05.Raw Therapee- Best free raw development app

Raw Therapee is an open-source photo editor app for developing raw files.

With Raw Therapee, you can edit raw images in a non-destructive way.

Apart from that, you can edit, correct photo color, organize photos, and perform some retouching workflows.

Though the interface of Raw Therapee is the same as Lightroom, Raw Therapee goes deep in case of color correction.

There are a plethora of options to enhance and correct photo colors. Besides, it lets you process raw photos with depth. You can fix chromatic aberration, noise reduction of your raw files.

However, if we judge Raw Therapee by the intuitiveness of the interface, then Lightroom is superior to it.

Even so, the photo organizing system of Raw Therapee is not as intuitive as LR.

Aside from these, if you find software for developing raw files, then Raw Therapee is the best selection.

To get an in-depth look at Raw Therapee features, check out this article of Expert Photography.

Features

  • Advanced color correction tools
  • Raw image processor
  • Photo organization option
  • Basic editing tools
  • Adjustment tools

Pros

  • Completely free
  • Enables to convert files in various formats
  • Perfect for raw development

Cons

  • Unintuitive interface
  • Little bit complex
  • The performance rate is low comparing to Lightroom

Solution of the cons

Most of the beginner find the interface of Raw Therapee complex. As a solution, you can use Darktable that is another free alternative to Lightroom.

06.Paint.Net- Awesome tool for painting & editing

Paint.Net is another full-featured free photo editing software for Windows.

Intuitive interface, layer system, effects, plugins, and a plethora of editing tools are available on Paint.Net.

Helpful community, tutorials, and plugins make photo editing easy and enjoyable on Paint.Net.

With Paint.Net, you can do basic editing with precision.

Though it doesn't let you do creative editing or advanced retouching, you can give a clean look to your photo free from any visible imperfections.

For making adjustments, it has come with Hue, Saturation, and Curves tools.

Moreover, it includes a lot of art effects to create stunning painting photos including oil, ink, and pencil.

The drawback of this tool is it has come with limited brush workflows.

At the same time, the text tool doesn't perform well when you apply any effects.

Disregarding these drawbacks, it is a great tool for beginners.

Features

  • A lot of effects included to remove red-eye, blemishes, and fix distortions
  • Powerful editing tools
  • Intuitive & customizable interface
  • Plethora of History panels

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Completely free
  • Third-party plugins make editing workflow smooth
  • Growing online helpful community
  • Tutorials available

Cons

  • Lack of advanced retouching tools
  • Doesn't come with Dodge & Burn tool
  • Unupgraded brush tool

Solution of the cons

Gimp is a better solution to do all types of retouching workflows. Or, you can choose Photoshop to enjoy advanced retouching.

07. Krita- Best free digital painting software

Krita is a free painting photo editing software. The interface of Krita is intuitive and has everything at your fingertips.

With Krita, you can create stunning drawing & painting arts. Even a child can use it to draw paintings.

This digital painting tool has come with a lot of brushes for drawing arts. The best part is you can customize each of the brush tools.

For a newbie, you don't need to make changes into any brushes as it has come with everything you need.

The pencil tool of Krita is by far so advanced than its other counterparts. The softness of this tool is great and its stroke is straight.

To sum up, it is a great digital painting tool for the newbie.

Even those who don't have any painting experience before can create digital drawings using this free photo editor.

Features

  • Plethora of brush tools
  • Selection tools
  • Transform tools
  • Layer system
  • HDR support
  • Drawing assistance
  • Color palette
  • Advanced pencil tools

Pros

  • Completely free to use
  • No experience needed to use it
  • User-friendly interface
  • Support plugins
  • Compatible on Linux, Windows, and macOS

Cons

  • Crush happened frequently
  • Lack of keyboard shortcuts

Solution of the cons

The problem of Krita is there occur crushes often. As a result, you can lose your work.

To get rid of this problem, it is better to save the working file often.

I also noticed that Krita has a lack of keyboard shortcuts and layers. For solving this problem, you can switch your plan Krita to Photoshop.

Conclusion

To enhance photo quality, we must take help from photo editing software, either beginner or professionals.

And the list of open-source photo editing software I have included above help you enhance photos without spending a single buck.

But the question is- which is the best free photo editing software on this list?

Well, it depends on what you are going to do and what you are capable of doing.

To me, Gimp is the best free open-source photo editor on this list. It lets you do almost everything as Photoshop and Lightroom do.

For professionals who don't have enough money to use Photoshop, they can take advantage of this free photo editor.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a free Lightroom alternative, then Darktable is one that you expect.

For your convenience, I have listed those free photo editing software here again.

  • Gimp- Best free Photoshop alternative
  • Darktable- Best free Lightroom alternative
  • Inkscape- Best free vector design app
  • Digicam- Best for photo organization
  • Raw Therapee- Best raw development app
  • Paint.Net- Perfect for painting and basic editing
  • Krita- Best free digital painting software

Have you tried out any of the software on this list? Which software are you going to try out?

Have I missed any software that should include?

Let me know by leaving a comment below.

General FAQ

What is the best free photo editing software?

Which free photo editing software is best for beginners?

Darktable, Krita, DigiKam, Inkscape, and Raw Therapee are the best free photo editing software for beginners.

Is there any free photo editing software?

All of the apps I included on this list are free.

Is there an open source version of Photoshop?

Yes, Gimp is the open source version of Photoshop.

Is there an open source version of Lightroom?

Darktable is the open source version of Lightroom.

Sohel Rana

Sohel Rana is the founder, content crafter, and SEO's at Pic Editor Review. He has grown his passion over years about writing on software, how-to guide, and product description.

Using a photo editor app can help you edit your photos with ease and allow you to create high-quality small size images to share on the web.

Here we will consider the list of the top 15 best free photo editing apps in 2020 to get a perfect job done:

Read on for the detailed analysis of each app.

Top 15 Best Free Photo Editor Apps

You're convinced that you want to get a photo editor software, but not sure where to start. There are many free online photo editor programs to choose from. We've narrowed down the best free photo editor that you can use without paying a hefty price.

1. Adobe Photoshop Express Editor

Best Photo Editing Software Overall

Although Photoshop can be a bit intimidating, its sister product Adobe Photoshop Express Editor is an altogether different animal. All the tools are readily accessible and easy to use.

Adobe Photoshop Express Editor is a free photo editor. It is jam-packed with features that will allow you to make your images pop. You will be able to remove red-eye, resize images, make color corrections, and more.

It works right from your browser or mobile app. Editing photos is a snap with tools to balance color, resize, crop, change lighting, rotate, and more. The interface is appealing yet user-friendly. Our only gripes are that it was designed in Flash and not HTML5, and image formats can be somewhat limited.

👆 Special Features:

  • Crop
  • Rotate
  • Remove Red and pet-eye
  • Auto-Fix
  • Text Tool
  • Blemish Removal
  • Corrections
  • Customization
  • Perspective Correction
  • Pop-Color Tool
  • Image Resize
  • Watermark Images
  • JPEG Quality Output
  • Looks
  • Borders

PROS:

  • Simple and complex customization
  • Easy to use
  • Compatible with other Adobe Products
  • Gives you the edits you need to improve photos significantly

⛔️ CONS:

  • Some features require creative cloud membership that has a fee
  • The photo organizer tool is a separate app

2. Canva

Best Photo Editing App for Social Media

Canva is an easy to use photo editor app that allows users to create graphics and edit photos by merely dragging and dropping. It takes no time at all to build a design from scratch, and you don't have to be a pro to learn how to use this free photo editing software. It has tons of features that will help you create the ultimate design or touch up your pre-existing photos.

One of the best features of Canva is its extensive library of templates. Within minutes you can drop your photos into a preset layout and then style it using dozens of fonts, illustrations, graphics, colors, and design elements. With Canva, you can create stunning pieces quickly that you can share, print, or export. This online photo editor also comes complete with built-in support using search, tabs, and articles to find help with any issue.

👆 Special Features:

  • Photo Straightener
  • Image Cropper
  • The Ability to Add Text
  • Speech Bubble Maker
  • Transparency Tool
  • Photo Enhancer
  • Photo Blur
  • Photo Vignette
  • Design Grids
  • Free Icons
  • Photo Frames
  • Web Wireframe
  • Stickers
  • Badges
  • Add Texture

PROS:

  • Great for marketing photos on social media
  • Make and design ebooks
  • Excellent for web presentations
  • Tons of great features for free
  • Saves project history

⛔️ CONS:

  • Unable to remove an image's background
  • Needs to increase font size

3. Resizing.app

Best Photo Resizer

One of our favorites is an online image resizer, called Resizing.app. The company has a straightforward website and process to resize images online within seconds. One of the coolest features is the ability to export your newly sized image into a different format.

Resizing.app couldn't be easier to use. You simply drag and drop your images into the box on the home page. Then you select how you want to resize your image (by width, by height, custom size, by percentage, or by the largest side of the image). You can choose to compress your image for quality assurance and then just pick your new file format (jpg, png or webp). Once you hit the save button, your new image is saved to your computer. Voila' all done. No frills but also no hassles.

Unfortunately, this online service does not have any additional photo editing capabilities to go along with resizing. But hey! It's free, and we like free and simple.

If you resize your images and photos regularly, we highly recommend you to add the Resizing extension to your Google Chrome; it is also entirely free.

👆 Special Features:

  • Resizing by width, by height, custom size, by percentage, and by the largest side of the image.
  • Compress a photo
  • Crop an image
  • Convert an image to JPEG, PNG, WEBP
  • Optimize a picture

PROS:

  • Free
  • Easy to use
  • Online
  • Convert TIFF and HEIC files into JPEG, PNG or WEBP
  • Has extention for Google Chrome

⛔️ CONS:

  • Doesn't have any additional photo editing capabilities

4. inPixio

Another app we tested looking for the best free photo editor was inPixio. In reviews, inPixio earns high marks for usability, features, support, speed, and pricing. It has some fantastic tools to fix perspective (straighten buildings), image correction, dehaze, and you can even edit metadata right within the app to add headlines, captions, and copyright details.

inPixio also offers a free tool to remove the background from an image. It works pretty well if the photo has a clear color distinction between what you want to remove and what you want to keep. inPixio is fun to use, although it may not rank as the best free photo editor on the block, it is worth checking out.

To purchase the full program, you will need to select either the inPixio Photo Studio 10 for $49.99 or inPixio Photo Studio Professional version for $59.99. The price is for the full software you can install and use on your Mac or Windows PC.

👆 Special Features:

  • Eraser
  • Correction Patch
  • Cloning stamp
  • Cutter
  • Retouching and Correction
  • Perspective correction
  • Film grain module

PROS:

  • Tools for retouching photos, resizing, removing backgrounds, cropping, fixing sharpness, trimming, and adding filters.
  • Share images within the app.
  • Erase objects easily from photos.
  • No ads.
  • It doesn't 'push' you to upgrade.
  • Special effects to enhance your images.

⛔️ CONS:

  • The background removal tool doesn't always yield perfect results.
  • Some users complain that it does not work as advertised.
  • Puts watermarks on images with the free version.
  • Cannot batch edit.
  • Works by installing multiple modules.

5. Instasize

If you are in the market for the best free photo editing app, you will want to check out Instasize. The app was designed for social media and influencers who want to create eye-catching, creative photos, and videos for their social feeds. The software includes dozens of visually stunning filters, color editing tools, and you can even edit your videos with it.

Instasize has a broad fan base of more than 500,000 users. The plethora of editing tools also include photo retouching features, fonts, and text editing. The free version is limited, but if you are willing to pay $4.99/month, the Premium version is loaded with goodies.

👆 Special Features:

  • Collage maker
  • Naturally enhancing filters
  • Advanced editing adjustments
  • Borders
  • Beauty tools: edit blemishes, whiten teeth, remove redness, etc.
  • Social media formats
  • Pro fonts and text editor
  • Video editing

PROS:

  • Geared toward creating engaging content for social media.
  • Dozens of useful features, including backgrounds, beauty enhancements, borders, and filters, to make content creation easy.
  • Create collages in a snap.
  • Automatic resizing for social media formats.
  • Fast and easy to use.

⛔️ CONS:

  • The free version is stripped down and includes ads.
  • Some users complain about the ads and some glitches.
  • Only works on mobile devices, no app for PC or Mac.

6. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

A well-known name in the photo game is Adobe, which makes dozens of photo enhancement and editing products. One such app is the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom app. This product is a cloud-based product where you can upload batches of images and edit them together. It wouldn't be from Adobe without excellent photo editing tools built-in, and if you run into trouble, they have online tutorials to walk you through it all.

You can edit photos easily with all the expected features, share photos, take pictures from inside the app and sync them across all your devices. The Premium version cost is $9.99/month, which may be more than most users want to pay. If you want access to all the creative cloud apps, that figure balloons to $52.99/month.

👆 Special Features:

  • Preset creation
  • Split Toning
  • Tone Curve
  • Batch editing on desktop
  • Camera
  • Healing Brushes
  • RAW Editing
  • Cloud Storage
  • Sync Presets & Profiles

PROS:

  • Runs on Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS.
  • Easy to use, clean interface.
  • Create albums to organize all your photos.
  • Built-in presets to make editing easy.

⛔️ CONS:

  • Costly to use cloud storage.
  • May be too much for some users.

7. Fotor

Best Free Photo Editing App Online

Fotor is a photo editor software that allows you to utilize its photo editing suite to create top-notch photos. In just a few clicks you can adjust the color, size, lighting and more. It also has an HDR effect for your advanced editing needs.

The magic of Fotor is its extensive library of one-click filters to enhance and liven up any photo. Although Fotor is not as powerful as Photoshop and not as feature-rich as GIMP, it holds its own with a solid set of skills such as RAW file processing, borders, frames, color enhancement, and lighting adjustments. If you like Fotor, there is also a Pro version you can purchase. However, it only works on the Windows platform.

👆 Special Features:

  • Image Shape
  • Fonts
  • Stickers
  • Align
  • Drop Shadow
  • Transparency
  • CLone
  • Color Picker
  • Photo Collage
  • Filters
  • HDR
  • Beauty Retouching

PROS:

  • Has web, mobile and desktop version
  • Smart filters and effects
  • Collage maker
  • Raw file converter
  • Has a social network

⛔️ CONS:

  • Lots of ads
  • Inability to edit photos at a deeper level
  • Incompatible with creating images from scratch
Editing

8. VSCO

VSCO is another contender in our line-up of the best free picture editing apps. VSCO is a minimalistic app with a simple interface and powerful features. Its best feature is the vast library of filters to enhance your images and make them share-worthy.

You can do so within the VSCO social media channel. Yes, they have their own social network but you aren't limited to just that one. VSCO also offers some other photo editing tools such as adjusting color, balance, highlights, cropping, and spot healing. The free version is limited to only ten filters, which isn't very many compared to the 200+ you get with the paid version. A VSCO premium membership costs $19.99/year.

👆 Special Features:

  • Filters
  • Clarity
  • Tint
  • Fade
  • X-Skew
  • Y-Skew
  • Skin Tone
  • Highlights Tint
  • Shadows Tint

PROS:

  • Includes its own social network to share images.
  • Easy to use interface.
  • Excellent editing tools with the paid version.
  • Powerful camera features like ISO, exposure, white balance, and focus.
  • Save images in RAW format.
  • Video editing.
  • Create montages easily.
  • The ability to share from within the app.

⛔️ CONS:

  • Requires a paid subscription for the best features.
  • Only works on mobile devices, no app for PC or Mac.
  • Not as good for social media image creation.
  • Pushes upgrading.
  • No option to take selfies with the app.
  • No zoom features.

9. BeFunky

BeFunky is much more than just a free photo editor. With easy to use features, this photo editor app provides high-quality results whenever you use it to edit photos or make collages. You'll have fun using this software for years to come.

Using the myriad of free collage layouts and design elements, you can quickly create a new Facebook banner or other social media image. The program is an online photo editor but also supports a handy mobile app. Integrations allow you to save your masterpiece to Dropbox or Google Drive and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. BeFunky's drag-and-drop functionality makes it a breeze to use.

👆 Special Features:

  • Collage
  • Crop
  • Resize
  • Digital Art
  • Cartoonizer
  • Enhance DLX
  • Font Pairing
  • Create Wallpapers for Your Device
  • Edit and Replace Colors
  • Batch Processing

PROS:

  • Complete control of your work
  • Easier than most programs to use
  • Privacy
  • Editing tools have variety

⛔️ CONS:

  • No eraser tool
  • Additional content has a cost

10. Pixlr

You can't beat the convenience factor of a powerful photo editor that runs in your browser, and Pixlr delivers. Pixlr is a great way to have a convenient photo editor at your fingertips that is user-friendly and can provide the professional-looking images you imagined.

Pixlr is a Photoshop clone that offers a generous treasure trove of image-editing features along with the ability to import photos from Facebook. Pixlr has also been compared to GIMP in terms of functionality and user interface. Although it may be overkill for some, it's just the right balance of form and functionality for others.

👆 Special Features:

  • Edit Photos Using Dropbox
  • Layers
  • Filters
  • Adjustments
  • Texts
  • Fonts
  • Magic Wand
  • Lasso
  • Brushes
  • Eraser
  • Object Transform
  • Color Replace
  • Digital Painting
  • Image Retouching
  • Digital Inking
  • Photo Collage
  • Effects

PROS:

  • Available on desktop and mobile
  • Supports layers and masks
  • Customize the interface

⛔️ CONS:

  • Some ads

11. Snapseed for Android and iOS

Best Photo Editing App for Professional Photographers

Snapseed is a free online photo editor designed for the serious photographer who wants to enhance their photos professionally. Its primary focus is on providing filters that will change the effects. You can also share your creations with its export tool.

The software uses stacks/layers of edits so you can remove, arrange, or apply them at will. These stacks can be saved as a 'look,' meaning a style which you can then use to apply to other photos. Compared to other apps, Snapseed shines with an impressive array of filters, brushes, and nondestructive editing tools that will delight any serious photo editing buff.

👆 Special Features:

  • Pre-Made Filters
  • Looks
  • Tools
  • Export

PROS:

  • Nondestructive editing
  • Selective edit brushes
  • Photographic filters

⛔️ CONS:

  • More suitable for experienced users
  • No auto-save

12. PhotoScape

PhotoScape was designed for the beginner, but don't let that fool you; it is a powerhouse of features and functionality. Although the layout of PhotoScape is a bit clunky, the tools are solid, and along with retouching features, you can easily add filters to your images, create animated GIFs, batch edit photos, create slideshows and more using dozens of free templates. The list of accolades is impressive for a free photo editor app.

PhotoScape gives you the ability to create stunning images with access to multiple tools. Enhancing your photos becomes more convenient, and you aren't disappointed by a system that doesn't deliver. It has your basic features and more advanced ones such as Batch Processing, Font pairing, and Digital Art.

👆 Special Features:

  • Viewer
  • Editor
  • Batch Editor
  • Page
  • Combine
  • Animated GIF
  • Print
  • Splitter
  • Screen Capture
  • Color Picker
  • Rename
  • Raw Converter
  • Paper Print
  • Face Search

PROS:

  • Plenty of Features
  • Effects Preview

⛔️ CONS:

  • Redundant Interface

13. Paint.NET

Paint.Net started as a built-in program on the Windows platform and evolved into its own standalone photo editing software with an innovative user interface that supports many features. This photo editor can be extended through plug-ins to give a wide variety to what the photo editor app can do.

While it provides a clean layout and powerful tools, this program is not for beginners. It boasts of a main working window with the tools corralled into their own movable windows. The program uses layers to keep everything organized. A design aficionado will be disappointed with the lack of some features, but for most users, it's a great solution.

👆 Special Features:

  • Layers
  • Unlimited Undo
  • Special Effects
  • Powerful Tools
  • Unlimited History

PROS:

  • Innovative Interface
  • Keyboard Shortcuts for Tools and Menu Items
  • Font Previews

⛔️ CONS:

  • Little Control Over Text
  • Minimal Layer Effects
  • Few Brush Options

14. GIMP

Best Open-source Photo Editor

GIMP is open-source software and a favorite among many graphic designers. GIMP has often been compared to Photoshop. While it shares many of the same features and functionality of the popular photo editing software, GIMP is free.

Good Photography Editing Software Free

Some of the highlights are a plethora of brushes to choose from, filters, and even plugins to make the software more desirable. GIMP also supports animation. Because of all this, GIMP is by far our pick for the best free photo editor.

👆 Special Features:

  • Color Correction
  • Skin Retouching
  • Eyes Brightening
  • Customizable Interface
  • Graphic Design Elements
  • Original Artwork
  • Photo Enhancement
  • Inkscape
  • Swatch booker

PROS:

Good photography editing software free for youtube

8. VSCO

VSCO is another contender in our line-up of the best free picture editing apps. VSCO is a minimalistic app with a simple interface and powerful features. Its best feature is the vast library of filters to enhance your images and make them share-worthy.

You can do so within the VSCO social media channel. Yes, they have their own social network but you aren't limited to just that one. VSCO also offers some other photo editing tools such as adjusting color, balance, highlights, cropping, and spot healing. The free version is limited to only ten filters, which isn't very many compared to the 200+ you get with the paid version. A VSCO premium membership costs $19.99/year.

👆 Special Features:

  • Filters
  • Clarity
  • Tint
  • Fade
  • X-Skew
  • Y-Skew
  • Skin Tone
  • Highlights Tint
  • Shadows Tint

PROS:

  • Includes its own social network to share images.
  • Easy to use interface.
  • Excellent editing tools with the paid version.
  • Powerful camera features like ISO, exposure, white balance, and focus.
  • Save images in RAW format.
  • Video editing.
  • Create montages easily.
  • The ability to share from within the app.

⛔️ CONS:

  • Requires a paid subscription for the best features.
  • Only works on mobile devices, no app for PC or Mac.
  • Not as good for social media image creation.
  • Pushes upgrading.
  • No option to take selfies with the app.
  • No zoom features.

9. BeFunky

BeFunky is much more than just a free photo editor. With easy to use features, this photo editor app provides high-quality results whenever you use it to edit photos or make collages. You'll have fun using this software for years to come.

Using the myriad of free collage layouts and design elements, you can quickly create a new Facebook banner or other social media image. The program is an online photo editor but also supports a handy mobile app. Integrations allow you to save your masterpiece to Dropbox or Google Drive and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. BeFunky's drag-and-drop functionality makes it a breeze to use.

👆 Special Features:

  • Collage
  • Crop
  • Resize
  • Digital Art
  • Cartoonizer
  • Enhance DLX
  • Font Pairing
  • Create Wallpapers for Your Device
  • Edit and Replace Colors
  • Batch Processing

PROS:

  • Complete control of your work
  • Easier than most programs to use
  • Privacy
  • Editing tools have variety

⛔️ CONS:

  • No eraser tool
  • Additional content has a cost

10. Pixlr

You can't beat the convenience factor of a powerful photo editor that runs in your browser, and Pixlr delivers. Pixlr is a great way to have a convenient photo editor at your fingertips that is user-friendly and can provide the professional-looking images you imagined.

Pixlr is a Photoshop clone that offers a generous treasure trove of image-editing features along with the ability to import photos from Facebook. Pixlr has also been compared to GIMP in terms of functionality and user interface. Although it may be overkill for some, it's just the right balance of form and functionality for others.

👆 Special Features:

  • Edit Photos Using Dropbox
  • Layers
  • Filters
  • Adjustments
  • Texts
  • Fonts
  • Magic Wand
  • Lasso
  • Brushes
  • Eraser
  • Object Transform
  • Color Replace
  • Digital Painting
  • Image Retouching
  • Digital Inking
  • Photo Collage
  • Effects

PROS:

  • Available on desktop and mobile
  • Supports layers and masks
  • Customize the interface

⛔️ CONS:

  • Some ads

11. Snapseed for Android and iOS

Best Photo Editing App for Professional Photographers

Snapseed is a free online photo editor designed for the serious photographer who wants to enhance their photos professionally. Its primary focus is on providing filters that will change the effects. You can also share your creations with its export tool.

The software uses stacks/layers of edits so you can remove, arrange, or apply them at will. These stacks can be saved as a 'look,' meaning a style which you can then use to apply to other photos. Compared to other apps, Snapseed shines with an impressive array of filters, brushes, and nondestructive editing tools that will delight any serious photo editing buff.

👆 Special Features:

  • Pre-Made Filters
  • Looks
  • Tools
  • Export

PROS:

  • Nondestructive editing
  • Selective edit brushes
  • Photographic filters

⛔️ CONS:

  • More suitable for experienced users
  • No auto-save

12. PhotoScape

PhotoScape was designed for the beginner, but don't let that fool you; it is a powerhouse of features and functionality. Although the layout of PhotoScape is a bit clunky, the tools are solid, and along with retouching features, you can easily add filters to your images, create animated GIFs, batch edit photos, create slideshows and more using dozens of free templates. The list of accolades is impressive for a free photo editor app.

PhotoScape gives you the ability to create stunning images with access to multiple tools. Enhancing your photos becomes more convenient, and you aren't disappointed by a system that doesn't deliver. It has your basic features and more advanced ones such as Batch Processing, Font pairing, and Digital Art.

👆 Special Features:

  • Viewer
  • Editor
  • Batch Editor
  • Page
  • Combine
  • Animated GIF
  • Print
  • Splitter
  • Screen Capture
  • Color Picker
  • Rename
  • Raw Converter
  • Paper Print
  • Face Search

PROS:

  • Plenty of Features
  • Effects Preview

⛔️ CONS:

  • Redundant Interface

13. Paint.NET

Paint.Net started as a built-in program on the Windows platform and evolved into its own standalone photo editing software with an innovative user interface that supports many features. This photo editor can be extended through plug-ins to give a wide variety to what the photo editor app can do.

While it provides a clean layout and powerful tools, this program is not for beginners. It boasts of a main working window with the tools corralled into their own movable windows. The program uses layers to keep everything organized. A design aficionado will be disappointed with the lack of some features, but for most users, it's a great solution.

👆 Special Features:

  • Layers
  • Unlimited Undo
  • Special Effects
  • Powerful Tools
  • Unlimited History

PROS:

  • Innovative Interface
  • Keyboard Shortcuts for Tools and Menu Items
  • Font Previews

⛔️ CONS:

  • Little Control Over Text
  • Minimal Layer Effects
  • Few Brush Options

14. GIMP

Best Open-source Photo Editor

GIMP is open-source software and a favorite among many graphic designers. GIMP has often been compared to Photoshop. While it shares many of the same features and functionality of the popular photo editing software, GIMP is free.

Good Photography Editing Software Free

Some of the highlights are a plethora of brushes to choose from, filters, and even plugins to make the software more desirable. GIMP also supports animation. Because of all this, GIMP is by far our pick for the best free photo editor.

👆 Special Features:

  • Color Correction
  • Skin Retouching
  • Eyes Brightening
  • Customizable Interface
  • Graphic Design Elements
  • Original Artwork
  • Photo Enhancement
  • Inkscape
  • Swatch booker

PROS:

  • Compatible With Many File Types
  • Developer Support
  • User-Friendly Interface
  • Open Source Code

⛔️ CONS:

  • Functionality

15. Photo Pos Pro

Photo Pos Pro is excellent for creating computer graphic designs and text that will pop. It is a powerful software that can be mastered by advanced and beginner photo editors. The system has a program that offers assistance for beginners who need step by step instructions.

With Photo Pos Pro, you get the best of both worlds, the choice of a beginner or expert interface. Photographers will love the support for RAW files, the many filters, and retouching tools. Both the novice and pro interfaces are a bit confusing and cluttered. It's a very personal preference when picking the best free photo editor for you.

👆 Special Features:

  • Filters
  • Layers
  • Masks
  • Curves
  • Scripts
  • Effects
  • Brushes
  • Frames and Collages
  • Text Effects
  • RAW Files Support
  • Remove, Erase, and Replace Backgrounds

PROS:

  • Great For Any Level of Experience
  • Superb Help and Tutorials
  • Manual Editing and Automatic One-Click Editing Balance

⛔️ CONS:

  • Large Learning Curve
  • Software Glitches

How to Choose The Best Free Photo Editor?

When it comes to choosing the best photo editor software, there are many things to take into account. The top features to look at are the file formats, organizing tools, photo sharing, and standard editing tools. These items are significant for those who're interested in doing photo editing whether it is for pleasure or career.

Free Software For Photo Editing

  • File Formats
    File formats like jpg, gif, and png are essential to have if you're uploading your photos to the Internet. These formats allow you to compress the file size of the images to publish them on the web.

  • Organizing Tools
    Having a free online photo editor should come with tools to help keep you organized. It is essential to have features that will keep track of your photos by using thumbnail previews, search, and naming schemes.

  • Standard Editing Tools
    Having the basics is vital to being successful at photo editing and utilizing the photo editor software of your choice. Some of the typical tools you'll need are adjusting brightness and contrast in your photos, crop, resize, and rotating the images. They should be easy to catch onto and fast to use.

Searching for how to resize images without losing quality? Follow our step-by-step guide on how to do it at no time.

  • Photo Sharing
    We all know how eager we get to post our work and personal photos online. With the right program, it will reduce the time it'll take to upload the image online. That will decrease the need to have a photo editor software that has blogging tools to get your photos posted.

Good Photography Editing software, free download

If you want to edit your photos like a PRO, check out the following presets of ours. Alternatively, you can leave it to professionals; FixThePhoto is one of the best photo editing companies to assign your photo retouching tasks.

Finding the best free photo editor is what will set you apart with your photography whether it's a hobby or your career. Choose from these free online photo editor apps to enhance your photos with a few simple clicks. The best part about photo editor online software is that you don't have to break the bank with these free, high-quality programs and can do it from any device, because they are web-based.

Related Articles:

  • 5 Free Image Resizer Apps for You in 2020
  • Top 3 Best Free Photo Editors for Windows in 2020
  • Top 3 Best Mac Photo Editors in 2020
  • Upgrade Your Photos with the 3 Best Online Photo Editors
  • 5 Tips on How to Optimize Images for Web

Launchberg editors pick and review products independently. We may earn affiliate commissions when you purchase an item via our links—it helps support our testing.





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