GIMP is an open-source photo editing software that is available for all three of the biggest operating systems and offers up a huge workspace and a wide variety of professional editing tools.
Are you looking to dive into the world of photo editing but hesitant to sink hundreds or thousands of dollars into an expensive tool that may be unwieldy in your unpracticed hands?
Luckily for you, there is a wealth of freephoto editing softwareoptions. Some are completely free, while others offer a free trial — but you can use a solution in either category as an introduction to these types of tools.
Images are everywhere. Taking great photos is easier than ever, thanks to our phones now have advanced camera capabilities like portrait mode. Our eyes are inundated with digital photos from the time we wake up until we drift asleep — phone in hand and Instagram feed up. Businesses use photos as a marketing tool, while individuals use them to capture special moments in their lives. Images are an integral part of business today, particularly in the marketing world, and image editing goes along with that.
Photo editing is vital to marketing content creation, so let’s take a look at which tools you can use to cut your teeth and figure out whether upgrading to a paid option is worth it.
Using reviews from real users, our list of free photo editors is ordered by highest user satisfaction as of June 22, 2018.
The list we’ve outlined here includes any photo editing solution with an available free offering. It should be noted that six of the nine offerings offer versions of the product entirely for free, while the remainder offer at least a limited trial version for new users. The free and paid options for each product are listed above. Scaling, however, will often require full investments for products.
These products alone have well over 5,778 validated user reviews on G2 Crowd as of June 22, 2018, and only represent a small portion of the 41-plus photo editing software offerings listed on our platform. Whenever possible, the products are ranked by user satisfaction score.
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1. Adobe Photoshop
Image courtesy of Adobe
Adobe Photoshop, perhaps the most well-known photo editing tool, enables users to create and edit photos, illustrations and artwork. You can use the tool to design websites and mobile apps, as well as simulate painting styles.
Features
Free option
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Paid options (for a single application)
What users like:
“The 2018 version of Adobe Photoshop has a new highly improved brush management system along with new brushes from Kyle Webster and others. Very easy to import and create libraries. I also enjoy the improvements to Select & Mask, variable fonts, copy/paste for layers, the new Learn panel, which connects you right to online tutorials, and much more!” -- Adobe Photoshop review by Todd J.
What users dislike:
“Photoshop can be extremely hard to master. It took a long time for our employees to adapt to the software. I would like to see more filter tools and presets to use. Photoshop does offer some filters but not enough for the price you pay. Also, working with any kind of text in your document is difficult. Do not use Photoshop if you plan to work with just text. It is a pain.” — Adobe Photoshop review by Connor R. 2. Pixlr Editor
Image courtesy of Pixlr
Pixlr is a robust HTML5 photo editing tool with which users can edit vector graphics. The software supports multiple file formats and contains a ton of editing tools, including overlays, prebuilt filters and a wide range of effects. You can find a more in-depth overview of Pixlr photo editor here.
Features
Free option
Paid option
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What users like:
“Something that comes to my mind when I think about the best features of this tool is its easiness to use: I'm thrilled at how easy it is to add and edit an image, because it's just a matter of opening your favorite image, and then you can add more focus to the picture, stylish pieces of text, crop and delete any part of the same image and even add many shapes and figures, and all of this by only selecting any of these options from the user panel. The sweetest part is that you can download or share anything you make with Pixlr.” -- Pixlr review by Valeria M.
What users dislike:
“The user interface isn't the best — seems very clunky. I also could never save any files to my account through the web app, which made editing graphics at a later time very tedious. Trying to work with layers, shapes or fonts is rather time consuming for the most part.” --Pixlr reviewby Erica R.
Recommendations for others using the product:
“If you are learning or want to learn to edit photos, this is the right program to start; quite simple, with simple elements and tools that will help you to advance in this area and give you the necessary knowledge to reach a next level as editor.” --Pixlr reviewby Angel J. 3. Affinity
Image courtesy of Affinity
Affinity is a powerful image editing suite for Mac designed for professionals. The software contains a robust feature set designed to give the user as much control as possible over the end product.
Features
Free option
Paid option
What users like:
“As a beginner designer, it's good to weigh your options on what programs you'd like to be skilled in. I've used Photoshop throughout my schooling and was fascinated with it but it has been very expensive ever since I could remember. Thankfully Serif's Affinity Photo has the same types of tools to get the job done with less financial burn in your wallet! The program has great flexibility and a very nice interface that doesn't overwhelm me. I like how users can change the mode of the program, (aka ‘Persona’ modes) for specific designing needs. You can also create your own Persona. It truly is the Photoshop/Illustrator alternative I've needed. It's fast, efficient and genuine to photo editing/digital art.” — Affinity review by Jasmine S.
What users dislike:
“Learning curve, limited documentation, small but growing user community.” — Affinity review by Daniel G.
Recommendations for others using the product:
“The learning curve can be a bit high, but they have a decent forum where people discuss problems and solutions. They also are actively updating and adding new features, so it's still growing.” — Affinity%20review'>Affinity review by James R. 4. Pablo Editor
Image courtesy of Buffer
Pablo is a fairly basic free image editing tool that businesses and individuals use to alter images for use in commercial and personal projects. The software’s focus is on image editing for social media use and touts the speed with which users can edit and publish images as its defining characteristic. Pablo also contains a massive image library from which users can select and utilize images free of charge.
Features
Free option
What users like:
“How easy it is. I mean, you just upload a shot, choose the style of your text, write what you want .. and you are done. No weird things, no more options, no more time than the one needed to do something easy .. A simple tool to get easy images with text. Also, being able to share directly to social channels from the app is a great point.” — Pablo%20review'>Pablo review by Alexandro L.
What users dislike:
“The design options are limited in sizes, text placeholders and filters which could [be] very unattractive for designers. I understand that adding too many features could confuse some users but maybe some extra filters and free text placeholders could improve usability.” — Pablo%20review'>Pablo review by Katie H. 5. Ribbet
Image courtesy of Ribbet
Ribbet is a free photo editor and collage maker that provides a full set of features for users. The software places a heavy focus on collage creation, enabling users to create many different types of collages.
Features
Free option
Airmagnet free download. Paid option (Ribbet Premium)
What users like:
“Ribbet is designed with a user-friendly interface along with wide control options. The interface is really simple and clear and it makes all of the navigation as quick and efficient with a click of a button. This app also easily accommodates social networks so you can upload your photos from your computer of several different social media sites like Facebook, Flickr and Google+.” — Ribbet review by Gregory B.
What users dislike:
“So much is premium (costs money) now that it is more convenient and cost-effective to use other editing software or apps that have the needed features free. Also, the userface feels a little outdated. I also find myself wishing for more control and fewer constrictions; the program feels limited sometimes.” — Ribbet review by Bianca B.
Recommendations for others using the product:
“Ribbet will make it easier for anyone to make catchy pictures or images with text and make them look more professional.” --Ribbet review by Maria R. 6. Photos
Image courtesy of Apple
Photos is a multifaceted tool featuring cloud storage, image hosting and photo editing. This completely free application contains basic but powerful photo editing tools to help you polish the cache of images you are hosting on the software.
If that’s not enough then the expansion pack, Lord of Darkness also pits you against Baal, Diablo’s younger brother, who’s even more ruthless. You get to face the Lord of Terror himself and banish him from the mortal world. Rpg for computer. This game blew everyone away with its epic gameplay, storyline, and graphics for its time. The game provides a lot of challenges along the way.
Features
Free option
What users like:
“Photos is the best storage platform because it's FREE, unlimited image storage. I love that it can be accessed anywhere s.. and the editing feature is awesome. As a professional and personal user, I can edit and download the photos I want to use when I work from a desktop, and edit and share right from the app on mobile. It saves me time and effort when using photos or videos. I love that you can search by date, names, subjects or anything — it's amazing!” — Photos review by Jessie P.
What users dislike:
“Much of the time I feel like the software isn't very fluid and by that I mean it doesn't always consistently sync across the board with all of my devices so there are pretty consistent errors that happen within the file scheming.” — Photos review by Joel V.
Recommendations to others considering the product:
“If you need a feature-rich solution, then Lightroom by Adobe is the easiest choice. But if you're not a pro editor, it can be intimidating, making Photos an easy and simple choice.” --Photos review by Benjamin V. 7. GIMPApple Software For Photo Editing
Image courtesy of GIMP
GIMP is an open-source image manipulation [tool] with which users can edit photos, create original artwork and retouch images. It is a multifaceted tool with a variety of features for professionals and hobbyists alike.
Features
Free option
What users like:
“GIMP is a great graphic design software because it lets you manipulate the image using many of the same features found in Photoshop. You can create layers, edit and create shapes, cut images intelligently to then overlay overlayers, angle and change perspectives of images, use countless paint brushes and shapes, paint exact colors and more. And for people new to the software, there are endless tutorials to teach you how to use the software. Both the program and the training are free.” --GIMP review by Adam R.
What users dislike:
“One thing that I really dislike about GIMP is the text edit feature. It is really hard to edit text after you have added it to an image. I also dislike the options for vectors. It is very had to import a vector from an outside source and be able to edit it within GIMP. It is also very hard to create vectors in GIMP.” --GIMP review by John P.
Recommendations to others considering the product:
“Search for videos on how to use the program and check with GIMP community members who have answered questions you may have. Be sure to do updates if it has been a while since you have downloaded the program.” --GIMP review by Jessie J. 8. CorelDRAW
Image courtesy of Corel
CorelDRAW is a professional photo editing and website design software. The software is optimized for professionals looking to create and edit graphics, illustrations, photos, art and more.
Features
Free option
Paid option
Best Free Software For Photo Editing
What users like:
“This software, despite being used at a professional level, is ideal for beginners; it is very easy to learn to use and has great tools such as the automation vectorization module. The help window located on the left of the window is wonderful; it indicates step by step the functions of the selected tool. The text viewer is excellent; it greatly facilitates the process to choose the right source.” --CorelDRAW review by Libia G.
What users dislike:
“The software becomes very slow when you are working files with more than 100 pages; sometimes the program can be a bit unstable; the module to export to more formats should be improved for future versions in order to ensure that vectors or texts that are exported do not suffer major changes in the process.” --CorelDRAW review by Edgar R.
Recommendations to others considering the product:
“It's a great way to work with seamless integration among apps in the Suite, from vectors to bitmaps to fonts without forking out large sums to own it or becoming dependent on annoying subscriptions and cloud computing. Buy it, use it and get your pro work done fast without having to study complicated tutorials.” --CorelDRAW review by Robert R. 9. Capture One Pro
Image courtesy of Phase One
Capture One Pro is commercial-grade photo editing software. Typically used by professional photographers, the photo editing software gives users full control over the editing process with a full complement of tools.
Features
Free option
Paid option
What users like:
“Raw processing is amazing in this software, and there is no other software in the marketplace that makes tethered shooting as much of an ease. While there's absolutely a steep learning curve, once you learn the ins and outs of this software it's a huge asset. Some of the best perks are the ability to convey more information to offsite teams — such as being able to set up a Capture Pilot session for an offsite art director, or being able to send layered files to a retouching/editing department with annotated notes. I've never used software that handles adjusting colors so well.” --Capture One Pro review by Anne T.
What users dislike:
“I do feel like the RAW adjustments in Capture One can quickly push a photograph out of gamut, I also dislike that there are not a lot of ‘styles’ available for Capture One like for example VSCO. I do wish that I could move files on my computer like in Lightroom, for example I can drag a folder in LR into another folder and LR will move the file on my hard drive for me.” --Capture One Pro review by Zachary A.
Recommendations to others considering the product:
“Capture One isn't an easy software for beginners and could be complicated for the new professionals. If you decide to consider it, take your time to discover everything and you'll see that Capture One is just THE software to treat your pictures.” --Capture One Pro review by Greg S. Next steps for selecting the best free photo editor
G2 Crowd has thousands of reviews in the photo editing softwarecategory to help you do your due diligence during your research process. Photo editing software often integrates with photo management software. The combination of the two provides users with an inclusive solution through which they can manage their photo repositories, edit images, and share them via the outlet of their choice. Take a look at the photo editing software on G2 Crowd to sort through the dozens of options and choose the one that is right for you.
Are you ready to take your photos to the next level? Learn how to incorporate elements and principles of graphic design into your photography.
* Please note: Reviews may have been edited for spelling and grammar.
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