10 Free Alternatives to Photoshop
It’s one thing to be able to go out and shoot and create images, it is quite another thing to take those digital images onto the computer and edit them to make them even more striking. Among the many things that the digital age of photography has brought us is digital image editing software, and just like everything else in digital photography, it costs…a lot.
In some ways, in many ways, we have it better than the old school film days, but in others, we have to spend more money on a regular basis than people ‘back in the day’. Adobe has virtually cornered the market or at least set the standard for digital image editing. The only problem is the expense associated with the software. No one will argue that it has amazing capabilities, but when you have to spend so much for the program and then update every year or every other year, it can become restrictive.
When you add the original cost of the program up with all of the updates, you get a piece of software that runs several thousand dollars, depending upon the associated program bundles you purchased. Here are some alternatives to help relieve the pressure of Photoshop expenses without giving up too much in the way of functionality.
So in order to help everyone find a program that will do the work without the associated cost, here is a list and cursory explanation of a few different free programs that you can download and use to edit your photos.
Aviary
Aviary is one of the newest programs getting a lot of attention. While it has some very good tools that you can use such as layer blend modes, mask layers, filters, preview of effects, customizable control of effects, and keyboard shortcuts it is a bit difficult to use. Not to worry, there are plenty of tutorials to help you figure things out if you’re willing to spend the time on them. One slightly confusion aspect of the program is that it is really four separate apps that you must work between to get the effects you desire. [Link]
ChocoFlop
For all of the Mac users in the cyber-world, ChocoFlop is a program dedicated only to Mac users, at least at this time. It is currently in the beta stage and will likely not always be a free program, so you should get it while the getting is good. It is a full featured editing suite and can do nearly anything you would like as long as you don’t mind the occasional bug. [Link]
flauntR
This web based program is a great program if you’re willing to do without some aspects, primarily layers. However, this browser based application is fairly straightforward and will not take a great deal of time to figure out and use with ease. In order to use the app, you must register your online account with flauntR. All in all, minus the lack of layers, you get a pretty decent web based editor. [Link]
FotoFlexer
This is another browser based app with a bit more muscle. Layers are included even if they miss some of the blending modes that Photoshop offers. Again, registration is required, but you get a bit more here than some others will offer. You can store your images online or on your machine. It allows for easy transfer of photos to the many social networking sites as well. [Link]
GIMP
Likely considered the king of free photo editing programs, GIMP is an open source code that has a great deal of power. Because it is an open source program, there are always improvements and changes being made to newer versions. At this time, GIMP lacks very few things, some of which are the ability to use adjustment layers, some layer effects, as well as some basic previews. Having said all of this, there is really not much lacking in this desktop based open source software. [Link]
Krita
If you’re one that runs Linux on your system, then Krita just might be the program for you. Designed for optimization under the aforementioned platform, some would say it lacks some of the robustness and shininess of GIMP or Photoshop. It is slightly less powerful than the two big boys on the block, but remains a solid and easy to use app. [Link]
Paint.Net
Unless you are a Photoshop pro user, Paint.Net might be able to totally replace Photoshop for your editing needs. It has almost everything you could ask for and then some. Things like gradient layers, effects, filters, layer blending, and opacity are included and then some. Again, unless you are an advance PS user, you will be very happy with desktop piece of software. [Link]
PhotoFilter
While this desktop application lacks the ability to use layers, it has some pretty nice tools all the same. It would be nice to have the ability to make selection based changes instead of image wide changes only, but in unless you are trying for some very specific effects, you should be able to manage easy total image editing with PhotoFilter. Great for color correction and cloning, but if you’re looking to create a composite, you might need to keep looking. [Link]
Picknik
Picknik recently partnered with Flickr to offer a web based utility to edit and enhance photos. Being web based makes it a cross platform editor that offers some basic and advanced options like layers, filters, and effects. While not nearly as strong as PS, depending upon your style, wants, and needs, it might be the perfect fit. [Link]
Splashup
If you are already familiar with the PS interface, then you should have no problem with Splashup. Some have gone so far as to call the interface a ‘knock-off’ of PS and once you start working with it you will be able to see why. As far as the utility goes, it is hard to get any better. It makes integrating photos from the social networks very easy and intuitive as well as offers a great deal of tools for high quality photo work. It lacks a few things like levels and curves, but offers the all-important layers with blend and opacity adjustments. [Link]
I hope that these 10 free alternatives to Photoshop will help you find exactly what you are looking for in a photo editor without having to drop a great deal of money in the mix. Most users should be able to find just what they need with one or more of the above programs. The best thing about all of these programs is the price. Free is hard to beat, even if they don’t offer 100% of the features offered by Photoshop.
Happy editing!
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