Best free alternatives to Photoshop

For over two decades, Adobe Photoshop has been the preferred choice for designers, illustrators, photographers and other professionals. While the software has taken the lead in the industry and it is the first option for many users, it is not the most affordable solution available. Apart from being too expensive for home users, Photoshop can be overly complicated for those who only want a simple way to enhance their photos. If you are looking for a solution to edit your photos without having to invest a high amount of money and without having to deal with overwhelming functionality, you can consider the below alternatives to Photoshop.

GIMP

GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program and it is one of the best options to try instead of Photoshop. Its active community, support for multiple platforms and its good performance, make it a great photo editing solution. While it is not as feature-rich as Photoshop, it offers the necessary functionality to ensure that you can easily edit your photos with a professional touch. The main features available are Noise removal, Sharpening, Plugin support, Lens and Colour correction and Layers. GIMP works with major operating systems like Windows, macOS and Linux.

Seashore

While some solutions focus on Windows, Mac users don’t need to worry as Seashore is a fantastic open-source tool that will help them to edit images effortlessly. Seashore is based on Mac’s Cocoa framework and it is similar to GIMP in terms of features and file formatting. Seashore supports brush strokes, multiple layers, gradient and much more. It is very easy to use and the design of the interface also looks good. Some of the features that deserve to be highlighted are transparency, plugin support, Layers and gradients.

Paint.NET

While Paint.NET is similar to the default Paint tool that comes with Windows, this lightweight solutions offers advanced functionality. With Paint.NET you will be able to edit photos without hassle, enjoying good performance and ease of use. Although it is not as powerful as Photoshop or other options in the list, Paint.NET covers all the essentials and it also provides some useful extras that will help you to remove flaws on your images and to add a special touch to them. It supports resizing, colour correction, sharpening and more.

PicMonkey

PicMonkey is one of the most popular photo editing solutions available at the moment. Its interface keeps things simple and the tool supports a good variety of features. The main sections to choose from are: Design, Editing, Collage and Touch Up. You can upload photos from your computer or from your social media accounts. Apart from supporting basic editing functions, PicMonkey brings a large selection of themes, effects and filters. Ease of use is another advantage of PicMonkey and the tool is web-based.

SumoPaint

This is another great web-based photo editing solution that could be the right choice for those who want basic photo editing functionality. SumoPaint supports gradients, brushes, Symmetry tool and more. It comes with amusing filters and effects that will make your editing experience more entertaining. Options like Pencils, brushes, text, gradient are supported ans you can use a wise selection of file formats. It is worth noting that in order to use SumoPaint, you will need to run Flash version 10 or above.

Krita

Krita is known as one of the best image editing tools available and it focuses on Linux, Unix and similar platforms. If you need an option that allows you to edit your images on an open-source platform, Krita is an ideal solution. While it is not as versatile as other options mentioned in this list, it offers good performance and it is available as a bundle with the KOffice suite. It also works with Windows.

Pixelmator Pro

Although this option is not free, it is available for less than Photoshop, so it would be worth considering. Pixlemator Pro allows you to enjoy advanced features that will improve your image editing experience. With Pixelmator Pro, the image processing of your device runs faster. If you are looking for professional results and efficient performance, Pixelmator Pro should be in your radar. It supports Shapes, Texts, Shapes, Painting tools and Brushes, Colour adjustments, Effects and more. It also supports retouching and sketching.

Pixlr

Created by 123RF, Pixlr is a great option that allows you to resize and rotate images, and to adjust their size with great flexibility. Installing Pixlr is very easy and using it doesn’t have any complications, thanks to its well-designed interface. Changes can be applied on your images in just a few steps. This web-based solution also has apps for Android and iOS. The features supported include Re-sizing, Red-eye removal, teeth whitener, selection tools and text overlays. With the paid version, you can get additional options such as masking.