For a free photo editing software, Lightzone offers a vast range of great tools and ways to transform images at ease. The list includes sharpening, managing colors, getting rid of the noise, changing brightness, eliminating red eyes, adding glow to the skin and many more. Paint.net – Best Free Photo Editing Software for Beginners with Windows 10 The functionality of Paint.net makes it easy to use and simplicity becomes a main selling point (It is actually free). The application carries fine manual control along with accessible interface.
Free photo editing software will always have clients. Today, the demand for photo editing and retouching products is very high and software has recorded significant development in the area. Everyone can edit photos using a laptop or mobile devices. Photo editing software has to be multifunctional and provide tools for beginners and professional users.
Adobe Photoshop may be the best choice among the photo editing programs but it’s expensive and needs a lot of learning time. It’s designed more for advanced users and many of its features aren’t useful for an average user. So instead of buying a complicated program that you don’t entirely use, is better to look for a free photo editor that provides all that you need.
The best free photo editors offer useful features such as removing red-eyes, resizing, black and white conversion, effects, presets and styles, textures, tools for creating collages, and tools for image retouching. The following list includes some of the best free photo editing software available for Windows.
1. Microsoft Windows 10 Photos
Microsoft Photos couldn’t miss from the list of best free photo editing software for Windows. It’s an excellent free picture editing software, built-in with Windows 10. Microsoft Photos provides basic adjustments like exposure and color corrections, highlights and shadows adjustments, and clarity control. But what makes Photos stand out is its wide range of attractive presets that allow you to change the look of your images in seconds.
Microsoft Photos goes beyond being a free photo editing software by including video editing tools. You can make clips, trim videos, add titles and effects, and even add background music to your video.
2. Luminar
Although it has a good price, Luminar isn’t a free photo editing software. But it has a trial version you can use for free and fall in love with the features of Luminar.
Designed for photographers, Luminar provides all the tools you need for photo enhancement and retouching. It has over 70 filters, grouped in intuitive categories, which allow you fix any type of photo, create atmosphere, or add special effects. Luminar also provides endless Looks, presets that completely transform a picture. You can find Looks for landscapes, portraits, aerial shots, black and white photos, and many more. And if you don’t find what you need, you can always download more free Looks from Luminar Marketplace.
Luminar works with layers and masks, provides geometric transformations, and allows you to save your settings as a custom Look. It also offers outstanding digital assets management, batch processing, and a customizable interface. And all its features are available in the trial version.
Luminar is powered by Artificial Intelligence and provides automatic image enhancement tools like AI Sky Enhancer and Accent AI Filter. It detects objects and faces in your image and decides what adjustments are best for them. And you can fine-tune everything using just a slider. Its free trial is a great opportunity to see what a professional photo editor can do.
Best Free Photo Editor Windows 10
3. GIMP
GIMP is one of the best photo editing software for Windows because is a complete photo editor that rivals Photoshop in terms of capabilities and features. It provides everything you need, from basic image corrections like exposure control and white balance to advanced editing tools like Transform and Heal. It also provides RAW support, which not many free editors can do.
Before the 2.10 update, many considered GIMP a complicated program because of its interface. But now GIMP has finally changed its look and workflow and became an attractive and modern photo editor.
GIMP also provides a wide range of filters that help you edit photos in seconds. Overall, it’s one of the best photo editing software for Windows, it’s free, it’s easy to download and install, and can face Photoshop anytime.
4. Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom has only a free 7-day trial but it’s cloud-based and offers a professional online editor. You can use it with mobile devices and work remotely, quickly fix your images, and share them with your client. Otherwise, Lightroom is an expensive solution, which costs $9.99 per month for a year.
In terms of photo editing, Lightroom gives you control over each aspect of an image, amazing presets, geometry tools, and a neat, fluid workspace. It has a wide community of photographers and trainers around it, which makes it easy to learn and comfortable to use. Among other features, it’s worth mention shift focus, selective edits, noise reduction, healing brushes, and a wide range of special effects. Lightroom was designed for professional photographers, with complex image organizing capabilities and professional photo editing tools.
5. Photolemur (Full free with watermark)
Photolemur has a free version that only allows you to export images with watermark. But it’s a small price paid for the amazing automatic features of this photo editing software. It analyzes your photos and automatically adjusts it using powerful Artificial Intelligence algorithms.
Photolemur provides features such as color recovery, sky enhancement, foliage enhancement, noise reduction, exposure compensation, tint perfection, lens correction, dehaze, and natural light correction. It’s capable of enhancing any type of photo but has dedicated tools for face enhancing and skin retouching. It’s a great editor for beginners and professionals with little time to spare. Instead of spending hours editing photos, use a smart editor and take more time for creative activities.
Photolemur isn’t expensive software and has a traditional license. The full version offers batch processing, RAW support, and many other filters and features. It’s available as a standalone software, Photoshop and Lightroom pugins, and Apple Photos extension.
6. Zoner Photo Studio Free 18
Zoner Photo Studio Free is the 18th version of Zoner Photo Studio and was released in 2016 as free software. It’s still available for download. However, the newer version, Zoner Photo Studio X provides much more features but is no longer free. Choose to download the older version and you’ll get the newer one for a 30-days trial and then the older free version.
Zoner Photo Studio 18 provides many modern features such as organizing tools, masks, filters, gradients, tools for highlighting, removing noise, adding frames, and correcting perspective, support for HDR, and tools for capturing the screen, batch processing, and creating video slideshows.
You can choose to compression your images and save the originals in the cloud. You receive unlimited server space and an address with an easy to remember name (for example, myphotos.zonerama.com)
Despite the fact that editing capabilities are limited compared with the professional version of Zoner Photo Studio, the free version is quite impressive. It allows you to change image resolution and canvas size, add text, overlay images, add effects, make color correction, sharpen images, and work with shutter speed and white balance. Zoner Photo Studio is one of the best free photo editing software you can try.
7. LightZone
If you’re looking for the best photo editor for Windows that is free and can handle RAW files, then LightZone may be the perfect solution for you. This photography editing software was recently made open source, which means you can start using it right away and edit your RAW files without having to buy a premium photo editor for Windows.
LightZone allows you to start editing your photos by choosing one of its many ‘Styles’. These are presets that combine different settings and give your photos a starting look you can then transform. Among Styles you’ll find Soft Skin Tones, Bright Scene, Midtones Sharpening, Crisp, and Soft Toning. Each style has a distinct look and works best on a specific type of photos. There are also styles that improve your image such as Sharpen, Hue/Saturation, Noise Reductions, and Black and White. You can fine-tune each style to create your artistic vision.
All these features make LightZone a very compelling free picture editing software.
8. Paint.Net
For those looking for a simple and free image editing software, Paint.Net is a good solution. Over the years, the software has turned into a very capable image editor that rivals the best photo editing software for Windows.
It provides a very good user interface and doesn’t try to mimic Photoshop like many other free programs do. It rather keeps things simpler and logical. Paint.NET offers many image enhancement tools like Curves and Levels, layers, blending modes, and creative tools. It also provides more advanced tools like Clone Stamp, which makes Paint.Net a force to be reckoned in the space of free photography editing software.
What puts Paint.Net in the list of best free photo editing software is the fact that its capabilities can be enhanced by using a wide selection of plugins. It has an active community of users that supports the constant growing of plugins list and the editor’s improving.
9. Photo Pos Pro
Photo Pos Pro is a free image editing software that has a lot to offer. It has a customizable interface that appeals to both beginners and advanced users. It has an online community where new users learn how to use the program and ask for help. It has a number of image editing tools that let you enhance your photos. And it also has graphic design capabilities that allow the creation of collages, business cards, and more.
Photo Pos Pro provides basic image editing tools such as exposure adjustments, white balance settings, color correction, and saturation control. Photo Pos Pro also offers filters like Sharpness and Blur, layers, and creative effects.
So, if you’re looking for a picture editing software that provides basic editing and some neat advanced tools, then Photo Pos Pro is definitely worth a look.
10. PhotoScape X
PhotoScape X may not be the best free photo editing software you’ll ever use. But it provides easy ways to add filters and make basic image adjustments. For example, the Magic Color filter is really good for enhancing colors without making them look artificial or exaggerated. Another good example are the Light Leak effects that add a vintage look to your pictures.
Among the tools of PhotoScape X are Cut Out for removing the background of an object, Combine for overlaying multiple photos, GIF Creator for making animations, Split for dividing a photo into smaller pieces, Photo Merge for basic HDR creation, and Frames for adding fun borders.
PhotoScape X is a basic photo editing software and can’t overtake editors like Photoshop. Still, it’s a fun editor that can help you do basic adjustments and add creative effects to your photos.
11. Pixlr (Online image editor)
Pixlr definitely deserves a place on the best photo editing software for Windows list. It’s an online editor that can be used with a wide range of browsers and devices. You only need internet connection to load the page. After that Pixlr works on your device and doesn’t need connection anymore.
Pixlr has a Photoshop-like interface that you can customize and many image editing tools. Among its features are exposure controls, white balance adjustments, sharpness, blur tools, color corrections, contrast adjusting, and shadows and highlights settings. You can work with layers and masks as well, which really takes Pixlr’s capabilities to the next level. It also provides curves and levels adjustments, keyboard shortcuts, and plenty of fun filters.
Photo Editing Software For Windows 10
Overall, Pixlr is a very capable and easy to use free image editing software. You can use it anywhere and anytime and it’s particularly useful for editing pictures on location and sending them quickly to your clients.
12. RawTherapee
Another free editor for Windows is RawTherapee. It provides non-destructive RAW editing and many other features that make it similar to Adobe Lightroom. Free photo editing software doesn’t usually have all the features that RawTherapee offer and that’s why it’s on our best photo editing software for Windows list.
RawTherapee offer exposure, white balance, and color adjustments, shadows and highlights settings, and other image enhancement tools. The only thing that’s missing is digital assets management.
You can use RawTherapee with GIMP by default and make more creative changes to your exported RAW files. We’ve really appreciated the possibility to export files directly into a free complex photo editor.
13. DarkTable
Best Free Photo Editing Software For Pc Windows 10
The list of free photo editing software wouldn’t be complete without DarkTable. It’s one of the best free photo editors for Windows that supports RAW files. DarkTable provides plenty of RAW editing tools that somehow clutter the interface. Still, after you get used to working with them you’ll see only the benefits of having a wide range of tools.
If you compare Darktable with Lightroom, which many say is the best photo editor for Windows that provides RAW editing, you’ll see that DarkTable offers many of Lightroom’s features. It also produces similar results when you use the same settings, which is the proof of its amazing capabilities. The only Darktable’s drawback is a less streamlined design that requires more time for making the same edits. But if you consider that DarkTable is a free picture editing software and Lightroom is quite expensive, you can make this little compromise.
14. InPixio
InPixio is a free photo editor for Windows that aims to be the best photo editing software for those looking for a complete solution. It has three distinct parts: The Photo Eraser, The Photo Cutter, and The Photo Editor. The Photo Eraser allows you to remove different objects from your photos to make them look cleaner or bring more focus to the main subject. The Cutter allows you to remove the background from your photos, which can be great for design work or for commercial photographs.
The Photo Editor is where you edit your photos. From simple adjustments to brightness, contrast, and saturation to applying vintage effects, there’s a lot happening in the Editor part of the suite. However, to gain access to the Editor, you have to get the Pro Version of InPixio, which isn’t free. Regardless, the free version of the program offers useful features you can use for object or background removal – things that many of us need from time to time.
15. Inkscape
Inkscape is an open-source picture editing software that is more useful for graphic design than for photography. It provides a variety of tools that allow users to edit vector images, similar to Adobe Illustrator. Tools like Shapes, Paths, Clines, Transformation, and Text make Inkscape a very capable vector graphics editor but you can use it as a photo editor as well.
It may not be the free professional photo editing software you were hoping for, but it’s still a very good software that deserves to be on the list of the best free photo editing software available today. If you’re a graphic designer and want an alternative to the expensive Illustrator, then try Inkscape.
For now, we end here our list of the best photo free photo editing software available for Windows. Free photo editors are usually considered mediocre in comparison with the paid options but that’s not always the case. Yes, paid editors have more features and often better support from the manufacturers, but that doesn’t mean that free photo editors don’t offer enough. As you can see from the above list, there are many free professional photo editing software that can be used to apply filters and effects, to enhance images, and even to edit RAW files.
- January 07, 2020
- 30 min to read
It has become general truth that almost every Internet user who has an account on social networks edits their photos. For this reason, today we will be looking at Top 18 best photo editing software for PC that you will make good use of. Let’s get it started!
(Shortlist) Top 10 Photo Editing Software for PC with a Free/ Trial Versions to Download
- Microsoft Windows 10 Photos
- Luminar
- GIMP
- Lightzone
- Paint.NET
- Aurora HDR
- Photos Pos Pro
- PhotoScape X
- Lightroom
- Photolemur
1. Microsoft Windows 10 Photos (Windows 10's Built-In App)
This app replaced its predecessor, Windows Photo Gallery. Although the software lost some of the features and tools, it still offers all the basic and essential means of editing your photographs and videos.
Best Free Photo Editing Websites
![Best Free Photo Editing Software For Pc Best Free Photo Editing Software For Pc](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/abe455d19d141d479999d4f7d38e735b-1200-80.png)
The first thing you notice when getting acquainted with Microsoft Windows 10 Photos is the minimalistic interface that is easy to interact with. The photostream is horizontal, which some users may find a bit unusual, but this feature actually contributes to the convenience of the app. You can rest assured that no extra icons will get in your way!
The key tools include Enhance, Contrast, Brightness, Shadow, Tint, Warmth and Filters. With videos, you will be able to add some music as a background, create clips and projects. The software is free so don’t hesitate to give it a go!
2. Luminar (7 days fully free)
A great solution for those who are ready to buy editing software and use it regularly, Luminar is also available for a 7-day free trial. It’s considered one of the leading software of its category on the market.
Luminar can fix minor drawbacks in your pictures automatically, or you can take control over it and turn to the following tools: brushes, filters, Enhance, Curves and others. The software loses out on some up-to-date features like adding location or face recognition, but the stability and convenience balance up.
You can store your pictures in catalogs or easily import them to the PC files or elsewhere. Luminar supports numerous photo formats, including RAW. Edit your pictures with the help of filters or adjust the colors separately for the best result.
Another decent competitor is GIMP, a true pioneer of photo editing founded back in 2002 and developed to a great extent now. The design has undergone changes – all the tools you will now find in one window! In addition to that, you can choose the background color of the software that will suit your taste the most.
GIMP now operates GEGL, which enhanced its efficiency and work speed. You can process formats like PNG, TIF, JPG, RAW and some others. Take advantage of the split feature that enables you to compare the before and after of your picture and keep your eye on each detail.
Apart from the basic tools, GIMP now can boast with the variety of Transform Tool options, which allow you to work with the scale and perspective within one tool.
For a free photo editing software, Lightzone offers a vast range of great tools and ways to transform images at ease. The list includes sharpening, managing colors, getting rid of the noise, changing brightness, eliminating red eyes, adding glow to the skin and many more.
One of the best features of Lightzone is the ability to undo changes or track them, which enables you to choose what way you like your pictures more. Another quite appealing feature is the quick and smooth processing of RAW format files that allow you to work with the highest quality of your images.
Don’t wait around and try this free photo editing software right now!
If you search for a free photo editor to process images on your PC, Paint.Net is a viable solution! The software interface is smartly designed, so you can easily navigate the program. Here you will find numerous tools, such as pen, crop tool, text adding and others. Even the newbies in the world of editing will learn how to handle the app in a split minute.
Another upside of Paint.NET is a rather fresh feature – translucent pallets that don’t get in your way while you’re editing. However, those of you who disapprove of this feature can just turn it off.
All the necessary means of editing an image you will find in the Adjustment section, where you will be able to work with the color and brightness. Removing red eyes is also one of the key elements of the section. Although Paint.NET hasn’t provided some extra tools like adjustment layers, it is great for simple photo manipulations.
This software meets all the standards of an up-to-date editing app – Aurora HDR offers an impressive number of tools and features, including Curves, Enhance, Dodge & Burn, Color Adjustment and a lot of opportunities with the HDR effect.
Aurora HDR operation is based on AI and transforms your average pictures into highly detailed images with a variety of layers to them due to the emphasis on HDR. The results look clear and sharp, the key objects stay in the foreground.
Use creative filters for a change in the mood of the picture. The software has plug-in options with Apple Photos, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom; the users can process RAW files and maintain the highest quality of their works. You can get Aurora HDR for a free trial.
Produced by Power of Software, Photos Pos Pro appears to be a powerful program for editing and retouch. It offers an abundance of features and useful tools, both basic and out-of-the-ordinary; the app also enables you to create collages and even web pages, so that you can show all your creativity and bring your ideas to life.
The strongest side of Photos Pos Pro is the convenience and simplicity of the interface; the navigation will be no problem even for kids. Professional photographers will take advantage of its compatibility with the RAW format. If this is the first time you work within Photo Pos Pro, don’t hesitate and watch the step-by-step tutorials offered by developers.
All the outstanding features are only available in a paid version, although you can get a free trial.
Do you like to apply filters and presets instead of adjusting each detail separately? Then PhotoScape is a great option for you, since it offers numerous effects from film to bokeh, from HDR to Surrealistic effect. The list of filters makes PhotoScape stand out in the crowd of competitors.
Nevertheless, there are tools for photo processing that allow you to work on each aspect in depth. Change the size, brightness, contrast and other settings in a picture. Another upside of PhotoScare is that it enables you to create GIFs, a feature that many other photo editing software won’t offer.
Windows 10 and macOS users can download PhotoScape for free; still, if you want to appreciate all the best tools PhotoScape has come up with, you can enjoy the paid version.
Best Free Photo Editing Mac
Most of us have heard of this photo editing giant – made by Adobe, Lightroom makes one of the most convenient and rich-in-tools software for editing and retouching.
Lightroom operates as cloud storage, which implies that you can keep your images within the app. Take control over all the basic settings: brightness, contrast, shadows, whites and blacks, color adjustment, clarity, sharpness and much more. Change the size and rotate the picture, add presets and frames. Also, be sure to try to create your own presets and share them with others! The variety of features will impress you.
Import images directly from your digital camera or SD card and get to work straight away. Save edited photos in any format you like.
This is one of the best photo editing software for PC with free a download option. Photolemur is rather new on the market compared to the above-mentioned apps. However, this software is not inferior, for it offers you a quick automatic edit with the help of the Enhance tool. You can also smoothen the skin with Enhance Face and make a portrait look more appealing.
Photolemur has a secret – it operates based on AI that conducts an analysis of a photo and creates a unique way to improve its quality.
The users can process many photos at once, which saves time and effort. Just use the Enhance tool and the work is done! The software is available for free download, but not without a watermark in your picture.
11. Pixlr (Web or Mobile Versions)
This photo editor runs in the browser, which has both its pros and cons. The good thing about it is that you don’t depend on any device or OS, the bad one – the app won’t operate without Flash and you’ll have to get used to the advertisement.
You can import photos from your PC or from Facebook, which may save you some time if you’re in a hurry. Another remarkable advantage of Pixlr is the customizability of the interface, which implies that the program will meet your unique demands and preferences in terms of design.
Pixlr can offer many advanced features for transforming your photos. For example, within Pixlr users can apply layers, use brushes, adjust light settings or manage colors. Quite a bargain for a free editor!
As you can see from the name of the software, its main goal is to process RAW files in the most efficient and sophisticated way, so that the photos could maintain their quality and look even better after editing.
RawTherapee is perfect if you want to modify the exposure, shadows, color settings, temperature, contrast and some other aspects. You can also manipulate the format and resize the photo.
Those of you who prefer to complete several tasks at once may be disappointed that RawTherapee allows you to process only one file at a time. Nonetheless, the well-thought design makes you enjoy the process and dive into it fully.
RawTherapee enables you to make presets and save the needed settings to apply them to another file. This is a nice free option if you don’t feel like buying a photo editor program.
13. DarkTable
Best Free Photo Editing Software For Pc Free Download
This software takes the leading position as far as the number of tools is concerned – here you will be able to crop, rotate, work with curves, adjust white balance and much more. In each separate section, the users will find the corresponding tools.
Process RAW files at ease – bring out new layers and angles in a picture. With DarkTable you can make the colors pop out or emphasize sharpness and natural beauty.
This is a decent opponent to Lightroom, although you don’t have to pay in order to use DarkTable. It’s powerful and simple at the same time, and that is a fact.
14. InPixio
Bring your pictures to a new level with InPixio – smartly designed and useful photo editor. You will be able to apply filters and designs, as well as create frames or just crop your images. Needless to say, such basic features as brightness, contrast and color managing are all here.
The app has numerous versions and updates, which lets you pick the best one with the most suitable interface and tools. The customers can choose between InPixio Photo Clip 8 and InPixio Photo Clip 8 Professional, the second offering 100+ effects, a handle of frames and text adding features.
One of the high points is the change of background – the software can automatically wipe it or you can paint it on your own. Bring the most important details into focus with the focus tool. Feel sure about InPixio? Don’t wait and purchase it now.
Another famous photo editor for PC is definitely worth your attention – you will take advantage of the minimalistic design and all the necessary tools for better image processing. Create a masterpiece by working on clarity, white balance, saturation, curves and so on. For portrait photographers, Picktorial offers a variety of features to improve the skin or make it smooth.
Brushes and gradients make up a great basis for your adjustments and creative deeds. The interface may appear similar to the Lightroom’s, but it is more of an advantage. Choose the visibility for each tool.
The most attention developers paid to color adjustments – you will make great use of the Color Mask tool and other opportunities to render this aspect of your picture.
Do you like your images out-of-the-ordinary and bizarre? Want to stand out on Instagram? Well, then Polarr is the best software you will find. It’s popular for its impressive effects that have no equivalent on the market.
Creating your own filters and using editing tools for face makes the basis, while unusual effects like light leaks and flares spice up the software. Brushes, color masks, enhance, vignette, curves – all of them allow you to process your pictures the best way and get the needed results.
Users can customize the interface, change dark or white mode or create a new colorful design. There is only paid subscription available, although very affordable -- $2,49 a month for quality photo retouch and editing.
ON1 photo editing software aims at providing the best services for those who want to make a change with their photography. If you need time to make acquaintances with ON1 – take advantage of a 30-day free trial.
The app is great to manage RAW files, it adds depth and sharpness to a picture to an extent suitable for each user. You can organize photos the way you find it convenient and pick those that you would like to work with.
Mac and Windows users can purchase the software and enjoy the whole range of features and tools. Want to make the grass look greener? No problem! Irritated by those red eyes? There will be no more! Change the contrast, blur the background, manage colors and never stop creating with ON1.
18. Photopea (Online app)
We close our list with this advanced photo editing software that is in no way worse than all the previous options. The design resembles that of Photoshop and boasts with its simplicity and minimalism. Every tool is kept in its own place and can be reached easily, so you don’t have to worry about losing the essential brushes or settings.
You can manage photos with the help of layers, brushes, filters, crop-and-rotate tools and many others. Save your settings to apply them as a preset later. Erase whatever you dislike in your image or add new elements or even text.
Photopea is a decent solution for those of you who need a cheaper alternative to Lightroom or Photoshop. Here it is, waiting for you to download it and get down to creating beautiful pictures!
We hope these variants of editing software will bring out your creativity and imagination!