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Do you edit your photographs? A growing number of people edit their photographs to get the most out of them. For photographers that do not yet edit their photos the choice and learning curve of photo editing can be quite daunting. Even the choice of software is a large one, dependant on user needs and budget.
Here are just some of the good photo editing programs that work on Microsoft Windows. While most cost money, there are also several free alternatives.
Paid Photo Editing Programs
1. Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is one of the original photo editing applications and arguably the most powerful, and by far the most well-known. Photoshop is as synonymous with photo editing as Google is with web search. This industry standard software comes at a price though and is now only available via a subscription.
There is nothing that you cannot do in Photoshop. Its complexity is its strength and Achilles heel for casual users.
The program is available in most of adobes packages. However, they do a good deal for photographers that comes with Photoshop and Lightroom included.
Find out more here: https://www.adobe.com/uk/products/photoshop.html
2. Adobe Photoshop Elements
Adobe Photoshop Elements is a much cheaper, cut down version of adobe photoshop. This software is aimed more at casual photographers and image editors. It is often bundled free with many new cameras.
While Photoshop elements is not as complex as its bigger brother, it is still a very capable application for casual users that just want to tweak their photos.
Find out more here: https://www.adobe.com/uk/products/photoshop-elements.html
3. Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom is not just a photo editing application. It is also a complete catalogue and image management system. Lightroom allows you to edit all your images non-destructively. The cloud version of Lightroom allows you to sync your images over a range of devices for editing on the fly. However, the cloud storage does incur a cost.
Find out more here: https://www.adobe.com/uk/products/photoshop-lightroom.html
4. Affinity photo
Affinity Photo is made by Serif. It is available on a buy to own basis and is very affordable in price. Affinity Photo is a fully fledged editing application that works on Windows, Mac, and iOS. It has a wide range of tools including a panoramic image creator, raw editing, focus stacking, HDR, layers, and much more.
Affinity Photo has fully functioning, free trial version that you can use for 90 days. If you want to purchase it the normal price is £48.99 but it is currently only £23.99. For a one-off cost this is a bargain piece of software.
Download a free trial here: https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/90-day-affinity-trial//
5. Corel PaintShop Pro
Corel PaintShop Pro has been around for a long time. It is a very practical editing suite for users that do not have or want to spend the money on Adobe products. Corel follows the one-time purchase model, which means you can buy and own the software for as little as £69.99.
PaintShop Pro 2021 can import and manage photographs although, it is not a fully-fledged media library management system such as Lightroom.
Download a free trial here: https://www.paintshoppro.com/en/free-trials/
6. DxO PhotoLab
DXO PhotoLab claims to offer a more fluid workflow compared to Adobe’s Lightroom Classic, which is quite a bold claim. It is feature packed, complete with image management, raw processing, and a wealth of editing tools. The software is available as a free 30 day trial. It cost’s a one of payment of £199 for the full version.
Download your 30-day trial here: https://www.dxo.com/dxo-photolab/download/
7. Skylum Luminar
Skylum Luminar Neo is a controversial editing tool among the photography community. Luminar’s powerful tools bring sky replacements, image compositing, overlays and much more to the masses. Combined with the usual array of editing tools, this software is a great option for newer editors that would love to be more adventurous with their post processing.
The software is available as a subscription or a one-off payment. Find out more here: https://skylum.com/luminar
8. Topaz Studio
Topaz Studio is a collection of Topaz’s tools that allow non-destructive editing of images. This software is dedicated to editing and editing only. This means that there is no image management included to manage your library. The software creators state on their website:
There’s a lot of photo editors out there that help you manage your workflow and make minor contrast adjustments. Topaz Studio is not intended for that. If it doesn’t contribute to the vision of creating singularly beautiful images through post-processing, then we’re not including it.
The software is available as a free trial. It costs a one of payment of $99 for the full version. Find out more here: https://topazlabs.com/studio/
Free Photo Editing Programs
9. GIMP
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free image editing application that is also cross platform. To work GIMP requires Windows, Windows 7 or newer. This application is powerful, and is established as a good free editing solution. However, when compared to other paid editors, it can look less polished.
Download it here: https://www.gimp.org/downloads/
10. Paint.NET
Paint.net is a very basic photo editing application that is great for users who want to make minor tweaks. The program is totally free and simple to use. However, many users will want to switch to another editor should their needs go beyond the basics.
Download it here for free: https://www.getpaint.net/
There are a wealth of photo editing tools out there, and this is just a few. Which one will you try? Do you have any others to recommend?