Modern digital cameras are excellent at catching the tones, colors, and details of any subject or situation. However, your image files will have much more flexibility and nuance than you can see on the back of your camera if you record RAW, which you’ll undoubtedly do. But a RAW file can frequently appear flat or drab when opening it. To bring out its best, a little digital enhancement is required. That is where photo editing software comes into the picture.
Nowadays, the majority of camera manufacturers have their photo editing software. However, while brand-specific photo editing software can be excellent, they lack the adaptability and appeal of solutions from independent sellers. So which is the most incredible option if you want to buy photo editing software?
10 Best Photo Editing Software
There is a tone of software available for editing photos. Determining what will work best for you, your skill level, your budget, and the outcomes you wish to attain can be challenging. In response, we are exploring the best photo editing software. The top choices will be broken down, and we’ll tell you a little bit about each one’s special selling features, advantages, and disadvantages. Furthermore, since the list isn’t ranked, it isn’t necessarily indicative of how good or bad an app is that it is near the top or bottom.
1. PhotoWorks
PhotoWorks is one of the best photo editing software for users of all experience levels, starts off our list. The software includes the necessary tools for modifying images and several more sophisticated ones. With PhotoWorks, users may automatically enhance their photos to give them the most remarkable potential appearance. Of course, the adjustments are dependent on the photo’s genre. In addition, it has a portrait retouching module driven by AI that uses one-click presets and practical sliders rather than manual selection or masking to produce remarkably natural-looking results. The software’s toolkit also includes tools for the removal of irrelevant objects. Moreover, it offers batch processing, 200+ effects, HDR filters, and 3D LUTs.
PhotoWorks’s Top Features
- Auto-correction
- Batch processing
- Retouching a portrait in one click
- Professional color correction tools: Curves, HSL sliders
- 200+ built-in effects and filters
- Tools for face and body sculpting
- 450+ RAW formats supported
2. Luminar AI
Another great photo editor for both amateurs and experts is Luminar AI. If you need a fast edit, this software offers a valuable feature for you called Templates. This collection of unique profiles instantly transforms your image. These templates alter your image’s color, dynamic range, and exposure. Additionally, manual options like cropping, perspective, and color balance sliders are available.
Furthermore, it has automatic sky replacement and fog or haze effects, two exceptional AI-powered capabilities. The portrait retouching capabilities included with Luminar AI are rather good. A few sliders on it allow you to lighten and smooth the texture of your skin, get rid of defects, and accentuate your eyes, brows, lips, and slender face. If Luminar AI is your preferred tool, ensure your hardware is of the highest caliber. The software won’t operate properly in any other case.
Luminar AI’s Top Features
- Templates for speedy styling and enhancing
- Authentic natural effects like sun rays and fog
- Slider-based portrait retouching
- Bokeh effect backdrop blur for artistic photography
3. Corel PaintShop Pro
Corel PaintShop Pro, a photo editing software, is a competent photo editor and a cataloging tool. Every facet of editing in PaintShop Pro uses AI, from color correction to portrait retouching. The program supports RAW files and allows users to batch-process their photographs for dynamic range and color correction. Furthermore, it has a comprehensive set of vector drawing capabilities. Additionally, PaintShop Pro comes with built-in flyers and collage templates. As a result, this potent photo editor can compete with the big names in the field. However, PaintShop Pro is a RAM-hungry tool, so this prowess comes at a cost.
Core PaintShop Pro’s Top Features
- Raster and vector editing
- Graphic design tools
- Collage templates collection
- Social media integration
- Presets library
4. Canva
Canva is more of a graphic designing tool than an actual photo editor, although it does have capabilities for addressing typical image issues. Developing various graphic assets is the primary goal of this web-based application. A great selection of templates for ads, posters, flyers, social media posts, CVs, etc., are provided by Canva. Regarding best photo editing software, it mostly consists of a few filters and minor adjustments. Canva is a freemium application; therefore, even if you can use it without paying, the selection of themes will be highly constrained.
Canva’s Top Features
- Numerous graphic material templates
- Adaptable graphic elements
- Collaborative approach
- Stock photo archive
5. PicMonkey
PicMonkey is a great, user-friendly digital photo editor. It is primarily designed for amateurs who need to modify their photographs for their blogs and social media posts, so don’t expect high-end post-processing capabilities. Nevertheless, PicMonkey allows you to quickly make any necessary adjustments, apply filters, edit portraits, and embellish your pictures with text, clipart, and frames. Unfortunately, this photo editing software lacks a batch processing option and needs a reliable Internet connection to run without errors.
PicMonkey’s Top Features
- Extensive library of filters and effects
- Tools for editing with sliders
- Templates and layouts for collages
- Effective portrait retouching
6. PortraitPro
Another program for retouching portraits that is regarded as the best in its class is PortraitPro. It is equipped with an intelligent AI and features both manual and automatic beautifying tools. Additionally, there are batch processing features, lighting brushes, and tools for removing objects. PortraitPro even provides AI-powered sky replacement to make your photos even more Instagram-worthy. The software’s user-friendly process makes it ideal for both experts and beginners. However, we urge you to employ the beautifying effects sparingly because they sometimes produce overly plastic-looking results.
Portrait Pro’s Top Features
- RAW file support
- Capacity to enhance even profile pictures
- Self-sufficient face feature recognition
- Speedy background removal
7. Paint.NET
It’s safe to say that Paint.NET, a photo editing software, is a condensed version of Photoshop and GIMP. It shares many of these giants’ indispensable tools while omitting their more intricate and perplexing ones. Paint.Net allows for basic photo editing, layer editing, and effect application. Moreover, additional plug-ins make it simple to expand the toolbox. The software is relatively simple to learn and features a streamlined user interface. But don’t anticipate this picture editor to have high-end tools. Since simplicity is at the heart of Pain.NET, all the sophisticated and professional-level tools have been purposely left out.
Paint.Net’s Top Features
- Adaptable user interface
- Tools based on layers and levels
- Expandable toolkit via plug-ins
- Decent brush collection
8. CyberLink PhotoDirector
CyberLink PhotoDirector is a multipurpose photo editing software with cataloging and editing features. These are its standout characteristics:
- AI sky replacement.
- Content-aware object removal
- GIF creation
- A tool for body slimming.
While PhotoDirector doesn’t have as many robust tools as Lightroom, it definitely outperforms the Adobe application in terms of selecting painting brushes and other tools. The straightforward process of this photo editor is an additional benefit. However, PhotoDirector is not without certain flaws. The main one is the requirement for hardware in software.
CyberLink PhotoDirector’s Top Features
- Panorama stitching
- Tethered shooting support
- Provides access to stock images
- Layer editing support
9. ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor
ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor is the flagship of a well-known application developer. It only supports RAW photos and provides a wide range of editing features. The toolkit has elements for portrait retouching, color and tone correction, color LUTs and effects, and cutting-edge object removal tools. The design of Gemstone Photo Editor is straightforward and user-friendly, making it reasonably simple to use. Unfortunately, this software lacks an image viewer that allows you to browse your RAW photographs.
ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor
- A suite of tools for graphic design
- HDR effects and LUT presets
- Layer editing
- Ready-made social media post templates
10. Topaz Labs
A software package called Topaz Labs is intended for both photo and video enhancement. DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI, Sharpen AI, Mask AI, Adjust AI, and JPEG to RAW AI photo editor are all included in the suite. These tool names capture the essence of their work, allowing us to concentrate on the suite’s photo editor component. This program, which lets you make beautiful HDR-style artworks, is more of an artistic tool than a typical photo editor. The AI-driven editor dramatically contributes to the stunning appearance of the altered photographs. Each tool in the package has a clear, straightforward interface and a simple process. However, the package is not without flaws, as each tool must be purchased separately and is rather expensive.
Topaz Labs’ Top Features
- Self-sufficient AI capability
- Finer editing using masking tools
- Presets collection for stylizing
- No-artifact sharpening
How We Evaluate The Best Photo Editing Software
The software have a diverse variety of objectives and points of focus. As a result, when we created our test scripts, we evaluated and ranked each program according to its advantages and disadvantages concerning its intended use.
All software are evaluated for –
- The interface’s quality and usability.
- Use simplicity
- No. of quality features
- Simplicity and adaptability of sharing.
- How effectively it accomplishes its declared goal (such as photo editing or backing up).
Depending on the software, we also examined the following additional features –
- The adaptability of image import.
- The camera module’s adaptability.
- Flexibility, usability, and photo-editing abilities.
- The versatility, power, and pleasure of collage tools and other tasks.
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