When it comes to photo editing, processing and digital retouching, Photoshop is the star program. But this excellent tool also has a few drawbacks: very expensive price, very complex to use at first, consumes a lot of computer memory resources, among other drawbacks.
If you are looking for an alternative to Photoshop today I bring you more than twenty. Next, I leave you a list of programs to edit photos free, light, many online, and relatively easier to use than Photoshop.
And, in the event that you are looking for more professional options, even if they are paid, in the end I will leave you with two programs that you should know about.
INSIDE THIS ARTICLE… 📖
Free programs to edit photos
GIMP
Gimp is the closest competitor to Photoshop. It offers very advanced options and features, very similar to those found in professional software.
It can be installed both on the computer and on a USB stick to carry it with you.
pixlr
It is a really complete editor with four variants :
- PixlrEditor: With an interface that is very reminiscent of Photoshop. It is very complete and more professional, it offers a large number of tools and filters. You can also use keyboard shortcuts and even the right button. It happens like Photoshop, it requires a little more learning for more advanced editions. It’s in English.
pixlr-editor
- Pixlr Express: More basic and at the same time more intuitive, it’s mostly for quick touch-ups. It allows opening photos from the PC, a URL or even from the Webcam. You can also make collages with this program.
Pixlr Express
- PixlrX: It allows you to use stock photos, use your own or start from scratch to create images in different formats and adapted to different social networks. In English too, if you don’t know the language you can tinker to check the effects, it’s also more or less intuitive.
Pixlr X
- PixlrPro: The pro version with subscription that you can discover in this video.
Photoshop OnlinePro
If your problem with Photoshop is not the difficulty, but the price, here you have the online option. Very similar to the original program, it allows you to work in layers, select elements… The drawback is that it requires previous knowledge, if you control Photoshop, great, you can use it from any computer with an Internet connection.
If you have no idea about Photoshop, it will cost you, now, it’s all about getting down and learning, right? In addition, you can do some basic actions without problems.
Photoshop Pro Online interface
ImageForge Standard
Although it has a paid edition, ImageForge Standard Edition is available for free and allows you to get an idea of the features that the paid version offers. You can still keep the free version and use it as your default photo editing program.
photographer
It is a program to edit photos free and online. You just have to register and it is in Spanish!
With a very careful interface, it consists of different sections that will help you to edit, make collages, covers for your social networks, greeting cards and even “make up”. To highlight, the option offers to merge an image in HDR by uploading three photographs with different exposures.
photographer
You can select the intensity of the filter. Some options are premium but you have tons of free ones.
The handling is very intuitive, you can add texts and it offers you a huge number of creative filters, frames and clip art. And when you finish you can share your image directly on social networks.
Paint.NET
For many it is the best free photo program as an alternative to Photoshop. Its main asset is that it is full of plug-ins that give you additional features with endless special effects.
Phixr
This is another program to edit photos for free on-line and quite complete. It allows you to focus, blur, adjust exposure and color levels, work with curves, reduce noise and many other options in addition to filters and effects. Personally, I find it somewhat uncomfortable and with an aesthetic that is not to my liking either, although for tastes the colors and, as they say in my land, to “gift horse…” 😉
Phixr
PhotoFilter
Free, very intuitive and with a lot of options that make editing images easier, saving the user a lot of time. In English and French.
befunky
Program for edit photos free on-line, create collages and different designs. You can upload your photo from your computer, webcam, google drive or from some social networks. The highlight is the number of filters, textures and effects it offers, in addition to the frames. You can include your image in a bunch of shapes and even letters. Is very simple to use and the changes are applied to the entire photo although you can choose the intensity or size of the brush and they are displayed at the same time.
The interface is intuitive and beautiful, but the downside is that most of the options are premium (and it’s in English).
befunky
Google Photos
In addition to a gallery to save your photos, it is also used to edit photos online (and videos). It allows you to create albums, share them, have backup copies, create slideshows or share the photos with a person of your choice.
It may not be the most complete photo editing program, but it is very useful when it comes to photo management.
Google Photos
VCW Vic Man
Another program to edit photos that is very intuitive and available to everyone. It is very basic but it fulfills the minimum functions to edit a photo, rotate it, crop it, adjust the color and add text and watermarks.
ipiccy
Although at first this program to edit photos online for free may seem very simple, in reality it is deceptive. It is very complete, it has a lot of options to edit, filters and effects. Some are paid, but most features are free. It also allows you to create collages and graphic designs, although this last option is not as simple and intuitive as in other editors.
LunaPic
A fabulous program to edit photos online. In addition to being free, it does not require installation or registration or anything. The number of features and options they offer make it a very attractive option as long as you are fluent in English.
picsart
This smartphone application can also be used from the desktop and offers quite interesting effects. The only thing that I find somewhat uncomfortable is that you do not select the photo and then do what you want with it, but first you choose what effect you want and once you upload the photo. But you can do double exposure, change or remove the background and much more.
SumoPaint
It is a very complete free online photo editing program and its interface is similar to that of Photoshop, so if you are used to this program you will have it very easy. It’s less intuitive than the previous ones, but if you don’t know English, don’t worry, you can change the language! It can be translated into a lot of different languages. Of course, you have to go to “Try online” and once the editor is open, select the language on the flag.
The downside is that it has many Pro options.
sumpaint
PiZap
Its design is not excessively elaborate and there is a lot of publicity. As an editor, it doesn’t convince me too much, but if you like collages with templates, it offers various possibilities. You also have an option to create memes.
PiZap
Ribbet
Its interface is simple and offers a large number of tools and filters, as well as a section for collage. Many of their options are “premium”.
psykopaint
It is a fun tool that allows you to paint an image of yourself in oil, a model offered to you or even create from scratch. It offers different brushes that imitate well-known painters. It’s a lot of fun, the downside is that many of the tools require prior registration.
canvas
Although it also allows you to edit photos, it is not really a photo editing program, but rather it is used to create graphic designs from your images. In this sense, with Canva you have infinite possibilities.
canvas
Photopea
I leave the most complete and perhaps complex editors for last. Photopea, a free online photo editing program that is very similar to Photoshop in terms of tools and interface. In the link you have an article in which we talk more in detail about this Imagen editor.
Rawtherapee
Rawtherapee is another RAW editor gratuitous for MacOs, Windows and Linux users. This development program is non-destructive and very complete, although you need some dedication when learning to handle the interface because it can be a bit confusing at first.
However, with it you will get very good results and it is ideal to enter the world of RAW image editing.
Here you can see it in more detail:
light zone
Lightzone is a publisher gratuitoushas a very complete, intuitive and orderly interface and is designed for photographers.
It is organized in modules, with a similar style to other editors such as Lightroom or Darktable, it allows you to create masks, or work with the tools as layers. It is ideal for working on a complete basic edition.
Here you can see its interface and some of its possibilities:
dark table
It boasts of being an editor created by photographers for photographers. It is a non-destructive RAW developer (it always preserves the original image), complete, professional and gratuitous.
Darktable is an intuitive development program, with an interface that is quite reminiscent of Lightroom, even with a star rating and tag system of the same style.
When it comes to revealing, it is very complete, with a multitude of options and tools to correct your image, without a doubt an option to take into account if you are looking for a serious and free editor for your photos.
Here’s an introductory tutorial for you to take a look at:
Examples of edited images
To finish, I’ll leave you with some very quick and simple examples so you can see what you can do with your images with a free editing program.
Top original, bottom edited with Fotor Left original, right edited with Pixrl Unedited photo Edited photo with Photo Editor
Perhaps the editions are not very to your liking, but they are just some quick examples (a couple of minutes at the most) so that you can see that with two or three touch-ups you can change an image a lot and verify that you already have the tools to edit your taste
Alternatives to Photoshop (paid)
Maybe you are looking for professional alternative editors to Photoshop, even if they are paid, in that case I present Capture One and Luminar.
Capture One
Capture One is a paid RAW editor with a very, very complete and highly customizable interface. This editor is a serious rival for Lightroom since, although it is very similar to it, Capture One adds the possibility of revealing by layers and masks in the purest Photoshop style.
With its advanced color adjustments, the reduction of…