The Best Image Editing Software

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

• Which Is The Best Image Editing Software Program
• The Best Image Editing Software
• The Best Free Image Editing Software

Fotor is another photo editing software solution that boasts an intuitive interface. Some of its main features include: design templates, filters, HDR effects, and portrait retouching. Alternatively, if you are looking to create a bit more informal design, there are countless shapes, fonts and stickers that you can play around with. Best Photo Editing Software in 2020 Modern digital photography goes hand in hand with post-processing software. Although today the photo editing software market offers an unlimited number of options for photographers of all levels, most of the community sticks to tried-and-true Adobe Photoshop. What is the Best Photo Editing Software? Adobe Photoshop. Best Overall Photo Editor for Mac and PC. Adobe Photoshop deserves a special mention in any article. Corel PaintShop Pro 2020. Best Easy Photo Tool for Beginners. Corel PaintShop Pro is a capable and one of the most.

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

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

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.

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.

Which Is The Best Image Editing Software Program

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.

• January 02, 2020
• 29 min to read

Before you can upload your images to your personal blog, social media page or website, it is key that you first edit your images. Nowadays this is a step that you cannot afford to skip if you want your photos to be taken seriously. In fact, as there is such a wide range of software solutions on the market, there is no reason why you should skip this important step.

[Top10] Good Photo Editing Software for Beginners - Windows/ Mac

1. Luminar 4
2. Photolemur
3. Adobe Lightroom
4. Aurora HDR
5. AirMagic
6. Adobe Photoshop
7. ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate
8. Serif Affinity Photo
9. PortraitPro

Though, seeing that users are spoilt for choice, to find the best photo editing tools that will boost your current set of skills can be quite a challenge. If you thought that Adobe Photoshop is the only photo editing software, you would be mistaken. Nowadays there are many much simpler software solutions too! The following are some of the best photo editing software that both professional and beginner photographers should check out.

1. Luminar (7-day Trial)

If you need a photo editing tool to get the job done in a flash, Skylum Luminar can help you to take your photos to new heights. It boasts a really useful AI slider that lets you play around with clarity, brightness and much more. There are also exclusive filters such as the Orton and Sunrays filters that you will absolutely love.

In fact, this software can give Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop a run for their money. Speaking of which, as you only have to pay a fixed fee once (eliminating those annoying monthly subscription payments), it makes sense why Skylum Luminar has become so popular amongst professional photographers. That being said, if you prefer to use Photoshop or Lightroom, it also boasts a plug-in that you will find quite handy.

2. Adobe Lightroom(7-day Trial)

When Adobe Photoshop is too advanced for those straightforward touch-ups, Adobe Lightroom will be more suited for the task at hand. As a matter of fact, the fact that it is not as complicated as Photoshop is the whole beauty of Adobe Lightroom.

Some of its excellent features include: customizable sliders, gradient and brush adjustments, presets, blurring tools and other professional filters. Plus, you can use it with multiple devices and to help you keep your photos organized it uses face detection. All things considered, with this wide range of functional features and its easy-to-use interface, you can create just as remarkable photos with Lightroom.

3. PicMonkey

If you are searching for a more comprehensive graphic design solution as opposed to just photo editing features, PicMonkey is the perfect pick. With this package, you can create collages, edit your photos, crop and add touch-ups to mention only a couple of its features.

It is the ideal software solution to help you take your design skills to a more advanced level and unleash your creativity. Some of its other main features are basic filters, blank canvas design, and templates. Plus, if you regularly have to work with the different social media platforms, you will love its automatic sizing feature.

4. Aurora HDR(7-day Trial)

Aurora HDR can either be used as a stand-alone app or Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom plug-in. Boasting more than 80 looks, you can transform your photos instantly to deliver first-class final results. Some of its more sophisticated features that professional photographers will welcome include masking and layers, blending modes, powerful batch processing and support for RAW files.

On top of that, it also offers exclusive tools like HDR Denoise and HDR Smart Structure. The Denoise feature will automatically identify any noise and remove it while still retaining all the details, while the latter tool is a slider that uses AI to create astonishing depth.

5. Pixlr Editor

If you have grown accustomed to Adobe Photoshop, but are exploring alternatives, be sure to try out Pixlr Editor. With this online photo editing software, you can add an image to a blank canvas and come up with one-of-a-kind effects. Some of its other main features include overlays, filters and more than two million effects free of charge. If you prefer to use an app, rest assured you can download it to your mobile device or desktop as an app. At the end of the day, if you are not entirely impressed with the features and options offered by Pixlr Editor, you can upgrade to another version (there are various to choose from) that offers more sophisticated options.

6. Fotor

Fotor is another photo editing software solution that boasts an intuitive interface. Some of its main features include: design templates, filters, HDR effects, and portrait retouching. Alternatively, if you are looking to create a bit more informal design, there are countless shapes, fonts and stickers that you can play around with. And, when you feel as if your creative juices are running low, you can save your design and continue editing from where you last stopped.

This well-known cloud-based software boasts more than 300 million users already. Surely millions of users cannot be wrong? You simply need to upload your pics to their site and you are all set to begin the editing process.

7. Adobe Photoshop(7-day Trial)

You are most likely already very familiar with Adobe Photoshop. It is arguably the best known photo editing tool that countless photographers and designers rely on and is aimed at professionals that require all the extra features.

Its layering, masking and retouching features are still arguably the best and ideal for those advanced touch-up jobs. It also offers a wide range of brushes and filters, three-dimensional design functionality and multilayer editing. If you are searching for photo editing software, you can rest assured that Adobe’s products are really superior.

8. ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate (Free or Full version with 30-day moneyback option)

Do not let the oversimplified interface of ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate fool you as it can still get any job done. This comprehensive photography software is still relatively new on the market and boasts a couple of useful features. Two of its best features are that it uses facial recognition to organize and index your photos and there is no need to import. This means that you can edit your source file directly from your drive.

9. Serif Affinity Photo

This vector graphic design app has very similar features to the popular Adobe Photoshop and shares identical interfaces. For an affordable once-off fee, you can access professional tools similar to the likes of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for editing your photos.

10. PortraitPro

If your niche is portrait photography, PortraitPro is the tool you should give a go. This professional image editor app boasts all the features you require to remove wrinkles, sagging cheeks and other skin imperfections, enhance skin tone and add eyeshadows. Some of its other features include make-up tools, sliders, skin smoothing and sophisticated layering.

11. Corel PaintShop Pro

Photographers who value simplicity will really like Corel PaintShop Pro (and if you still get stuck, you can rest assured as there are learning tutorials available as well). That being said, do not let its simple approach to photo editing fool you as it does not make its editing capability any less effective.

This software boasts everything you require to enhance your pics from AI enhanced presets to graphic design templates to options such as blur and fix. Plus, if the wide range of brushes, textures and backgrounds do not float your boat, do not dismiss the software just yet as brand new features are being added continuously. Overall, it really offers some of the best user experiences.

12. DxO Optics Pro 10

It does not matter if Windows or Mac is your preferred operating system, DxO Optics Pro 10 works equally well with both. It boasts a suite of tools and features such as automatic and manual mode, customized profiles, optical corrections and U-point local adjustment technology. All things considered, it is a reliable tool that professional photographers can use to edit their photos and convert their RAW files to JPG format without any issues.

13. Inkscape

Just like DxO Optics Pro 10, Inkscape is also compatible with both Mac as well as Windows operating systems. What is more, you can use its source code if you would prefer to use it in your very own application.

It is ideal for aspiring photographers and boast a great number of features such as copy-paste object cloning, decorative handwriting tools, and a colour picker. It also supports multiple text formats and offers available extensions and add-ons. With the help of these tools, it is real easy to clone an object, overlay text or add a specific colour to your pics.

14. Capture One

This RAW image editor boasts some features that set it apart from the other software solutions available. For starters, if you need to work with big volumes of photos that are more than 20 megapixel RAW files, you will be impressed with its speed. What is more, to help you work more efficiently, the interface boasts some great customizability which means that you can change the keyboard shortcuts and layout to suit your preferences better.

If you often work with layers, you will also love the fact that it does not become slower when you have too many layers. Plus, it lets you make several adjustments per layer.

Some of its other fabulous features that will help you to work more efficiently are its sophisticated color editing and annotations. Its sliders make it much easier to tweak the granularity, while the annotations feature lets you jot down ideas to ensure that you can collaborate smoothly with other photographers and designers.

15. Gimp

This free professional software for editing photos is another excellent Photoshop alternative for beginners. It boasts a variety of features that can assist novices with digital photo retouching and composition. With the help of features like vignette and corrective mode, you can also take your photos of any file format to the next level.

If this sounds like the photo editing software solution for your needs, all you have to do is download it and install it on your device (it is compatible with Linux, Windows and Mac operating systems). Plus, thanks to its built-in file manager, file management will be one less thing on your to-do list.

16. AirMagic(7-day Trial)

No photo editing software list will be complete without including a solution for drone photography. Similar to Photolemur, AirMagic uses sophisticated algorithms and artificial intelligence to enhance your aerial photography automatically. This drag-and-drop photo editing app boasts many unique features that help you to get rid of haze, improve the colours, enhance the sky and bring detail to the fore. As haze is unfortunately a common issue with drone photography, getting rid of haze is a must-have feature. After you have applied these unique features, you can also play around with different creative styles eliminating the need to purchase extra filters.

AirMagic can be used either as an Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom plug-in or stand-alone app. Plus, it can identify the type of camera that you have attached to your drone and adjust its lense corrections and enhancements to that particular camera.

17. Snappa

The Best Image Editing Software

Snappa is a great solution for photographers who work with social media platforms on a regular basis. It lets you convert pics into Facebook banners and share images on different social media sites.

In short, it is a graphics and design software that enables you to add new effects (such as texts or graphics) to your photos in a flash or change the dimensions easily with the help of image dimension templates. Alternatively, if you are searching for some inspiration or running out of time, you will be glad to know that there are also stock photos available and a useful drag-and-drop photo editing feature. As the software is available online, users do not first have to download something in order to start designing.

18. Canva

Canva is another easy-to-use graphics and design software that you have most likely heard about before. Trusted my millions, it boasts various tools and features to help you edit your photos. Whether you simply want to crop or straighten a photo or want to get creative with textures, fonts, badges and stickers, Canva can help. Some of its other features include vignette, photo blur, a speech bubble maker, an image transparency tool, photo frames and design grids.

Though, if you do not know where to start, be sure to visit the Canva Marketplace where you can find more than 8000 templates. Its basic features are available free of charge, but the more advanced features must be paid for. If you need to edit on the go, you will be happy to know that you can download it to your smartphone. All things considered, it is one of the best resources if you need to come up with visual content that you can use on your website or personal blog. Thanks to its user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, you do not need to be a professional photographer to take advantage of all its features.

19. Photolemur (Free version with watermark)

Photolemur is another photo editing software solution that realizes no photographer or designer has any time to waste behind a screen. With the help of AI and very sophisticated algorithms, this photo enhancer app will analyze all the necessary details and complete intricate adjustments on the spot.

The Best Free Image Editing Software

All you have to do is just import your images to Photolemur and leave the rest to the app. The beauty of this tool is that you do not need any prior photo editing experience to complete basic things like getting rid of skin blemishes, whitening teeth or creating perfectly smooth skin as the app will automatically improve your images. Some of its other impressive features include sky enhancement, exposure compensation, color recovery and foliage enhancement. It is really easy to use (you can even enhance multiple photos at the same time) and compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.

Easiest Photo Editing Software for Beginners

With the right photo editing software, you can turn any photo into a masterpiece. Whether you want to highlight an important object, bring more focus to your pic or just want to reduce the size of your photo files to improve the loading speed of a website, there is the right photo editing tool for the job and your skills.

The Best Image Editing Software