What Is The Best Free Photoshop
What Is The Best Free Photoshop
Whats the best free alternative for photoshop? Yeah my only question is in the title more or less. I wanna buy photoshop but cant afford it right now so wondering if theres a free alternative until i can afford it. Perhaps the most well known Photoshop alternative, GIMP has been around for ages and is one of the first programs that comes to mind for many people when they think “free Photoshop.” It’s an open-source program available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and the official website offers a lot of helpful tutorials. Sumopaint is one of the best free Photoshop alternatives when it comes to design and functionality. The layering, editing tools, and brush and wand types make it a viable option for anyone looking for mid-range editing features at zero cost. Sumopaint alternative to Photoshop.
What is the Best Free Photoshop? Top Alternatives. Adobe Photoshop has long been the go-to photo editing software for creatives, but it’s expensive price tag doesn’t make it a good fit for everyone. A decade ago using a free alternative meant sacraficing features, but in 2020 this is no longer the case.
- January 01, 2020
- 18 min to read
If you need to make a few tweaks to your images, but do not want to use Photoshop, you are in luck as there are several superb solutions. Here are the 15 best alternatives in no particular order:
1. Luminar 4 (Free Trial 7 days)
When time for editing your photos is a luxury, Luminar 4 can help. Luminar 4 lets you transform your photos in a flash and synchronizes all the edits that you have made effortlessly. What makes it so great is that you can easily browse all your photos as it automatically organizes your photos which makes navigation simple. Luminar Libraries also boast a very modern interface which optimizes the viewing experience.
Luminar 4 offers many great adjustable styles, features, and tools that you will fall in love with such as its AI Sky Enhancers, Advanced Contrast, and Dehaze to mention only a few.
2. Pixlr (Free Version Available)
Pixlr boasts an interface that is really not much different from Photoshop. It offers hundreds of overlays, borders and other effects. If you simply want to crop your image or whiten your teeth on your iOS or Android device, Pixlr is the right tool for the job. With Pixlr, you can complete all the editing tasks that a good basic photo editor will allow.
3. PicMonkey (Trial 7 days)
The beauty of PicMonkey is found in its easy-to-use interface. If you need to put together a collage, this is your tool to use. All you have to do is upload your images and drag them into the right spot.
4. Adobe Photoshop Elements (Free Trial 30 days)
Do not be fooled by the name, Adobe Photoshop Elements is not the actual Photoshop. However, countless users have experienced that the Adobe Photoshop Elements app offers all the tools that they require to enhance their images. In short, this app has been reduced to the essentials.
With the help of its Adjustment and Blend layers, you can turn any photo into the most amazing image in barely any time at all. Thanks to its guided mode, it is also geared towards beginners.
When it comes to finding a Photoshop alternative, your only challenge will be to identify the software solution that works the best for your unique needs. Why not give them all a try? You might just discover that the best course of action will be to use a couple of these tools instead of just one.
5. Sketch (Free Trial 30 days, MacOS only)
If you are working on a Mac and in need of a budget-friendly alternative to Photoshop, Sketch is the answer. Sketch is a vector graphics app that has the design field all excited, specifically website designers. As it is so popular, you will be able to access countless plug-ins that have been created by the community that will make this app even more functional.
Its user interface is easy to understand and boasts several features such as gradients and layers that are similar to Illustrator and Photoshop. What is more, it also offers a color picker and style presets. You can use one of the basic shapes to create your own graphic or start from scratch with the help of the pencil tool. This app is really so flexible!
6. GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)
GNU is an open-source cross-platform image editor. As its interface is very similar to Photoshop, it will not take you too long to familiarize yourself with GIMP. Though, users who do not have any image editing experience will find the different GIMP tutorials very useful.
It offers color correction, enhancement as well as painting tools to mention only a couple of its features and is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac.
7. Acorn (Trial 14 days)
Mac users who are searching for image editing software need to look no further than Acorn. It is a cost-effective solution if you do not have access to Photoshop. What makes it so great is that it is quick, enjoyable to use and offers useful features.
Some of its features include non-destructive filters, custom brushes and layer styles to mention only a few. The software is easy to use, but, you can rest assured, there are tutorials available for both beginners as well as image editing experts.
8. Affinity Photo (Trial)
Affinity Photo is for sure one of the best Photoshop alternatives. It is ideal for professional designers and photographers as it is completely compatible with Photoshop as well as other file formats. What makes it such a great alternative is that it is not nearly as expensive as Photoshop. Though, users can rest assured as it will still deliver the same performance (if not better).
It is compatible with Mac and Windows. If you are using an iPad, you will be happy to know that Affinity Photo for iPad is also available.
9. Pixelmator Pro (Trial 30 days)
Pixelmator is not a new Photoshop alternative, but recently the Pixelmator Pro version which uses a user-friendly single-window interface has been added to the mix. On top of that, the Pixelmator Pro version also boasts non-destructive image editing and offers features that include split view and a hidden interface that allows you to view your images without any distractions.
It is only available for Mac users.
10. SumoPaint (Online + Desktop)
The different standard features that you would expect in a Photoshop alternative, SumoPaint has to offer. There are shapes, brushes, gradients, text, and pencils that you can effortlessly access.
Though a word of warning to Photoshop users - a couple of its tools work differently and there are some limitations. Overall, this image editor remains very capable and can load in a flash.
11. Paint.net
Paint.net is a powerful and practical tool that Windows users can rely on instead of Photoshop. It is a capable and functional tool that concentrates less on artistic creation and more on photo editing.
It offers a decent variety of tools and special effects that include brightness/contrast and repeat selections. It might not boast all the serious editing tools, but that only means that it is not as difficult to master making it the ideal image editor tool for beginners.
12. Canva (Free Basic Plan + Trial 30 days)
Canva is where you will find countless layouts, stock photos, fonts and other great design elements. The best part is that several of these you can use at zero cost. You can use this app to design your business card or put together a birthday card.
13. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite (Trial 15 days or Full Paid or Monthly sub)
Windows users will love the tools that CorelDRAW has to offer. This Photoshop alternative boasts an interactive tool that will help you to straighten your image or adjust the perspective. Though, one of its most impressive features is its stylus control that reacts to a different pressure.
If you are working with Windows 10, this is the perfect fit. Windows users will also be happy to know that it supports 4K displays and multi-monitor viewing.
14. Photolemur (Free Version with watermark available)
Best choice for beginners or people who have no time to edit photos. Enhancing your images has never been easier thanks to Photolemur. By using AI, this automatic photo enhancer app enhances your images without you having to lift a finger. You simply need to import your images to Photolemur and it will get the job done automatically. This means that you do not require any prior editing experience to complete tasks like getting rid of imperfections. It is oh-so easy and available for both Mac and Windows.
15. Serif PhotoPlus
Many people have already relied on this app for years. It is ideal for users who are only starting with image editing now as it offers great support for new users in the form of videos and tutorials. What is more, users can get great tips on their active forum for fellow users. Thanks to its latest release, Serif PhotoPlus users will be also able to work with their RAW image files much easier.
Adobe Photoshop has long been the go-to photo editing software for creatives, but it’s expensive price tag doesn’t make it a good fit for everyone. A decade ago using a free alternative meant sacraficing features, but in 2020 this is no longer the case. There are a number of top free Photoshop alternatives that deliver amazing performance without compromising on features.
Feature Photo: Glenn-Carstens-Peters via Wunderstock (license)
GIMP: The Classic Photoshop Alternative
The original open source alternative to Photoshop is the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP). It has the closet functionality to Photoshop both in terms of features and user interface. Thus it’s easy to switch between the two programs and not feel lost.
Just about anything you can do in Photoshop, perhaps minus the very latest features, can be done in GIMP. There’s also an extensive online community and support for many operating systems, including Windows, Mac and Linux.
Krita: A Great Alternative for Artists
Krita is ideal for sketching and painting. It supports nearly all graphics tablets by default and has a very good brush emulator. This makes it perfect for making any type of art, including digital painting and cartoons. It’s definitely the go-to choice for graphic design and illustration.
Although it excels in art creation, Krita is not a strong choice for general purpose image editing. Like GIMP, it has a strong community of fans and wide platform support.
Darktable: An Amazing Lightroom Alternative
Darktable is a RAW photo editor designed to compete directly with Adobe Lightroom, a cousin of Photoshop designed for professional photographers (see this guide to RAW photos if you’re unfamiliar). We mention it here because many people do not need all the advanced features of Photoshop. Cropping, dust removal, color correction and so on are sufficient for many people.
Earlier versions of the program got so-so reviews from photographers, but Darktable has improved steadily as of late. We would be happy to use it in place of Lightroom.
Paint.NET: Another Great Choice
As the name implies, Paint.NET is an alternative to Microsoft Paint. Although we would never put Photoshop and Paint on the same level, the open source Paint.NET has become quite advanced over the years. It now supports layers, advanced history, and many file types.
This alternative is great for someone who needs more advanced functionality but still wants to keep things simple. The UI could use a modern refresh, however.
Pixlr: Browser-Based Editing
Pixlr is a browser-based image editor. Since you access it via the web instead of your desktop, you can use it any computer any time. Pixlr has many of the same features as Photoshop– including layers, blending, healing, and history. The newest version supports AI background removal, skin smoothing and even has built-in graphic templates to save time.
The disadvantage of browser-based tools is resource usage– Pixlr won’t handle heavy or large files as well as Photoshop.
Other alternatives to consider:
These choices did not make our list of best free Photoshop alternatives because they have very specific use cases or are not completely free. We still think they’re worth mentioning, however:
- Pixelmator Pro is a powerful image editor and graphics illustrator built exclusively for Mac. It’s incredibly easy to use and has an innovative user interface ahead of its time. It’s not free at $39.99, but well worth considering if you have a bit of cash or are looking for a more smartly designed alternative.
- Luminar is another paid alternative to Photoshop. Like Pixelmator, it doesn’t try to compete directly by cloning features– it’s a new way to reimagine your editing workflow from the ground up. Designed especially for photographers, you can easily replace the sky, embed objects, and more. Luminar uses the power of AI to automatically enhhance your photos as well.
- Canva is a graphic design tool popular for creating those all-too-common Pinterest and Instagram graphics. The basic free version let’s you easily add text and graphics to images. It’s worth considering if you just need a quick way to enhance images for social media.
One trick that might just work
What Is The Best Free Photoshop Editor
Looking for a cheaper alternative to Photoshop but not impressed by the choices listed here? One trick we have heard of but not personally tried is to simply buy an older version of Photoshop from an online reseller. Even Photoshop CS6 from the early 2010s or Photoshop CC from 2013 are very powerful tools.
What Is The Best Free Photoshop
You can still find these products as boxed CDs with license keys online. Just download the software package, use the key, and you should be good-to-go. Note that we have not personally tried this method.
What Is The Best Free Photoshop