
Photography editing software has seen dramatic changes in the past few years. While Photoshop, Corel Photo-Paint, and GIMP have remained popular photo editors for PC, the rise of smartphones and apps has made it possible to edit photos without having to pay for expensive software or learn complicated user interfaces. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best free photo editors for PC in 2022—free versions of Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, and other photo editing software that you can download from the app store or directly from their website.
The Best Free Photoshop Alternatives
If you’re looking for a free Photoshop alternative, then you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll share the 30 best free Photoshop alternatives that you can use in 2021. The first thing you should know is that there are two types of software programs: image editors and photo editors. Image editors usually offer more than just editing photos – they might also allow some level of drawing and vector-based artwork. A photo editor is solely designed for editing pictures and usually has limited drawing capabilities. Our list below includes both types of software so be sure to read carefully before downloading any program on your computer! Some editors are very similar in features to Photoshop but don’t charge you anything for the premium features. These include Fotor and Paint Net, which offer nearly identical features with some limitations as compared to Adobe’s flagship product. Other choices include Paint Tool SAI which was made specifically for illustrations or vectors, GIMP which has tons of customization options (including layers), Sketchbook Pro which was made by Autodesk Inc., Pixelmator Pro which offers an intuitive interface, and Affinity Photo which is considered one of the most powerful yet user-friendly photography tools around. Read on to find out what makes these pieces of software awesome… As for ranking, our favorite 5 products would have to be Sketchbook Pro, GIMP, PaintTool SAI, Affinity Photo and Pixelmator Pro. They all have great features such as unlimited layers in Sketchbook Pro and pixel-level control in Affinity Photo. You won’t regret trying them out if you need a new photo editor!
As always, if you want the full rundown on all 30 top photo editors then please click here. Enjoy! Affinity Photo – $40/year
Affinity Photo was developed for professional photographers, designers, and illustrators who demand professional-grade photo editing without the learning curve. With cutting edge non-destructive adjustment layers powered by live previews, complex selections using layer masks and feathering with micro edges, versatile adjustment brush engine; not to mention ultra high resolution support up to 8K and 360° panoramas – it doesn’t get much better than this! And did we mention its powerful RAW processing capabilities? Check it out today! Affinity Photo is easily one of the best Photoshop alternatives available, whether you’re running Windows or MacOS. It’s compatible with PSD files and offers plenty of advanced controls to really make each photo look perfect. Affiniti Photo will run you about $40 per year after a generous trial period that lets you export PSD files too! Just like the other competitors on this list, Affinity offers a ton of useful tutorials via their YouTube channel and website. No matter how big your project is, odds are good they already cover it there. Whether you’re designing graphics for film production or creating magazine layouts, give this app a try and see how easy it is to edit away pesky shadows in images thanks to incredibly precise cutout selections too!
Photoshop alternatives for graphic designers
For many graphic designers, Photoshop is the go-to program for crafting layouts, editing photos and illustrations, and more. However, Photoshop is a subscription-based program that can be expensive for some designers. If you’re looking for a free alternative to Photoshop, there are several great options available. In this blog post, we’ll share seven of the best free photo editors for PC in 2022. While these programs lack some of the features found in Photoshop, they still provide excellent tools for basic design work. The first program we’ll cover is PaintShop Pro X8, which has everything from advanced drawing and painting tools to color correction capabilities. It also offers various layout templates for presenting designs with ease. Next up is GIMP, which focuses on image manipulation. You can use it to edit photos or create new images from scratch with its built-in drawing features. Other popular options include CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2018, Serif Affinity Designer 5, Aviary Photo Editor 4 (a simple but powerful app), Pixlr Editor 3 (an easy-to-use option), SohoPhoto 3 (which supports unlimited layers), and Graphic Converter 10 Pro (a professional grade tool). All of these apps offer outstanding value and will make excellent alternatives to Photoshop.
Photoshop alternative apps
There are many great Photoshop alternatives available, some of which are even free. If you’re looking for a powerful photo editor that won’t break the bank, check out the list below. Here are our favorite Photoshop alternatives.
The best free photo editors for PC in 2022 – Adobe alternatives Adobe’s suite of software has long been one of the most popular choices for photo editing and designing. But since their prices range from $10 to $50 per month, they can be cost-prohibitive to those who just want to edit and not design. Luckily there are a number of fantastic programs at no cost (or close to it) that provide all the power and functionality as Photoshop with an added bonus: they don’t come with any subscription costs!
Lightroom is by far one of the most popular free options out there. It’s designed specifically for photography, so it provides an intuitive interface, tons of professional features, and excellent customer support. It doesn’t have quite as much variety when it comes to filters or effects compared to Photoshop or Pixelmator Pro, but if you’re looking for a program that’s strictly focused on photo editing then this might be your best bet. A downside? It only works on Mac computers.
If you’re on Windows 10 and need a good substitute for Photoshop without spending money then GIMP is worth checking out.
Mobile photo editing apps
While there are many great mobile photo editing apps available, sometimes you need the power and features that only a desktop app can provide. If you’re looking for a free photo editor for Windows or Mac, here are some of the best Adobe alternatives. Otsuji – Otsuji is one of the simplest editors to use. It has all of the basic tools for any beginner photographer.
PicMonkey – PicMonkey is a website where you can design layouts, add text, and create collages out of your photos. You also have access to pre-made filters so your photos don’t look too similar to others on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Fotor – Fotor is an all-in-one solution that gives you everything from auto enhancements to tilt-shift blur effects to filters with pre-set styles from old cameras. One downside of this program is it doesn’t allow for layers which could be a problem if you’re doing more complex edits. Pixlr – Pixlr was originally created as a browser extension but now it’s available as both a browser extension and desktop app for both Mac and Windows users. The desktop version offers more control over edits than the browser extension does, but still doesn’t offer layers. Overall Pixlr offers quite a few great features without being overly complicated to use which makes it easy to recommend. PaintShop Pro – PaintShop Pro is just about as straightforward as they come when it comes to editing software which makes it perfect for someone who knows what they want but isn’t very good at using complicated programs.