In today’s digital age, photographs have become a significant part of our lives, capturing precious moments and creating stunning visual content for social media and businesses. However, making a great photo is only the first step; editing and enhancing it is essential to make it truly stand out. With so many software options available, it can be challenging to choose the right one. In this article, we share our top picks for the best photo editing software, highlighting their features and benefits to help you make an informed decision.
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop has been a go-to
image editing software for over three decades. Professionals in various creative fields use it to manipulate and enhance images in ways previously impossible. Its layers feature is a standout, allowing you to stack elements and images for independent adjustments. You can also adjust color and contrast, remove unwanted elements, and add special effects like blurs and glows.
With Adobe Photoshop you first and foremost benefit from the company’s industry standard status in photo editing. Due to its status, Adobe Photoshop is recognized as a valuable asset for professional graphic designers, photographers, and marketing specialists. Adobe Photoshop’s reputation is based on powerful features that enable users to create stunning visuals and uniquely express their creativity. The software saves you time by automating repetitive tasks, like resizing and cropping images, with the use of scripts and macros. You can use the good cross-product integration with other Adobe products, such as illustrator and inDesign. With this feature you can easily transfer files between programs and work on different design projects.
Overall, Adobe Photoshop is a versatile and powerful software with a wide range of features for creating and editing images. Whether you’re a professional photographer, graphic designer, or simply enjoy working with photos, Adobe Photoshop can help you achieve your creative goals. The software comes in 2 variants, the first one is €24 a month of Adobe premium features with 100 GB and the other option is €24 a month for 1TB of Classic Photoshop and Lightroom.
Learn more about
Photoshop Elements features here.
Corel Photo-Paint
Corel PaintShop Pro is the
picture editing program for users who search for a simple and efficient way to improve their photographs. Although Corel Photo-Paint may not appear to be a complex tool, it is an affordable solution that can help you take your photographs to the next level.
With Corel Photo-Paint you can access numerous textures, backdrops, and brushes for a one-time purchase starting at €69.99. All the features are regularly improved through regular app upgrades.
Corel PaintShop Pro is the newest edition and contains a Photography Workspace feature designed specifically for photographers. With Photography Workspace you can easily edit using the best tools in a user-friendly format. For most of the tools in the Photography Workspace you need just a single click. This makes the editing process much quicker and simpler. Additionally, the touch-ready workspace is perfect for editing photos on a tablet, with large and distinct tool icons for easy selection on a touch device.
Corel PaintShop Pro’s other features include layers and masks, refine brush for selections, smart clone technology, AI enhanced presets, 360-degree photo editing, fantastic user experience, graphic design tools and templates, photo editing options like blur and fix, learning tutorials, and RAW image processing Like many other photo editing programs, Corel PaintShop Pro also offers plugins, brush extensions, color palettes, and textures that you can import to give yourself even more editing options.
You can enjoy Corel PaintShop Pro features for just €69.99. Corel PaintShop Pro also offers a 30-day money back guarantee if the program doesn’t suit you.
Check out our collection of
Corel products here.
Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom is an efficient photo editing software that allows users to organize, edit, and enhance their photos. Its user-friendly interface and powerful features make it the go-to option for photo enthusiasts who want to bring their images to life.
One of the remarkable features of Adobe Lightroom is its outstanding organization capabilities. Users can import photos and efficiently sort them by date, location, and other categories. Additionally, in Adobe Lightroom you can create collections and albums to keep your files more organized and accessible. The software also provides a wide range of tools and features with which you can enhance your photos. From basic adjustments like exposure, contrast, and saturation to noise reduction, lens correction, and selective editing. With the software’s preset features you can apply ready edits to photos with just a few clicks.
Lightroom also provides a great integration with other Adobe products. You can, for example, move photos from Lightroom to Photoshop or other Adobe software for more advanced editing or design work.
Overall, Adobe Lightroom is a powerful and intuitive photo editing software suitable for photographers of all skill levels. With a monthly subscription of €12, users can enjoy a 1TB plan of Lightroom, while Adobe also offers 7-day free trials for users to test out its features. Other plans with less or more storage that includes Photoshop are also available for €24 a month.
GIMP
GIMP is an open-source image editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux users. If you need a free alternative with which you can edit your photographs, GIMP is the best solution for you.
One of its main features is GIMP’s user-friendly interface, which makes it a good starting software for beginners. The software’s layout is comparable to that of other picture editors, such as Adobe Photoshop. GIMP’s style, size, and interface color can be customized to suit your preferences. Moreover, the software provides a huge number of editing tools, such as painting tools, cloning tools, selection tools, and others. With GIMP you can alter your photographs using advanced methods.In addition, GIMP supports a variety of file types. What is more, you can import and export files without worrying about compatibility difficulties. GIMP’s support for plugins, which are extra features that may be added to the program to increase its capabilities, is another fantastic feature. For GIMP users who wish to personalize their editing experience, there are hundreds of plugins that can be downloaded and set up for free.
GIMP offers a variety of editing tools and features for no cost at all that are comparable to those of other respected photo editor software alternatives. The software program is an excellent option both for beginners and and advanced users because of its customisable layout and user-friendly interface.
Canva
Canva is a popular graphic design tool that is also suitable both for professionals and beginners. It includes wide-range of features for creating all kinds of designs and editing videos and photos. One of its key features is the possibility to upload and edit photos. The basic features are cropping, resizing, and rotating are filters, effects, and auto-adjust mode. With the Pro version, you can get access to more advanced tools such as distraction and background remover.
Canva is a free and elaborate tool but not a professional photo editor. Nevertheless, for simple and quick editing it can be the go-to choice. WIth the intuitive and user-friendly interface you can easily edit your photos in no time. Additionally, it can be used simply in the browser but it runs smoothly on mobiles as well.
In general, Canva can be used for free with limited features. Upgrading for the Canva Pro costs €109.99 per year.
Skylum Luminar
Skylum Luminar is a user-friendly software available for both Windows and Mac, designed for
photo editing and image enhancing. Its latest version, Luminar Neo, has several advanced AI technology tools that can deliver results comparable to Photoshop within seconds. This software is suitable for all skill levels, ensuring that anyone can use it with ease.
The software is equipped with an extensive range of editing tools, many of which are powered by AI technology. These include RAW processing, color correction, and contrast enhancement. The interface is intuitive and user-friendly, with editing tools arranged into four categories: Essentials, Creative, Portrait, and Professional. Additionally, the software has various presets that can quickly enhance your images. With the help of AI technology, Skylum Luminar can recognize the most suitable pre-set for your photo, saving you lots of time.
Another benefit that you get from using Luminar Neo is the easy transfer of photographs from your smartphone to the desktop, or vice versa. This is possible due to the Luminar Share. The program can also be used as a mobile app for iPhone and Android smartphones that is compatible with Luminar Neo. Also, it can be set up as a plugin for Photoshop or Lightroom.
Skylum offers two different subscription plans and the lifetime license option. The Explore subscription plan is available for €119/year when billed monthly. It is valid for one device but does not include the extensions pack. The Pro version’s price is €179/year with a monthly billing. It includes the extensions pack and can be used on two devices. On the other hand, you have the possibility to pay one-off €149 to get the lifetime license but this doesn’t contain the future upgrades.
Fotor
Fotor is a photo-editing program that offers three versions for users: an online version, a downloadable desktop version, and a mobile app for editing while on the go. This variety is helpful since it allows you to choose the app that best fits your needs or switch between them as needed. You can use the Fotor online version from any browser. If you prefer editing photos on your phone, the Fotor mobile app is one of the best photo editing apps currently available. Each version of Fotor is easy to use and has a straightforward interface.
Fotor offers plenty of tools for enhancing photos, such as filters, effects, RAW processing, and also AI-powered features. Above editing, you can also create collages or designs in many different styles. Since all the most used image file formats are supported you can start with editing right away.
Another advantage when using Fotor is that you can get use of most of its features for no costs at all. Despite the fact that it is free, it provides outstanding user experience and a seamless workflow on each version.
Fotor has three subscription plans. The basic plan is completely free of use. Then the pro version is available for €39.99 annually or €8.99 monthly. The Fotor Pro+ costs €89.99 for a year or €19.99 monthly.
PicMonkey
PicMonkey is considered to be one of the best and easiest to use picture editors out there. Additionally to the basic tools, the software also offers a wide range of advanced features for editing and enhancing your photos. With PicMonkey’s online editor you can easily modify your photos by adding texts, filters, and effects. The program also has a variety of tools specially for photo retouching, creating collages, and adding design elements.
The Picture Editor tool has everything you need to create flawless photos. You can find in it useful features like decorative extras, a great selection of frames and textures designed to enhance your photos. A wide range of customizable photo effects are included. You can make use of more than 60 filters and effects to create unique looks for your photos. More than 3000 images and icons are available, so you can use the tool also to layer graphics to create brand-new designs from scratch and add them on to your images. A variety of in-built templates and fonts enables you to create .
PicMonkey offers three subscription plans. The Basic plan costs €89.88 per annum or €10.99 per month. The Pro plan is available for €143.40 for a year or €16.99 for a month. The third plan is designed for businesses. This costs €274 per year or €29 per month. There is the possibility of a 7-day free trial for the Basic and the Pro plan.
Other Considerations
Selecting the best picture editing software might be difficult. When choosing, you must consider a number of other key aspects in addition to the features and advantages.
The
ease of use is one of the important characteristics when it comes to any software program. A software that is simple to use and navigate is ideal if you’re new to photo editing. This way you will save time and avoid frustration, however, if you’re an experienced user, you’ll need software that’s advanced enough to perform challenging editing jobs while still being user-friendly. Another key factor is
compatibility. Before you purchase any software, you need to make sure that the picture editing software you select is compatible with your operating system. Additionally, it must support the file types you intend to edit. Next to this, it is important that the software facilitates the simple
sharing of files and projects with others.
If you do not want to go for the mainstream picture editing programs, you can easily find alternatives to Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and GIMP, for example.
Pixelmator is an often chosen alternative for macOS users due to its cutting-edge editing features and tools.
DxO PhotoLab and
Capture One are excellent solutions for professional photographers who require more advanced editing reatures. Cost is still another crucial factor. A one-time purchase option or free software like GIMP or Fotor may be preferred by certain customers over a subscription-based service like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.
Check here
the best choices for graphic design software.
Conclusion
Finally, there are a ton of excellent picture editing software choices available, each with special features and advantages. It might be difficult to select the best solution for your needs, but you can reduce your selections by taking into account variables like cost, compatibility, and simplicity of use.
GIMP comes highly recommended if you’re looking for a free, open-source picture editing program. It has a user-friendly interface, sophisticated editing options and tools, and compatibility with most operating systems. The most well-liked and feature-rich solutions are still Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom for those willing to pay for a subscription-based service.
Whatever your requirements and preferences are, a top-notch photo editing program can help to improve your pictures’ quality. To discover how the suggested software alternatives can improve your images, it is worth giving them a try, especially if they come with a free trial period. A photo editing program is a useful tool for creating beautiful photographs, whether for personal or business usage.
