If we ever talk about photo editing, Adobe Photoshop comes to the front pace without any doubt because of its robust features and vast capabilities. Many professional photographers and graphic designers around the world are just fans of this app but its subscription fee can be daunting for them because of the hefty price, especially for beginners.
Let’s check out some of the best apps available in the market right now which can be good Photoshop alternatives if you can’t pay that hefty amount or just want to have a go in experiencing the new things. We have listed the top five which can be a great option because of their features so just stay tuned to the end.
GIMP
1. GNU Image Manipulation Program
GIMP is one of the best and most well-known open-source Photoshop Alternatives where it is completely free which makes it available for everyone out there.
Key Features:
- Image Editing: It offers a set of tools for photo retouching, image composition, and graphic design where you can adjust layers, masks, curves, and much more to the images with precision and control.
- Customization: One of the best strengths of GIMP lies in its customization where you can change the interface as per your preferences and Moreover, it supports different plugins which just extends its functionality beyond the core features.
- File Compatibility: It supports a wide range of different file formats including the popular ones like PSD and JPEG. This enables it to export and import files across different platforms and software very smoothly.
- Community Support: Because it is open-source software, it has developed a vibrant community of developers and users who do their own share in the section of the contribution of improvement. This approach just helps in finding the bugs, adding new features, and several tutorials on how to use it properly.
Suitability:
It is perfect for people who need to do powerful image editing without any cost of Hi-Fisoftware which is suitable for both beginners and experienced. It has tools for almost everything from editing photos to creating digital art to designing graphics for the web or print.
Affinity Photo
2. Affinity Photo
It is a professional-grade image editing software which is developed by Serif to compete directly with Photoshop.
Key Features:
- Performance: It is known for its speed and efficiency where it offers real-time editing capabilities which becomes important if you are a professional. This lets you make changes in the images without altering any original data which saves the quality of the image and gives flexibility in the editing.
- Feature Set: It has a collection of tools for photo editing and retouching which includes advanced features like HDR merging and panorama stitching. This RAW editing gives photographers a chance to work with high-quality image files directly from their cameras and saves the quality from going downgraded.
- Affordable Pricing: Even though it charges but the amount is much less compared to Adobe Photoshop thus making it a genuine choice for users who want to have good features at an affordable price. It is available for one-time purchase and after that, you are good to go to use anything inside the software.
- Integration: This is one of the best features that makes it stand out in the competition where it gets integrated seamlessly with other Affinity products like Designer, Publisher and which makes an ecosystem.
Suitability:
It is an ideal image editing software for photographers, designers, and digital artists who always strive to find high-quality images similar to Photoshop but can’t afford it and thus it becomes a go-to option for them.
Pixlr
3. Pixlr
It is a mobile app that is designed to provide a powerful editing experience yet in a simplified way so that even the beginners can understand.
Key features:
- Accessibility: It is available for both web and mobile apps (IOS and Android) which allows users to edit the images very conveniently without any hassle across different devices. The interface is also very simple where you don’t need to have extensive technical knowledge in order to enhance the images.
- Basic Editing Tools: It offers essential photo-editing tools like cropping and resizing where these tools are very easy to use.
- Creative Effects: It does possess creative effects including filters, borders, and stickers which allow users to apply artistic touch to their images. This all makes the images visually appealing for social media posts and small business marketing materials.
Cloud Storage: It provides users an option to save their work online without using their device storage where this feature enables to edit images from anywhere. You just need an internet connection which makes the workflow management very seamless.
Suitability:
It is ideal for casual photographers, social media enthusiasts, and beginners who want to have basic editing tools without paying any cost. Whether you edit images for personal use or just enhance them for social media posts, it has everything that you need.
Corel PaintShop Pro
4. Corel PaintShop Pro
It is a modern image editing and graphic design software.
Key Features:
- Photo Editing: It offers a wide range of powerful tools including retouching, photo correction, and enhancement. You can adjust the colors, apply filters, and advanced editing tasks in order to achieve professional-grade results.
- Graphic Design: It has dedicated features for graphic design where you can create illustrations and layouts with the tools for text manipulation and vector drawing. This versatility makes it stand out in the competition of design projects.
- AI-Powered Tools: It has integrated artificial intelligence with photo-editing tasks (a special feature) which include upscaling images without losing the quality and noise reduction to improve the image clarity.
- User-Friendly Interface: It is designed for the usability of the users and it has a very simple interface that can be customized also if you want.
Suitability:
It is best for photographers who need a versatile toolset with advanced image editing capabilities. The integration of AI to create digital illustrations just enhances productivity and makes it a good alternative to Photoshop.
Canva
5. Canva
It is a web-based user-friendly design tool that is easy to use and accessible.
- Templates: It has a vast library of different templates for various projects like social media posts and presentations. These templates are made by professionals and can be changed to how you want. You can make nice designs without having to start from the beginning.
- Drag-and-Drop Interface: It has an easy drag-and-drop interface where users can move text and pictures to present the look in whatever way they want which makes the design process easy.
- Collaboration: It provides seamless collaboration among the team members because it allows them to share the designs and projects very conveniently where users can invite their friends to view and comment in real-time.
- Access: It is available for both web and mobile apps which gives flexibility to users who can work on their projects from any device where they need just internet access whether they are in the home or office.
Suitability:
It is ideally suited for small entrepreneurs or companies who need to create professional-looking designs in a quick time and they don’t want to get indulge in the learning curve. Canva just takes off the heavy workload by providing the templates for almost every kind of major work out there.
Difference Between These Alternatives and Photoshop
Difference Between These Alternatives and Photoshop
Availability
- GIMP: Free (Open-Source)
- Affinity Photo: One-time purchase (No subscription)
- Pixlr: Free web-based and mobile app
- Corel Paintshop Pro Canva: One-time purchase (No subscription)
- Canva: Free basic subscription for pro
- Photoshop: Subscription-based
Platforms
- GIMP: Windows, macOS, Linux
- Affinity Photo: Windows, macOS
- Pixlr: Web-based, iOS, Android
- Corel Paintshop Pro: Windows
- Canva: Web-based, iOS, Android
- Photoshop: Windows, macOS
Image Editing
- GIMP: Comprehensive tools
- Affinity Photo: Advanced tools
- Pixlr: Basic tools
- Corel Paintshop Pro: Photo correction, retouching, enhancement
- Canva: Basic editing tools
- Photoshop: Extensive, professional-grade tools
Customization
- GIMP: Extensive with plugins and scripts
- Affinity Photo: Customizable interface
- Pixlr: Limited
- Corel Paintshop Pro: Customizable interface
- Canva: Limited Customization
- Photoshop: Extensive customization
File Compatibility
- GIMP: Supports various formats including PSD
- Affinity Photo: PSD, JPEG, PNG, RAW
- Pixlr: JPEG, PNG, TIFF
- Corel Paintshop Pro: Wide range of formats
- Canva: Limited
- Photoshop: Wide range of formats
Performance
- GIMP: Functional but may be slower
- Affinity Photo: Fast (Real-time editing)
- Pixlr: Depends on internet and device speed
- Corel Paintshop Pro: Efficient
- Canva: Fast
- Photoshop: Efficient
AI-Powered Tools
- GIMP: None
- Affinity Photo: AI for upscaling and noise reduction
- Pixlr: None
- Corel Paintshop Pro: AI for photo editing tasks
- Canva: None
- Photoshop: AI features available
User Interface
- GIMP: Functional (can be customized)
- Affinity Photo: Intuitive (customizable workspaces)
- Pixlr: User-friendly
- Corel Paintshop Pro: Intuitive (customizable)
- Canva: Intuitive (Drag and Drop)
- Photoshop: Professional interface
Learning Curve
- GIMP: Hard for beginners
- Affinity Photo: Moderate
- Pixlr: Easy
- Corel Paintshop Pro: Moderate
- Canva: Easy
- Photoshop: Hard
Suitability
- GIMP: Ideal for advanced users
- Affinity Photo: Photographers and designers
- Pixlr: Casual photographers and beginners
- Corel Paintshop Pro: Photographers and designers
- Canva: Entrepreneurs and marketers
- Photoshop: Professional designers
That’s it for now. 🤟
Thanks for reading.
