Click, click, click… If you use a professional DSLR or a smartphone picture: taking pictures with your favourite digital camera is super easy. But that’s just the first step! A picture can become so much better when you edit it with photo editing program. Next to the well-known (but expensive!) Adobe Photoshop, there are some great photo editing alternatives to Photoshop.

Improving an picture doesn’t require an expensive program, certainly if you are doing it as a hobby or you only use standard functionalities to pimp your pics. There are some fantastic free graphics software out there for you to try: I compiled a list of 5 alternatives that do an equally great job. Most should work fine on both MacOS and Windows computers.

GIMP

The first Photoshop alternative is also sometimes name ‘the Photoshop killer’. GIMP is an open source photo editor that is around for a very long time: since 1995! Almost all the features of Photoshop also exist on GIMP – but take into account they can be found in different places sometimes. Nonetheless, if you haven’t tried GIMP yet, you should certainly give it a shot.

Website: gimp.org

Paint.net

If you are a Windows user, Paint.net is for you. I’m sure you know the built-in Paint editor that comes standard with Windows. Well, Paint.net is an open source programme that adds a ton of advanced features that are very similar to Photoshop. With Paint.net, working with layers is super easy, so editing your photos is easy.

Website: getpaint.net

PicMonkey

With PicMonkey, installing a program on your computer is not even necessary. PicMonkey is an online picture editing tool that can be used in your favourite browser. That means it works well on any operating sytem: MacOS, Winows, Linux, you name it. PicMonkey is certainly not that advanced compared to the other alternatives listed here, but it is still powerful and provides the most often-used editing option, such as filters.

Website: picmonkey.com

Pixlr

More and more photographers and enthousiasts edit photos on their smartphone or tablet. Pixlr has both an online editing web app, as well as apps for iPhone/iPad (iOS/iPadOS) and Android smartphones and tablets. Pixlr has two modes: express and editor. With express, you can apply some ‘quick fixes’ to your picture (effects, borders, …) and with editor you have the full Photoshop-like experience (layers and so on).

Website: pixlr.com

Photopea

Another free Photoshop alternative is Photopea. It runs fully in your web browser and its interface looks very much like Photoshop. It is a very advanced photo editor and has a wide range of editing options that will appeal to beginners and professionals. One drawback is the presence of ads: with a paid subscription you can get rid of those (and at the same time, you unlock extra undo’s).

Website: photopea.com