When it comes to photo editing, processing and digital retouching, Photoshop is the star program. But this excellent tool has a few drawbacks as well: expensive price, very complex to use at the beginning, consumes a lot of computer memory resources, among other disadvantages.
If you are looking for an alternative to Photoshop today I bring you 19. Below, I leave you a list of free photo editing programs, light, many online, and relatively easier to use than Photoshop.
Free photo editing software
- Gimp
- Pixlr
- Photoshop Online Pro
- ImageForge Standard
- Fotor
- Paint.NET
- PHIXR
- PhotoFiltre
- Befunky
- Google Photos
- VCW VicMan
- iPiccy
- LunaPic
- Picsart
- Sumopaint
- piZap
- Ribbet
- PsycoPaint
- Canva
- Photopea
1.GIMP
It 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. [Descargar][Más Info]
2. Pixlr
It is a really complete editor with four variants [Acceder]:
–Pixlr Editor: With an interface very reminiscent of Photoshop. It is very complete and more professional, it offers a lot of tools and filters. You can also use keyboard shortcuts and even the right button. Like Photoshop, it requires a little more learning for more advanced editions. It is in English.
– Pixlr Express: More basic and at the same time more intuitiveis mainly for quick retouching. It allows you to open photos from the PC, a URL or even from the Webcam. You can also make collages with this program.
–Pixlr X: 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 do not know the language you can play around to check the effects, it is also more or less intuitive.
–Pixlr Pro: The pro version with subscription you can discover in this video.
3. Photoshop Online Pro
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 with layers, select elements… The downside is that it requires previous knowledge, if you control Photoshop, great, you can use it from any computer with internet connection.
If you have no idea of Photoshop, it will cost you, but it’s all about learning, isn’t it? Besides, you will be able to do some basic actions without problems. [Acceder]
4. ImageForge Standard
Although it has a paid edition, ImageForge Standard Edition is available for free and allows you to get a taste of the features offered by the paid version. You can still keep the free version and use it as your default photo editing program. [Descargar]
5. Fotor
It is a free online photo editing program. You only have to register and it’s in English!
With a very neat interface consists of different sections that will serve to edit, make collages, covers for your social networks, greeting cards and even “make up”. A highlight is the option to merge an image in HDR by uploading three photos with different exposures. [Acceder]
You can select the intensity of the filter. Some options are premium but you have a lot of free ones.
The handling is very intuitive, you can add texts and it offers you a huge amount of creative filters, frames and clip art. And when you’re done you can share your image directly on social networks.
6. Paint.NET
For many it is the best program for free photos as an alternative to Photoshop. Its main trump card is that it is full of plug-ins that give it additional features with a host of special effects. [Descargar][Más Info]
7. Phixr
This is another free photo editing program online 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 very much to my liking, although there are different colors to suit different tastes and, as they say in my country, to “caballo regalao…” 😉 [Acceder]
8. PhotoFiltre
Free, very intuitive and with a lot of options that facilitate image editing saving the user a lot of time. In English and French. [Descargar][Más Info]
9. Befunky
Program for edit photos for free onlineto create collages and different layouts. You can upload your photo from your computer, webcam, google drive or from some social networks. The highlight is the amount of filters, textures and effects it offers, besides the frames. You can include your image in a lot of shapes and even letters. It is very easy to use and the changes are applied to the whole picture although you can choose the intensity or size of the brush and they are displayed at the same time.
The interface is intuitive and pretty, but the downside is that most of the options are premium (and it’s in English). [Acceder]
10. Google Photos
In addition to a gallery to store your photos, it serves as an online photo (and video) editor. It allows you to create albums, share them, have backups, create slideshows or share photos with a person of your choice.
It may not be the most complete photo editing program, but it is very useful in terms of photo management. [Acceder]
11. VCW VicMan
Another very intuitive and affordable photo editing program. It is very basic but it fulfills the minimum functions to edit a photo, rotate it, crop it, adjust the color and add texts and watermarks. [Descargar][Más Info]
12. iPiccy
Although at first this free online photo editing program may seem very simple, it is actually deceiving. It is very complete, it has a lot of options for editing, 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. [Acceder]
13. LunaPic
A fabulous program for editing photos online. Besides being free, it does not require installation, registration or anything else. The amount of functions and options they offer make it a very attractive option as long as you are fluent in English. [Acceder]
14. Picsart
This smartphone app can also be used from the desktop and offers quite interesting effects. The only thing I find a bit awkward is that you don’t select the photo and then do whatever you want with it, but first choose what effect you want and once in it you upload the photo. But you can double exposure, change or remove the background and much more. [Acceder]
15. SumoPaint
It is a very complete free online photo editing program and its interface is similar to Photoshop, so if you are used to this program you will have it very easy. It is 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 on line” and once the editor is open, select the language in the flag.
The downside is that it has a lot of Pro options. [Acceder]
16. PiZap
Its design is not very well designed and there is a lot of advertising. As an editor I’m not too convinced but if you like collages with templates it offers several possibilities. It also has an option to create memes. [Acceder]
17. Ribbet
Its interface is simple and offers a large number of tools and filters, as well as a collage section. Many of its options are “premium”. [Acceder]
18. Psykopaint
It is a fun tool that allows you to oil paint an image of yourself, a model of those offered to you or even create from scratch. It offers different brushes that imitate well-known painters. It is a lot of fun, the bad thing is that many of the tools require prior registration. [Acceder]
19. Canva
It is not strictly speaking a photo editing program, but it is used to create graphic designs from your photos. In this sense, with Canva you have infinite possibilities. [Acceder]
20. Photopea
I leave for the end Photopea, a free online photo editing program, which 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 it. image editor.
Examples of edited images.
To finish I leave you some very quick and easy examples so you can see what you can do with your images with a free editing program.
Maybe the edits are not very much to your liking, but they are just some quick examples (a couple of minutes at most) so you can see that with two or three retouches you can change an image a lot and check that you already have the tools to edit to your liking.
The best free photo editor for…
Now I’m going to answer some questions that I’m sure you’ve asked yourself at some point, am I wrong 😉.
What are the best free online photo editors online?
Seen this list, I think you can choose your favorites yourself, mine are. Pixlr, BeFunky and Fotor.
What is the best smartphone photo editing app?
The most simple to use, complete and free app to edit photos from mobile, for me, without a doubt, is Snapseed. It is available for iOS y Android. Although here you have other apps to edit photos from your phone that are also very interesting.
What is the best program to edit photos on my PC?
In the case of looking for a program to download and edit your photos from your computer, I would go for. GIMPwhich is also available for Windows and Mac OS.
You will no longer be able to say that you can’t edit your photos, no more excuses! As you may have noticed, with many of these photo editing programs you don’t need any previous knowledge, you don’t need to download or register and, best of all, they are free!
Moreover, you can combine them with each other, a filter from one, a tool from another, an effect from a third… So the possibilities multiply. All you need is time, desire and a dose of patience to try them all 😉 . But I assure you that you won’t get bored, because there are so many possibilities that the time will fly by!
And while they will not be all the best photo editing programs, since everyone is looking for something different in terms of photo editing and retouching, at least it is a list that you can use as a way to as a reference if you want to start tinkering with digital editing without having to pay the high cost of purchasing Photoshop or Lightroom.
If you found it useful and you think your contacts might also find it helpful, hit “Like” and share it, you’ll be doing them a favor and us a favor 😉 And if you use other free photo editors, be sure to add them below in the comments.
Thanks and happy editing!