>

PHOTOSHOP FEATURE

The 10 best alternatives to

Photoshop
Aug 5, 2014 14:26 pm

>2 comments (/photoshop/alternatives-1131641#comments-list)

Twe
url=http://www.creativebloq.
1131641&text=The%2010%20best%20alte

Photoshop's not the only image editor on the market. We

round up the best alternatives to Adobes software.

Photoshop (http://www.creativebloq.com/photo-editing/adobe-
photoshop-cs6-review-1233260) has become so pervasive in the last few
years that, like Google, it's become a verb: 'to Photoshop' has became
shorthand in common parlance for editing an image. Which might give
the impression that Adobe (http://creativebloq.com/tag/adobe)'s got
the market sewn up - but that's not actually the case.

There are a wide range of very capable alternatives to Photoshop just

waiting for you to discover. Whether you're looking elsewhere because
you can't justify the hefty standalone price tag, or you want to support
smaller development houses, or you just don't need all the bells and
whistles that come with the latest version of Photoshop, we've got you
covered.

Check out our selection below, and let us know in the comments if we've
missed your favourite Photoshop alternative!
> 01. GIMP
(http://www.techradar.com/downloads/gimp)

> GIMP is a popular, free alternative to Photoshop

Platform: Linux, Windows, Mac

Price: Free

An open-source alternative to Photoshop that debuted on Unix-based

platforms, GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program. Today
it's available in versions for Linux, Windows, and Mac.

GIMP offers a wide toolset, similar to Photoshop in many ways, and is a

great alternative if you're looking for a no-cost image editor. The
interface differs somewhat from Photoshop, but a version of GIMP is
available that mimics Adobe's look and feel, making it easier to migrate
over if you're ditching Photoshop.

Full suite of tools

The full suite of tools is available here - everything you're accustomed to
is within easy reach, including painting tools, colour correction, cloning,
selection, and enhancement.
 The team that oversees development has worked hard to ensure
compatibility too, so you'll be able to work with all the popular file
formats without any trouble at all. You'll also find a very capable file
manager built in, along similar lines to Adobe's Bridge.

Overall, this is a great option whether you've either got a limited budget,
or want to move away from Photoshop for other reasons. Download it
here for free. (http://www.techradar.com/downloads/gimp)

> 02. Paint.net

(http://www.techradar.com/downloads/paint-
net)

> For photo editing, free Windows tool Paint.net is an excellent alternative
to Photoshop

Platform: Windows
Price: Free

Paint.net is a Windows-based alternative to the Paint editor that

Microsoft shipped with versions of Windows. Don't let that put you off,
though, as it's a surprisingly capable and useful tool, available
 completely free of charge. The software started out life as a Microsoft-
sponsored undergraduate project, and has become an open source
project maintained by some of the alumni.

Ease of use
The focus is on ease of use, and there's a definite tendancy towards
photo editing rather than artistic creation. That said, there are a range
of special effects available, allowing you to easily create fake
perspective, blend and push pixels around the canvas, tile and repeat
selections, and so on.

A good range of selection tools, support for layers, and adjustments

such as curves and brightness/contrast mean that Paint.net is a great
alternative to Photoshop for photo editing, especially if you can do
without some of the more recent additions to Photoshop's toolset.
Download it here for free.
(http://www.techradar.com/downloads/paint-net)

> 03. Pixlr

(https://itunes.apple.com/app/pixlr-
express-plus/id526783584?mt=8)
> Pixlr comes with more than 600 effects

Platform: iOS, Android

Price: Free

Pixlr claims to be "the most popular online photo editor in the world",
which may have something to do with the fact that it's free.

But it also boasts more than 600 effects, overlays, and borders and lets
you do all the main things you'd expect from a photo editor, from
cropping and re-sizing to removing red-eye and whitening teeth.

And if you're used to using Photoshop, then you'll find Pixlr's user
interface easy to pick up quickly, as it's very similar. This free app is
available in both iOS (https://itunes.apple.com/app/pixlr-express-
plus/id526783584?mt=8) and Android
(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pixlr.express)
varieties. Download it here for free. (http://itunes.apple.com/app/pixlr-
express-plus/id526783584?mt=8)
> 04. Serif PhotoPlus X7
(http://www.serif.com/photoplus/#)

> PhotoPlus explicity sets out to recreate Photoshop's functionality

Platform: Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP

Price: 79.99

Of all the tools featured in this list, PhotoPlus is perhaps the most direct
competitor to Photoshop in terms of trying to replicate the different
tools in Adobe's software for the PC at a lower price.

It's definitely a case of getting what you pay for. To be frank, the tool can
be tricky for beginners to use, and lacks the slickness and reliability of
its big-bucks competitor.

But in the right hands it's possible to create quality work with
PhotoPlus, and at under 80 it represents a huge saving on buying
Photoshop CS6 (http://www.creativebloq.com/adobe-photoshop-cs6-
review-1233260) or subscribing to Photoshop CC
(http://www.creativebloq.com/adobe/photoshop-cc-2014-hands-
review-6143277).
> 05. Aperture
(https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aperture/id4089
mt=12)

> If you're a photographer, Aperture is a brilliant, budget alternative to

Photoshop

Platform: Mac
Price: $79.99/54.99

If you're a photographer, Apple's Aperture is a brilliant alternative to

Photoshop. While full of familiar features to Adobe's image editing
software, Aperture lacks all the other features - animation, 3D, web, etc
- the average photographer never uses, making it much simpler to use.

It's packed with innovative adjustment and enhancement tools to refine

images, including Auto White Balance that uses skin tones to correct
color casts, and a professional Auto Enhance that applies Exposure,
Vibrancy, Curves, and more with a single click.

The software also includes a set of brushes for painting image

adjustments on to images and dozens of ready-to-use professional
photo fffects
> 06. Acorn
(http://www.flyingmeat.com/acorn/)

> Acorn's new update includes the addition of non-destructive filters

Platform: OS X 10.8 & 10.9

Price: $29.99/20.99

Image editing software Acorn debuted back in 2007 and has provided
hobbyists and artists on a budget with a great, affordable alternative to
Photoshop ever since. Features of the software include layer styles, non-
destructive filters, curves and levels, blending modes and much more.

> 07. Sketch

(http://bohemiancoding.com/sketch/#2)
> Sketch includes tools similar to that of Photoshop and Illustrator at a
fraction of the price

Platform: Mac
Price: $79.99/54.99

Sketch by Bohemian Coding is a professional vector graphics app for

creatives. With a simple UI, Sketch has many features similar to that of
Photoshop and Illustrator, including layers, gradients, colour picker and
style presets.

Aware of the growing popularity of Retina displays and mobile devices,

the development team behind Sketch has made it as flexible as possible,
with it supporting infinite zooming and vector shapes that are perfect
for multiple resolutions. You can build a new graphic from primitive
shapes or start a new one with the vector or pencil tool. Take advantage
of the trial version on offer and try before you buy.

Read top designer Khoi Vinh's views on using Sketch instead of

Photoshop (http://www.creativebloq.com/khoi-vinh-using-sketch-
instead-photoshop-6133901).
> 08. PaintShop Pro X6
(http://www.corel.com/corel/product/index.jsp?
pid=prod4900067)

> PaintShop Pro: a Photoshop alternative that benefits from a streamlined

and slick interface

Platform: Windows
Price: 47.99

Brought to you by the same software house that produces Painter,

Paintshop Pro is a long-standing alternative to Photoshop that offers a
huge range of photo-editing and graphics creation tools. The latest
version features a streamlined and slick interface with a focus on
photography.

Naturally there's support for layers here, and a complete suite of tools
for editing, colour correcting, cloning and 'makeover' of photos, but
you'll also find sophisticated art media tools with realistic brush effects
and a range of vector options.

Additionally, Paintshop Pro supports Photoshop brushes, allowing you

to considerably extend the built-in library of tools.

Price drop
 Paintshop Pro has always been a viable and very capable alternative to
Photoshop. With the price having dropped over the years to its current
level, it's a very tempting alternative if you're Windows-based.

There's also an Ultimate version which costs an extra few pounds, but
bundles in additional filters, brushes, and royalty-free images.

> 09. Sumopaint

(http://www.sumopaint.com)

> Sumopaint works in the browser, and requires Adobe Flash to use

Platform: Web browser (requires Adobe Flash Player)

Price: Free for basic online version, $4/month for pro version

Sumopaint is a highly capable browser-based image editor. All the

standard features you'd expect from a desktop tool are present and
correct.

You need the Adobe Flash Player to use this tool, so you're not going be
using Sumopaint on your iPad. That said, it's lightweight and quick to
load, and the free version is very usable.
 The standard range of tools and adjustments you'd expect are all
included. Brushes, pencils, shapes, text, cloning, gradients, etc are all
quickly accessed from the Photoshop-esque floating toolbar. It can also
open saved documents from your hard drive, making Sumopaint a
perfectly viable option for editing and reediting.

RGB only
Some tools work in different ways to Photoshop, offering possibilities
that would be difficult to match in Adobe's offering. There are, however,
limitations that will put off some users.

The most important of these is that the editor appears to be RGB only,
limiting its use to screen-destined artwork only. No CMYK, Lab or other
colour models to be found here.

> 10. Pixelmator

(http://www.pixelmator.com)
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> Workflow is often much quicker using Mac tool Pixelmator than
Photoshop
 Platform: Mac
Price: $29.99/20.99

Pixelmator uses Mac OS X libraries to create fast, powerful image

editing tools. As it's built on Mac technologies, it's not available for
Windows or Linux, but it does allow the software to integrate seamlessly
with the likes of iPhoto and Aperture, as well as iCloud.

There are also built-in export tools for Facebook and Flickr. There are a
wide range of tools available within Pixelmator that allow you to paint,
draw accurately, and retouch images.

Colour correction
Colour correction tools such as Hue/Saturation, Shadows/Highlights
and Contrast are all present and correct - so the vast majority of
operations you'd use Photoshop for are all possible.

Indeed, in many cases the same workflow is substantially quicker in

Pixelmator than Photoshop, demonstrating the benefits of limiting to
and optimising the software for one platform.

Filters and formats

Like Photoshop, Pixelmator supports filters and comes with a collection
of 150 to play with. You can also open and save images in many of the
popular formats, including PSD, TIFF, PDF, and PNG.

When saving or opening Photoshop documents, layers are preserved

allowing you to collaborate effectively with colleagues using Adobe's
software.

Words: Sam Hampton-Smith

(https://plus.google.com/116123079188371614383?rel=author)

This is an updated version of an article previously published on

Creative Bloq. Did we miss your favourite image editing tool? Let us
know what to add to a future update in the comments.
 Tags: Photoshop (/tag/photoshop), Graphic design (/tag/graphic-design),
Computer Arts (/tag/computer-arts), Feature (/tag/feature)

2 COMMENTS

I always enjoy seeing alternatives because I'm not a big supporter

(/users/joewojo)
of monopolies... but it's hard to find an employer who doesn't
JoeWojo
(http://www.admest.com) require Photoshop as a skill / primary tool.
August 05, 2014 at 15:13
Report abuse (/future/report/comment/8304?destination=node%2F1641)

I wrote a post like this on my site:

http://www.creativebeacon.com/is-photoshop-the-best-photo-
editor/ (http://www.creativebeacon.com/is-photoshop-the-best-
(/users/designcrawl)
DesignCrawl photo-editor/) - It's funny you didn't mention Xara. A lot of
August 07, 2014 at 06:44 people swear by Xara, but I've never used it. Have any of you ever
used it? Is it any good?
Report abuse (/future/report/comment/8343?destination=node%2F1641)

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