Download an overlay editing program. The best programs for processing photos on PC

Creative Bloq, an online publication for photographers and designers, has compiled a list The 16 best photo editor apps excellent programs designed for image editing. It includes both the most popular Lightroom and Photoshop, as well as lesser-known but worthy analogues.

The best free photo editors

Some programs and services in this section have paid versions with additional features or contain optional in-app purchases.

1. Fotor

  • Platforms: web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.

Whether you only work at a desk or not, Fotor has everything you need for basic photo manipulation. The editor is available in the browser, as well as desktop and mobile programs. The rich set of tools is sure to be enough for most of your creative needs.

Fotor makes it easy to quickly adjust photos with one button. But you can also resize, crop, rotate and straighten images, and remove backgrounds manually.

In addition, the editor is equipped with convenient retouching tools that remove red eyes and wrinkles. There is even a function for working with HDR and a Tilt-Shift editor (applies a special blur effect) in case you want to give your photos an epic feel.

2.Pixlr

  • Platforms: web, iOS, Android.

Pixlr is billed as "the world's most popular online photo editor," which is probably because it's free. At the same time, the service boasts 600 effects, overlay options and frames. With Pixlr, you can do all the typical photo editing tasks, from cropping and resizing to red-eye removal and teeth whitening.

If you're used to Photoshop, you'll quickly get the hang of Pixlr, as both editors have very similar interfaces.

3. GIMP

  • Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS.

GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program (a GNU-based image manipulation program). This open source photo editor debuted on Unix platforms and is now available on all popular desktop operating systems.

GIMP offers an impressive set of tools. Inside you can easily find all the usual tools, including brushes, color correction, as well as copy, selection and enhancement tools.

The team that oversees the development of GIMP has done a good job on compatibility: the editor can work with all popular formats without any problems. The program has a built-in convenient file manager, reminiscent of Adobe Bridge.

  • Platforms: Windows.

Paint.net is a surprisingly functional and useful free tool. The developers have focused on ease of use and are developing it more as a photo editor than a drawing program.

Still, Paint.net has a variety of special effects that make it easy to change perspective, blend and move pixels on the canvas, duplicate selections, and so on.

A large selection of selection tools, support for layers, and settings like curves and brightness/contrast make Paint.net great for photo editing. Especially if you can live without the latest additions to Adobe's toolkit.

  • Platforms: web.

Sumo Paint is very functional. It contains all the basic features typical of desktop programs. And if you subscribe to the paid version for $9 per month, you can also install the Sumo Paint desktop app.

To run the online editor you will need Adobe Flash Player. So you won't be able to use Sumo Paint on iOS.

Sumo Paint's list of tools and settings includes brushes, pencils, shapes, text, cloning, gradients and more. All this is easy to find in a floating toolbar, similar to the similar panel from Photoshop.

At the same time, the editor has limitations that may discourage some users. The most important of them is support for only one RGB color mode. Sumo Paint does not work with the CMYK color model, which is used in printing. Because of this, the editor is only suitable for working with photographs intended for the screen.

  • Platforms: web, iOS, Android.

Aviary is a nicely designed app that perfectly balances serious editing capabilities (skin blemish removal, teeth whitening, resizing, and various correction options) and decorative features (stickers, color overlay, and adding text). At the same time, the program does not look tasteless or infantile.

The best paid photo editors

  • Platforms: Windows, macOS.
  • Price: $9.99 per month.

The latest version of Photoshop CC is, without a doubt, an impressive photo editor. Probably the best of them all. But you have to pay for every month of use.

Photoshop CC users have access to a huge number of brushes, fonts, automatic and manual correction tools, as well as various interface settings. At your service is an advanced layer system, various blending modes and much more.

If you are a hobbyist, then most of Photoshop's capabilities will be simply superfluous for your needs. But professionals will find here everything they need to solve problems of any complexity.

  • Platforms: Windows, macOS.
  • Price: $9.99 per month.

Adobe Lightroom allows you to concentrate your work in one place, manage it, and share results from any device. Many creatives prefer this editor to Photoshop, because Lightroom makes it easier to make simple routine edits and work with RAW files.

With Lightroom, you can store your photos on your computer, iPad, iPhone, or Android device, and even automatically send them from your phone to apps right after they're taken. Synchronization occurs on its own. So when you make changes in one place, they automatically appear on other devices.

  • Platforms: macOS, Windows.
  • Price: $69.

If you're looking for a reasonably priced, one-time payment alternative to Lightroom, check out the latest version of Luminar 2018. This photo editor is packed with tools to quickly and easily fix things like distortion, chromatic aberration, and jagged edges. You'll also get 40 non-destructive filters (can be canceled at any time) to transform your photos.

In addition, Luminar 2018 contains a set of professional tools that will allow you to bring your photos to the highest possible quality. These include manual optical correction, layers with different blending modes, masks, a history panel, and best of all, support for Photoshop plugins and the ability to convert Lightroom presets for use in Luminar.

  • Platforms: macOS, Windows, iOS (iPad).
  • Price: $49.99 (Windows, macOS), $19.99 (iPad).

Availability on Windows, iPad, and macOS, along with no subscription fees, makes Affinity Photo by Serif a Photoshop alternative that anyone can afford.

The latest version boasts a ton of cool features, including HDR photo merging, 360-degree photo editing, macro recording, and batch file processing. And adjusting tone mapping lets you turn any photo—whether it's a regular JPG or an HDR photo—into a dramatic scene with details you never knew existed.

  • Platforms: Windows.
  • Price: $79.99 (Basic), $99.99 (Premium).

PaintShop Pro has been a profitable Photoshop replacement for the past 20 years and is still going strong. In 2018, the editor looks lighter, simpler and more innovative than ever before. It offers project templates, built-in screen capture, a gradient fill tool, and improved support for graphics tablets and styluses.

You can purchase the more expensive version of PaintShop Pro 2018 Ultimate to get a few extra features. These include professional tools for working with RAW files, automatic photo correction functions and screen recording.

6. Acorn

  • Platforms: macOS.
  • Price: $29.99.

The Acorn graphics editor debuted back in 2007 and provided amateurs and professionals with limited funds with excellent photo processing software. Among other tools, the editor supports layer styles, non-destructive filters (which can be canceled at any time), curves, levels, blending modes and much more.

Acorn 6 offers a beautiful filter blending interface that lets you create unique effects. You can even save and modify your filters after you close and reopen an image.

  • Platforms: Windows, macOS.
  • Price: $99.99.

It's a simplified alternative to Photoshop CC, which is reflected in the Quick and Guided editing modes. But its functionality may be enough for you. Plus, Elements doesn't require a subscription.

In 2018, Photoshop Elements has improved controls and smarter photo editing tools. For example, using the program you can open your closed eyes, print pictures and easily share them on social networks.

  • Platforms: Windows, macOS.
  • Price: 129 euros (basic version), 199 euros (premium version).

DxO Photolab only does a certain type of task, but it does it well. Its results are impressive, but this editor is too specific and sometimes difficult to use. It's probably the best RAW converter out there, but that's about all DxO Photolab can do.

DxO Photolab automatically corrects varying degrees of distortion, chromatic aberration, blurred edges and vignetting typical of most digital cameras.

You can select images from your computer and specify conversion/correction settings or use one of the presets. DxO Photolab delivers excellent results. However, this program cannot replace a full-fledged editor.

  • Platforms: iOS.
  • Price: $2.99 ​​(iPhone), $4.99 (iPad).

Camera app pre-installed on iPhone. Yes, it allows you to take good pictures, but it does not give you control over creativity.

In this regard, Camera+ wins. This program consists of two parts: a camera and a photo editor with a huge range of advanced features. Camera+ doesn't limit you to editing new photos. You can also import old photos into it and breathe new life into them.

  • Platforms: macOS, iOS.
  • Price: $29.99 (macOS), $4.99 (iOS).

Pixelmator is a fast and powerful photo editor. Thanks to the use of macOS libraries, the program integrates seamlessly with iPhoto and iCloud. The editor also has built-in functions for exporting pictures to Facebook and Flickr.

Pixelmator gives you tools to adjust hue, saturation, shadows, highlights, and contrast. The program offers 150 built-in filters. You can open and save images in many popular formats, including PSD, TIFF, and PNG.

When working with Photoshop files, the program recognizes layers. This allows you to collaborate with colleagues who use Adobe products.

  • Platforms: iOS, Android.
  • Price: $2.99.

The main distinguishing feature of the Handy Photo program is its interface with radial menus located in the corners. It is designed in such a way that it does not occupy the central area of ​​the screen. Effects are controlled using swipes.

Handy Photo is a powerful photo editor. Its interface isn't for everyone, but it's worth the features you get. For example, the Move Me tool allows you to cut objects, move them, resize them, or rotate them.

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website I have put together for you several simple and easy-to-use programs to improve your photos. You might even want to get rid of all Instagram filters after you try one or more of the apps on this list.

Pixlr Express

Over 100 effects (including lighting), frames, cropping, resizing and rotating images, automatic image enhancement, red-eye removal and even teeth whitening. What’s nice is that the functionality base is constantly being updated by developers.

Snapseed

Very convenient, fast and practical interface. Everything you need for initial photo correction is collected here, including editing brightness, saturation and contrast in individual areas of the image, the diameter of which you can also adjust. In addition, the application works quite quickly, which is good news.

Photoshop Express

This application, of course, will not be a professional analogue of Photoshop. But for initial photo editing it’s quite suitable. Available for free in the application: 10 frames, 10 filters, adjustment of exposure, brightness and contrast, saturation and color tones, red-eye removal. And for an additional fee you can purchase many additional goodies.

Pix: Pixel Mixer

A very simple and interesting photo editor, loved and familiar to many. Well designed and high quality made. The main thing that it can please you with is more than 30 filters, over two dozen textures and about the same number of frames.

PicsArt Photo Studio

The program allows you to create collages, change filters, control the tone and color of photos, add text effects, remove red-eye and much more. In addition, you can create hand-drawn images. In general, there are really a lot of functions.

Pixlromatic

What’s especially pleasing about this application is the nice interface and speed of operation. In addition, it boasts many effects, frames and custom filters. By the way, the full version, which gives access to more than 100 effects, 100 frames and 200 textures, will also cost you inexpensively - only one dollar.

Muzy is a very simple and functional application: you can make collages from pictures, play with a bunch of frames, use the built-in editor for images, and you can even add text. Quite a convenient and funny thing.

Camera360 Ultimate

An excellent camera, many effects, a smooth and beautiful interface allow this program to stand out from a large number of photo editors. Appearing three years ago, it was constantly improved and supplemented by developers, and the result was a well-designed and high-quality application.

When it comes to choosing your first post-processing program, you may feel like you're going in circles. There is so much choice, and the idea of ​​learning something completely new can be daunting. This article will cover some of the best known programs available and will hopefully help you make the right choice.

Adobe Photoshop CC

Over the years, no one has really been able to dislodge Adobe's dominance of the photography software market. Both Lightroom and Photoshop are very popular editors and are considered platforms for professionals. Let's look at Lightroom and Photoshop separately and see what makes them so popular.

Adobe Lightroom

Lightroom is the most popular image post-processing tool. It can be used as an all-in-one solution for editing, storing and printing. Its feature-rich nature makes Lightroom a convenient and powerful option for beginners and professionals alike.


One of the biggest differentiating factors between Lightroom and other post-processing tools is that it is widely supported by other developers. This means that you can find a number of other plugins for Lightroom, allowing you to expand your workflow beyond the main program. You can also find a variety of Lightroom presets that can help speed up your editing process, saving you time on tedious edits. Sites like Smugmug and Zenfolio allow you to work directly with Lightroom, allowing you to share photos on your site directly from the Lightroom catalog.

Finally, due to the popularity of Lightroom, there is no shortage of online support available for you. If you have a question about image processing in Lightroom, then quite a few books have been published on photo processing in this wonderful editor. There are also many video courses on Lightroom, here is one of the best. Lightroom is an indispensable tool for the modern photographer.

This package of features, prevalence, and resources are the reasons why I suggest Lightroom as the first program for a new photographer looking to get into post-processing. Not only do you get a high-quality program for editing and storing images, but you have the opportunity to expand your skills. You also have endless support through many tutorials written over the years.

Adobe Photoshop


Lightroom may be the best place to start for a beginner, with Photoshop coming right behind it. The only reason I placed it second on this list is because of its difficulty. You still have a large community of professional photographers who can teach you faster, and you'll find plenty of Operations to speed up your workflow, but learning curves in Photoshop is much more difficult than in Lightroom, making it a harder program to recommend to a beginner.


Adobe's Creative Cloud platform is a subscription-based model that gives you access to both Photoshop and Lightroom for $10/month. The reason to pay extra for Adobe products beyond those listed above is not because you'll get better editing capabilities, but because they integrate with other parts of the program and access to training material.

DXO OPTICS PRO


This is a fairly powerful editor, the principle of operation is somewhat reminiscent of LIghtroom; it copes excellently with the processing of “developing” RAW files. But it's best at correcting geometric distortions, an area in which no editor has yet been able to match DXO Optics Pro. This unique video course will help you quickly learn how to work with this excellent editor. >> Processing wizard in DXO Optics Pro


Free (open) resources

If you're not ready to invest in your post-production process just yet, I'd direct your attention to these open resources.

GIMP



GIMP is one of the most famous alternatives to Photoshop. It's been around for years, works on both PC and Mac, and gives you many of the same tools as Photoshop. Being an open resource, it doesn't have the same polish as Photoshop and doesn't offer the same number of third-party options and tutorials. However, this is by far the best option for budget-friendly image processing.

Darktable



Darktable is what I would recommend to anyone looking for a Lightroom replacement. Like GIMP, it's an open resource that offers a number of features that give you complete control over your images, and can actually compete with Lightroom in this area. Again, the downside is that it's not as widespread and there aren't many sources to help you learn. Note: DarktableNot works onWindows.

Other tools

When it comes to post-processing, it should be said that there are a number of so-called auxiliary tools. They are designed to work in conjunction with Photoshop and/or Lightroom to help enhance your style as a photographer.

TopazLabs



TopazLabs is a product line that includes 17 different pieces of software, each designed for specific purposes. These tools are designed to help you improve and speed up your post-production workflow, but not necessarily replace Photoshop or Lightroom, although some Topaz programs, like Impression and Texture Effects, do offer stand-alone functionality that allows you to create very different kinds of images.

Nik Software



Similar to TopazLabs, Google Nik Collection is a collection of tools designed to improve and speed up your workflow. It doesn't contain many tools, and Google keeps a list of those that don't work for removal. But the Nik collection is quite powerful and will give you great functionality beyond the standard Lightroom tools.

Photomatix



Photomatix has been the leader in HDR post-processing for some time. This product continues to produce the most controlled tone mapping images and will be a great addition to your toolbox if you want to delve deeper into HDR photography.

Aurora HDR



As an alternative to Photomatix, Aurora HDR is a recently released product from Macphun in collaboration with Trey Ratcliffe. Aurora HDR currently only works on the Mac and is an early stage product, so there's bound to be some development coming. However, with the support of Trey Ratcliffe, who has made a name for himself in HDR photography, this product could be what it wants to be - a multi-functional HDR tool that doesn't require Lightroom or Photoshop to create your images.

When choosing the optimal program for working with images from our selection, we advise you to determine the level of your needs and the main purpose of the potentially used software.

  • Movavi Photo Editor doesn't make you watch videos on how to use the editor, but it gives you access to all the popular features. Now, in order to remove an unnecessary element from a photo, change the background, adjust colors, apply an effect or redo the makeup or hair color of the character in the photo, you don’t have to turn to the “initiates” for help. Movavi's simple and intuitive photo editor will do everything in two clicks. Give it a try. This is the best photo processing program designed to solve semi-professional tasks. In fact, it is a home photo studio in a convenient design.
  • Photo Master does not have the same advanced tools as Photoshop CC, Paintshop Pro and other famous analogues, but it works faster and has all the necessary functions for high-quality photo processing at home. The program was created for beginners and advanced users and contains detailed instructions on all the nuances of editing.
  • Home Photo Studio is a symbiosis of Photomaster and FS Lightroom. It supports layers, can save projects, works with Photoshop files, contains built-in tools for editing, cropping, correction, a printing wizard and creating collages. The program will be a good choice for photographers who are not ready to pay for a professional editor, but want to learn how to work with high-quality images.
  • The GIMP will be a good free image processing tool, however, the utility does not contain the most accessible interface in terms of simplicity, so if you are a beginner, we recommend choosing the identical and more understandable Paint.NET or PixBuilder Studio, or be patient and learn how to process images in Gimp .
  • Picasa will appeal to fans of implementing content for further publication on social networks. If you're interested in a photo editing app that can turn amateur-grade animations into reality, try Photoscape.
  • Krita will allow you to realize your creative ideas, but for its comfortable operation you will need at least minimal knowledge of similar software. The free version of the image editor is especially popular among artists and illustrators, along with another well-known product Painttool Sai and the commercial Corel Painter.
  • ACDSee will provide you with a professional set of tools; the developer distributes these products for a fee with the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the trial version. If you are only interested in correcting the red-eye effect, applying filters, effects, and other primitive retouching methods, it is better to download a simpler photo processing program. CorelDRAW will be an equally advanced tool for experienced users. Both photo processing programs are demanding on computer resources, but at the same time they will provide you with extensive functionality that is impossible for free analogues to compete with.
  • Lightroom will appeal to those who like creating albums from original images and viewing rich slides. Works both on a PC and online to speed up the uploading of your projects to various web resources.
  • Adobe Photoshop is the most popular software in its category; there are probably no professional photographers in the world who do not use Photoshop. Here you can not only quickly improve the landscapes themselves, but also implement a complete change in photographs: eliminate facial defects, background errors and much more.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to review all relevant software in one review, so we also recommend reading ours. There you will find descriptions of such popular tools as Hornil Stylepix, Zoner Photo Studio, Photoinstrument 7.4, Lightbox Free Image Editor. Profile tools for processing presentations and photographs Adobe Illustrator, Photo editor Photoshine 4.9.4, Photoshow Pro 7.0 are presented on the website as separate materials.

Hello everyone, Max is here... Today we will talk about graphic editors, or rather, I will present you with a small list of these programs. Creative people, designers, artists, illustrators and, of course, webmasters cannot do without these programs in their daily practice (work).

What is a graphics editor? It is a program for editing and improving any digital images. Many users use the well-known Adobe Photoshop to edit images, you can familiarize yourself with it. It also requires certain hardware resources.

In principle, this is quite normal, since this product today is a powerful graphic editor created for professional designers. Ordinary users (let's call them “non-designers”) use only a small functionality of this program. In this article we will not talk about, but a little about other free graphic editors. And so, let's go.

GIMP

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is an image manipulation program. A free program created for drawing, editing pictures, photos, as well as other raster images and other vector graphics. Has a powerful photo retouching tool. It is possible to convert the photo format.

The program supports thirty different languages, including Russian, and is absolutely free. The developers have created many different themes, plugins for the GIMP program, and also written a huge number of lessons.

GIMP Features

  • converting images into formats such as: GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, TGA, SVG, TIFF and others
  • individual program settings for the user, it is possible to open an element in a separate tab or in a separate window
  • adjust contrast, brightness, transparency, adjust color style of brushes, pencils and much more
  • work separately with layers of one image
  • change and configure RGB channels
  • animation graphics in MNG format

This graphic editor is suitable not only for professional designers, but also for ordinary users. Download .

PAINT. NET

The free Paint.NET program is most likely suitable for qualified photographers, which makes this program a universal assistant and facilitates convenient work with the camera and scanner. Designed for adjusting raster and vector images.

The program supports many different plugins, powerful tools, support for layers, special. effects, the light weight of the program makes it faster in working with images, and is not demanding on the consumption of computer software resources.

Paint.NET Features

  • support and editing of formats such as: PNG, GIF, JPEG, BMP, TIFF, TGA, DDS, PDN
  • customizing the layout of interface elements: tools, journal, layers palette
  • image resizing, horizontal and vertical rotation, cropping
  • with large image scaling, it is possible to activate the “grid” and “ruler”
  • built-in effects: blur, red-eye removal, image simulation, patterns...

The program was created under the leadership of Microsoft. Download .

PHOTOSCAPE

This free program is most likely suitable for beginners in the field of processing graphic drawings. A set of tool packages and editors will perform a specific role for a particular photo. Image viewing is carried out by a “viewer” (from the English viewer - viewer).

And if you want to edit or adjust some effects, blur, filters, crop a photo, merge an image, you can do this in the program editor. Photoscape also has a tool for creating GIF animation.

Photoscape Features

  • “glue” images into one whole, that is, in the form of tiles
  • creating GIF animation from multiple images
  • You can view photos separately using the “viewer”
  • the ability to split images into one or several parts
  • screen capture
  • the ability to print finished works, as well as other photos
  • converting RAW files
  • simultaneous work with several images

The program has been translated into Russian and has an intuitive interface with a “tool bar”, tabs and a built-in explorer.

Most likely, this editor is of little interest to designers and professional photographers than to ordinary users who edit images, delete something in them, or create something new. Download .

PHOTOINSTRUMENT

A free yet powerful digital image editor. The program has built-in powerful tools and effects that are acceptable for expensive retouching systems. The program has a clear and convenient interface for novice photo designers, which is equipped with large menu icons, when you hover over them, hints open.

Photoinstrument features

  • restoration of certain areas of the image, for example, you can remove unnecessary inscriptions on a photo or image
  • remove red eye effect
  • drawing with pencil, brush, spray and so on...
  • retouch photos, “skin cleaner”, “glamorous skin”, “plastic”
  • change brightness, contrast, lightening, darkening;
  • cut objects from images, as well as transform them, copy, move them
  • adjust text on photo
  • installing additional plugins
  • playback of files such as PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, TGA and others, as well as their conversion and editing
  • create GIF animation

The interface language is Russian, and the program also supports more than thirty additional languages. A large selection of tools and various effects will help you change images to the best of your imagination and desires. Download .

PIXBUILDER STUDIO

A free graphic editor for changing the color scheme of photos and other images, or cutting out a specific object, or blurring the desired place in a photo or image. In terms of functionality, the program is more suitable for a professional to perform more complex tasks.

PixBuilder Studio Features

  • working with layers
  • changing color channels
  • multi-level channel, that is, you can return the picture to its original form
  • support for popular image formats
  • image resizing
  • changes in contrast, brightness
  • transformation of certain areas of the image
  • working with color channels

The interface language is Russian. Download program. I hope that from these editors everyone will find something for themselves, but of course if you are a professional designer you cannot do without.

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