Best Image Editing Software

• Best Image Editing Software For Windows
• Best Image Editing Software 2018
• Best Image Editing Software Free For Windows Xp
• What Is The Best Image Editing Software

In an era when people like selfies and adding filters and stickers, in addition to photo recovery, there comes another ravishing feature i.e. photo editing. Luckily, there are a number of free photo editing software for laptop and desktop, which can optimize an ordinary picture into a breath-taking panorama, and help people out with more photo editing phenomena, including restoring old image.

Macphun is a company that offers photo editing software for Mac that has been named the best for five years in a row. It has pro-level tools and uses the world's first AI-powered filter, the Accent. The best free photo-editing software for 2020 By Jon Martindale September 14, 2020 There's no argument — Adobe Photoshop remains the best photo-editing application on the planet. Sep 14, 2020 The best free photo-editing software for 2020 By Jon Martindale September 14, 2020 There's no argument — Adobe Photoshop remains the best photo-editing application on the planet. Best photo editing software and Lightroom alternative ON1 Photo RAW is a photo editor that brings photo organization, editing, and effects together in one program. It's commonly referred to as the Lightroom alternative because it has the same robust feature set, only you can buy the software outright rather than pay Lightroom's subscription. The best free photo editor software is the simplest. With Paint.NET, simplicity is key. What it means is the photo editor isn't only free but quick and easy to operate. It is a perfect photo editing tool to use for those minor changes you need. No point using the processing power behind GIMP, when all you need to do is crop an image.

With best photo editing software free application, one can easily covert their simple images into Instagram styled stills. Resizing, cropping, filter application and reconstructing the images are some of the features that a photo editing tool holds, but you can expect more from the following best 17 free photo editing software for Windows & Mac.

1. GIMP – Best Open-Source Free Photo Editing Software for Windows 10

GIMP is an open source free software that is compatible with Windows 10. It is incredible in functioning and gives you flawless results. Adorned with power pack photo editing tools, it has an interface similar to Photoshop. Healing tools, custom brushes, clone stamps are ravishing tools in the toolbar. Selection of isolated areas and editing them to become perfect is what the application offers further. One can eliminate the flaws and makes it up to a picture-perfect standard.

• Open source and totally free.
• Similar functionality to Photoshop.
• Cost a little longer time to get familiar with the operation.
• Support RAW image only after installing RAW loader

2. Paint.net – Best Free Photo Editing Software for Beginners with Windows 10

The functionality of Paint.net makes it easy to use and simplicity becomes a main selling point (It is actually free). The application carries fine manual control along with accessible interface. Used for trivial tasks, it is there to turn your picture into something wonderful. The toolbar carries the options of layers, undo history, filters, plugins and 3D rotate/zoom function.

• Easy to use for beginners
• With minimal options but able to complete almost all tasks
• Poor support for RAW image

3. Photo Pos Pro – Best Free Photo Editing Software for Both Beginners and Experts

With an interface more accessible than GIMP, Photo Pos Pro carries two modes. For experts, it plays as a role close to Photoshop. For beginners, it provides a lot of preset templates, filter effects and auto fix function. Accompanied with advanced photo editing tools, there is an optional 'novice' layout. While the advanced layout carries both i.e. layers and layer masks. It can remove the flaws with brushes to eliminate blemishes and carry scripts to save time and refine the photo to maximum.

• Friendly to both beginners and experts
• Rich templates and presets
• Good support for RAW image, though not for all. See how to preview RAW image.

4. PhotoScape – Best Free All-in-One Photo Editing Software for Windows 10

Packed with advanced tools, PhotoScape is absolutely free and compatible with Windows 10. A beginner can easily use it to reform the images and feel the change. The filters incorporated in the app are outstanding. The features include raw conversion, photo splitting and merging, animated GIF creation. The images are going to get a new and outlook with this amazing application.

• Limited editing functions
• Not only a photo editor but also photo viewer, batch editor, RAW convertor, GIF maker and printer.
• Poor support for RAW image editing

5. Fotor – Best Free Online Photo Editor for Windows 10

Fotor is getting limelight with a ravishing feature of online accessing and fashion elements. Users can easily upload and save images from/to cloud, like Dropbox, Facebook and its own cloud database, as well as Windows 10 computer. The images can be redesigned with ravishing filters and healing tools. You can feed a pile of images at once and the software is going to edit them simultaneously. At the end you are going to get a candid still that is worth saving.

• Upload and save photos from/to cloud
• Eye-pleasant UI
• Fashion and various automatic beauty functions, effects and stickers.
• Poor support RAW image

6. Pixlr

Pixlr is a world-class photo editor with a lot of newly optimized features to provide excellent finishing to the edited photos and videos. It is available for Android, iOS, and computer browsers for the users. If you want to do simple editing with the photos and videos on your device, then the basic free version of Pixlr is enough to meet your demands. And if you want to edit the photos professionally, then the Pro version of this app is available for you. The simple to use interface of this software is pretty much appealing for the users. That's why Pixlr is having a lot of fans without any doubt. The total installation size of this software is also not so big, which is indeed the best part of it. So, definitely, we would suggest you Pixlr software for your PC to accomplish your task of editing photos and videos hassle-free.

7. Picasa (Predecessor of Google Photos)

Picasa is yet another very brilliant choice for the users which is certainly having one of the fascinating editing tools for the users. Picasa software is compatible both with Windows and Mac OS. This free online editing tool was launched by tech giant Google way back in the year 2002. That's why Picasa is having a lot of popularity among the PC users because tech giant Google itself certifies this software. Picasa is having one of the finest photo and video editing tools in it, which are very useful for the users. Additionally, you can also add customized features in this software online which you can use to edit your photos and videos hassle-free. Users can also add some of the latest launched video and photo effects like Super MO video mode, Live Focus mode, Ultra-wide-angle mode, Hyper lapse mode, Panorama, etc. Because this editing software is Google certified software, that's why there is no doubt that it will deliver the best possible stuff to its users. The edited videos and photos can be shared directly from Picasa using the Google Plus file sharing feature. So, definitely, Picasa is a great choice for the users as an excellent photo editing tool.

8. Pic Monkey

Pic Monkey is another trendy choice for the users as an excellent photo editing software. You will get all the editing tools and features in a single editing window, which is an excellent feature for sure. The output edited file can be downloaded in a variety of different file formats. Some new and latest themes and effects are also added in this software by its developers, making it look more attractive. Overall, Pic Monkey software is a fantastic option for the users, which is delivering the quality stuff in the way it was meant to be. The quick-to-learn feature of this software will help you out to learn about the basics and working of the Pic Monkey software.

9. BeFunky

The only positive about this photo editing software, which makes it unique from other online photo editing software packages, is its intuitive graphic user-interface. The easy to use interface of BeFunky software is very well developed and maintained by the developers and due to this compatibility feature, BeFunky software become a great choice of all time for the users. Users will get all the basic photo editing features right on the first launch window of this software. The advanced and newly released photo editing features can be browsed in the Pro version of this software, which is not very costly like other software packages are. The graphic user-interface of BeFunky software is very well developed by the developers of this photo editing software. Moreover, this software is also compatible with almost all devices without any restrictions. So definitely, BeFunky is a good option as an excellent photo editor tool for sure. You can use this software on your PC according to our recommendation, and we hope that you will get satisfactory results for sure.

10. PhotoCat

Another very decent kind of Photo editing software for the users developed with a lot of optimized photo editing tools. Inside the preview window in this software, you can apply as many filters and themes on the photos to make a preview of them. Moreover, several other basic editing features like photo cropping, exposure, composure, and insertion of the text can be experienced in this software as well. The graphic user-interface of this software is also pretty much decent, which is easy to use and understand as well. Some newly launched and optimized photo editing tools can be used experience in the Pro version of this photo editing software. There are a lot of different insertion tools available in PhotoCat software, which can be very handy for the users. Most of the reviews regarding this software are positive, and we too hope that you will like the features and functioning of this software after installing it on your PC. Though it is not so easy to use, once you learn about its functioning, then you will surely get satisfactory results.

11. SumoPaint

Basically, SumoPaint is not a typical online photo editor. There are very few basic photo editing tools available on this software that can be accessed offline as well. The overall interface of the website is pretty much decent. Once you click on the URL of the SumoPaint website, the website will launch in a fraction of seconds, which shows the optimization power of the SumoPaint website. Furthermore, if you want to experience some more editing features/tools apart from basic features, then you may switch to the premium version of this software. To purchase the premium subscription, you have to spend 4USD per month. You will get login credentials which you can use to login to this website for an excellent editing experience like a professional.

12. DarkTable

DarkTable is another absolute stunner performer of this list, which is certainly one of the best photo editing software for the users. The main reason why this software is so popular is that this software is compatible with all three major Operating systems of PC, which are Windows, Mac, and Linux OS. Furthermore, this software is open-source software, which means that any user can use this software hassle-free without any charges. DarkTable software is pretty much similar to Lightroom photo editing software, which is another trendy choice for the users. However, DarkTable is having the edge over the Lightroom software because the overall features provided by DarkTable is more than Lightroom. The graphic user-interface of DarkTable is also more attractive than Lightroom, and that's why majority of the users uses the former in their PC's. The editing tools available on this software are excellent in their respective fields.

13. Picktorial

If you want a photo editing software which is only compatible with Mac OS, then there is no other choice better than Picktorial software. The enhanced features with which this software was developed are just magnificent for the users. Picktorial has a decent rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 stars, which is a very awesome part. Picktorial is very much popular among users from all around the world. The main downside of this software is that it is a bit more expensive than other premium photo editing tools of this segment. The annual premium subscription of PickTorial software will cost you around 60$. Picktorial software is a good choice for users with a lot of incredible features and editing tools in it.

14. InPixio Free Photo Editor

InPixio photo editor is another incredible choice for the users, which is having impeccable features to attract the users in large numbers. There are more than 100 different themes and photo effects available on this software which users can use to edit photos and videos hassle-free. As per our thinking, InPixio is a beginner level photo editor which is ideal for all the beginners in this photo editing industry. The graphic user-interface of InPixio is also pretty much enhanced and developed. The overall layout and texture of this software justify that InPixio is an excellent choice for the users whatsoever the reviews and ratings are. If you seriously want to learn most of the basic photo editing techniques, then you must get switched to InPixio free Photo Editor tool. You will surely observe that you are making the most out of this software.

15. Capture One Express

Capture One is another big name in the industry, which is having some excellent stuff for the users. This editing software is not having too much popularity, probably due to the professionalism for digital camera users. There are separate editions for Sony and Fujifilm cameras.

16. Snapseed

Another very advanced and optimized photo editing tool available for both iOS and Android users. Snapseed is one of the most significant kinds of photo editing software that can provide some excellent results to the users for free. Moreover, any user can use this software for editing purposes. It does not matter whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or expert. You can use this software to accomplish editing purposes hassle-free without any problem. There is a wide array of filters and themes present in this software which makes edited photos and videos to look more attractive, composed and beautiful as well. Snapseed is going to be your next sure shot choice for sure.

17. Photoshop Express Mix/Fix

Last but not the least, Photoshop Express Mix becomes our last choice to end this great list of top photo editor software packages for PC users. This excellent photo editing software offers a lot of exciting photo editing features to its users who are adorable for many reasons. The customizable settings of this software will surely let you feel that you are editing photos and videos like a professional. The main advantage of installing and using this software on your PC is that you will get to experience a great kind of graphic user-interface with a brilliant layout and graphics as well. However, to use this software, you need to login to this software using any of your social media apps like Facebook or Twitter, etc. Whats the best video editing software. So, it is up to you whether you are going to use this software on your PC or not because it requires a login process to be done.

So, what are you waiting for? The list is out for you to enjoy best free photo editing software for Windows & Mac computer. Now you can modify your images on your desktop and give a new life to the stills, then convert images to video.

Related Articles

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

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

Mitski puberty 2 download. 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

Apple catalina review. 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.

Best Image Editing Software For Windows

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.

Best Image Editing Software 2018

Is there an open source version of Lightroom?

Best Image Editing Software Free For Windows Xp

Darktable is the open source version of Lightroom.

Sohel Rana

What Is The Best Image Editing Software

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.