What is the best photo editor software

The Best Photo Editing Software for 2023

Our Experts Have Tested 20 Products in the Photo Editing Category in the Past Year

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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.

The Best Video Editing Software for 2023

Nothing works quite like moving images with sound when you want to make an impression. That's why digital video continues to grow in importance online, whether on news sites, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. Couple that trend with the ever-increasing availability of devices capable of high-resolution video recording—smartphones, GoPros, DSLRs and mirrorless cameras—and the case for powerful video editing software becomes clear. The best video editing software works for professionals and nonprofessionals alike and keeps up with newer formats such as HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), HDR, and VR. It also must work with 4K video, since current smartphones and cameras are now capable of producing 4K content and even higher resolutions.

Increasingly, features trickle down from professional-level software to the consumer category. Multicam editing, motion tracking, and advanced color grading have all made the leap. This trend is a boon to hobbyist movie editors and vloggers, because the software designed for them simplifies procedures that are complex in the pro-level software. Another plus if you're a nonprofessional is that you often get features that, in the pro world, are relegated to separate apps, like motion graphics and color grading.

Here we share your best options for video editing software. Read on after the product summaries to find our guide to choosing the best video editing software for your needs.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Best for Professional Video Editing

4.5 Outstanding

Why We Picked It

Premiere Pro is an industry standard among professional video editing applications, coming from the leader in creative design software, Adobe. Premiere offers all the effects, color tools, and collaboration and output options any pro could want. It runs on both macOS and Windows, so you're not restricted to one desktop platform or the other, unlike some other software. Premiere Pro is only available by subscription, so the cost is low upfront, but it adds up in the long run.

Who It's For

As its name suggests, Premiere Pro is for professional video editors. That said, plenty of serious amateurs use and enjoy it. It's especially strong for those who need to collaborate with others and teams who use Adobe's Creative Cloud suite of applications.

PROS

Clear, flexible interface
Many organizational tools
Responsive speed
Rich ecosystem of video production apps
Excellent stabilization tool
Unlimited multicam angles

CONS

Intimidating interface for nonprofessionals
Some techniques require additional applications, such as After Effects or Media Encoder
No sound effect samples included

Apple Final Cut Pro

Best for Professional Editing on Macs

4. 5 Outstanding

Why We Picked It

Final Cut Pro has a rethought, modern interface with a "trackless" timeline. An editor who works in this interface for a while will come to enjoy its flexibility, and to realize that it offers just as deep a set of tools and capabilities as any app with a more traditional interface. Unlike Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro only works on Apple computers, the choice of many video editors in any case.

Who It's For

As evidenced by the number of top Hollywood movies and shows made in Final Cut Pro, the software is a good fit for professionals, but its usability makes it a fine choice for amateur enthusiasts as well, particularly those wanting to move up from Apple iMovie.

PROS

Magnetic, trackless timeline
Superior organization tools, including libraries, ratings, tagging, and auto analysis for faces and scenes
Support for 360-degree footage and wide color spaces
Multicam support
Fast performance

CONS

Nontraditional timeline editing may turn off longtime video producers
Import and export experiences trail those in Premiere Pro

Sold By	List Price	Price
Apple. com	$299.99	$299.99	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Apple Final Cut Pro Review

Apple iMovie

Best for Easy Editing on Macs

4.5 Outstanding

Why We Picked It

Simplicity joins a generous set of video editing tools in Apple's entry-level app. We love the new Storyboards features that helps people craft compelling digital movies, rather than leaving them to their own devices. You also get somewhat advanced tools like chroma-keying, picture-in-picture, and audio filters. Moving up to Final Cut Pro from iMovie makes for a smooth transition, too.

Who It's For

iMovie targets nonprofessionals like people who want to put together a video of that family vacation or Junior's soccer match. But its Storyboard feature makes it a great starting point for those interested in filmmaking. Of course, it's only for users of Apple hardware, as with most things Apple.

PROS

Beautifully simple interface
Color matching for consistent movie looks
Classy themes
Great chroma-keying tool
Lots of audio tools
Excellent movie templates

CONS

In the name of simplicity, some useful controls are missing
Does not support tagging
Lacks multicam or motion tracking capabilities
Limited to two video tracks
No 360-degree video editing

CyberLink PowerDirector 365

Best for Tons of Tools and Ease of Use

5.0 Exemplary

Why We Picked It

CyberLink has long been an industry leader in speed and support for new video formats and effects, and it's long been a PCMag Editors' Choice winner among video editors. Despite its massive feature set, the program interface is clear and not as intimidating as fully pro-level software. It lets you do everything from the simplest clip trimming and joining to VR to multicam to keyframed effects. You can get it either by one-time purchase or subscription.

Who It's For

PowerDirector is suited to serious video enthusiasts and YouTubers who want to do the most with their clips without needing a degree in film. Even professionals may find that it has everything they need.

PROS

Fast project rendering
Clear, usable interface
Loads of effects and AI tools
Multicam and motion tracking
Screen recording

CONS

Number of options can be overwhelming at times

Corel VideoStudio Ultimate

Best for Stop Motion and Motion Tracking

4.0 Excellent

Why We Picked It

Corel first got our attention with its awesome stop-motion tool, and then reinforced that impression by being the first in this group with powerful motion tracking tools. It continues to add useful new tools while delivering fast performance and ease of use.

Who It's For

VideoStudio is aimed squarely at the amateur videographer, YouTuber, and TikToker. The same maker, Corel, offers Pinnacle, which targets a more pro-level audience. VideoStudio is also a value play, with a reasonable one-time license price.

PROS

Loads of snazzy effects
Extremely fast rendering
Support for 360-degree VR, 4K Ultra HD, and 3D media
Multipoint motion tracking
Color grading
Cool stop-motion tool

CONS

Audio editing capabilities comparatively weaker than video
Weak support for high-DPI monitors
Too many easy-edit tools

Sold By	List Price	Price
Corel	$79.99	$79.99	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Corel VideoStudio Ultimate Review

DaVinci Resolve

Best for Powerful Free Version and Pro-Level Tools

4. 0 Excellent

Why We Picked It

Davince Resolve is a top-end professional video editing program that, though not the easiest to use, has a full-capability free version, making it appealing to amateurs as well as pros. The node-based editing workflow offers the ultimate in effect control, and the software is replete with keyframing, color grading, and audio tools. The company also makes cameras, consoles and other hardware for professionals.

Who It's For

As mentioned above, Resolve targets professional video editors, and has been used in may top-of-the-line Hollywood productions, including Avatar, Dune, and Snakes on a Plane—a seriously impressive list. But that's not to say that a determined amateur can't take advantage of its generous free version and go as deep or shallow into its tool set as they like.

PROS

Lots of editing tools for precise control
Clear, well-designed interface
Includes motion graphics and audio editing, which are separate apps in other pro editors

CONS

Requires a lot of system resources
Complex software takes considerable time to learn

Movavi Video Editor Plus

Best for Fast, Fun Video Editing

4. 0 Excellent

Why We Picked It

Movavi is hardly a household name in video editing software, but it features a truly pleasing interface housing all the tools hobbyist video editors and YouTubers are likely to want. Good-looking effects and transitions are included as are a selection of soundtrack music. Exporting is among the fastest, and you can directly upload to YouTube or Vimeo. It's also reasonably priced, with both one-time and subscription options. Versions are available for both macOS and Windows.

Who It's For

Those just getting into video editing will appreciate Movavi's clear interface and appealing set of tools for both video and audio (which was beefed up in a recent version update). Everyone will appreciate its fast rendering and built-in uploading. It's also good for those who don't want to spend a lot of money on video editing software.

PROS

Easy-to-understand user interface
Transitions with sound
Motion tracking and picture-in-picture tools
Chroma-key capability
Quick movie-creation tool

CONS

Lacks advanced trim modes and clip pre-trimming
Rendering on the slow side
Not compatible with Apple Silicon M1

Sold By	List Price	Price
Movavi	$59. 95	$59.95	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Movavi Video Editor Plus Review

Pinnacle Studio Ultimate

Best for Color Grading and Keyframe Editing

4.0 Excellent

Why We Picked It

Pinnacle is a solid longtime player in the video editing field. It packs a healthy helping of near-pro-level capabilities into a still fairly intuitive interface—as far as that's possible for advanced video editing software. You get things like mask motion-tracking, titling, and audio tools, and the performance is among the leaders. You don't need to pay a subscription, either, though it's not the lowest-priced option.

Who It's For

Pinnacle Studio is Corel's video editing software for those wanting more advanced tools than the company's more consumer friendly VideoStudio. If you need mulitcam, keyframing, and the like, it's a good choice for you. Those who don't want to pay a subscription will appreciate its one-time pricing.

PROS

Clear interface
Fast rendering performance in testing
Tons of effects
Multicam editing
Powerful title editor
Detailed masking tools

CONS

Limited motion tracking
Uneven 360-degree VR implementation

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$89.99	$89.99	See It (Opens in a new window)
Pinnacle Systems	$99.95	$99.95	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Review

Adobe Premiere Elements

Best for Digital Scrapbooking

3.5 Good

Why We Picked It

Premiere Elements makes it easy to achieve a lot of the effects that would be complex in Premiere Pro. The consumer level program contains many of the editing tools of a pro-level application, but it cloaks these in easy-to-use features and Guided Edits. If you want to have some fun with your video without stressing your brain with concepts like timecodes and keyframes, Premiere Elements is a good choice.

Who It's For

Adobe characterizes the audience for Premiere Pro as "memory keepers"—those members of the family who want to preserve fun outings and events, spiff them up, and share them with friends and family. It's also for people who don't want to pay the subscription required by most of Adobe's other software, while getting a good selection of the features. The software is available for both macOS and Windows.

PROS

Clear, simple interface
Guided Edits ease basic and advanced projects
Ample video effects
Solid text tools
Cross-platform support

CONS

Slow output rendering speed
No 360-degree VR or 3D editing
No multicam support
No screen recording capability
No DVD or Blu-ray burning

Sold By	List Price	Price
Adobe	$74. 99	$74.99	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Adobe Premiere Elements Review

Wondershare Filmora

Best for Editing on a Budget

3.5 Good

Why We Picked It

Filmora is a reasonably priced and easy-to-use video editing app that continues to receive new features. It has nifty features and capabilities, such as color matching, audio-syncing for limited multicam, motion tracking, and speech to text. It's also a fine performer when it comes to export speed. Versions are available for both macOS and Windows.

Who It's For

Filmora is for amateurs who want to keep getting new effect ideas for their videos but don't want to dig into the weeds of a Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. It's available as either an annual subscription or a reasonably priced perpetual license.

PROS

Pleasing interface
Inexpensive
Lots of effects and overlays
Good title and text tools
Fast rendering in test

CONS

Fewer fine-tuned effect-tweaking tools than competitors
Not a touch-friendly interface
Occasional crashes
No DVD menu or chapter authoring

Buying Guide: The Best Video Editing Software for 2023

How to Buy Video Editing Software

Before you make a decision about which video editing software to use, you should consider whether the app supports the features and capabilities you need, such as those listed below. You don't want to pay too much for a video editing app that does more than you need, and you also don't want your app to come up short on the things you do need.

Multicam, Motion Tracking, and Yet More Motion

Advanced abilities continue to make their way into accessible, affordable, and consumer-friendly video editing software as each new generation of software is released. Multicam editing, which lets you switch among camera angles of the same scene shot with multiple video cameras, used to be a feature relegated to pro-level software. Now this and many other advanced effects are available in enthusiast-level programs.

How to Buy the Best Video Editing Software

Another impressive effect that's available in some consumer-level video editing software is motion tracking, which lets you attach an object or effect to something moving in your video. You might use it to place a blur over the face of someone you don't want revealed in your video or to display a text box next to a moving object. You mark the object you want to track, specify the effect or text, and the app takes care of the rest, following the marked object.

(Credit: PCMag/CyberLink)

Motion tracking used to be the sole province of special-effects software such as Adobe After Effects. Corel VideoStudio was the first of the consumer products to include motion tracking, and it still leads the pack in the depth and usability of its motion-tracking tool (even including multipoint tracking) though several others now include the capability.

Does the Software Support 4K Video? How About 8K?

Support for 4K video source content has become fairly standard in video editing software, and pro software already supports up to 8K, which isn't practical unless you're running a full-size movie theater. That said, even some smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (which I recently upgraded to) now can shoot in 8K.

(Credit: PCMag/Corel)

The support for 4K and higher formats varies among the consumer products. For example, some but not all the applications can import Sony XAVC and XAVC-S formats, which are used by Sony's popular DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, camcorders, and professional video cameras. The same holds true for the H.265 High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. Most of the applications here now can import and export HEVC, but there are still a few holdouts.

If you plan on working with 4K or higher video content, make sure you choose a video editing application that's fast at rendering output files (see Gathering Speed section below).

Support for newer formats, such as the open-source AV1 and the even more efficient H.266 (VVC—Versatile Video Coding) is very limited at this point, with only DaVinci Resolve supporting AV1 at this point, and none of the apps included here supporting H.266. Happily, several of the applications support importing Google's relatively new WebM format.

How to Edit Video on a PC

None of the extras matter if an app can't do the most basic editing tasks. At this point, all the software included here does a good job of letting you join, trim, and split video clips. Most also provide extensive tutorials, help, and guided editing tools. You can make use of special effects such as animated transitions, picture-in-picture (PiP), chroma-key (aka green screen), and filters that enhance colors or apply creative effects and distortions. With most products, you can add a multitude of timeline tracks that accommodate video clips, effects, audio, and text overlays.

Some video editing applications include seamless transition tools. Picture a scene showing people at a beach, and suddenly the sky zooms in and you're in Rome or Paris, but it looks like you're in the same place because the transition glued the two scenes together using the sky. There are plenty of other examples of seamless transitions; this magnificent video(Opens in a new window) shows a good selection of them and is partly responsible for starting the trend.

Can You Edit Video on a Smartphone?

You can create and edit videos on mobile devices almost as easily as you can watch them. Many of the desktop applications included in this roundup also offer mobile video editing apps. Adobe offers a separate app called Premiere Rush, which you can use to edit video on your phone and then continue editing it on the desktop Premiere app. Apple's iMovie interacts similarly with Final Cut Pro. TikTok itself offers the excellent, free CapCut. And with more than 100 million downloads on the Google Play app store, the powerful CyberLink PowerDirector's separate mobile app has made a name for itself on mobiles as well as the desktop. Many of these apps let you shoot video with the phone and start editing right away on the same device.

What Are Color Grading and LUTs?

(Credit: Adobe)

One capability that has arrived in consumer-level video editing software is color grading. Color wheels, curves, and histograms give editors control over the intensity of every shade. Related to this is support for LUTs (lookup tables), also known as CLUTs (color lookup tables). This staple of pro-level software lets you quickly change the look of a video to give it a specific mood. For example, think of the dark blue look of thriller movies like The Revenant. You can download LUTs for free from several sites or use those included with video software to give your video a specific look. One well-known LUT type is the kind that can make a daytime scene look like it was shot at night, known in movie-making as day for night(Opens in a new window).

Where Is the Action?

Many video editing apps now include tools that cater to users of action cameras such as the GoPro Hero9 Black. For example, several offer automated freeze-frame along with speedup, slowdown, and reverse time effects. CyberLink PowerDirector's Action Camera Center pulls together freeze-frame with stabilization, slo-mo, and fish-eye correction, and throws in color correction for underwater footage. Magix Movie Edit Pro Premium includes the third-party NewBlue ActionCam Package of effects.

Titles That Zing

I've been seeing a lot of attention paid to creating title effects in these video editing applications. Apple Final Cut Pro has added 3D title creation, which is pretty spiffy, letting you extrude 2D titles and rotate them on three axes. Corel VideoStudio also includes 3D Titling, though not as powerful as Apple's. PowerDirector's Title Designer offers transparency, gradient color, border, blur level, and reflection in titles; Magix has impressive title templates, complete with animations.

Premiere Elements offers a nifty title effect in which your video fills the text characters, and Corel followed suit with a similar tool in VideoStudio. Look for an application that lets you edit titles in WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) mode, so you can type, format, and time it right over the video preview.

Captions for dialog are another type of text you may want to overlay on your video. Corel VideoStudio and Adobe Premiere Pro recently added features that automatically create captions from spoken dialog in the timeline.

Speed Matters in Video Editing

Video editing is one of the most computing-intensive activities, so you'll want the best laptop or desktop you can afford if you're serious about cutting your own movies. Most applications help speed up the editing process by creating a proxy file of lower resolution so that normal editing and previewing aren't slowed down by huge full-resolution files.

Particularly intensive is the process of rendering the finished product into a standard video file that will be playable on the target device of choice, whether it's an HDTV, laptop, or smartphone. Most of the software can take advantage of your computer's graphics processor to speed it up. Be sure to check the performance section in each review linked here to see how speedy or slow the application is. In rendering speed testing, CyberLink PowerDirector and Pinnacle Studio have been PCMag's perennial champions, but in the latest test runs Corel VideoStudio took the crown.

Other measures of performance include startup time and simple stability. Again, video editing is a taxing activity for any computer, involving many components. In the past, video editing programs took longer than most other apps to start up, and unexpected shutdowns were unfortunately common, even in top apps from top developers such as Adobe and Apple. The stability situation has greatly improved, but the complexity of the process, which increases as more powerful effects are added, means crashes will likely never be fully eliminated, and they often raise their ugly heads after a feature update.

Is There Any Free Video Editing Software?

If you don't want to invest a lot of money and effort into your video editing exploits, you have some free options. Our top pick for free video editing is DaVinci Resolve (listed above). The free download is popular among YouTubers and gamers because it gives them a large subset of the program's features without the pro-level capabilities they don’t need. In fact, it’s the most powerful free video editing option you can find. The free version is surprisingly robust, offering standard editing and cutting, effects, motion graphics, color correction, and audio editing.

There are other free apps that didn't make our list of the best, though they are still quite good. If you use a Mac, the excellent iMovie comes with it. For PC users, Windows' Photos app lets you join, trim, and even add background music, 3D animated effects, and titles to video. (The app is the same on Windows 10 and Windows 11.) Microsoft now includes a new app called Clipchamp to Windows 11's set of included apps. It's a Progressive Web App with a multitrack timeline and is most suited to social media marketing.

There are also some free video apps on the Microsoft Store, Windows' app store. These include Animotica, Movie Maker, and Video Editor Studio. Some of them are quite basic, but most include with clip joining, transitions, and effects, in a very touch-friendly interface. One free video editing app that's not in the app store has recently come to my attention: MiniTool MovieMaker(Opens in a new window). I have not yet tested it, but it looks promising. I prefer apps that come from the Microsoft Store, since I know they've been vetted for security and function, they run in sandboxes that can't mess with your system software, and they're easy to install and update.

Free video editing software often comes with legal and technical limitations, however. Some widely used codecs require licensing fees on the part of the software maker, meaning they can't offer free software that can handle these standard file formats. That said, the impressive open-source Shotcut(Opens in a new window) does a lot of the same things that the paid applications in this roundup do, including things like chroma-keying and picture-in-picture. Shotcut is completely open-source and free, as is Kdenlive. Lightworks is also free but has paid options that remove a 720p output resolution limit. Note also that Shotcut, Lightworks, and Kdenlive all run on Linux as well as Windows and Mac.

Do You Need 360-Degree VR Support?

Several of the products here (Adobe Premiere Elements is a notable exception) still support 3D video editing if that's your thing, though this has been replaced by 360-degree VR footage like that shot by the GoPro Max as a home-theater fad. To be honest, 360-degree is starting to fade in popularity, aside from some content you'll see on Facebook. As is often the case, our Editors' Choice, CyberLink PowerDirector was the first product in this group to offer support for this kind of videFFo media.

Other programs have jumped on board with 360 VR support, including Adobe Premiere, Apple Final Cut Pro, and Magix Movie Edit Pro. Support varies, with some apps including 360-compatible titles, stabilization, and motion tracking. PowerDirector is notable for including those last two. Final Cut offers a useful tool that removes the camera and tripod from the image, which can be an issue with 360-degree footage.

Audio Editing

We still live in the days of talkies, so you want to be able to edit the audio in your digital moves as well as the images. Most of the products included here offer canned background music, and many, such as Pinnacle Studio, can even tailor the soundtrack to the exact length of your movie.

Most of these programs can separate audio and video tracks, and most can clean up background noise and add environmental audio effects such as concert hall reverb. A couple of the products have an auto-ducking feature, which lowers background music during dialog—a definite pro-level plus.

What About Apple?

Though macOS users don't have the sheer number of software choices available for PCs, Apple fans interested in editing video are well served. At the entry level, the surprisingly capable and enjoyable-to-use iMovie comes free with every Mac sold since at least 2011. iMovie only offers two video tracks, but does a good job with chroma-keying, and its Trailers feature makes easy work of producing slick, Hollywood-style productions.

(Credit: PCMag/Apple)

In the midrange is Adobe Premiere Elements, which is cross-platform between Windows and macOS, and offers a lot more features and lots of help with creating effects. Recently joining that program in Apple world is a macOS version of my Editors' Choice enthusiast level video editing application, CyberLink PowerDirector. Though it doesn't offer quite as many tools as you get in its Windows version, what it does include is impressive, and its rendering performance beats all the other Mac products mentioned here in my render-speed tests.

Professionals and prosumers have powerful, though pricey options in Davinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, and Premiere Pro. Final Cut is a deceptively simple application that resembles iMovie in its interface and ease of use, but it offers massively deep capabilities, and many third-party apps integrate with it for even more power. Final Cut also makes excellent use of the Touch Bar on some MacBook Pro models. Premiere Pro uses a more-traditional timeline and enjoys a large ecosystem of companion apps and plug-ins. It also excels in collaboration features and plays well with ancillary Adobe software such as After Effects and Photoshop.

Read more about these apps in our roundup of the best video editing software for Macs(Opens in a new window).

What's Not Here

There are more video editing software applications than we can fit into this roundup of the best options, which includes only software rated 3. 5 stars and higher. That means you won't find ACDSee Luxea, Nero Video, Vegas Movie Studio or VSDC Video Editor Pro. It's not that these are bad products, but just that we didn't feel they should be included among the best video editing applications. Some have even made improvements to previously convoluted interfaces and slow performance.

Longtime professional video editors will note the absence of Avid Media Composer and some other professional-level video software, which are simply too unwieldy for PCMag's primarily consumer audience. There are a couple of more interesting applications—AVS Video Editor, and NCH VideoPad among them—that we simply haven't tested yet, along with several purely web-based editors.

The Finish Line

The video editing application you choose depends on your budget, the equipment you're using, and how serious you are. Fortunately, you're spoiled for choice with the products available. Peruse our in-depth reviews of enthusiast-level video editing software linked below to see which is the right one for you.

One final note about the features table here: To provide some differentiation among the products, check marks represent above-the-call-of-duty features, rather than truly essential ones. So, just because Nero Video and Wondershare Filmora don't have many checks, it doesn't mean they're not good choices. In fact, both offer decent basic video editing on a budget.

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
GIMP- The best free photo editor like Photoshop
Movavi Photo Editor - For beginners
ON1 Photo RAW - For quick image editing nine0006
Affinity Photo - Has simple tools
Canva- To create collages and postcards
Online Photoshop Editor - Professional program for processing in the browser

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

All existing file formats are supported
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

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

Easy to learn
Professional Color Correction
Automatic saving of source files
Allows you to work with several photos or albums at the same time

Inconvenient directory system
There is no way to professionally retouch images

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

Quick import of RAW 9 images0006
Useful tools for enhancing portraits
Available as plugin

Multiple organizational functions
Not optimized for mobile devices

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

Professional Stamp Tool
You can cut out the background in a few clicks
Advanced semi-automatic color correction

Can't edit multiple photos at once

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

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

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

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

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

Supports 9 popular graphic formats0006
Not demanding on PC resources
Simple interface
Lots of filters

Limited free version
Does not work on mobile devices

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

Low price, one-time payment
Monthly trial version without registration and subscriptions
New approach to photo preview on PC

Very slow background export
Few original presets
Cannot replace Photoshop

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

Huge number of basic image editing tools
Simple interface

Some tools are poorly developed
Limited photo retouching

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

Suitable for design
Many operations are carried out by drag and drop
Stock Photos, Templates & Design Tools

Not for photographers
Only works with JPEG

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

Suitable for color correction
Convenient interface

Pretty high price

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

A variety of advanced tools from Photoshop
No ads
Works with 9 layers0006
Supports a huge number of

No possibility to work offline

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 10 photo editing apps

Gadgets

Most smartphones have the Gallery app installed by default, which offers basic editing features. But processing and creating cool images on a mobile device may require specialized applications. nine0003

1. Snapseed

If you are new to photo editing, Snapseed is the best app for you. The Google app has a huge range of features and an intuitive interface that can compete with desktop photo editors and be suitable for more advanced users.

Advantages:

Huge selection of editing tools yet very easy to use nine0003

Adjust exposure, color and sharpness

Crop, rotate, straighten and correct perspective

Custom settings and healing tool

Black and white, vintage and texture filters

Portrait enhancement, lens blur and vignette

· Double exposure, frames and text

What's more, the photo editing app keeps a history of your edits, so you can make changes to your previous edits at any time. nine0003

Number of installations: over 100 million

Google Play Rating: 4.5

Download: iOS and Android

2. Adobe Photoshop Express

The mobile app uses many of the best photo editing tools from the well-known Photoshop desktop program. Despite the large number of additional features, this free photo editor is simple and convenient even on a small phone screen. nine0472

It has all the basic tools you need to create great shots - cropping, straightening, red-eye correction, brightness, contrast, saturation, filters, borders and more.

Its huge advantage is the choice of smart filters that automatically fix common problems like color temperature and exposure.

To use the Adobe Photoshop Express application, you need to create an Adobe ID account for free. nine0003

Photoshop Express Benefits:

· More than 80 filters for instant photo editing.

Photos can be imported and edited in RAW format

Perspective correction function to correct distorted perspective photos

Instantly share photos to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networking sites

Installs: over 100 million

Google Play Rating: 4.5

Download : Android, iOS

3. Bazaart

Suitable for creating surreal and artistic images

If you want to do more than just remove blemishes from your last selfie, Bazaart can help you transform your photo with unique effects.

Using the montage and collage tools, you can combine multiple design elements to create something new. You can overlay text and graphics on your photos and even move image segments for a surreal effect.

App Store Rating: 4.9

Download : iOS

4. Pixlr

The app is one of the most popular free photography apps. It has many different photo effects, overlays and filters to create unique and visually appealing images. nine0472

The photo editor contains over 2 million combinations of free effects, overlays and filters. In addition, users can create photo collages with different layouts, backgrounds, and spacing options.

Benefits:

· Ability to mark as favorite the most used effect or overlay

· Auto-correct function to balance image color

· Collage feature with up to 25 photos and various layout, background and spacing options nine0003

· Customize your interface

Cons: Contains advertisements.

Installs: over 50 million

Google Play Store Rating: 4. 3

Download : Android or iOS

5. PicsArt Photo Studio

With the powerful functionality of this editor, you can perform more than a thousand different actions with your photos. The service allows you to apply original filters, backgrounds and various special effects. There is a function of drawing with artistic brushes, working with image layers. PicsArt is available in 30 languages. nine0003

Finished pictures can be combined into a collage or simply saved in high quality. When uploading to Instagram, it is recommended to use the hashtag #picsart, the developers will assist in promotion. Editor's Choice on Google Play.

App installs: almost 500 million
Rating: in the App Store is in the TOP-10 in the category "Photo and Video"; in Google Play - 4.4.

Download : Android, iOS

6. Canva

The free photo editing software is easy to use and allows you to create graphics as well as edit pictures by simply dragging and dropping frames from your gallery.

It has many features for creating the perfect design or editing almost finished shots. One of the best things about Canva is its extensive template library, where you can place a photo in a predefined layout and style it with a variety of fonts, illustrations, graphics, colors and design elements. nine0003

Advantages:

Great for advertising photos on social networks
Lots of great features
Saves project history
Can be shared, printed and exported directly from the app

Disadvantages:

Unable to remove image background
Font size needs to be increased

Number of installs: almost 6 million nine0003

Google Play Rating: 4.7

Download: Android, iOS

7. Instasize

The app is designed for social media and influencers who want to create engaging, creative photos and videos for their social media. It includes dozens of visually appealing filters, color editing tools.

Plenty of editing tools also include photo retouching, font editing, and text editing features. nine0003

Advantages:

Focused on creating compelling social media content

· Dozens of useful features, including background images, beauty enhancements, borders, and filters to make content creation easier.

Create collages

· Sizes for different social media formats.

Fast and easy to use. nine0003

Cons: The free version is limited and includes ads.

Number of installations: about one million

Google Play Rating: 4.8

Download app: IOS or Android

8. Fotor

One of the most recommended and best photo editing apps for android with many cool features and image enhancement tools.

The application offers a wide range of photo effects and filters for image editing, such as raw file processing, borders, frames, color enhancement and lighting adjustment. With just a few clicks, you can customize the color, size, lighting, and more. nine0003

Benefits:

Feature rich photo editor and photo licensing platform
Smart filters and effects
Many collage templates (classic and magazine)

Cons: Lots of ads

Installs: over 10 million

Google Play Rating: 4.5

Download: nine0003

9. Photo Editor

Professional photo editor with a Russian-language menu. Available in the application: adjusting color and contrast, changing the size and angle of inclination, background and adding frame layouts.

The main feature of the service is its easy-to-use user interface. The only downside is the full screen ads that appear quite often.

Installs: over 100 million
Google Play Rating: 4.8 nine0003

Download app : Android, iOS

10. VSCO

One of the most popular photography apps for iPhone. The service is not only the best photo editing app, but also a photo sharing app.

The photo editor has an intuitive design, the main menu is simple and clear, and the tools are provided with simple, clear icons.

With the help of the application, you can share the received frames on social networks. nine0003

Advantages:

Free presets for instant photo editing

professional level tools

· Own VSCO community to share your photos

Installs: over 100 million

Google Play Rating: 4.2

Download : Android and iOS nine0003

Output

With the apps listed above, you can turn your photos into artistic masterpieces. Choose a photo editing app according to your needs. For example, we recommend using PicsArt or Pixlr to create collages. If you want to add fun effects to your selfies, try Bazaart or Snapseed.

Photo editors help you take your mobile photography to the next level with advanced editing tools.

hooray you're in!

What is the best photo editor software

The Best Photo Editing Software for 2023

Adobe Lightroom Classic

Best for Professional Photo Workflow

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

PROS

CONS

Adobe Photoshop Elements

Best for Photo Hobbyists

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

PROS

CONS

Adobe Lightroom

Best for Cloud-Synced Easy But Powerful Photo Workflow

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

PROS

CONS

DxO PhotoLab

Best for Noise Reduction and Camera Profile Corrections

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

PROS

CONS

Corel PaintShop Pro

Best for Budget-Conscious Image Editors

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

PROS

CONS

CyberLink PhotoDirector

Best for Combined Workflow, Editiing, and Effects

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

PROS

CONS

Capture One Pro

Best for Raw File Rendering

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

PROS

CONS

Skylum Luminar Neo

Best for Clean Interface, Filters, and Unique Fixes

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

PROS

CONS

Adobe Photoshop Express

Best for Mobile Photoshop Tools

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

PROS

CONS

ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate

Best for All-in-One Photo Tools

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

PROS

CONS

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Adobe Premiere Pro

Best for Professional Video Editing

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