Free photo editing for beginners free download - ACDSee Pro 3, GraphicConverter, Fotor Photo Editor, and many more programs.
There are dozens of free photo editors out there, so we've hand-picked the very best so you can make your pictures look amazing without paying a penny.
We've spent hours putting a huge range of photo editors to the test, and picked out the best ones for any level of skill and experience. From powerful software packed with features that give Photoshop a run for its money to simple tools that give your pictures a whole new look with a couple of clicks, there's something for everyone.
Many free photo editors only offer a very limited selection of tools unless you pay for a subscription, or place a watermark on exported images, but none of the tools here carry any such restrictions. Whichever one you choose, you can be sure that there are no hidden tricks to catch you out.
1. GIMP
The best free photo editor for advanced image editing
GIMP (the GNU Image Manipulation Program) is the best free photo editor around. It's packed with the kind of image-enhancing tools you'd find in premium software, and more are being added every day.
The photo editing toolkit is breathtaking, and features layers, masks, curves, and levels. You can eliminate flaws easily with the excellent clone stamp and healing tools, create custom brushes, apply perspective changes, and apply changes to isolated areas with smart selection tools.
GIMP is an open source free photo editor, and its community of users and developers have created a huge collection of plugins to extend its utility even further. Many of these come pre-installed, and you can download more from the official glossary. If that's not enough, you can even install Photoshop plugins.
2. Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 2019
Fuss-free photo editing with automatic optimization tools
If you've got a lot of photos that you need to edit in a hurry, Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 2019 could be the tool for you. Its interface is clean and uncluttered, and utterly devoid of ads (although you'll need to submit an email address before you can start using it).
Importing pictures is a breeze, and once they've been added to the pool, you can select several at once to rotate or mirror, saving you valuable time. You can also choose individual photos to enhance with the software's one-click optimization tool. In our tests this worked particularly well on landscapes, but wasn't always great for other subjects.
If you want to make manual color and exposure corrections, there are half a dozen sliders to let you do exactly that. It's a shame you can't also apply the same color changes to a whole set of pictures at once, but this is otherwise a brilliant free photo editor for making quick corrections.
For more advanced editing, check out Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 7 – the premium version of the software with enhanced optimization tools.
3. Canva
Professional-level photo editing and templates in your browser
Canva is a photo editor that runs in your web browser, and is ideal for turning your favorite snaps into cards, posters, invitations and social media posts. If you're interested in maintaining a polished online presence, it's the perfect tool for you.
Canva has two tiers, free and paid, but the free level is perfect for home users. Just sign up with your email address and you'll get 1GB free cloud storage for your snaps and designs, 8,000 templates to use and edit, and two folders to keep your work organized.
You won't find advanced tools like clone brushes and smart selectors here, but there's a set of handy sliders for applying tints, vignette effects, sharpening, adjusting brightness, saturation and contrast, and much more. The text editing tools are intuitive, and there's a great selection of backgrounds and other graphics to complete your designs.
4. Fotor
One-click enhancements to make your photos shine in seconds
Fotor is a free photo editor that's ideal for giving your pictures a boost quickly. If there's specific area of retouching you need doing with, say, the clone brush or healing tool, you're out of luck. However, if your needs are simple, its stack of high-end filters really shine.
There's a foolproof tilt-shift tool, for example, and a raft of vintage and vibrant colour tweaks, all easily accessed through Fotor's clever menu system. You can manually alter your own curves and levels, too, but without the complexity of high-end tools.
Fotor's standout function, and one that's sorely lacking in many free photo editors, is its batch processing tool – feed it a pile of pics and it'll filter the lot of them in one go, perfect if you have a memory card full of holiday snaps and need to cover up the results of a dodgy camera or shaky hand.
5. Photo Pos Pro
Advanced photo editing tools packaged in a simple interface
Photo Pos Pro isn't as well known as Paint.net and GIMP, but it's another top-quality free photo editor that's packed with advanced image-enhancing tools.
This free photo editor's interface is smarter and more accessible than GIMP's array of menus and toolbars, with everything arranged in a logical and consistent way. If it's still too intimidating, there's also an optional 'novice' layout that resembles Fotor's filter-based approach. The choice is yours.
The 'expert' layout offers both layers and layer masks for sophisticated editing, as well as tools for adjusting curves and levels manually. You can still access the one-click filters via the main menu, but the focus is much more on fine editing.
6. Paint.NET
Looking a little dated, but still a dependable all-rounder
More is not, believe it or not, always better. Paint.NET's simplicity is one of its main selling points; it's a quick, easy to operate free photo editor that's ideal for trivial tasks that don't necessarily justify the sheer power of tools like GIMP.
Don't let the name fool you, though. This isn't just a cheap copy of Microsoft's ultra-basic Paint – even if it was originally meant to replace it. It's a proper photo editor, just one that lands on the basic side of the curve.
Paint.NET’s interface will remind you of its namesake, but over the years, they’ve added advanced editing tools like layers, an undo history, a ton of filters, myriad community-created plugins, and a brilliant 3D rotate/zoom function that's handy for recomposing images.
7. PhotoScape
Raw image conversion, batch processing and much more
PhotoScape might look like a rather simple free photo editor, but take a look at its main menu and you'll find a wealth of features: raw conversion, photo splitting and merging, animated GIF creation, and even a rather odd (but useful) function with which you can print lined, graph or sheet music paper.
The meat, of course, is in the photo editing. PhotoScape's interface is among the most esoteric of all the apps we've looked at here, with tools grouped into pages in odd configurations. It certainly doesn't attempt to ape Photoshop, and includes fewer features.
We'd definitely point this towards the beginner, but that doesn't mean you can't get some solid results. PhotoScape's filters are pretty advanced, so it's if good choice if you need to quickly level, sharpen or add mild filtering to pictures in a snap.
8. Pixlr X
A comprehensive browser-based photo editor for quick results
Pixlr X is the successor to Pixlr Editor, which was one of our favorite free online photo editors for many years.
Pixlr X makes several improvements on its predecessor. For starters, it's based on HTML5 rather than Flash, which means it can run in any modern browser. It's also slick and well designed, with an interface that's reminiscent of Photoshop Express, and a choice of dark or light color schemes.
With Pixlr X, you can make fine changes to colors and saturation, sharpen and blur images, apply vignette effects and frames, and combine multiple images. There's also support for layers, which you won't find in many free online photo editors, and an array of tools for painting and drawing. A great choice for even advanced tasks.
Some features include the ability to create and arrange frames within a filmstrip and then export them as GIFs and spritesheets, layers, a unique color palette system, and a combined grid and alignment crosshair for precise edits. And that’s your lot — which image editor do you use? Best fre photo editor for mac. Does Photos cut it, or are you a sucker for Adobe?
9. Adobe Photoshop Express Editor
A convenient way to correct lighting and exposure problems
As its name suggests, Adobe Photoshop Express Editor is a trimmed-down, browser-based version of the company's world-leading photo editing software. Perhaps surprisingly, it features a more extensive toolkit than the downloadable Photoshop Express app, but it only supports images in JPG format that are below 16MB.
Again, this is a Flash-based tool, but Adobe provides handy mobile apps for all platforms so you won’t miss out if you’re using a smartphone or tablet.
This free online photo editor has all the panache you’d expect from Adobe, and although it doesn’t boast quite as many tools as some of its rivals, everything that’s there is polished to perfection. Adobe Photoshop Express Editor is a pleasure to use. Its only drawbacks are the limits on uploaded file size and types, and lack of support for layers.
10. PiZap
A fun photo editor for preparing your pictures for social media
Free online photo editor PiZap is available in both HTML5 and Flash editions, making it suitable for any device. You can choose to work with a photo from your hard drive, Facebook, Google Photos, Google Drive, Google Search, or a catalog of stock images. This is an impressive choice, though some of the stock images are only available to premium subscribers, and you'll need to watch out for copyright issues if you use a pic straight from Google Images.
piZap’s editing interface has a dark, modern design that makes heavy use of sliders for quick adjustments – a system that works much better than tricky icons and drop-down menus if you’re using a touchscreen device.
When you’re done, you can share your creation on all the biggest social media networks, as well as piZap’s own servers, Dropbox and Google Drive. Alternatively, you can save it to your hard drive, send it via email, or grab an embed code. You can only export your work in high quality if you’ve opened your wallet for the premium editor, but for silly social sharing that’s unlikely to be a problem.
- Get your videos YouTube-ready with the best video editing software
Ever since Steve Jobs put a camera into the iPhone, everyone has become a photographer. However, just because you have a camera, it doesn’t necessarily follow that you are a great photographer. Anyone can point a lens and press a button.
While some photos are works of art, others need editing, and we’re not just talking about slapping an Instagram filter on it. This means you need some easy-to-use photo editing apps. Here are the best photo editing programs for beginners.
1. Photoscape
While many photo editing programs have interfaces that are similar to Photoshop, this app goes a completely different way. It aims to be easy for beginners, and once you get the hang of the interface, you’ll have a lot of power at your fingertips.
Photoscape is also one of the best ways to open a PSD fileThe 7 Best Ways to Open a PSD File Without PhotoshopThe 7 Best Ways to Open a PSD File Without PhotoshopWhat is a PSD file, you ask? A PSD file is Adobe's image file format. We'll show you how to open a PSD file without Photoshop.Read More.
2. IrfanView
Irfanview is an oldie but also a firm favorite among my friends and colleagues. Many people who don’t need to do a lot of image editing can make do with Irfanview. Which, as a bonus, is completely free.
One of the best features of IrfanView is its handling of batch conversions. You can rename a huge number of files in seconds, as well as resize them. You can also scan directly from a flatbed scanner, make screenshots, set wallpaper, and install plugins to extend the features even more.
3. SnagIt
Thank you for releasing the 'grab text' feature @Snagit! It's killer. It is saving me from much frustration, costly #OCR tools (that are less accurate!) and boosts my #productivity on web design projects. Seriously – it's life changing! #brandcrush#snagit2019
— NadineNBone (@NadineNBone) January 31, 2019
SnagIt is a simple photo editing software. Even though it’s surrounded by free rivals, the developer TechSmith seems to think that SnagIt is worth $50. But in its defense, the screenshots are 100 percent perfect.
The Gimp Mac
The current version is tightly integrated with all other TechSmith products. You can also upload to Google Drive and Microsoft Office, record your screen, and edit your screencast by trimming out the parts you don’t need. Other features include the ability to blur sensitive details, highlight important parts, and annotate images.
Free Mac Photo Editor
4. FastStone
At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that this was Windows Explorer, as it does bear some similarity with its yellow folder tree-like structure. However, this image editing app boasts some impressive features, and once again, it’s completely free.
As well as covering all of the usual image formats, FastStone also supports RAW image formats from all of the major camera manufacturers. You can then crop and resize your images, as well as apply the usual filters like red-eye removal and color adjustments. There’s also flatbed scanner support, the ability to edit EXIF data, and batch processing to rename and resize quickly. A portable version of FastStone is available.
5. Paint.NET
The venerable Paint.NET seems to be the crowd-pleaser, being installed on pretty much everyone’s PC. Starting life as a Microsoft product, it is now being compared to Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Photo Editor, and GIMP. It prides itself on being “immediately intuitive and quickly learnable,” making it the ideal photo editing software for beginners.
Images open in their own individual tabs and you have an unlimited history, so you can undo and redo image alterations as much as you want (disk space permitting). You also have Photoshop-like tools such as the Magic Wand feature, the Clone Stamp feature, and Layers.
And if you get stuck, you just need to consult the forum where someone should be glad to help out.
6. GIMP
GIMP is the best photo editing software for beginners who want to have Photoshop-like features but with a slightly easier learning curve. But unlike Photoshop, GIMP is free of charge and open source. It is also cross-platform and comes with a portable version that you can throw on your USB stick.
What is really great about GIMP, though, is the army of plugins and scripts which make it even more useful. From the GIMP extensions pack for Windows, to 3D screenshots, to turning photos into comic book images—there are a huge amount to choose from.
7. Photos for macOS
Photos is the photo viewing and editing app for macOS. Photos is backed up by iCloud Photo Library, meaning that your photo collections are available on all of your Mac and iOS devices.
You can connect your camera to have your photos imported, drag a photo directly into Photos with your mouse, and also take advantage of the editing and sharing options. And if you want an easy-to-use photo editor, look no further—Photos offers one-click enhancements of a photo’s colors.
8. XnView MP
XnView MP supports over 500 file formats, with all the usual suspects (JPG, PNG, GIF) as well as some lesser-known ones such as Amiga IFF, Amstrad CPC, and Kodak RAW. Cross-platform for Windows, macOS, and Linux, you can also do batch conversion tasks and use the program under various translated languages.
Ratings, color labels, and categories ensure that your photos remain completely organized.
9. Zoner Photo Studio
Zoner has a free edition and a paid edition. When you download it for the first time, you are immediately put on one month of Pro. After the 30 days are up, if you choose not to pay for Pro, then you are switched to the free version.
The Pro version costs $89. At that price point, you would be hard-pressed to find a reason to buy the app. As a comparison, the professional Adobe Lightroom is only $9.99/month.
Zoner has extras such as photo frames and templates, a script to view PS and EPS files, and several extras for RAW file formats. Other features include camera photo imports, batch renaming, batch re-organizing, a range of editing tools, and more.
10. Pixlr
Pixlr is a web app for editing photos. This is another easy-to-use photo editor that’s ideal for beginners. You can use the app to open an image from your desktop or from the web.
There’s support for masks and layers, plenty of adjustment, effect, and filter options, and a way to add text to your images. It should be noted that Pixlr is ad-supported.
How can the answer be improved? In Mac OS X 10.9, if your computer automatically activates any power-saving mode (such as suspended, sleep, standby) while connected to the CL/QL series console, the CL/QL Editor may quit unexpectedly when turning the computer back on. The CL Editor is a standalone application for computers running Windows or Mac operating systems, for both extended online operation and offline setup and editing. In addition to full Selected Channel and Overview display operation, the CL Editor facilitates scene data management, patch list editing, channel name editing, and much more. CL Editor V5.0.0 for Mac macOS 10.13-OS X 10.9 Important Notice. In Mac OS X 10.9, if your computer automatically activates any power-saving mode (such as suspended, sleep, standby) while connected to the CL/QL series console, the CL/QL Editor may quit unexpectedly when turning the computer back on. Pdf editor for mac.
Editing Photos on Your Smartphone
The photo editing apps for beginners in this article all work on your desktop. However, there are times when you might need to edit photos on your smartphone. To learn about some of the options available, check out our articles listing the best photo editors for Android and the best photo editors for iOS. If you’re looking for web apps instead of mobile apps, try these simple single-purpose online apps for editing photos.
When you’re ready to share your photos with the world, try one of these Squarespace photo site templatesThe 6 Best Squarespace Templates to Display Your Photos and ArtThe 6 Best Squarespace Templates to Display Your Photos and ArtHere are the best Squarespace templates to display your photos or artwork. Invaluable for creatives of all types!Read More before you set up a website from scratch.
Explore more about: Image Editor, Photo Album, Photography.
Really easy to use is Fotoworks - Fotoworks with 'F'.
As Devi said:
> Easy-to-use
> newbie
> Gimp
Uh-huh. Great idea. Not a good idea…Try Fotoworks with 'F' that’s really easy!
> Easy-to-use
> newbie
> GimpUh-huh. Great idea.
Why the aversion towards KRITA - free, intuitive, fast, multiplatformed piece of software that's way ahead in terms of 'newbie-friendly' than GIMP is ever gonna be?
Great list, Thanks
I prefer all in one such as Photolemur.comI like Photolemur too! It's doing magic.
None of you mentioned Lightzone (as you guessed) aLightroom clone.
Also free of charge.Thanks for sharing the post. I must agree that online picture editing tools are one of the best ways for creating stunning artwork in no time. I have used many like, Picasa, Photo pos pro, Pixlr etc. I must say they all are really great.
please which ones are good and easy for just food blogging
Hello I'm a newbe photographer, have just done a Formal or Prom for a young lady, happy with most of my pics, but some need a bit of work , I'm not real savvy on the computer ???? Can anybody recommend one for a dummy ha ha
YesssS.at!Free Studio on Windows 10 ; )
No pixler or picmonkey?
Two free and capable programsGive Polarr - https://www.polarr.co/ - a try. Very similar to Lightroom, handles RAW and is FREE !
Photofiltre is also quite easy to use and without all the whistles and bells
i use the free photofiltre for years. great program
there are (now) 3 versions
6 free and easy
7 latest, free, adds layers
studio (not free)
many free adds-on are available
5 thumbs up !
I like Pixlr - https://pixlr.com/
I like pixlr too, it's very easy to use but the free version has many limitations.
So I use PT Photo Editor to do most pro-quality adjustments. Also free!
http://www.photo-toolbox.com/free/pt-photo-editor.html
Mark, have you tried PicPick? I use the portable version and it is awesome. I use IrfanView as my default image viewer.
Cyberlink's PhotoDirector 6 is fun and stable, and has lots of downloadable presets for retouching your photos.
Looks like Zoner, PhotoDirector, and Corel's AfterShot are all Lightroom's clones. They do all much of the same, and have almost the same GUI layout.
I like these kinds of applications because you get a lot of power to make your photos more interesting, but don't have all that huge toolbox that are included in say, Gimp or Photoshop which are geared toward image creators. Having all those tools make me feel a little confused and overwhelmed, so I feel a little more at home whit less tools but equal power.
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