Every professional photographer knows that taking a beautiful photo is only half the battle, as they still have to edit it for it to be finalized. Learning how to add effects, color correct, and balance exposure can transform an average photo into a spectacular one. To edit photos, you’ll need a photo editing software that fits your budget and preference, which can be easy to find if you look in the right places.
DarkTable
Starting with a photo editing software designed to be beginner-friendly, DarkTable is one of the few reliable open-source software to use. All you have to do is drag and drop the images you want to edit to the software to begin editing them. The speed that DarkTable functions at is also superior to most of the other free editing software out there, which makes it very convenient to use, especially if you’re in a hurry.
PhotoScape X
People trying to reach an amateur level of photo editing usually end up using PhotoScape as it has plenty of impressive features like its batch-processing capabilities and its countless one-click filters. Trying to take it up a notch from the amateur level is pretty hard on this software though, as it doesn’t have many advanced editing features and it’s only compatible with Windows OS.
Adobe Photoshop
The holy grail of editing software, Photoshop, has an extremely good reputation amongst all the other software for a very good reason. Photoshop provides you with all the advanced features while keeping the interface simple so that you can edit your images easily at any skill level. The best indicator that shows this is the tons of positive reviews that you can find online about this software. If you’re looking for a reliable editing software at a reasonable price, Photoshop is definitely the one for you.
Skylum Luminar
As you improve your photo editing skills, you’ll realize the importance of having access to a multitude of useful features on the same editing software. Having the ability to bundle up images and then running the auto-enhancers available on Luminar makes editing large amounts of photos an extremely easy task on this software. You also get access to a large variety of advanced features like Curve Editing, Denoising, and Advanced Contrasting. One of the best features of Luminar is that it allows you to use the entire software as a tool on Photoshop or Lightroom Classic, giving you all the features from both software simultaneously.
Corel PaintShop Pro
If you’re willing to spend some time learning the small details of a software, then Corel is a viable candidate for you. With an incredible amount of graphic design features and a large selection of photo editing tools, this software gives you the ability to kick it up a notch and edit photos on a professional level. The best part is that it also offers a free trial so you can always try it out first before you decide to invest any money into it.
Finding an easy-to-use photo editing software can be a little difficult if you’re not willing to try out a few to learn the ropes. If you find a software that’s extremely easy to use, it might not have all the features that you want and vice versa. Spending some time just testing out your different options can be very insightful when you’re making your final decision.
