Adobe Photoshop took hold of the photo editing niche such that it is the default go to software for editing photos. It is so ubiquitous that the action of editing photos is now christened ‘to photoshop.’
Like all products that have near-monopolistic control of a market, Photoshop has caveats that make it a headache for some. Be it the tons of extra features that come with it or the prohibitive cost, there are great alternatives that can get the job done. Let’s sample a few.
GIMP is a free open-source photo editing software that has been around for some time now. GIMP offers a wide range of tools to cover basic and advanced photo editing. For those attached to Photoshop, there is a version of GIMP that resembles it.
Supported platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, BSD, Unix and SkyOS.
Photoscape is a lightweight photo editing tool with basic features. Its relatively small size and bare appearance may fool you, however, you can do a lot once you master it. Some of its features include cropping, cloning, colour correction, resizing, text and shapes addition, combining, among others.
Supported Platforms: Windows
This photo editing software mimics Windows’ Paint but adds more advanced options. It can cover most basic photo editing requirements without hassle. For additional functionality, users can download a wide variety of plugins developed by the Paint.NET support community.
Platforms: Windows 7 or later.
Pixlr is a web-based photo editing tool, ideal for those who would not wish, or are unable, to install additional software on their computers. Pixlr has a similar layout to Photoshop, hence users do not have a steep learning curve.
Platforms: Web-based, Andorid and iOS.
Krita is one of the best open-source photo editing software you can find. While it does not match Photoshop, Krita is adorned with features that make it indispensable for Linux users looking for free Photoshop alternatives.
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