In this digital age, everyone can become their own photographer. What this means is you should learn how to edit your photos. It is even more important if you run your own business or have a huge online presence.
True, you could hire a professional to handle that for you, but it would be more rewarding if you learned how to do it yourself.
Thankfully, there are several apps and software that can help you edit your photos. And the best thing is that most of them are free to use.
The best photo editing software free versions will enable you to improve your social media engagement in the most cost-effective way.
In this guide, we will look at the best photo editing software free. These programs will let you test waters and improve your photo editing skills before investing in a premium photo editing program.
Moreover, some of these free photo editing apps come with cloud storage options, tools for organizing your pictures, and the ability to post those pictures to your social media accounts right from the program. So, let’s get started.
The Best Free Photo Editing Apps and Software
1. PhotoDirector Essential
This is one of the most advanced photo editing programs.
So, if you are a serious marketer, then you will find this tool very useful.
The app even has intelligent tools like facial recognition capabilities.
Besides this, you can use it to organize your photos into slideshows, complete with suiting background music to accompany your photos.
2. MyEdit Image Editing Tool
MyEdit is one of the most comprehensive photo editing tools online.
Actually, it is the best photo editing software free for anyone, including beginners.
We love this tool because of its unique AI effects and generative content.
3. Promeo
Promeo is also an ideal tool for content creators and online retailers.
The software is incredibly simple and has a lot of templates to pick from.
It is also the best photo editing software free because it generates high-quality images for social media and product mockups.
4. Adobe Express
Just like other Adobe products, this photo editing software comes with feature-rich tools and beautiful templates for everyday use, such as TikTok ads, YouTube banners, Instagram posts, and Facebook Stories.
Besides this, it has an instant resize tool suitable for influencers who are looking to repurpose their content for other platforms.
5. Photoscape X
Photoscape X is not only the best photo editing software free for everyone but also a nice photo viewer, screen capture program, and GIF creator.
It would be ideal if you want to edit several images at once.
We also love this program because it comes with multiple automatic color effects, including selective color adjustments, a color splash tool, and color placement effect.
6. BeFunky
As the name suggests, BeFunky is a fun-to-work-with tool that can help you infuse personality into your photos.
Specifically, the software comes with a nice selection of text too, graphics, and artistic filter tools.
7. PhotoPad
PhotoPad is an advanced AI-powered tool that is very useful for upscaling and resizing images without reduction in quality.
We think it is the best photo editing software free alternative to Photoshop with a liquid resize effect.
Besides this, it also has other useful tools such as color correction, frames, rotation, and crop.
8. Canva
Canva is one of the most popular graphic design software for professionals and beginners alike. The app comes with excellent photo editing capabilities.
This is especially the case after the addition of the AI-powered Magic Studio in 2023.
This best-in-class suite of AI photo editing tools is more advanced than what Adobe Express offers.
9. Pixlr
This software suite has a similar layout as Photoshop but is a bit tidy. Additionally, it has two apps: Pixlr E and Pixlr X.
The latter is suited for beginners, while Pixlr E is sort of a complex photo editor.
If you are familiar with Photoshop, then you will have an easy time working with Pixlr E.
The Layers panel is almost the same as that of Photoshop, but some users claim that they are exceptionally good in Pixlr.
10. Fotor Photo Editor
Fotor is also considered the best photo editing software free for everyone.
It has lots of enhancing and manipulation capabilities, including basic editing functions like resizing, cropping, and bright adjustment.
Of course, you can access advanced options like effects, filters, and retouching tools.
Another good thing about Fotor is that it offers beautiful templates for designing cards, collages, and cool social media graphics.
That is why it is a great tool for both professionals and casual users.
11. GIMP
GIMP is best suited for graphic designers, artists, and general photographers looking for comprehensive yet advanced photo editing tools.
With its powerful customization tools supported by a huge list of third-party extensions and plugins, you can carry out advanced image manipulation techniques without the cost of commercial alternatives.
12. Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 2024
This photo editing app is suitable for users looking for a quick and easy photo enhancement.
Ideally, it is designed for average users who usually want to improve their photos with minimal effort.
It simplifies image editing with cool features such as horizon straightening and one-click optimization.
13. Paint.Net
Paint.Net is a powerful yet simple-to-use photo editing program that you can use to achieve the same result as if you would have used Photoshop or Corel Paint Shop Pro.
Initially designed as a free alternative to Microsoft Paint, the program has evolved into a user-friendly tool with a rich set of features that support special effects, layers, and other pro editing tools.
14. Krita
Krita is one of the best tools for artists and illustrators. The software comes with an advanced brush library for artists and is completely open source.
Its interface is also similar to Photoshop, but the brush selection tends to be more straightforward.
By default, brushes are nested below the layers panel, and you can select from many predefined brush styles.
15. Inkscape
This is another beautifully designed photo editing app for graphic design.
While it has a layout that is quite different from Photoshop, it has lots of advanced photo and graphic editing tools. It is also less cumbersome for average users.
16. Movavi Picverse
This is one of the best photo editing software if you want to remove unwanted elements in your photos.
The software can also help you manipulate several photos so that you can move some elements from one photo to another.
Besides this, you can use Movavi to change the colors of your photos, increase or decrease contrast, and even make them more saturated.
And the good thing is that you can achieve this with ease, thanks to the one-click edit capabilities.
17. Photopea
This is another fantastic photo editing app that comes with a variety of features only comparable to those of premium programs like Adobe Photoshop.
This editor will allow you to edit raster graphics like digital artwork and photographs using a familiar interface similar to Photoshop.
18. InPixio Photo Editor
This editor offers a one-click solution for retouching your photos.
It has a large database of over 100 beautifully created frames. In fact, it has frames for any occasion or theme and can be customized by size and color.
Another beautiful thing about this photo editing program is that it is automatic in the way it edits pictures.
But, of course, you can use the manual mode for more precise control.
19. Sumopaint
If you are looking for a free Photoshop alternative, then Sumopaint is one of them.
We believe that it is the best photo editing software free because it excels in having all photo editing tools in one software.
The good thing is that it is available on all platforms. Sumo has also added some AI tools in the app, which can help you improve image quality as well as add text to it.
20. Darktable
Darktable is an open-source program that is suited for Lightroom users.
We believe it is the best photo editing software free for tethered shooting and RAW image processing over 400 cameras.
21. LunaPic
This photo editing app enables you to accomplish most of the advanced edit tasks with a single click.
In fact, you will find all the tools you will need within the interface, including one-click background blur, resolution upscaling, animation effects, and easy object removal.
22. PhotoRoom
If you advertise your products online, then PhotoRoom will come in handy.
This tool allows you to perform basic edits like manipulating color, exposure, and more.
But its more powerful features are suitable for eCommerce sellers.
These features include background swaps, automatic background removal, platform-specific size templates for Etsy, eBay, Poshmark, and other popular online stores.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are snapping photos from your smartphone or you are a pro photographer, you should use the best photo editing apps and software to improve your images.
Thankfully, you don’t have to dig deeper into your pocket to create extraordinary Photoshop-like effects on your images because there are several top-quality free photo editing programs that you can use.
Most of these programs allow you to remove unwanted elements in your photos, add amazing special effects, change background, and even animate photos.
But not all of them have the same features or have similar interfaces, so you might need to try quite a number of the above tools in order to find the best for your needs.
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