Adobe’s creative suite has become one of the most successful bundles for creative and among the many applications, Photoshop is the most popular of them all. With the capabilities of professionally re-touching images or altering your vector graphics into an image, Adobe Photoshop is one of the best solutions to image-editing in the market. However, many times the use of Photoshop may be limited to cropping your image or putting a filter on it, and while Photoshop does offer these basic features, buying the application on a subscription fee for basic needs seems wasteful of resources. Here are a few alternatives to Photoshop that offer similar functionalities.
- PicMonkey
PicMonkey has one of the simplest user interfaces in the entire list, but do not let the minimalist appearance fool you as the image editor can offer a host of options for you to create perfect visuals. Right from adjusting your photo to adding frames and stickers, the application lets you take over all the editing options by just uploading your picture on the website. The application is free of cost and is available for use through its website.
- Canva
Canva has recently gained fame for offering an unlimited amount of customization so that you can personalize your images. Canva is perfect for new users as its template-based process is easy to understand for beginners. Canva also offers many graphic elements that allow you to create designs and offers some of Photoshop’s popular functionalities like layering. Canva is a free-of-charge application that can be accessed on any device through its website.
- Pixlr Editor
Pixlr Editor seems like Photoshop’s twin as both of their interfaces are quite similar. Pixlr is faster and much more intuitive than Photoshop. With many express features, Pixlr can be very fast with image editing using features like one-click enhancement. However, learning Pixlr from scratch can be a task as there aren’t many tutorials available for new users to learn about its features. Pixlr can be accessed on any device through its website.
- GIMP
GIMP is well known in the Linux world as one of the best image editing software and its Windows and Mac alternatives are nothing short of excellent. GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) offers a comprehensive set of tools in a fun and easy interface while its functionalities are robust enough to handle RAW files at ease. With a plethora of features like Blending, Layering, and custom brushes, this image editor can be your go-to alternative for Photoshop. The best part about GIMP is that it is free-of-charge and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux so that you don’t miss its functionalities on any kind of a system.
- Acorn
While it cannot completely replace Photoshop, Acorn and its Mac-based support system make it apt for all kinds of users. Be it light to moderately heavy tasks, Acorn can handle all of those with lightning-fast speeds. Their development programs let the users into the experience with visual tutorials that can be easily followed. Some of Photoshop’s prominent features are also added in the application including custom brushes, PSD import, and export among many others. Acorn is available for Mac at $49.99
- Pixelmator
This Mac-only image editor has received many updates recently and they have made it one of the best Photoshop alternatives available for Mac. The user interface is similar to that of Photoshop and experienced users may feel right at home. Its multi-monitor support makes for a great workstation alternative and a thriving community of users can help you learn the application in no time. Pixelmator also takes advantage of all the Mac features that are missing from Windows. Pixelmator costs $29.99 making it one of the cheapest options for image editing.
- Paint.NET
If you are looking for a free Photoshop alternative designed specifically for Windows, Paint.NET is the best option you have. The origin of the name comes from the famous drawing application for Windows called Paint and it was designed to replace the application. Paint.NET has a built-in image editor that works perfectly with the drawing tools offered to the user by the application. While it may not provide many advanced features like Canva or GIMP, if your work doesn’t involve heavy image editing, Paint.NET is the perfect tool for you.
- Serif PhotoPlus X6
Serif PhotoPlus X6 has a loyal base of users that prefer it’s simple yet efficient interface. PhotoPlus X6 is a great application due to a host of features like processing of RAW images, editing multiple images, and fast response time. The best part of the Serif PhotoPlus X6 is its growing community that offers insights into the application for both new and experienced users. The community helps its users with video-based tutorials as well as written instructions that can be easily used to increase productivity. Serif PhotoPlus X6 is available for Windows at $89.99.
- Corel PaintShop Pro X6
Corel is widely known as a close second in the image-editing space and its PaintShop Pro X6 proves it. With a community that aims to educate new users about features and functions, the PaintShop Pro X6 is a perfect image editing application for the starters. The application supports advanced skills like Auto Selection, Smart Selection, Brush editing, and much more. PaintShop Pro X6 is perfect for people who deal with a large set of images and prefer bulk-editing. Costing around $69.99, the application is available for Windows.
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 12
While this isn’t exactly the full version of Photoshop, it offers all the basic functionalities of Photoshop without compromising on the crucial bits. Be it pictures for social media or your birthday card, Photoshop Elements will solve your problem. Photoshop Elements also works on layers like its parent and provides a unique tutorial-like guide that will help you to learn more. Available for both Mac and Windows for USD 69.99, this makes for a great ‘lite’ version of PhotoShop.
I’m Emma Justin . I’m a web developer living in USA. I am a fan of technology, entrepreneurship, and web development. I’m also interested in education and writing. You can visit my company website with a click on the button above.
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