Today the photographs are taken mainly with mobile phones and tablets, for which we have seen how many photo editing and photo editing applications exist (see at the end of this article to find out which ones). Those who want to do something more with photos to make changes from the PC that are not just automatic effects, but precisely professional level manipulations and manual retouching, should use Photoshop, the program most used by designers and graphic designers.
Adobe Photoshop is certainly the best graphics and photo editing program available, but it is also a commercial program, with a not insignificant cost.
Those who do not intend to spend a lot of money on Photoshop can still choose free alternative and similar graphics programs, often much less difficult to use and more simplified, with which you can do many of the same things, from simple editing to more elaborate effects.
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1) Adobe Photoshop Express is the light version of Photoshop, available only as an app for Windows 8 and Windows 10, with all the basic tools integrated and an ease of use very close to smartphone apps.
Among the most interesting features are the tools to improve the photos and give easy retouching such as cropping, rotating, turning them upside down, illuminating them and much more.
2) Photoshop free in the old CS2 version for PC is still a powerful program, which has been released by Adobe and freely downloadable officially.
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3) GIMP is the open source and free alternative to Photoshop, for Windows, Mac and Linux, practically a copy of the most popular program, which lacks very little to be perfect.
The problem with GIMP is only the difficulty of use and the not too friendly interface for novice users who will need to study its functions with specialized tutorials and guides.
4) Krita, already reported in the article on the best programs for drawing on PC, less known than GIMP, but easier to use.
5) Paint.Net is instead a program (only for Windows, similar to Photoshop, but more simplified, which maintains its professional tenor, but certainly less evolved, lighter, more minimalist and more basic.
Those who find Gimp too complicated and those who are not a graphic professional will find in Paint.Net the perfect program to edit and retouch photos.
6) Affinity Photo is a new Mac-only graphic design program that could become Photoshop's biggest competitor in the future (at the moment it is in invitational beta version)
According to the manufacturers, Affinity Photo is better than Photoshop because it is much faster even when working on rendering, on multi-level layers and on high resolution effects without slowing down the computer.
Certainly it will not be free when it is released in definitive version because it is a program aimed at professionals.
7) Autodesk Pixlr can be used as a web app on PC and Mac and is really powerful and simple to use, with tools to turn your photos into works of art.
There are all the basic functions of photo editing: cropping, rotation, collage, changing the contrast, lighting, focus and blur and then many photo effects and editing options.
Pixlr will not be an alternative to Photoshop for professionals, but it remains among the most powerful and intuitive for those who want a high-quality quick solution.
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8) Microsoft Expression Design 4 is a digital graphics program now abandoned by Microsoft that can now be downloaded and used for free without limitations.
Although it has not been updated since 2012, it is still an excellent drawing program that also supports Photoshop formats and Illustrator SVG.
To download the Italian version, from the download page, expand the Details section and click on Italian.
9) MyPaint, the best free program for drawing by hand on the PC and painting with the mouse
10) Funny Photo Maker is the best photo editor to improve images and make photos more fun, with options and tools to apply artistic effects, photo filters, decorative frames, fun models and various other things. other editing tools. Supports the most popular image formats.
11) PhotoPad Image Editor is a simple photo editing program with a remarkable set of features and support for all image formats, with basic editing tools, photo effects, photo tools and various other things.
12) Photopus is a fantastic photo editor that facilitates the personalization of large collections of images, with a user-friendly interface and many options for editing photos.
13) InkScape is a free graphics program for creating vector images and it is discussed in another article.
14) Blender is a free program for 3D graphics, very complex and powerful, reported in another article.
15) Magix Photo Designer is a free alternative to editing programs to edit and optimize digital photos in a simple way, even for beginners and amateurs.
With just a few clicks you can turn your photos into funny paintings or caricatures and there are options for fast optimization, for applying photo effects, making collages and panoramas.
After the 7-day trial, free registration on the site is required to activate the product.
16) Fotografix, the smallest free photo editing program that can be portable on a USB stick.
17) the free photo editing and photo montage program FotoMix, reviewed in another post, a bit old but still among the simplest to use.
18) PC Image Editor is a free simple PC program for beginners or even professionals who want a tool to edit images and personalize photos with minimal effort.
The super-intuitive interface offers many editing tools and options such as filters, rotation functions, color and image adjustment just to name a few.
19) Draw Plus Starter Edition from Serif is an excellent alternative to Photshop and all professional graphics Adobe programs.
For Windows 10 and 8 only, we mention applications as light alternatives to Photoshop:
- Photobooth Pro
- PhotoEffects
- SuperPhoto Free
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