Adobe Photoshop is hands-down the most popular image editing software on the planet. The reason being, it’s extremely powerful and its capabilities are endless. Today, professional and amateur photographers use Photoshop to improve and enhance their images, and graphic artists use it to create digital collages and much more. But for such a powerful photo editor,.
Includes Lightroom CC, 20GB of cloud storage, Lightroom Classic CC, and Photoshop CC. Low-Cost Photoshop Alternatives. Pixelmator: For Mac users, Pixelmator comes close to Photoshop in terms of features and capabilities. The good news: it’s just $29.99, and a standalone iPad app is just $4.99.
First, it’s a professional-grade image editing software. That means that the learning curve is sharp for first-time users, and amateurs likely don’t need – or have the time to learn – all of Photoshop’s capabilities. Plus, because it’s a powerful software, many computers don’t meet Photoshop’s system requirements. Secondly, Photoshop’s cost-to-own is higher than many alternatives. Previous to the introduction of the Adobe Creative Cloud, the standalone software cost up to $600 or more. Now, Adobe charges a monthly fee to access Photoshop via the cloud.
That’s good for amateurs. They don’t have to pay up-front for a product that they might never fully understand, but for professionals and ardent amateurs that cost lasts into perpetuity. Fortunately, Photoshop alternatives exist, ranging from free, open-source applications to low-cost downloads. And for most users, they’ll find the features that they need and then some. Free Photoshop Alternatives.: There are many reasons GIMP is a favorite Photoshop alternative. First, it’s rich with features.
And for photographers, the functionalities, like photo retouching, image composition and image authoring are easy-to-use. Plus, it’s free, open-source software that works on most operating systems.: A favorite of hobbyists, Pixlr is a great editor for enhancing images. It includes a number of different tools, as well as several photo editors, like its full-feature Pixlr or pared-down Pixlr Express.
Plus, it’s super simple to learn. Since it’s a web-based app, it works on any computer with web access.: Another open-source app, Paint.NET is a highly capable photo editor.
Users benefit from a range of tools and effects that make it easy to manipulate and enhance images. One downside, the graphics capabilities aren’t as advanced as you’ll find in Photoshop. Also, this is a Windows-based software; so Mac users are out of luck.: Sumo Paint is a free online application with a Pro version available. It stands out with its easy-to-use layering effects and drawing capabilities. In terms of image editing, Sumo Paint handles most basic functions with ease, like image resizing and color fixing, and there are some advanced capabilities as well.: This is a great web-based photo editor for hobbyists.
It’s not as advanced as other free alternatives, but users can add fonts, borders, effects and other fun things to their images. Plus, PicMonkey can be integrated with many social sites; so for instance, you can start editing Facebook photos in seconds. There is an upgraded, low-cost version available that includes a few more functions.: This is an easy-to-use photo/design editor.
As a photo editing app, it offers users mostly a basic list of functions, including filters, cropping, and effects. Where Canva stands out is in design. You can incorporate professional-looking elements and fonts into your images, to create projects like infographics or business slides. Low-Cost Photoshop Alternatives.: For Mac users, Pixelmator comes close to Photoshop in terms of features and capabilities. The good news: it’s just $29.99, and a standalone iPad app is just $4.99.
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The desktop version is extremely powerful, including standard image editing features, as well as layers, easy selector tools, and much more. Plus, the user interface is easy to understand.: PhotoPlus X7, the current edition, is a powerful image editing software. It’s ideal for hobbyists and semi-pro photos, and easily handles standard image editing, including cropping, photo resizing, and altering sharpness.
PhotoPlus is great for color correction too, and has many advanced color fixing features. The software is about $120.: Corel’s PaintShop Pro provides many great Photoshop-like features, and it costs just $80. It’s primarily used for photo editing and correction, and it’s lacking in some of Photoshop’s graphics capabilities. But for enthusiasts, it’s an ideal editor, with an easy-to-use interface and a full list of features. Also, Corel’s, which compares to Adobe Lightroom, is a useful companion to PaintShop Pro.: This is a pared-down version of Photoshop designed for hobbyists and digital photography enthusiasts.
In terms of image editing, it shares many features with the pro version, and it’s a great tool to start learning Photoshop. Plus, it has many of the graphics editing functionalities, so if you want to cut out elements, create layers and make photo projects, this is an ideal low-cost tool at about $70 – $100. Which Image Editor Is Right for You? Adobe Photoshop remains the most capable tool for professionals. It’s even a verb, “to Photoshop.” But for photographers who won’t be using all of Photoshop’s tools, there are many low-cost and free alternatives.
Not to mention, a few even rival Photoshop’s abilities. Ultimately, if you’re looking for a replacement for Photoshop, you might not find a software that’s as full-featured; however, if you need an image editor, or a tool for quick multimedia projects, Photoshop doesn’t have to be your first choice. Which image editor do you find works best for your needs?