Adobe photo editing software
The Best Photo Editing Software for 2023
Our Experts Have Tested 20 Products in the Photo Editing Category in the Past Year
Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test.(Opens in a new window)
More than ever, you need software to organize, optimize, and edit your photos. Why? Because storage is ridiculously cheap, phone cameras are more powerful than the point-and-shoots of just a few years ago, and pro-level cameras have passed the 150-megapixel mark. To make the most of the resulting vast numbers of enormous image files, you need to be able to import them into your PC, organize them, pick the best of the crop, adjust them, and print or share them online. The best photo editing software handles all this with ease, letting you do as much or as little post-shoot production as you like. Whether you're aiming for photorealism or Kardashian-like levels of retouching, these are the apps you need.
Here we present the best choices in photo editing software to suit every photographer. For more background on how to select the software that fits your need and what capabilities you can expect in these applications, read our buying guide below the review capsules.
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Best for Professional Photo Workflow
5.0 Exemplary
Why We Picked It
Lightroom Classic is the top workflow software choice of working professional photographers. It shines at letting you import and organize your photo collection, and offers the best tools for correcting and enhancing photos in a raw file process. Lightroom Classic includes features not found in the non-Classic version of Lightroom like printing, soft-proofing, tethered shooting, and plug-in support. It lacks, however, features amateurs and hobbyists can benefit from, like basic video-editing tools and lots of learning content.
Who It's For
Lightroom Classic is primarily for professional photographers.
When pros talk about Lightroom, they invariably mean Lightroom Classic. It's also only for those willing to pay a recurring subscription fee. People who refuse to pay a subscription can choose alternatives including Capture One and DxO PhotoLab, but that means doing without Adobe's cutting-edge imaging technology and unmatched workflow and organization tools.
PROS
- Excellent photo management and organization
- Auto masking for local adjustments
- Face recognition and geo-tag map
- Plug-in support
- Connected mobile app
CONS
- Initial raw conversion is slightly more detailed in some competing products
- Requires subscription
| Sold By | List Price | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe | $9.99/Month | $9.99/Month | See It (Opens in a new window) |
Read Our Adobe Lightroom Classic Review
Adobe Photoshop Elements
Best for Photo Hobbyists
4.
0 Excellent
Why We Picked It
Photoshop Elements includes many features found in Photoshop proper, but it wraps that functionality in a friendlier interface that emphasizes hand-holding. It also dispenses with the subscription requirement. The program's Guided Edits ease the process of creating stunning effects with their photos. You still get layers, filters, and a smart Organizer utility to keep track of your photo collection.
Who It's For
Adobe describes the audience for Elements as "memory keepers," those members of the family who want to create appealing keepsakes from family occasions or vacations. It nevertheless lets you see the processes behind creating impactful Photoshop effects. Elements is a good choice for those who can't abide paying a subscription, because it's available for a reasonable one-time purchase price.
PROS
- Many powerful image-manipulation tools
- Strong face-tagging and geotagging capabilities
- Excellent image output options
- Powerful search
- Helpful guidance for advanced techniques
CONS
- No chromatic aberration correction tool
- No lens geometry profiles
- Too few social sharing options
- No local help system
Read Our Adobe Photoshop Elements Review
Adobe Lightroom
Best for Cloud-Synced Easy But Powerful Photo Workflow
4.
0 Excellent
Why We Picked It
Lightroom is a more consumer-targeted version of Adobe's storied Lightroom Classic photo workflow software. Its simpler interface and cloud storage for all photos should appeal to that group. But don't think it's not chock-full of powerful image editing tools—at this point matching those in Classic. With great face-organizing tools, cloud syncing, and AI search, Lightroom is one of the best apps for finding any photo in your collection from any device, and its rich set of learning and community features are a boon to any budding photo editor.
Who It's For
Lightroom appeals to serious amateurs who don't need printing, plug-ins, or tethered shooting capability. It's for those who don't mind paying a recurring subscription fee and like having all their photos backed up to the cloud for anywhere-access.
PROS
- Simple, clear interface
- Syncs photos to cloud storage for access on other devices
- Light, color, and detail adjustments equal to Lightroom Classic's
- Powerful raw profiles and filters
- Strong community features
CONS
- Subscription only
- No local printing or plug-in support
- Limited sharing
- Forces you to upload all photos to its cloud storage
DxO PhotoLab
Best for Noise Reduction and Camera Profile Corrections
4.
0 Excellent
Why We Picked It
DxO can automatically make your photos look better, but nevertheless offers a full quiver of powerful photo correction and editing tools. The software developer, which branched out from the well-known camera equipment testing company, pioneered several technologies that went on to be used by other software products. Lens-profile-based corrections, geometry fixes, and deep, time-consuming noise reduction have all shown up later in competitors. DxO's DeepPrime XD noise reduction is unmatched and can make unusable photos usable—PhotoLab is worth it for that alone. It's also excellent at removing chromatic aberration and automatically fixing lighting with its SmartLighting tool. Finally, its U Point technology offers unmatched control over local adjustments.
Who It's For
DxO PhotoLab is mostly for professionals who need to get the best out of their raw camera files, but engaged amateurs will find it appealing, too. If you just need the noise reduction and lens corrections, the company's (less-expensive) DxO PureRAW app is a good fit.
Both can be used as Photoshop and Lightroom plug-ins, as well. PhotoLab is not for those looking for a cheap solution, but its pricing is one-time perpetual, not subscription.
PROS
- Clear interface
- Best-in-class noise reduction
- Excellent autocorrection based on camera and lens characteristics
- Haze remover
- Geometry corrections
- Powerful local adjustments
CONS
- Few workflow tools
- No HEIC/HEIF support
- Noise-reduction can be slow
| Sold By | List Price | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DxO US | $129.00 | $129.00 | See It (Opens in a new window) |
| Amazon | Check Stock (Opens in a new window) |
Read Our DxO PhotoLab Review
Corel PaintShop Pro
Best for Budget-Conscious Image Editors
4.
0 Excellent
Why We Picked It
This longtime Photoshop competitor offers enough tools for many designers and photographers who don't want to make unending subscription payments to Adobe. Corel even updates PaintShop Pro with advanced AI tools like Portrait Mode, Background Replacement, Style Transfer. Designers can work with text, brushes, patterns, and painting tools on both raster and vector images, and hobbyists get a ton of creative effects and filters. Raw camera file support, mask selection, scripts, tone curves, layers, and plug-in support are at your disposal, just like in Photoshop.
Who It's For
PaintShop Pro is for designers and photographers, both amateur and professional, who need deep image editing capabilities including layers, raw camera file support, masking, brushes, text, and textures. You even get some AI fixes and effects. It's great for those who don't want to pay a subscription and don't need Adobe's collaboration and other proprietary tools.
PROS
- Photoshop-like features at a lower price
- Powerful effects and editing tools
- Extensive help and tutorials
- Good assortment of vector drawing tools
- Automatic noise removal
CONS
- Inconsistent interface
- No macOS version
- Some operations slow
| Sold By | List Price | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $99.99 | $49.99 | See It (Opens in a new window) |
| Paint Shop Pro | $79.99 | $79.99 | See It (Opens in a new window) |
Read Our Corel PaintShop Pro Review
CyberLink PhotoDirector
Best for Combined Workflow, Editiing, and Effects
4.0 Excellent
Why We Picked It
CyberLink makes some of the most powerful and innovative video editing software around, and the company has applied its deep imaging expertise to photo editing in PhotoDirector.
The software combines Lightroom-like organization and workflow tools with Photoshop-like layer image editing in a clear, intuitive interface. The company is constantly producing new effects and templates. The software is available as either single purchase or subscription, which adds online storage and a steady stream of updated tools and content.
Who It's For
PhotoDirector is for enthusiasts who want an all-in-one workflow and image editing application. Its also a good choice for those who don't want a recurring subscription fee, though a subscription is an option, which gets users frequent updates and lots of creative content, along with online photo storage. The subscription option also gets users access to stock images from Getty.
PROS
- Friendly yet powerful interface
- Many advanced effects
- Body shaper and other impressive editing tools
- Extensive layer support
- Painterly AI styles
- Tethered shooting
CONS
- No geotag maps
- Weak chromatic aberration and noise corrections
- Not enough lens profiles
- Some menus occasionally slow
| Sold By | List Price | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CyberLink | $40. 99 Per Year | $40.99 Per Year | See It (Opens in a new window) |
Read Our CyberLink PhotoDirector Review
Capture One Pro
Best for Raw File Rendering
4.0 Excellent
Why We Picked It
Capture One gives Adobe Lightroom Classic the most competition among pro photographers. It is super-powerful professional photo workflow software. It does the best job of interpreting a camera's raw image data to deliver a sharp, accurate photo among software we've tested. It also includes an abundance of adjustments and local edit tools, as well as layers and advanced color grading. A unique Speed Edit feature lets you get to frequently needed tools with a keypress. Capture One still trails Lightroom in some workflow abilities, however, such as face recognition and geotagging.
Who It's For
Capture One is squarely aimed at pro photographers, and its interface could be intimidating to those not willing to put in the time to learn it.
It has strong support for tethered shooting, collaboration features, and a new iPad app lets you edit on the go. The program is priced like a professional application, too, available as both a subscription (costing more than Lightroom's) and a one-time purchase.
PROS
- Superb raw file conversion quality
- Pleasing, improved interface
- Fast import
- Excellent photo adjustment tools
CONS
- Interface can get complex, especially with layers
- No face recognition
- Weak for online sharing
- Expensive
Skylum Luminar Neo
Best for Clean Interface, Filters, and Unique Fixes
4.0 Excellent
Why We Picked It
Skylum Luminar is a well-designed photo application (created by a brilliant technology team in Ukraine) with unique, innovative tools, such as AI-based power-line removal. Another, AI Relight, lets you change lighting for different parts of a photo, based on distance from the camera.
Luminar also excels at fixing drab skies in your shots—as its name suggests. The interface is clear and simple.
Who It's For
Any Mac or Windows user who wants to have a lot of fun enhancing their photos should check out the easy-to-use Luminar, whether pro or amateur. The program is a good value for a reasonable one-time price. Lightroom and Photoshop users can also use Luminar as a plug-in for their main photo application.
PROS
- Unique AI photo-fixing tools
- Simple, pleasing interface
- Lots of adjustment tools, filters, and effects
CONS
- Some operations are slow
- No face recognition or keyword tagging
| Sold By | List Price | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luminar | $149.00 | $149.00 | See It (Opens in a new window) |
Read Our Skylum Luminar Neo Review
Adobe Photoshop Express
Best for Mobile Photoshop Tools
3.
5 Good
Why We Picked It
If you want some nifty Photoshop effects and image correction and want it on mobile as well as desktop, Photoshop Express is for you. A free version gets you partway there, but the cheaper, $34.99 per year subscription gets you the full set of filters, effects, borders, stickers, and retouching tools. It even includes Photoshop's Face-Aware Liquefy and auto-masking.
Who It's For
Photoshop Express is primarily for smartphone photo shooters who want to improve and jazz up their images with text and effects for social posting.
PROS
- Clear interface
- Lots of photo editing and embellishment features
- Good social meme tools
CONS
- Many features require a Creative Cloud subscription
- Weak retouching option
ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate
Best for All-in-One Photo Tools
3.0 Average
Why We Picked It
ACDSee offers a full panoply of photo editing tools for both professionals and amateurs, with features found in both Adobe Lightroom Classic and Photoshop.
Easily organize and view your collection and use powerful lighting and color correction tools. Face recognition, layer editing, curves, and gradients are just some of its many capabilities.
Who It's For
ACDSee is suitable for professional photographers and serious amateurs who want both workflow and full pixel and layer editing in one application. Its one-time price will be appealing to those who don't like the required subscriptions for Adobe's competing products.
PROS
- Excellent Light EQ tool
- Lens-profile-based geometry correction
- Face recognition and geotagging
- Good skin-improvement tools
- Responsive browsing and editing performance
CONS
- A lot of tools buried in menus
- Slow import performance
- Weak noise and chromatic aberration tools
| Sold By | List Price | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACDSee | $89. 95 | $89.95 | See It (Opens in a new window) |
Read Our ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate Review
Buying Guide: The Best Photo Editing Software for 2023
Which Photo Software Should You Use?
Novice photographers taking vacation shots with a smartphone to share on Instagram want different software from those shooting with a $52,000 Phase One IQ4 in a studio. We include all levels of PC software here, and reading the linked reviews will make it clear which is for you. Nothing says that pros can't occasionally use an entry-level application or that a prosumer won't be running Photoshop, the most powerful image editor around. The issue is that, in general, users at each of these levels will be more comfortable with the products intended for them.
How to Choose Photo Editing Software
What Is the Best Photo Editing Software for Beginners?
If you're just starting to dip your toes into photo editing, your options are getting better all the time.
The obvious places to get started are with operating systems' free, included applications, Apple Photos, Google Photos, and Microsoft Photos. These all include the basic light and color editing tools in simple interfaces.
Worth particular mention if you're a more ambitious beginner is Adobe Lightroom, the non-Classic version. This includes the Discover community in which photographers and editors can share their entire process from raw image to final product. It even lets you submit your photos for the community to try their hands at. For in-program editing tutorials, Photoshop Elements, with its many Guided Edits that show you how to create arresting effects, is an excellent option.
The latest versions of Photoshop itself include plentiful help and learning content, though I recommend going through a basic online course for learning Photoshop. If you just want the basics and don't have ambitions to do advanced editing, check out the free options in the next section.
What Is the Best Free Photo Editing Software?
If you've outgrown the stock photo editing apps on your phone, like those preinstalled with the camera or the effects included in Instagram, does that mean you have to pay a ton for high-end software? Absolutely not.
Desktop operating systems typically include decent photo software at no extra cost. For example, the Microsoft Photos app included with Windows 10 (and updated for Windows 11) may surprise some users with its capabilities. In a touch-friendly interface, it offers a good level of image correction, auto-tagging, blemish removal, face recognition, and even raw camera file support. It can automatically create editable albums based on photos' dates and locations.
Apple Photos does those things too, though its automatic albums aren't as editable. Both programs also sync with online storage services: iCloud for Apple and OneDrive for Microsoft. With both, you can search based on detected object types, like "tree" or "cat" in the application. Apple Photos also can integrate with plug-ins like the excellent Perfectly Clear(Opens in a new window), and you can now access iCloud Photos in Windows 11's Photos app.
Ubuntu Linux users are also covered when it comes to free included photo software.
They get the capable-enough Shotwell app. And no discussion of free photo editing software would be complete without mentioning the venerable GNU Image Manipulation Program, better known as GIMP(Opens in a new window). It's available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and offers a ton of Photoshop-style plugins and editing capabilities, but very little in the way of creature comforts or usability. Other lightweight, low-cost options include Polarr and Pixlr(Opens in a new window).
Can You Edit Photos Online?
In this list of the best photo-editing software, we've only included installable computer software. That said, entry-level photographers may be adequately served by online photo-editing options. These web apps are mostly free, and they're often tied to online photo storage and sharing services. Flickr(Opens in a new window) (with its integrated photo editor) and Google Photos are the biggest names here, and both can spiff up your uploaded pictures and do a lot to help you organize them.
These free options are good but lack many tools found in paid photo-editing software. But some paid apps are now releasing web versions. The latest version of Lightroom, for example, has a web app with a good deal of photo-editing capabilities included. And Adobe announced a basic web version of its flagship Photoshop app, currently in beta. Other notable names in web-based photo editing include BeFunky, Fotor, and Photofx(Opens in a new window), and PicMonkey.
What Is the Best Image Editing for Hobbyists?
Most of the products in this list are suited for enthusiast photographers and prosumers, which includes people who genuinely love working with digital photographs. The apps are not free, and they require a few hundred megabytes of disk space. Several, such as Lightroom and CyberLink PhotoDirector, are strong when it comes to workflow—importing, organizing, editing, and outputting the photos from an SLR or mirrorless. Such apps offer nondestructive editing, meaning the original photo files aren't touched.
Instead, they maintain a database of edits that you apply and that appear in photos you export from the application. These programs also offer strong organization tools, including keyword tagging, color-coding, geo-tagging with maps, and in some cases face recognition to organize photos by people that appear in them.
At the back end of workflow is output. Capable software like Lightroom Classic offers powerful printing options such as soft-proofing, which shows you whether the printer you use can produce the colors in your photo. (Strangely, the new version of Lightroom does not offer built-in local printing, though the latest update lets you send images to a photo printing service.) Lightroom Classic can directly publish photos on sites like Flickr and SmugMug. In fact, all good software at this level offers strong printing and sharing, and some, like ACDSee and Lightroom, include their own online photo hosting to present a portfolio of your work.
What Is the Best Photo Editing Software for Raw Files?
The programs at the enthusiast level and the professional level can import and edit raw files from your digital camera.
These are files that include every bit of data from the camera's image sensor. Each camera manufacturer uses its own format and file extension for these. For example, Canon DSLRs use .CR2 files and Nikon uses NEF. Raw here means what it sounds like: a file with the raw sensor data. It's not an acronym or file extension.
Working with raw files provides some big advantages when it comes to correcting (often termed adjusting) photos. Since the photo you see on screen is just one interpretation of what's in the raw file, the software can dig into that data to recover more detail in a bright sky, or it can fully fix an improperly rendered white balance. If you set your camera to shoot with JPGs, you're losing those capabilities.
Enthusiasts want to do more than just import, organize, and render their photos. They want to do fun stuff, too! Editors' Choice winner Adobe Photoshop Elements includes Guided Edits, which make special effects like motion blur or color splash (where only one color shows on an otherwise black-and-white photo) a simple step-by-step process.
Content-aware tools let you move objects around while maintaining a consistent background. You can also remove objects entirely. Say you want to remove a couple of strangers from a serene beach scene and have the app fill in the background. These edits don't involve simple filters like you get in Instagram. Rather, they produce highly customized, one-off images. Another good example is CyberLink PhotoDirector's Multiple Exposure effect, which lets you create an image with ten versions of Johnny jumping that curb on his skateboard, for example.
Most of these products can produce HDR effects and panoramas after you feed them multiple shots, and local edit brushes let you paint adjustments onto only specific areas of an image. Affinity Photo has those features, but its interface isn't the most intuitive. Zoner Photo Studio X combines Lightroom and Photoshop features in a lower-priced subscription, but it's just not up to the level of the Adobe software.
Some of the products in this group have started adding what's sometimes termed AI style transfer—where the style of Picasso, Japanese watercolor, or another art mode is applied to the photo.
The effect became a craze with the Prisma app several years ago, and it can still impress. PaintShop Pro, CyberLink PhotoDirector, and now even Photoshop all offer this.
What Is the Best Professional Photo Editing Software?
At the very top end of the image editing pyramid is Photoshop, which has no real rival. Its layered editing, drawing, text tools, filters, selection capabilities, plug-in support, and color tools make it the industry standard. (Adobe recently removed its 3D editing tools because of the changing graphics hardware landscape; you can find 3D functionality in the company's new Substance 3D(Opens in a new window) line of applications.) The company continues to add unique, state-of-the art features.
Of course, pros need more than this one application, and many use workflow programs like Lightroom, AfterShot Pro, or Photo Mechanic for workflow functions like importing and organization. In addition to its workflow prowess, Lightroom offers mobile photo apps so that photographers on the run can get some work done before they even get back to their PC.
Photoshop recently got an iPad app, as well, but that's not yet capable of raw file editing.
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Those who need tethered shooting—controlling the camera in the software from the computer while it's attached—may want Capture One, which offers a lot of tools for that along with its top-notch raw-file conversion.
Photoshop offers the most image editing capabilities, though it doesn't always make producing those effects as simple, and it doesn't offer a nondestructive workflow, as Lightroom and some of the other products do. Of course, users with less-intensive needs can get all the Photoshop-type features they need from other programs in this roundup, such as Corel PaintShop Pro.
DxO PureRAW is another tool pros may want in their kit, because of its excellent lens-profile based corrections and DeepPrime noise reduction.
Topaz DeNoise AI is another top choice for removing camera sensor noise, as well. Skylum Luminar, too, offers unique AI-powered features like automatic powerline removal, which can instantly improve many a landscape or cityscape. It also has unique depth-based lighting options You can use either standalone or as a Photoshop plugin.
Capture One, DxO PhotoLab, PaintShop Pro, and Lightroom offer precise tools for local selections. For example, they let you select everything in a photo within a precise color range and refine the selection of difficult content such as a model's hair or trees on the horizon. Of course, you find all this in Adobe Photoshop, too.
Photoshop (and its included companion, Adobe Camera Raw utility) is where you find Adobe's latest and greatest imaging technology, such as AI-informed Neural Filters, Subject Select, Content-Aware Crop, Perspective Warp, Subject Select, and Detail Enhancement. The program has the most tools for professionals in the imaging industry, including Artboards, Design Spaces, and realistic, customizable brushes.
How Much Does it Cost to Buy Photoshop?
Some users have taken umbrage at Adobe's move to a subscription-only option for Photoshop, but at $9.99 per month, it hardly seems exorbitant for any serious image professional, and it includes a copy of Lightroom, online services like Adobe Stock, an online Portfolio site, and multiple mobile apps. It makes the app more affordable for prosumers, too, when you consider that a full copy of Photoshop's top-end version used to cost a cool $999. That said, we list several apps here that don't require subscriptions.
Other vendors have started following in Adobe's footsteps when it comes to subscriptions. Usually these deals include all updates, new templates and effects, and in some cases, such as with CyberLink PhotoDirector, access to stock images from big names like Getty.
One more thing to consider when you're making your budget: third-party plug-ins. At least if you're looking at pro-level software. The excellent Nik Collection by DxO and Editors' Choice winner RNI All Films 5 Professional are good examples of this enormous field.
These can add more effects and adjustments than you find in the base software. They often include tools for film looks, black-and-white options, sharpening, and noise reduction. Several of the products here can also be set up as Lightroom Classic and Photoshop plug-ins.
How Get Started With Photo Editing
If you're an absolute beginner in digital photography, your first step is to make sure you've got good hardware to shoot with, otherwise you're sunk before you start. Consider our roundups of the Best Digital Cameras and the Best Camera Phones for equipment that can fit any budget. Once you've got your hardware sorted out, make sure to educate yourself with our Quick Photography Tips for Beginners and our Beyond-Basic Photography Tips. That done, you'll be ready to shoot great pictures that you can make better with the software featured here.
A final note about the spec table below: It's not a case of "more check marks means better." Rather, the table is designed to give you a quick overview of the products and how they square up.
A product with everything checked doesn't necessarily have the best implementation of those features, and one with fewer checks still may be very capable. Whether you even need the checked feature depends on your photo workflow. For example, DxO Photolab may not have face recognition, but it has superb noise reduction and camera- and lens-profile-based corrections.
Photoshop Express Photo Editor on the App Store
Description
Complex edits made super simple. From cutouts to layouts to multi-layer adjustments, get the tools to create anything you can imagine. Adjust, edit and share on social.
PHOTO EDITING MADE FUN AND EASY FOR EVERYONE
Tap into your creativity on the go with Photoshop Express–a fun, fast, and easy picture editor for one-touch transformations and photo edits–used by millions of creative individuals. Create high quality images and touch up your favorite moments with our easy-to-use photo design tools on your mobile device.
Photoshop Express delivers a wide and diverse selection of features and effects at your fingertips. Use our photo editing app to personalize and perfect your experiences with stickers and overlays, apply blur, enhance colors and images with Looks filters. Create a photo collage, generate memes, fix and enhance your share-worthy moments for stunning social media content. Unlock unlimited possibilities with Photoshop Express Premium!
You don’t have to be a professional photo editor to make stunning picture edits. With Photoshop Express, you can edit your photos all on your own!
PHOTOSHOP EXPRESS FEATURES
PICTURE FILTERS
- Our intuitive photo editing app has everything you need to create your own share-worthy photos
- Blur: Add full or radial and blur to blend out backgrounds and shift focus to specific subjects
- Fused Looks: Our newest feature lets you apply two looks filters to one photo for a rich effect.
- Photo Enhancer: Select from an array of editing tools to improve the look of your photos
- Dehaze pictures, remove unwanted red or pet eyes and seamlessly apply vibrancy and dramatic filters
- Crop photo dimensions, fix crooked images or distorted camera angles with just a few taps
- Erase background noise and smooth over imperfections with a few simple swipes
PHOTO ENHANCER & PICTURE COLLAGE
- Smooth skin appearance and edit over blemishes with spot healing features
- Perform touch-ups with a tap, retouch and fix portraits and selfies in seconds
- Ready-to-use photo grid layouts make it easy to create an amazing photo collage
- Picture collage features to turn photos into collages with a digital scrapbook effect.
PERSONALIZED IMAGE DESIGN
- Photo editing apps shouldn’t be complicated to use, so we made it easy for you to customize with ease
- Add text to your photos from a wide array of fonts and layouts
- Use our image editor to add personalized touches to your photos
- Customize images with stickers and captions
- Create memes of your very own with our easy to use graphic design features
- Create a photo design with stamps, custom watermarks and more
UPLOAD & SHARE PHOTOS EASILY
- Photo sharing and uploading just got easier with Photoshop Express
- Upload images from multiple source formats (including raw and TIFF)
- Use our photo editing app as a social media and Instagram editor for photos
- Share photos for social media content and export them to all of your favorite social media channels
- Upload to social media channels like email, TikTok, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Signal, and Line to inspire others.
PREMIUM
Upgrade to Photoshop Express Premium to access extra, exclusive features and more precise editing controls.
Photoshop Express is the photo editor and design app for users of all experience levels. Make photo magic happen with the Photoshop Express picture editor from Adobe - proud makers of the Photoshop family. Create and fix fun, shareable memes, personalized pic collages and stickers.
Adobe Terms of Use:
Your use of this application is governed by the Adobe General Terms of Use http://www.adobe.com/go/terms_linkfree_en and the Adobe Privacy Policy http://www.adobe.com/go/privacy_policy_linkfree_en
Do not sell or share my personal information: https://www.adobe.com/privacy/us-rights-linkfree.html
Version 22.50.0
Fused Looks in Editor: Introducing new looks that can be applied separately to the subject and background in your photo with just a single tap. Choose from Pop, 90's Aesthetic, or Warm & Cool fused looks.
Tap once and let the magic happen.
New Draw Tool in Retouch: While retouching selfies, use draw presets to doodle, make graffiti art or paint & highlight the area to create a unique look.
Gradient Backgrounds in Mix: Now use Free Gradients as your background. While replacing background or layer-based editing, use the Gradient layer from the Background tool.
New Backgrounds in Collage: Check out the 350+ new and exciting Wallpapers in various categories Music, Spring, Clouds, Holidays, School, and more.
New Themes and Borders in Editor: Check out the 150+ new and exciting themes and 500+ borders in various categories like Pop Color, Vintage, School, and more.
Blend Modes in Editor and Retouch: When editing photos and selfies, use Darken, Multiply, Hard Light, Screen, and many more blend modes in the Overlays tool to achieve both natural and creative results.
And as always, we have fixed bugs, simplified the UI, and improved the app stability and performance to ensure that your experience on the app runs as smoothly as ever.
Ratings and Reviews
677.4K Ratings
I love you photoshop express ❤️
I’ve been using this app almost daily for about 11 months now, and besides draining my poor old iphones battery, while simultaneously raising its temperature to rival that of the earths core, i will use it every day for a long time. It’s perfect for what I need it for, which is editing photos for a fairly popular blog I run centered around stuffed animals. I own photoshop on desktop and I still prefer photoshop express for my editing and it’s simplicity and intuitive UI. The UI and UX designers of this app deserve a huge shoutout (and fat christmas bonus) for their amazing work on this app! I have the premium version due to having a photoshop license and it’s a huge part of why I love this app and adobe fresco- i really feel like i’m getting a bang for my buck.
I hate desktop photoshop with its constant crashes and complex and unintuitive interface, but this app not only handles its rare crashes much better and saves almost all of your work it also simplifies a lot of the more complicated things photoshop is known for. The combine photos feature is a master piece! The only suggestion I have is most likely unrealistic- it’d be nice to add more than 5 image layers when using Combine Photos. I’m sure resources are the issue preventing this though so I’m fine with it being 5.
Thanks developers for your outstanding work!!
Product Review With Request
I've used Adobes photo apps for a long time and honestly think that their app layouts are Numero Uno. Lightroom, PS Express, and Photo Fix are used everyday and I couldn't do what I do without Adobe. Well I probably could, but it wouldn't be as easy as it is now. Now If I was able to design the final piece to my -Adobe Photo Maintenance Collection-, it would be an app that would allow the user to analyze any photograph to determine if that photo is actually the original image, or if it's been munipulated.
An example of munipulation would be receiving an image that has possibly been overlayed with another image, maybe it's had parts removed by cutout, or something was erased. An app like that would be to cool. If possible the app would attempt to reconstruct the image to it's original glory. The user could just tap a fix photo button and the program would attempt to remove as much of the overlay / cover-up as possible, then it would attempt to rebuild the photo to it's original look. While your at it could you all throw in a simple -Focus My Blurred Photo button-. Just take a blurred photo that's recognizable and bring it into focus. I mean it's all 1's and 0's right? I'm sure you guys and girls at Adobe have got this wrapped up already. Cheers!
So much fun!
I’m having a lot of fun designing my own inspirational posts from my own photos. Adobe PsX makes this very easy with the editing of each layer.
There could be some minor improvements, eg in the stroke for fonts (I haven’t figured out to cancel out of that once it’s in place without deleting the text and starting over completely) and the choice background color of the message in combination with the font color (which I would like to be able to make my own combinations for), or the spot correction that doesn’t allow for spot darkening/lightening, as far as I can tell and the spot correction that takes a blob from not always the best next spot over & creating a layering of branches instead of a darker spot in the background kind of thing. Overall this app provides a lot of excellent features. There are also other Adobe apps that connect into it with ease, but I haven’t had the need to use them in conjunction with this one. My concern is that at some point Adobe will turn around and charge me for use of the whole thing or have a monthly subscription for it making an older version obsolete, as is my experience with another Adobe product I used for years and don’t use enough to get a monthly for.
This trepidation and minor adjustment mentioned above (maybe I need to check out the help section on this) made me drop a star. In the end Adobe is amazing and does deliver with its photo development apps.
Thanks for the kind and valuable review, We will share this with our development team.
Subscriptions
Premium (Yearly)
Adobe Photoshop Express Premium Features
Free Trial
The developer, Adobe Inc., indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy.
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
- Location
- Contact Info
- User Content
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
- Other Data
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age.
Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Adobe Inc.
- Size
- 326.6 MB
- Category
- Photo & Video
- Age Rating
- 4+
- Copyright
- ©2009-2022 Adobe. All Rights Reserved.
- Price
- Free
- App Support
- Privacy Policy
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12 Best Photo Editing Software for PC in 2023
If you are looking for a good photo editing program or app for PC, read my review.
I reviewed 12 professional photo editing programs that are quite easy to learn, but at the same time allow you to retouch photos at a professional level.
- Adobe Photoshop- The best photo editing software for PC nine0006
- Adobe Lightroom- Best color grading software
- Luminar Neo- With a user-friendly interface nine0005 InPixio- High-quality color correction
- GIMP- The best free photo editor like Photoshop nine0005 Capture One Pro- Universal photo editor
- Movavi Photo Editor - For beginners
- ON1 Photo RAW - For quick image editing nine0006
- Affinity Photo - Has simple tools
- Canva- To create collages and postcards nine0005 ACDSee Photo Studio - For quick photo editing
- Online Photoshop Editor - Professional program for processing in the browser nine0029
- All existing file formats are supported nine0037 A huge number of tools for fixing a photo
- Forums and active technical support
- Lots of actions / overlays / textures / brushes / filters
- The interface may seem complicated
- Some tools do not have a progress indicator
- Easy to learn
- Professional Color Correction
- Automatic saving of source files
- Allows you to work with several photos or albums at the same time nine0037 Lots of presets
- Inconvenient directory system
- There is no way to professionally retouch images
- Quick import of RAW 9 images0006
- Useful tools for enhancing portraits
- Available as plugin
- Multiple organizational functions
- Not optimized for mobile devices
- Professional Stamp Tool
- You can cut out the background in a few clicks nine0037 Convenient perspective correction
- Advanced semi-automatic color correction
- Can't edit multiple photos at once
- You can customize the functionality for yourself
- Lots of features and tools
- Supports 9 different file types0006
- Convenient interface
- The newest version may contain errors
- Large set of 9 features and tools0006
- Quick import and export
- Well-Designed Masks and Layers
- Cloud storage available
- Requires powerful PC
- Too expensive option
- Confusing interface
- Supports 9 popular graphic formats0006
- Not demanding on PC resources
- Simple interface
- Lots of filters
- Limited free version
- Does not work on mobile devices
- Low price, one-time payment
- Monthly trial version without registration and subscriptions nine0037 Simplicity like Lightroom + options with Capture One
- New approach to photo preview on PC
- Very slow background export
- Few original presets
- Cannot replace Photoshop
- Huge number of basic image editing tools
- Simple interface
- Some tools are poorly developed
- Limited photo retouching
- Suitable for design
- Many operations are carried out by drag and drop
- Stock Photos, Templates & Design Tools
- Not for photographers
- Only works with JPEG files
- Suitable for color correction
- Convenient interface
- Pretty high price nine0047 Not for deep photo retouching
- A variety of advanced tools from Photoshop
- No ads
- Works with 9 layers0006
- Supports a huge number of file formats
- No possibility to work offline
Paying $10 a month for Adobe software isn't that much, but if you're learning the basics of photo editing or don't need that many tools, you can try any of the photo editors below.
1. Adobe Photoshop CC
Best photo editing software for PC
DOWNLOAD FREE
Verdict : Adobe Photoshop is the best photo editing software for professional photographers and designers. It has all the necessary tools for image retouching, color correction, image restoration, design and digital painting.
Find out some legitimate ways to download Photoshop for free to retouch images quickly and professionally. nine0003
Photoshop has a huge number of functions and tools for photo editing. Using this arsenal, you can easily create unique logos and banners, draw digital elements for websites, and much more.
Photoshop is regularly updated every month. Developers add new features for photo editing and fix bugs found. In 1989, Adobe introduced its product for the first time, immediately taking the photography industry by storm.
Professional photographers and amateurs have access to a huge number of quality tools to realize their ideas. nine0003
The program remains the standard in the field of photo editing, and many developers rely on it. As for the drawbacks, Photoshop has a lot of complex features, so beginners have to spend a lot of time figuring out what to do and how to do it.
However, this photo editing software is one of the most popular options at the moment. If you have any questions, you can browse the forums or YouTube videos and you will most likely find the answer you need. nine0003
If you don't need many of the tools available in Photoshop, download the free version of Photoshop Elements and use a slightly reduced functionality.
2. Adobe Lightroom CC
Ideal for batch editing
Adobe Lightroom CC
DOWNLOAD FREE
Verdict : Adobe Lightroom is Adobe's photo editor for color grading and basic batch photo editing.
Adobe recognized that Photoshop wasn't exactly focused on color grading, so they created Lightroom. They built the program from the ground up with fewer tools than Photoshop, but they are all focused on color grading images. Lightroom is very popular among photographers who need to process a lot of photos at once. nine0003
Lightroom, unlike Photoshop, has a simple and user-friendly interface. For many users, this is a decisive aspect. Pros consider it the best editor for color correction due to the huge number of tools and the ability to work with presets, which greatly speed up the whole process.
In addition, users can perform basic image retouching and work on a large number of photos at the same time. On the downside, Lightroom is very awkward to work with catalogs. nine0003
Learn more about how to download Adobe Lightroom for free and without viruses in two legal ways
3. Luminar Neo
Great AI-based tools Amazing One Click Presets
Luminar Neo
DOWNLOAD FREE
Verdict : If you're just learning how to edit images on a desktop computer, but have some experience with mobile apps, learning Luminar Neo won't be a problem.
The user interface of the program is stylish and at the same time intuitive, which is a rarity compared to similar programs. nine0003
What's more, Luminar Neo stands out from the crowd with its suite of AI-powered tools for non-destructive RAW editing. Thus, even beginners can handle advanced image editing tasks and achieve amazing results quickly. In fact, skin enhancement, background replacement, and other adjustments only take a few seconds. Considered by many to be the best photo editing software for PC, Luminar Neo is currently available for $10 off. You only need to enter promo code "9"0057 FIXTHEPHOTONEO ".
4. InPixio
Photo retouching and photo organization
InPixio
DOWNLOAD FREE
Verdict : The program boasts advanced image editing and organization, stunning special effects and top-notch photo projects - all in one program.
With this software, cropping, straightening and correcting color, brightness, and removing imperfections is a quick and easy task. With this software, you can easily deal with cropping, straightening and color correction, brightness adjustment, and remove imperfections. In addition, you can make your skin smoother, brighten your teeth, eliminate dark circles under the eyes, improve and even restore old photos.
To learn more about the program, read the InPixio review. nine0003
5. GIMP
Best Free Photo Editor
DOWNLOAD FREE
Verdict : GIMP is the most powerful free photo editor that can completely replace Photoshop.
One of the main advantages, in addition to all of the above, is that the program supports files in RAW format.
However, in order to open the required formats, you must "prepare" the program by downloading updates.
GIMP is an open source photo editor. You can modify the program yourself, fix bugs, and add your own tools. nine0003
The program has layers, customizable brushes, filters and automatic actions for faster photo editing. I really like the ability to open PSD files and edit them. Users have access to many lessons and training videos, so mastering this program is not difficult.
6. Capture One Pro
Replacement for Lr with functions available in Ps
Capture One Pro
DOWNLOAD FREE
Verdict : Capture One Pro is a professional image retouching and color correction software.
Formerly known as Lightphase Capture, the program was developed and released in 2011 by Phase One. Thus, they tried to create something similar to the famous Photoshop. nine0003
As a result, the company has a powerful and unique tool that allows users to work with images on a professional level. You can use Capture One Pro to color correct and retouch photos. There are many tools available for quality work. The whole process is much more convenient when compared with Photoshop.
What's more, like Lightroom, Capture One Pro lets you use presets to get your color grading done in minutes. Of the features, it should be noted that the photo editor will be a godsend for photographers shooting on Phase One cameras. nine0003
As for the disadvantages, the photo editor requires a powerful PC and uses a lot of resources. In this it is similar to Photoshop. Capture One Pro has a rather confusing interface. Although you can watch videos on YouTube, there are very few of them to fully master the program.
7. Movavi Photo Editor
Beginner
DOWNLOAD FREE
Verdict : Movavi Photo Editor belongs to a group of image editors aimed at users who don't want to learn complicated programs and master advanced video editing techniques.
Movavi Photo Editor has a section with brightness, contrast and sharpness settings, tools for selecting and "removing" unwanted objects from the image, rotating, as well as adding and adjusting text, replacing the "background", resizing, etc. After you have finished your work, you can export the result with a simple mouse click. nine0003
8. ON1 Photo RAW
Easy Photo Editing Software
ON1 Photo RAW
DOWNLOAD FREE
Verdict : ON1 Photo RAW is one of the best photo editing software that combines the simplicity of Lightroom with some of the tools available in Capture One PRO.
The photo editor is equipped with quite powerful tools that allow users to correct photo defects, perform color correction and retouch images.
The interface may seem confusing, but really you just need to take a good look at it and then there will be no problems. nine0003
If you are planning to use ON1 Photo RAW, please note that the photo editor is not designed as an alternative to Photoshop, since it does not have so many tools, but only the most important basic functions.
As for the disadvantages, the program is slow and may freeze. Compared to Lightroom, ON1 Photo RAW has slower image preview and export in the background.
9. Affinity Photo
Perfect for Mac
Affinity Photo
DOWNLOAD FREE
Verdict : Affinity Photo is designed to work with raster graphics. The program has a large number of tools and options for image editing and color correction. nine0003
For many, Affinity Photo is the go-to tool for photo editing, blemishing, and painting. The photo editor offers a wide range of features and capabilities. The program contains 60 customizable effects, filters, lots of brushes and more.
In addition, the editor allows you to view images in real time so you can see the effect before you apply it to the photo.
In terms of features, you will hardly find another such editor if you need to merge multiple images, adjust layers, masks, effects and layer groups. nine0003
In addition, Affinity Photo has a complete set of image retouching tools that includes Liquefy, over 120 brushes and macro tools. The only thing this program lacks is an image organizer.
Browse more free photo editing software for Mac.
10. Canva
For making collages and cards
Canva
DOWNLOAD FREE
Verdict : Canva is good for graphic design. All operations here are performed by dragging and dropping elements. Users choose this program because of the ease of operation. The developers have also made a standalone program called Canva Photo Editor to enhance images.
If we compare Canva to automatic photo editors, it's a frankly weak program with a minimum of features. So if you're looking for an advanced color grading photo editor, Canva is a disappointment. nine0003
In this program, you can adjust only three characteristics - Brightness, Contrast and Saturation.
Although there are also 15 effects here, to be honest, they are not very good.
Thus, Canva has nothing to please users who are looking for a photo editing tool. When it comes to design, this is the best free online software available right now.
11. ACDSee Photo Studio
Affordable alternative to Creative Cloud
ACDSee Photo Studio
DOWNLOAD FREE
Verdict : ACDSee is a good photo editing software.
Developed by ACD Systems, it does a great job of displaying and managing large photo collections. Here you will find many photo editing tools, including batch image editing. ACDSee Photo Studio is positioned as a semi-professional application for previewing, editing and publishing digital images. nine0003
In addition, the photo editor provides direct access to files and folders with the ability to update their contents in real time. Thus, you can save time by importing images into a separate library.
The biggest problem is the price. Despite the number of photo editing features and tools, the overall cost intimidates many users. It's better to download Photoshop or Lightroom for a lower price.
12. Online Photoshop Editor
Browser software
USE FREE
Verdict : This program has a large set of features that you will not find in any online image editor. If you have worked in Photoshop or GIMP before, this editor will be very easy for you to master because they look almost the same and have the same toolbar, controls, and keyboard shortcuts.
In Photoshop's online editor, you can perform many complex operations: work with layers to overlay images or effects, use color correction and sharpening tools to enhance a photo, add text or other elements to an image. Online Photoshop Editor can also be a professional alternative for photo recovery software. nine0003
Nice bonus: Photoshop online editor can open PSD files and save them in the same format. You can also use PNG, JPEG, BMP, and TIFF files to post to social networks or save files to your hard drive.
TOP 20 best photo editing software
Author: Nikita Voznesensky
|
3.3 Ratings: 4 (your: ) nine0003
Update date: December 22, 2022
Any photo needs to be processed, regardless of whether it was taken with a DSLR or a regular smartphone. Correction of color balance, retouching, correction of composition errors - a good editor is able to solve all these tasks easily and quickly.
Don't know which software to choose? We make your search easier! Below are the best photo editing programs - for beginners and professionals, simple and a little more complicated.
Photo Editor is a special software that allows you to put any photo in order. With the help of such programs, you can easily correct the color and lighting in the pictures, replace the unsuccessful background with a new one, add clipart, inscriptions and any other elements on top of the photo. nine0003
Try the best photo editor now:
We have tested the 20 most popular photo editing programs and evaluated their functionality, convenience and affordability. Each program has its own advantages and disadvantages, but for sure, all these photo editors will help you noticeably improve any pictures.
Further in the article, we will go through the entire top of photo editors in detail, but for now - a digest of features in the form of a pivot table. nine0003
| Test results | PhotoMASTER Download | Adobe Photoshop Download | Adobe Lightroom Download | Capture One Download | GIMP Download | Home Photo Studio Download | PhotoDirector Download nine0463 | ON1 Photo Download | Movavi Photo Editor Download | Alive Colors Download | Photo Commander FREE Download | Gemstone Photo Editor Download | Effects Studio Download | Filter Forge Download | picasa Download | photocollage Download | Photo Pos Pro Download | photoscape Download | nine0462 FotoFusion DownloadPaint.NET Download | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| License | Trial | Trial | Trial | Trial | Free | Trial | Trial | Trial | Trial | Trial | Free | Trial | Trial | Trial | Free | nine0509 TrialFree | Free | Trial | Free | |
| Cost | 690 P | $20. 99/month | $9.99/month | $214.80 | 0 | 690 P | $14.99 | $71.99/year | 2190 R | 1480 Р | 0 | $79.99 | 690 P | $69 | nine0509 0690 P | 0 | 0 | $99.95 | 0 | |
| User-friendly interface | nine0509 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Russian version | nine0509 | |||||||||||||||||||
| RAW processing | plug | plug | ||||||||||||||||||
| Auto Photo Enhance | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Built-in effects | 150+ | many | many | many | little | 120+ | many | many | many | many | little | nine0509 many350+ | many | little | little | many | little | little | little | |
| Professional Color Correction | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Auto retouch | nine0509 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Image toning | nine0509 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Background replacement | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Adding inscriptions | nine0509 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Lessons and technical support in Russian | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Program rating | 10 | 9. 8 | 9.5 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
We've compiled programs for working with photographs in a variety of areas - from full-featured graphic editors to simple, free photo editors for artistic design of pictures. The editors are listed from the most powerful and advanced to the more basic and highly specialized. nine0003
4
DownloadEstimation 9
5
DownloadEstimation
7000 Assessment 8
10
DownloadEstimation 8
Download
Estimation 8
002 Evaluation
7.515
DownloadEstimation 7.5
17
DownloadEstimation 7
18 9000
20
DownloadEstimate 6
No more annoying searching for suitable software on the Internet! These photo editing software for PC, free and commercial, simple and sophisticated, will allow you to improve the quality of your photos and decorate them to your liking.
