Photoshop Alternatives Free

What is Photoshop?

Photoshop is a graphic design software which can be used for creating new images, editing existing images, enhance the, through various features. Adobe Photoshop is a part of Adobe Creative Cloud which also includes other applications like Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop Lightroom. The application has a layer-based system to edit and manipulate images. Layers can also be used in the form of masks and filters. You can also give shadows to the images.

Cost of Photoshop

There are three plans of Photoshop which are given in the table below −

Plan	Cost in Indian Rupees
Photography	1,596
Photoshop	1,675
All Apps	2,394

Why Photoshop Alternatives?

Photoshop is a great software for manipulating images but it has some disadvantages which are as follows −

• It is a complicated application to learn

• An expensive software

• Beta versions are not tested

• Performance problems

How to choose a Photoshop Alternative?

There are many features in Photoshop and you need to check whether they are available in the alternative of your choice. Some of the features are as follows −

• Advanced editing features

• Compatible with popular platforms

• Supports almost all the image formats

• Convert ordinary images into professional ones

• Transfer files between different programs

Top 10 Photoshop Alternatives Free

There are many free alternatives to Photoshop and we will discuss about some of them in detail

Alternative 1 – PhotoDirector Essential

PhotoDirector Essential is a free Photoshop alternative which comes with powerful tools and features to create new and edit existing images. It is a great option for beginners who just started editing images.

Professional-level images can be created within seconds. The software and its features are easy to learn.

Features

• The number of blending modes is 27

• Advanced color replacement

• Sparkle effects

Pros

• Friendly to beginners

• Photo editing tools are of professional level

Cons

• Get stock content with the paid version

Alternative 2 – Pixlr E

Pixlr E is a free photo editing software which can be used easily by experienced users and beginners. The alternative is available online and no registration and account creation is needed to use the software.

You can find the tools easily on the interface to edit the images. Automated solutions for editing images are also available. Some of the tools available in this app are cutting tools, animated elements, brushes, and many more.

Features

• Layer editing

• Drawing and painting tools

• Pop-art effects

Pros

• Downloading the software is not needed

• Interface is easy to use

Cons

• Rendering is slow

• Ads are disturbing elements

Alternative 3 – Photoscape X

Photoscape X is an app that consists of different tabs for batch editing. Multiple images can be converted to different formats with one click. Point Color feature will highlight only one color while the rest of the images will be converted into black and white. Replace Color can be used to replace one color with another.

Features

• Stickers, text, and filters

• Combine photos

• Crop and merge images

• Spot healing brush

Pros

• Batch edit photos

• Beginners can use it easily

Cons

• Handling raw images can freeze the app

• Quality of images deteriorates after saving

Alternative 4 – Canva

Canva is a free software and an excellent alternative to Photoshop. It will help you in fulfilling all your needs of marketing. People having no experience in graphic designing can use this software easily and efficiently. There are more than 250,000 free templates available to make different types of designs. You will also have the option to make custom templates.

Features

• Background can be removed easily

• Free cloud storage

• Autofocus

• Easy text editing

Pros

• Team collaboration tools

• Many free templates available

Cons

• Subscription required for getting best tools

• Professionals tools not available to edit images

Alternative 5 – GIMP

GIMP is an image manipulation program which is available for free. It is an open-source program which is being improved constantly by developers. The app supports plugins some of which are pre-installed and others have to be downloaded. The software has image editing tools of high quality. Some other features are −

• Noise reduction

• Cropping

• Color adjustments tools

• Filters

Features

• Graphic design tools

• Brushes are easily customizable

• Auto image enhancement tools

Pros

• Being improved constantly

• Supports plugins

Cons

• Difficult to learn

• User interface should be improved

Alternative 6 – Krita

Krita is a software application for digital painters. Graphic designers who want to make comic books or animations can also use the software. The app has more than 100 types of brushes which can be used to make or edit the images. It is an open-source app and developers add more features to the software.

Erasers are also available to remove the entire character. It can be used for 3 art texturing, comic inking, pixel art, etc. Vector tools are available in the tool to create different panels for a comic.

Features

• Color management is easy

• Shape tools are available to create different types of shapes

• Layer management

Pros

• Good number of brushes

• User interface is easy to understand

Cons

• Options to edit pictures are less

• Does not support plugins

Alternative 7 – Fotor

Fotor is an application for those users who are interested in making photo collages. You can edit a photo, design a new one, or make a collage with this tool. The software is a good option for beginners to learn image editing. Backgrounds can be easily removed and sliders are available for making adjustments. A wide variety of beautification tools are also available.

Features

• AI enlarger

• Color splash

• Photo collages

• Emoji, stickers, and collage templates available

Pros

• The software can be used easily

• AI-powered tools are available

Cons

• Customer service is not good

• Layer editing feature not available

Alternative 8 – Ashampoo Photo Optimizer

Ashampoo Photo Optimizer is an easy-to-use tool which beginners can use for the enhancement of photos. You can learn the tool easily even if you are a beginner. The user interface is easy to understand. Images can be optimized through different tools and color temperature can also be reduced.

Features

• Tonal curve adjustments

• Red-eye removal

• Watermarking

Pros

• Easy to use

• Light in weight

Cons

• Limited number of features

Alternative 9 – Darktable

Darktable is a free alternative which can be used for editing RAW files. The software comes with different features like color management, tethered shooting, easy editing, and many others. The functionalities are limited in comparison to Photoshop. You edit multiple images at once. The software also supports different types of file formats.

Features

• RAW files can be easily edited

• Multiple language support as it is available in 21 languages

• Non-destructive editing

Pros

• User interface is simple

• Compatible with different operating systems

• RAW file editing

Cons

• Editing tools are limited

• Often crashes

• Have a lot of bugs

Alternative 10 – Photopea

Photopea is a web-based software and there is no need to download and install it for usage. It speeds up the editing time of images when simple tasks are to be performed. It is compatible with all operating systems and also supports different file formats.

Features

• Many premade templates are available

• Graphic designers can work with layers

• Layer masks can be easily applied

Pros

• Photopea is an online photo editor

• Files can be exported to SVG and PSD formats

• Has a free plan

Cons

• Free plan has a lot of ads

Conclusion

Photoshop comes with a lot of features that can be used to enhance existing images and creating new ones. The software comes with many features which users have to learn. The soft is difficult to learn and it is also very costly so alternatives are needed. There are many free and paid alternatives available which can be learned easily.