Do you find it difficult to use Photoshop with all the options, menus, buttons and settings it has? Do you find it complex and expensive? Would you like to be able to edit your photos with a free tool, easy to use, and that does not require payment? A free online photo editor.Introducing Photopea.
This is the most complete free alternative to Photoshop. Let’s see how it works, how it differs from Adobe’s program and what are its advantages and disadvantages.
I’m going to try to make this the most complete article on Photopea in Spanish, so you won’t have any doubts and when you finish reading it you’ll be eager to use it.
What is Photopea
Photopea is a free online photo editing and retouching service. It can be used for image editing, illustration creation, web design or simply as a converter of different image formats. It is the online application that most closely resembles Photoshop in terms of tools, operation and interface.
(By the way, it’s actually Photo Pea, but we all know it as Photopea from its web address: Photopea.com).
Photopea has been running since 2013 although its popularity has increased in recent years and it is available in more than 40 languages (yes, Photopea is in Spanish, breathe 😜) .
It was created by Ivan Kuckir, who decided to create an online editor to practice what he had learned in some courses and because. “he had a lot of free time ahead of him”. After several months of work the first version of the program was ready.
His idea was to create a photo editor that would be agile to open for those situations where you want to make a quick edit in an instant (for example, resize a photo).
He wanted it to be a free program for those who could not afford to buy Photoshop, and also to be compatible with minority operating systems such as Linux.
If you come from the Adobe world, it will be just like going around the house, but without breaking the bank.
How much does Photopea cost?
Photopea is free of charge. The user can use it with all its features and options without paying anything. In the free version there is no limit to the use of tools, no downloads and no watermarks. There is also a version premium which you can get for 9 euros per month (no annual subscription required). The differences with the premium version are in the advertising and in the number of steps you can undo in the edition.
Prices depend on the type of account or subscription, if you contract several months at a time it works out cheaper for you.
In addition, you can choose the option for a single user or for a team of 5, 20 or 50 people. Of course, this is intended for companies, not for individuals.
How Photopea works
As I told you before, its operation is similar to Photoshop but you don’t have to download it.
The files used are not uploaded unless you choose to do so. Therefore, you can open Photopea in the browser and continue using it offline (i.e. if you run out of Internet).
It offers a wide variety of editing tools (correction, cloning, etc.), as well as working by layers, support for filters, text layers and much more.
Let’s take a step-by-step look at how to use Photopea.
- Open the Photopea page here. You will find this interface (on the right side you will see the ads, but I have cut them out for now).
- Select the option you prefer. As you can see, you can start a new project from scratch, open an image or use one of its templates (there are a lot of possibilities: publications for social networks, to make memes or even to make a resume). In this example we are going to choose the option to edit an image which is what most of the readers of this blog are interested in (Open from computer). You can also do this by dragging the file to the center of the interface.
- Perform a first basic edit (if you want). You have the option to adjust exposure and temperature, among others, before opening the photo in the interface with all the tools. Once done (or not), press Open (and continue to step 4). If you think it is already to your liking, you can click and download the file directly at JPG. And you would already have your image (but without the option to choose the resolution). As a RAW to JPG converter it is quite fast and automatic.
- Start editing with all the tools. You already have your image open and all the options available, to work by layers, make corrections with brush or whatever you want.
As you can see the menu is also very similar to Photoshop (I leave you an example of the Image section and its options); clicking on each tool with the right button also displays all the options of that tool. Besides being able to add texts, with a lot of fonts and the possibility to load new fonts, for example:
- Export your image. Once you have your final image, whatever type of project it is, it’s time to export. These are all the export options that Photopea offers, choose the one that suits you best from the path File > Export as.
In step 1 we have seen that there was no option to select anything with quick export. Here you can choose dimensions and quality, even format. When you have it, click on Save and you’re done!
By the way, if you want to learn how to handle Photoshop and/or Photopea in more detail, looking for the magnifying glass at the top right you will find a lot of articles dedicated to editing with Photoshop.
Photopea vs. Photoshop
If we compare Photopea with Photoshop, there are more similarities than differences.
Besides price and the aspects of compatibility or online access that we have discussed, the biggest difference is that Photopea has a smaller number of tools (although they are not few).
The interface, as I said is very similar, the basic tools are practically the same, even the shortcuts are the same as in Photoshop, which makes it quite easy if you are used to Adobe.
Maybe for a professional environment, some people may find it a little short, however, for a personal and amateur use, I assure you that it is more than enough.
Advantages
It is intuitive and easy to use.
There are other free editors such as GIMP, however, their interface is not as comfortable as Photopea’s.
It works on all types of devices and operating systems; with most browsers and with all types of files: PSD, JPG, PNG, RAW, PDF, Sketch, XCF, SVG, TIFF, GIF, TGA
Its premium version is not annual, like Adobe’s subscription, but you pay month by month, only when you need it.
Disadvantages
This all sounds fantastic and wonderful, so why would anyone want to pay for Photoshop when Photopea is there?
Simply because what is said perfect perfect is not perfect. Starting with all the banners advertising banners. And it is understandable because I say that its developer has to live off of something, right?
If you don’t want to see advertising, you have no choice but to checkout, although the ads appear on the right and are not too annoying.
It is not like in those occasions that to see something or work you have to be closing tabs because they are put in front of what you are doing or reading. You can check it in the following image.
What do I think of Photopea? That it is a program to have very handy.
If you don’t know much about editing or you have never used Photoshop, you might get a little lost, but if you have used it and it’s not worth paying for it, or you want to learn how to use it, it is certainly a highly recommended option, both for photographers and designers.
And, if for whatever reason, this is not your option, here are more editing programs, both for personal and professional use.
I hope you found this article useful. Don’t hesitate to share it if you think it can help someone else. I will be very grateful.