Design your way

If you’re looking for a powerful image editor, there is no better alternative than Adobe Photoshop.

This graphic composer is dominating the market for more than 15 years, which explains how many decent Photoshop competitors appeared to replace the super-force with attractive prices and functionalities.

While it is true that it is difficult to find a tool that is better than Photoshop, you should keep in mind that there are Adobe Photoshop alternatives that can even be acquired for a lower price or even for free.

In fact, Photoshop has become just as ubiquitous as Google, its name being used as a verb which refers to all types of image editing. At this point, it is not unusual to think that Adobe’s Creative Cloud Packages are unique, but that’s not necessarily the truth.

The market is packed with programs like Photoshop that do deserve clients’ attention, and the reason people still opt for it just because they’re convinced that the multiple high-end features they may not even use are irreplaceable.

The industry doesn’t look as it did 10 years ago, and Photoshop is just a piece of a large software spectrum. Unfortunately, being the linchpin of Adobe’s Cloud services, the full Photoshop suite is often more than novice designers can afford.

Adobe tried to solve the pricing problem by developing a separate subscription strategy, where options differ for hobbyists and professionals looking to earn with it. Some of the pro shooters are accommodated to demand, as for instance the Photography Program that costs $9.99, and which covers Mix, Lightroom, cloud-based storage, syncing, and sharing extras.

Like it or not, Photoshop’s popularity is decreasing to the benefit for free Photoshop alternatives, be it because of its unappealing subscriptions or overwhelming bells and whistles. What if there is an alternative to Photoshop that can actually be more convenient for your needs?

GIMP

GIMP or GNU’s Image Manipulation Program is one of the best Photoshop alternatives that can be used at no cost.  Just as Photoshop, GIMP is a professional cross-platform editor, which looks and feels familiar enough to adopt it immediately.

The only drawback is that GIMP, unlike Photoshop, won’t handle RAW files independently, and will expect you to download UFRaw-like plugins and converters to get grasp on its full capacity.

If decided to complete your Photoshop replacement with GIMP, you should also give a look to their immense plugin library, where you can find interesting layers and photo effects.

Sketch

If looking for creative alternatives to Photoshop, you should look at professional vector graphic apps such as Sketch which has really caused a buzz across the designer community.

With an UI way simpler than Photoshop’s, Sketch still assembles an array of professional features, including gradients, layers, style presets, and color pickers, which is why we perceive it to be a great Illustrator alternative as well.

Pixelmator

Pixelmator is a Mac-exclusive image editor whose latest version comes considerably close to Photoshop’s capabilities. The platform includes compressed memory features and multi-monitor support in OS X Mavericks. The price, nevertheless, is considerably lower than the one of Photoshop, and there is also the ease of use that makes Pixelmator more appealing.

Paint.NET

If you’re a Windows user looking to substitute Photoshop with an easier system, consider Paint.NET. It was originally designed to take to the place of old good Microsoft Paint, which is why it is incredibly easy to use.

Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer is another precise, smooth, and fact graphic and vector designer, mostly applied in the branding and concept art industry. You can also apply it for mockups, UX and UI projects, and print tasks. In all cases, it will transform the way professionals work, be it on a MAC or a Windows device. It is particularly known for its stability and lack of bloat.

Pixlr

Speaking of free Photoshop alternatives, make sure you don’t skip Autodesk’s Pixlr editor, as this solid tool will help you complete almost any project you have assigned. It offers a plethora of advanced features and separate desktop/mobile apps, all of them available for $15 per year.

PaintShop Pro

PaintShop Pro is the fiercest and most persistent Photoshop rival that has a fairly similar functionality suite, but its price is considerably lower. Unless you’re specifically looking for Photoshop’s most advanced features, you will find it to be an extremely capable editor.

Acorn

Flying Meat’s Acorn is highly preferred by people interested to do simple editing, such as beautifying family photos or managing small collections.

Nevertheless, Acorn has just introduced a very potent version that excels in image editing, and features a number of non-destructive filters, levels, curves, and layer styles and masks such as the ones of Photoshop.

Affinity Photo

Affinity Photo also does a good job ‘pretending’ to be an off-the-shelf Photoshop, and that’s because it is fast, professional, and very advanced. Inside, you will even discover a ready-to-use CMYK 16-bit channel editor, Photoshop-style filling tools such as Inpainting, and RAW processing.

ACDSee Pro

ACDSee’s last version Pro 10 has everything designers need to maximize the potential of images, and do so in less time they would with Photoshop. Alongside its great editing features, ACD Pro comes with a digital asset management suite, and multiple non-destructive adjustments you can apply to control and enhance image production.

SumoPaint

SumoPaint has a free and a paid version, both hosted in cloud and read for some basic editing. Using it, you can benefit from features such as brushes, gradients, symmetry tools, and many more.

Krita

Many review platforms describe Krita as the superior editing tool for UNIX and Linux, because of the wide choice of open-source KOffice tools it provides. We can’t say it is exactly reminiscent of Photoshop or GIMP, but we are convinced it has enough homegrown functionality to be considered a leader.

Corel AfterShot Pro

Corel AfterShot Pro is the main opponent of Photoshop’s Lightroom, considered mostly by professional photographers looking to manage their work. The app can be used as a non-destructive manager, editor, and Raw Converter, and it is totally worth the money you would pay for it.

CyberLink PhotoDirector Ultra

PhotoDirector intends to make image editing fun with its multiple cross processing, curving, and noise reduction features, but it also possesses professional additions such as HDR and white balance. The most affordable version is Deluxe, bit in order to get grasp of its full potential, you should look at the Ultra package instead.

PhotoLine

PhotoLine is another professional design tool on the list that can be used for professional editing, page layout, and drawing. Among its pro-level features, you will find CMYK, RAW conversion profiles, 16 bit channels, Labs, and ICC profiles compatible with most leading digital cameras.

The interface looks plain compared to the one of Photoshop, but the hint is that you can customize it to include all brushes, layouts, mask modules and vector tools to tailor it to tour needs. Note that it is also empowered with 3D editing, multi-page layouts, keyboard shortcuts, 32/64-bit Photoshop plugins, and a variety of import and export data formats.

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