ALTERNATIVES TO PHOTOSHOP: 19 PROGRAMS TO EDIT YOUR PHOTOS FOR FREE [UPDATED]

When it comes to photo editing, digital processing and retouching, Photoshop is the flagship program. But this excellent tool has a few drawbacks too: very expensive price, very complex to use at first, consumes many resources of the computer memory, among other disadvantages. If you are looking for an alternative to Photoshop, today I bring you 19. Next, I leave you a list of programs to edit photos for free, light, many online, and relatively easier to use than Photoshop.

PHOTO EDITING PROGRAMS

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

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. [ Download ] [ More Info ]

2. PIXLR

It is a really complete editor with four variants [ Access ] : - Pixlr Editor: With an interface that is 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. It happens to him like Photoshop, it requires a little more learning for more advanced editions. It is in English.

Pixlr editor

- Pixlr Express: More basic and at the same time more intuitive , it is especially for quick touch-ups. It allows opening photos from the PC, a URL or even from the Webcam. You can also make collages with this program.

Pixlr Express

- Pixlr X: Allows you to use stock photos, use yours or start from scratch to create images in different formats and adapted to different social networks. In English too, if you don't know the language you can fiddle to check the effects, it's also more or less intuitive.

Pixlr X

- Pixlr Pro: The pro version with subscription that you can discover in this video.

3. PHOTOSHOP ONLINE PRO

If your paste with Photoshop is not the difficulty, but the price, here you have the online option. Very similar to the original program, it allows working in layers, selecting elements ... The downside is that it requires prior knowledge, if you control Photoshop, great, you can use it from any computer with an internet connection. If you have no idea of Photoshop, it will cost you, now everything is to get and learn, right? In addition, some basic actions can be done without problems. [ Access ]

Photoshop Pro Online interface

4. IMAGEFORGE STANDARD

Although it has a paid edition, ImageForge Standard Edition is available for free and gives you an idea of the features that the paid version offers. Even so, you can keep the free version and use it as the default photo editing program. [ Download ]

5. FOTOR

It is a program to edit photos for free and online. You just have to register and it is in Spanish! With a very careful interface it consists of different sections that will serve you to edit, make collages, covers for your social networks, greeting cards and even "make up". To highlight the option offers to merge an HDR image by uploading three photographs with different exposures. [ Access ]

Fotor

You can select the intensity of the filter. Some options are premium but you have many free ones. The operation is very intuitive, you can add texts and offers you a huge number of creative filters, frames and clip art. And when you finish you can share your image directly on social networks.

6. PAINT.NET

For many it is the best free photo program as an alternative to Photoshop. Its main asset is that it is full of plug-ins that give it additional features with countless special effects. [ Download ] [ More Info ]

7. PHIXR

This is another quite complete free online photo editing program . It allows you to focus, blur, adjust exposure and color levels, work with curves, reduce noise and many other options besides filters and effects. Personally, I find it somewhat uncomfortable and with an aesthetic that is not very to my liking either, although for tastes the colors and, as they say in my land, a "horse gives it away ..." [ Access ]

Phixr

8. PHOTOFILTRE

Free, very intuitive and with a lot of options that make it easy to edit images, saving the user a lot of time. In English and French. [ Download ] [ More Info ]

9. BEFUNKY

Program to edit free photos online , create collages and different designs. 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, in addition to 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 entire photograph although you can choose the intensity or the 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). [ Access ]

Befunky

10. GOOGLE PHOTOS

In addition to a gallery to save your photos, it serves to edit online photos (and videos). It allows you to create albums, share them, have backup copies, create slide shows or share the 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 managing photos. [ Access ]

Google Photos

11. VCW VICMAN

Another very intuitive photo editing program available to everyone. 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. [ Download ] [ More Info ]

12. IPICCY

Although at first this free online photo editing program may seem very simple, it is actually misleading. It is very complete, it has a lot of options to edit, 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. [ Access ]

13. LUNAPIC

A fabulous program to edit photos online. In addition to being free, it does not require installation or registration or anything. The number of functions and options they offer make it a very attractive option as long as you are fluent in English. [ Access ]

14. PICSART

This smartphone application can also be used from the desktop and offers quite interesting effects. The only thing that I find somewhat uncomfortable is that you do not select the photo and then do what you want with it, but first you choose what effect you want and once you upload the photo. But you can double exposure, change or remove the background and much more. [ Access ]

15. SUMOPAINT

It is a very complete 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, take it easy, you can change the language! It can be translated into a lot of different languages. Of course, you have to get into «Try on line» and once with the editor open, on the flag you select the language. Paste, which has many Pro options. [ Access ]

Sumopaint

16. PIZAP

Its design is not overly stylish and there is a lot of publicity. As an editor I am not too convinced but if you like collage with templates it offers various possibilities. You also have an option to create memes . [ Access ]

PiZap

17. RIBBET

Its interface is simple and offers a large number of tools and filters, as well as a section for collage. Many of their options are "premium". [ Access ]

18. PSYKOPAINT

It is a fun tool that allows you to paint an image of yourself in oil, a model of those offered to you or even create from scratch. It offers different brushes that imitate well-known painters. It is very fun, the bad thing is that many of the tools require a previous registration. [ Access ]

19. CANVA

I put it last because it is not properly a photo editing program, but to create graphic designs from your photos. In this sense, with Canva you have infinite possibilities. [ Access ]

Canva

EXAMPLES OF EDITED IMAGES

To finish I leave you some very quick and simple examples so you can see what you can do with your images with a free editing program.

Above original, below edited with Fotor

Original left, Pixrl edited right

Unedited photo
Edited Photo with Photo Editor

Thank you card for you and all who follow us.

Maybe the edits are not 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 touch-ups you can change a picture a lot and check that you already have the tools to edit your taste.

THE BEST FREE PHOTO EDITOR FOR ...

Now I am going to answer some questions that you have surely asked yourself at some point. I'm wrong?

WHO ARE THE BEST FREE ONLINE PHOTO EDITORS?

Seeing this list, I think you can choose your favorites yourself, mine are Pixlr, BeFunky and Fotor.

WHAT IS THE BEST APPLICATION TO EDIT PHOTOS ON THE SMARTPHONE?

The easiest application to use, complete and free to edit photos from the mobile, for me, without a doubt, is Snapseed. It is available for iOS and Android . Although here you have other applications 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 the computer, I would go for GIMP , which is also available for Windows and Mac OS. You can no longer say that you cannot edit your photos, you are out of excuses! As you have seen, with many of these photo editing programs you do not need any prior knowledge, it is not necessary to download or register and, best of all, they are free! You can also combine them, 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 will not get bored, because there are so many possibilities that they offer that you will spend your time flying! And although they will not be all the best photo editing programs, since we each look for something different in terms of editing and retouching photos, at least it is a list that you can use as a reference if you want to start messing with editing digital without having to pay the high cost of acquiring Photoshop or Lightroom. If you found it useful and think that your contacts can also be of help, give "Like" and share it, you will do them and one of us a favor. And if you use other free photo editors, be sure to add them below in the comments. Thanks and happy editing!