Are you looking to dive into the world of photo editing but hesitant to sink hundreds or thousands of dollars into an expensive tool that may be unwieldy in your unpracticed hands?

• Software For Editing Photo Background
• Apple Software For Photo Editing
• Free Software For Photo Editing
• Software For Photo Editing Offline
• Software For Raw Photo Editing

And no discussion of free photo editing software would be complete without mentioning the venerable GIMP, which is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It offers a ton of photoshop-style plugins. The best free photo editor software. The list we’ve outlined here includes any photo editing solution with an available free offering. It should be noted that six of the nine offerings offer versions of the product entirely for free, while the remainder offer at least a limited trial version for new users. Editor is a basic photo editing tool that you can use to optimize and fix your digital images in just a few clicks. This photo editing software has basic tools such as clearing skin imperfections and wrinkles, red-eye removal and retouching tools such as color optimization.

Luckily for you, there is a wealth of freephoto editing softwareoptions. Some are completely free, while others offer a free trial — but you can use a solution in either category as an introduction to these types of tools.

Images are everywhere. Taking great photos is easier than ever, thanks to our phones now have advanced camera capabilities like portrait mode. Our eyes are inundated with digital photos from the time we wake up until we drift asleep — phone in hand and Instagram feed up. Businesses use photos as a marketing tool, while individuals use them to capture special moments in their lives. Images are an integral part of business today, particularly in the marketing world, and image editing goes along with that.

Photo editing is vital to marketing content creation, so let’s take a look at which tools you can use to cut your teeth and figure out whether upgrading to a paid option is worth it.

Using reviews from real users, our list of free photo editors is ordered by highest user satisfaction as of June 22, 2018.

The list we’ve outlined here includes any photo editing solution with an available free offering. It should be noted that six of the nine offerings offer versions of the product entirely for free, while the remainder offer at least a limited trial version for new users. The free and paid options for each product are listed above. Scaling, however, will often require full investments for products.

These products alone have well over 5,778 validated user reviews on G2 Crowd as of June 22, 2018, and only represent a small portion of the 41-plus photo editing software offerings listed on our platform. Whenever possible, the products are ranked by user satisfaction score.

1. Adobe Photoshop

Image courtesy of Adobe

Adobe Photoshop, perhaps the most well-known photo editing tool, enables users to create and edit photos, illustrations and artwork. You can use the tool to design websites and mobile apps, as well as simulate painting styles.

Features

• Stroke smoothing
• 360-degree panorama workflow
• Various pen tools
• Paint symmetry
• Variety of enhanced tooltips
• Group layer arranging
• Custom path color and width

Free option

• Free trial for 30 days
• All features are accessible during the trial period

Paid options (for a single application)

• $20.99/month for an individual
• For businesses: $33.99/month per license

What users like:
“The 2018 version of Adobe Photoshop has a new highly improved brush management system along with new brushes from Kyle Webster and others. Very easy to import and create libraries. I also enjoy the improvements to Select & Mask, variable fonts, copy/paste for layers, the new Learn panel, which connects you right to online tutorials, and much more!”
— Adobe Photoshop review by Todd J.

What users dislike:
“Photoshop can be extremely hard to master. It took a long time for our employees to adapt to the software. I would like to see more filter tools and presets to use. Photoshop does offer some filters but not enough for the price you pay. Also, working with any kind of text in your document is difficult. Do not use Photoshop if you plan to work with just text. It is a pain.”
— Adobe Photoshop review by Connor R.

2. Pixlr Editor

Image courtesy of Pixlr

Pixlr is a robust HTML5 photo editing tool with which users can edit vector graphics. The software supports multiple file formats and contains a ton of editing tools, including overlays, prebuilt filters and a wide range of effects. You can find a more in-depth overview of Pixlr photo editor here.

Features

• One-click manipulation for a variety of tasks
• Instant effects tool
• Saturation and hue alteration
• Vector editor
• Detailed layering functionality

Free option

• Free to download and use without any restrictions

• Free trial of Pixlr Pro available

Paid option

• Pixlr Pro ($5/month): Supports PSD, XCF and Sketch formats

What users like:
“Something that comes to my mind when I think about the best features of this tool is its easiness to use: I'm thrilled at how easy it is to add and edit an image, because it's just a matter of opening your favorite image, and then you can add more focus to the picture, stylish pieces of text, crop and delete any part of the same image and even add many shapes and figures, and all of this by only selecting any of these options from the user panel. The sweetest part is that you can download or share anything you make with Pixlr.”
— Pixlr review by Valeria M.

What users dislike:
“The user interface isn't the best — seems very clunky. I also could never save any files to my account through the web app, which made editing graphics at a later time very tedious. Trying to work with layers, shapes or fonts is rather time consuming for the most part.”
—Pixlr reviewby Erica R.

Recommendations for others using the product:
“If you are learning or want to learn to edit photos, this is the right program to start; quite simple, with simple elements and tools that will help you to advance in this area and give you the necessary knowledge to reach a next level as editor.”
—Pixlr reviewby Angel J.

3. Affinity

Image courtesy of Affinity

Affinity is a powerful image editing suite for Mac designed for professionals. The software contains a robust feature set designed to give the user as much control as possible over the end product.

Features

• Complex channel controls
• Detailed coloration
• Vector drawing
• Layer effects (shadows, glows, outline, etc.)

Free option

• Free trial for 10 days

Paid option

• One-time fee of $49.99

What users like:
“As a beginner designer, it's good to weigh your options on what programs you'd like to be skilled in. I've used Photoshop throughout my schooling and was fascinated with it but it has been very expensive ever since I could remember. Thankfully Serif's Affinity Photo has the same types of tools to get the job done with less financial burn in your wallet! The program has great flexibility and a very nice interface that doesn't overwhelm me. I like how users can change the mode of the program, (aka ‘Persona’ modes) for specific designing needs. You can also create your own Persona. It truly is the Photoshop/Illustrator alternative I've needed. It's fast, efficient and genuine to photo editing/digital art.”
— Affinity review by Jasmine S.

What users dislike:
“Learning curve, limited documentation, small but growing user community.”
— Affinity review by Daniel G.

Recommendations for others using the product:
“The learning curve can be a bit high, but they have a decent forum where people discuss problems and solutions. They also are actively updating and adding new features, so it's still growing.”
— Affinity%20review'>Affinity review by James R.

4. Pablo Editor

Image courtesy of Buffer

Pablo is a fairly basic free image editing tool that businesses and individuals use to alter images for use in commercial and personal projects. The software’s focus is on image editing for social media use and touts the speed with which users can edit and publish images as its defining characteristic. Pablo also contains a massive image library from which users can select and utilize images free of charge.

Features

• Choose from a free content library of 600,000-plus images
• Light alteration tools
• Insert text and graphics
• Repositioning and resizing tools

Free option

• The tool is completely free to use

What users like:
“How easy it is. I mean, you just upload a shot, choose the style of your text, write what you want .. and you are done. No weird things, no more options, no more time than the one needed to do something easy .. A simple tool to get easy images with text. Also, being able to share directly to social channels from the app is a great point.”
— Pablo%20review'>Pablo review by Alexandro L.

What users dislike:
“The design options are limited in sizes, text placeholders and filters which could [be] very unattractive for designers. I understand that adding too many features could confuse some users but maybe some extra filters and free text placeholders could improve usability.”
— Pablo%20review'>Pablo review by Katie H.

5. Ribbet

Image courtesy of Ribbet

Ribbet is a free photo editor and collage maker that provides a full set of features for users. The software places a heavy focus on collage creation, enabling users to create many different types of collages.

Features

• Layering and watermarking
• Lighting alteration
• Huge selection of effects
• Auto-fixing tools

Free option

• Free to download and use

Paid option (Ribbet Premium)

• Monthly ($4.95)
• Twice per year ($19.95)
• Annually ($29.95)

What users like:
“Ribbet is designed with a user-friendly interface along with wide control options. The interface is really simple and clear and it makes all of the navigation as quick and efficient with a click of a button. This app also easily accommodates social networks so you can upload your photos from your computer of several different social media sites like Facebook, Flickr and Google+.”
— Ribbet review by Gregory B.

What users dislike:
“So much is premium (costs money) now that it is more convenient and cost-effective to use other editing software or apps that have the needed features free. Also, the userface feels a little outdated. I also find myself wishing for more control and fewer constrictions; the program feels limited sometimes.”
— Ribbet review by Bianca B.

Recommendations for others using the product:
“Ribbet will make it easier for anyone to make catchy pictures or images with text and make them look more professional.”
—Ribbet review by Maria R.

6. Photos

Image courtesy of Apple

Photos is a multifaceted tool featuring cloud storage, image hosting and photo editing. This completely free application contains basic but powerful photo editing tools to help you polish the cache of images you are hosting on the software.

Features

• Complex in-image search
• Mobile photo editing
• Light and color alteration

Free option

• Completely free to download and use

What users like:
“Photos is the best storage platform because it's FREE, unlimited image storage. I love that it can be accessed anywhere s.. and the editing feature is awesome. As a professional and personal user, I can edit and download the photos I want to use when I work from a desktop, and edit and share right from the app on mobile. It saves me time and effort when using photos or videos. I love that you can search by date, names, subjects or anything — it's amazing!”
— Photos review by Jessie P.

What users dislike:
“Much of the time I feel like the software isn't very fluid and by that I mean it doesn't always consistently sync across the board with all of my devices so there are pretty consistent errors that happen within the file scheming.”
— Photos review by Joel V.

Recommendations to others considering the product:
“If you need a feature-rich solution, then Lightroom by Adobe is the easiest choice. But if you're not a pro editor, it can be intimidating, making Photos an easy and simple choice.”
—Photos review by Benjamin V.

7. GIMP

Image courtesy of GIMP

GIMP is an open-source image manipulation [tool] with which users can edit photos, create original artwork and retouch images. It is a multifaceted tool with a variety of features for professionals and hobbyists alike.

Features

• Advanced digital photo retouching
• Perspective distortion fixing tools
• Customizable interface
• Support for multiple file formats

Free option

• GIMP is a completely free, open-source software

What users like:
“GIMP is a great graphic design software because it lets you manipulate the image using many of the same features found in Photoshop. You can create layers, edit and create shapes, cut images intelligently to then overlay overlayers, angle and change perspectives of images, use countless paint brushes and shapes, paint exact colors and more. And for people new to the software, there are endless tutorials to teach you how to use the software. Both the program and the training are free.”
—GIMP review by Adam R.

What users dislike:
“One thing that I really dislike about GIMP is the text edit feature. It is really hard to edit text after you have added it to an image. I also dislike the options for vectors. It is very had to import a vector from an outside source and be able to edit it within GIMP. It is also very hard to create vectors in GIMP.”
—GIMP review by John P.

Recommendations to others considering the product:
“Search for videos on how to use the program and check with GIMP community members who have answered questions you may have. Be sure to do updates if it has been a while since you have downloaded the program.”
—GIMP review by Jessie J.

8. CorelDRAW

Image courtesy of Corel

CorelDRAW is a professional photo editing and website design software. The software is optimized for professionals looking to create and edit graphics, illustrations, photos, art and more.

Features

• Block shadow tool
• Align and distribute nodes
• Symmetry drawing mode
• Corner control in dashed lines and outlines
• Impact tool

Free option

• 15-day free trial

Paid option

• Perpetual license (one-time fee of $499)
• Annual subscription ($198/year)

What users like:
“This software, despite being used at a professional level, is ideal for beginners; it is very easy to learn to use and has great tools such as the automation vectorization module. The help window located on the left of the window is wonderful; it indicates step by step the functions of the selected tool. The text viewer is excellent; it greatly facilitates the process to choose the right source.”
—CorelDRAW review by Libia G.

What users dislike:
“The software becomes very slow when you are working files with more than 100 pages; sometimes the program can be a bit unstable; the module to export to more formats should be improved for future versions in order to ensure that vectors or texts that are exported do not suffer major changes in the process.”
—CorelDRAW review by Edgar R.

Recommendations to others considering the product:
“It's a great way to work with seamless integration among apps in the Suite, from vectors to bitmaps to fonts without forking out large sums to own it or becoming dependent on annoying subscriptions and cloud computing. Buy it, use it and get your pro work done fast without having to study complicated tutorials.”
—CorelDRAW review by Robert R.

Jul 03, 2013  Download this game from Microsoft Store for Windows 10, Windows 8.1. See screenshots, read the latest customer reviews, and compare ratings for Island Tribe 3. Download this game from Microsoft Store for Windows 10, Windows 8.1. See screenshots, read the latest customer reviews, and compare ratings for Island Tribe 3.

9. Capture One Pro

Image courtesy of Phase One

Capture One Pro is commercial-grade photo editing software. Typically used by professional photographers, the photo editing software gives users full control over the editing process with a full complement of tools.

Features

• Handwritten annotations directly on the image
• Layered workflow
• Feather and refine masks
• Export crop to path
• Color improvements

Free option

• 30-day free trial with all features unlocked

Paid option

• $299 one-time fee

What users like:
“Raw processing is amazing in this software, and there is no other software in the marketplace that makes tethered shooting as much of an ease. While there's absolutely a steep learning curve, once you learn the ins and outs of this software it's a huge asset. Some of the best perks are the ability to convey more information to offsite teams — such as being able to set up a Capture Pilot session for an offsite art director, or being able to send layered files to a retouching/editing department with annotated notes. I've never used software that handles adjusting colors so well.”
—Capture One Pro review by Anne T.

What users dislike:
“I do feel like the RAW adjustments in Capture One can quickly push a photograph out of gamut, I also dislike that there are not a lot of ‘styles’ available for Capture One like for example VSCO. I do wish that I could move files on my computer like in Lightroom, for example I can drag a folder in LR into another folder and LR will move the file on my hard drive for me.”
—Capture One Pro review by Zachary A.

Recommendations to others considering the product:
“Capture One isn't an easy software for beginners and could be complicated for the new professionals. If you decide to consider it, take your time to discover everything and you'll see that Capture One is just THE software to treat your pictures.”
—Capture One Pro review by Greg S.

Next steps for selecting the best free photo editor

G2 Crowd has thousands of reviews in the photo editing softwarecategory to help you do your due diligence during your research process. Photo editing software often integrates with photo management software. The combination of the two provides users with an inclusive solution through which they can manage their photo repositories, edit images, and share them via the outlet of their choice. Take a look at the photo editing software on G2 Crowd to sort through the dozens of options and choose the one that is right for you.

NVIVO 11 Pro OverviewNVIVO 11 Pro Free Download is a useful application that can be used for assessing the qualitative data. Nvivo 11 free download. This application can be used for importing in addition to analyzing the files, images, PDFs, audio, video in addition to web pages.

Are you ready to take your photos to the next level? Learn how to incorporate elements and principles of graphic design into your photography.

* Please note: Reviews may have been edited for spelling and grammar.

What Kind of Photo Editing Software Do You Need?

Whether you merely shoot with your smartphone or you're a professional photographer with a studio, you need software to organize and edit your photos. We all know that camera technology is improving at a tremendous rate. Today's smartphones are more powerful than the point-and-shoots of just a few years ago. The same can be said for photo editing software. 'Photoshopping' pictures is no longer the exclusive province of art directors and professional photographers. Whether you're shooting from an iPhone XS or a DSLR, if you really care how your photos look, you'll want to import them into your PC to organize them, pick the best ones, perfect them, and print or share them online. Here we present the best choices in photo editing software to suit every photographer, from the casual to the professional.

Of course, novice shooters will want different software from those shooting with a $50,000 Phase One IQ3 in a studio. We've included all levels of PC software here, however, 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 most comfortable with the products that are intended for them.

Note that in the table above, it's not a case of 'more checks mean the program is better.' Rather, it's designed to give you the quick overview of the products. 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, and whether you even need the checked feature depends on your photo workflow. For example, DxO Photolab may not have face recognition or keyword tagging, but it has the finest noise reduction in the land and some of the best camera- and lens-based profile corrections.

Free Photo Editing Options

So you've graduated from smartphone photography tools like those offered by Instagram and Facebook. Does that mean you have to pay a ton for high-end software? Absolutely not. Up-to-date desktop operating systems include photo software at no extra cost. The Microsoft Photos app included with Windows 10 may surprise some users with its capabilities. In a touch-friendly interface, it offers a good level of image correction, autotagging, blemish removal, face recognition, and raw camera file support. It can even 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 Apple Photos, you can search based on detected object types, like 'tree' or 'cat' in the application (Microsoft Photos now offers this feature, too). Apple Photos also can integrate with plugins like the excellent Perfectly Clear, appeasing power users who lament the company's discontinuation of the prosumer-level Aperture program.

Ubuntu Linux users are also covered when it comes to free, included photo software: They can use the capable-enough Shotwell app. And no discussion of free photo editing software would be complete without mentioning the venerable GIMP, which is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It 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.

How to Edit Your Photos Online

In this roundup, we've only included installable computer software, but entry-level photo shooters may be adequately served by online photo-editing options. These are mostly free, and they're often tied to online photo storage and sharing services. Flickr (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. They even approach the two entry-level installed programs here, but they lack many tools found in the pro and enthusiast products. The latest version of Lightroom CC includes a good deal of photo-editing capabilties in its included website, too. Other notable names in web-based photo editing include BeFunky, Fotor, and PicMonkey.

Image Editing for Enthusiasts and Prosumers

Software For Editing Photo Background

Most of the products in this roundup fall into this category, which includes people who genuinely love working with digital photographs. These are not free applications, and they require a few hundred megabytes of your disk space. Several, such as Lightroom and CyberLink PhotoDirector, are strong when it comes to workflow—importing, organizing, editing, and outputting the photos from a DSLR. Such apps offer nondestructive editing, meaning the original photo files aren't touched. Instead, a database of edits you apply is maintained, and they appear in photos that you export from the application. These apps also offer strong organization tools, including keyword tagging, color-coding, geo-tagging with maps, and in some cases face recognition to organize photos by what people 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 or not. (Strangely, the new version of Lightroom CC—non-Classic—offers no printing capability at all.) Lightroom Classic can directly share photos to sites like Flickr and SmugMug. In fact, all really good software at this level offers strong printing and sharing, and some, like ACDSee and Lightroom, offer their own online photo hosting.

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 simply means what it sounds like, a file with the raw sensor data; it's not an acronym or file extension, so there's no reason to capitalize it.)

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.

Apple Software For Photo Editing

Enthusiasts want to do more than just import, organize and render their photos: They want to do fun stuff, too! Editors' Choice 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 in some of these products let you do things like move objects around while maintaining a consistent background, or 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. Capture One and Lightroom have even more precise tools for local selections in recent versions, such as the ability to select everything in a photo within a precise color range and to refine selection of difficult content such as a model's hair or trees on the horizon.

Professional Photo Editing Software

At the very top end of image editing is Photoshop, which has no real rival. Its layered editing, drawing, text, and 3D-imaging tools are the industry standard for a reason. 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 import and organization. In addition to its workflow prowess, Lightroom offers mobile apps so that photographers on the run can get some work done before they even get back to their PC. Those who need tethered shooting (taking pictures in the software from the computer while it's attached to the camera) may want Capture One, which is offers lots of tools for that along with its top-notch raw-file conversion.

Photoshop offers all and more of the image editing capabilities in anything mentioned above, though it doesn't always make producing those effects as simple, and it doesn't offer a nondestructive workflow, as Lightroom and some others do. Of course, some users with less-intensive needs can get all the Photoshop-type features they need from other products in this roundup, such as Corel PaintShop Pro. DxO OpticPro is another tool pros may want in their kit, because of its excellent lens-profile based corrections and unmatched DxO Prime noise reduction.

Free Software For Photo Editing

Photoshop is also where you find Adobe's latest and greatest imaging technology, such as Content-Aware Crop, Camera Shake Reduction, Perspective Warp, and Detail Enhancement. The program has the most tools for professionals in the imaging industry, including Artboards, Design Spaces, and realistic, customizable brushes.

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, and multiple mobile apps. It definitely makes the app more affordable for prosumer users, too, when you consider that a full copy of Photoshop used to cost a cool $999.

Software For Photo Editing Offline

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, make sure to educate yourself with our Quick Photography Tips for Beginners and our Beyond-Basic Photography Tips, too. That done, you'll be ready to shoot great pictures that you can make better with the software featured in this story. Click the links below for to read the full reviews.

Software For Raw Photo Editing

Best Photo Editing Software in This Roundup:

• Adobe Photoshop CC Review

  
  MSRP: $9.99
  

  Pros: Multitude of photo correction and manipulation tools. Slick interface with lots of help. Tools for mobile and web design. Rich set of drawing and typography tools. 3D design capability. Synced Libraries.

  Cons: No perpetual-license option. Premium assets aren't cheap. Interface can be overwhelming at times. Lacks support for HEIC.

  Bottom Line: Adobe continues to improve the world's leading photo editing software. The 2018 edition adds a new auto-select tool, raw camera profiles, loads of font and drawing capabilities, and support for the Microsoft Surface Dial.

  Read Review

• Adobe Lightroom Classic CC Review

  
  MSRP: $9.99
  

  Pros: Excellent photo management and organization. Camera and lens-based corrections. Brush and gradient adjustments with color and luminance masking. Face detection and tagging. Connected mobile apps.

  Cons: Although improved, import is still slow. Initial raw conversion is slightly more detailed in some competing products.

  Bottom Line: Adobe's Photoshop Lightroom remains the gold standard in pro photo workflow software. It's a complete package, with top-notch organization tools, state of-the-art adjustments, and all the output and printing options you'd want.

  Read Review

• Adobe Photoshop Elements Review

  
  MSRP: $99.99
  

  Pros: Many powerful image-manipulation tools. Strong face- and geo-tagging capabilities. Excellent output options. Auto-tagging and powerful search options. Helpful guidance for advanced techniques.

  Cons: Large disk footprint. No HEIF support on Windows. No chromatic aberration correction or lens geometry profiles. Lacks many social sharing outputs. No local help system.

  Bottom Line: Adobe Photoshop Elements, our favorite consumer-level photo editor and organizer, adds AI-powered auto-curation, an open closed eyes tool, and new Guided Edits.

  Read Review

• DxO PhotoLab Review

  
  MSRP: $129.00
  

  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. Highest noise-reduction setting can require long waits.

  Bottom Line: Though it's still not a complete photo workflow solution, DxO PhotoLab can deliver image results beyond what's possible in other photo software.

  Read Review

• Corel PaintShop Pro Review

  
  MSRP: $79.99
  

  Pros: Photoshop-like features at a lower price. Powerful effects and editing tools. Face recognition. Tutorials. Good assortment of vector drawing tools.

  Cons: Some operations still slow. Interface can get cluttered. Ineffective chromatic aberration removal.

  Bottom Line: Corel continues to add new photo-editing possibilities to its PaintShop Pro photo-editing software, making it a worthy Photoshop alternative at a value-conscious price.

  Read Review

• CyberLink PhotoDirector Review

  
  MSRP: $99.99
  

  Pros: Friendly yet powerful interface. Effective noise reduction. Cool multiple-exposure and faux HDR effects. Body shaper and other powerful editing tools. Layer support. Cool AI styles. Tethered shooting support.

  Cons: Not enough lens-profile corrections. Inadequate chromatic aberration correction. No geotag maps.

  Bottom Line: Photo workflow and editing program CyberLink PhotoDirector offers a smooth interface and powerful capabilities. New in this version are multiple-exposure effects, more layer options, and a video-to-photo tool.

  Read Review

• Phase One Capture One Pro Review

  
  MSRP: $299.00
  

  Pros: Excellent raw file conversion. Pleasing interface. Fast import. Good photo-adjustment toolset. Keyword tagging tool.

  Cons: Some usability quirks. No online-sharing features. No face recognition. No panorama or HDR merging capabilities.

  Bottom Line: Phase One Capture One offers pro and prosumer digital photographers excellent detail from raw camera files, and local adjustments including layers, but it trails in organization tools.

  Read Review

• ACDSee Photo Studio Professional Review

  
  MSRP: $99.99
  

  Pros: Full set of image editing tools. Good performance. Lens-profile-based geometry correction. Face recognition and geotagging. Good skin-improvement tools. Responsive performance. Cloud storage integration.

  Cons: Interface not as polished as others. Lens-profile-based image correction tools less effective than the competition's. Weak noise and chromatic aberration tools.

  Bottom Line: ACDSee's pro-level tool offers many powerful photo organizing and editing tools, but it falls short of competitors in raw camera file conversion and usability.

  Read Review

• Alien Skin Exposure Review

  
  MSRP: $149.00
  

  Pros: Pleasing interface. Lots of nifty effects and filters. Fast image transfer. Layers and local adjustments. Good printing options.

  Cons: No auto-correction tools. Weak lens-profile corrections. No chromatic aberration correction. No face or geo-tagging.

  Bottom Line: Exposure, the photo-workflow software from Alien Skin, does a lot of what you get in Adobe's Lightroom, but it's missing some key capabilities, such as auto-correct tools.

  Read Review

• Skylum Luminar Review

  
  MSRP: $69.00
  

  Pros: Pleasing interface. Good automatic photo fixes. Lots of filters. Local adjustments with brush and gradients. Curves. Multiple workspaces and catalogs.

  Cons: Some speed and reliability issues on Windows. No Library search. Some standard controls are buried. No face recognition or keyword tagging.

  Bottom Line: Skylum Luminar offers effective automatic photo enhancement, a modern interface, and some unique filters and adjustment tools. Its organization capabilities, however, fall short of the competition's.

  Read Review