rawpixel / Pixabay
When you think of photo editing, you most likely think of Adobe Photoshop. Adobe’s photo editing software has become almost synonymous to professional & even amateur photo editing. So much so that most people rarely think of alternatives. But there are free alternatives to Adobe Photoshop. You might be surprised to know there are software just as powerful, yet completely free of charge.
GIMP
GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program, & is one of the most well-known free alternatives to Adobe Photoshop. It offers a wide array of photo editing toolsets for free for Window, Mac & Linux users
Seasoned Photoshop users can feel right at home using GIMP since it offers many of tools users are already accustomed to on Photoshop such as painting tools, cloning, selection, color correction, enhancements & so on. GIMP is able to work with pretty much the same file formats as Photoshop & has it own inbuilt file manager as well. It is even possible to add some Photoshop plugins to GIMP as well & there are some versions of the software that has been designed to look exactly like Photoshop. Although on a general level the interface for
both differs from each other. If you are considering ditching Photoshop for any reason at all or you want a cheaper alternative then you can try out GIMP for free.
Pixlr
AutoDesk owned Pixlr photo editor is one of the few free alternatives to Adobe Photoshop. There are various versions of the Pixlr available on such a wide range of platform, including mobile apps for Android & iOS devices. However, the version that can still be considered as the biggest look-alike of Photoshop is the Web application since it is the only one that is able to support layers; a major feature of Photoshop that users will most likely miss in an alternative.
Pixlr comes in-built with tools like selection, clone stamps, healing tools, brushes & so on all of which are fully customizable. The only limitation to this platform is that it features adverts which sorts of limits your work area to an extent. Other than that you get almost the same features as Photoshop with minor differences here & there.
Paint.net
From its early days as an undergraduate project intended to serve as an alternative to Paint editor, (Microsoft’s native photo editing platform for window) Paint.net has over the years evolved into what can today be considered as a possible free alternative for Adobe Photoshop (missing some basic upgrades of course)What you will most likely enjoy the most about Paint.net is the simplicity of the interface & resultant ease of use. While you might not be getting a fully artistic tool like Photoshop & it certainly lacks some more recent Photoshop toolsets you will still get enough to add special effects, select layers & make adjustments to a certain level of professionalism.
Although Paint.net’s most obvious limitation is the fact that use is restricted to only computers with the Windows 7 operating system & above. Still, it runs quite well on those systems & does a very good job at touching up photos.
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