Adobe isn't the easiest company to displace from the top of the photo processing pile. In fact, you could say it's nearly impossible. But that hasn't stopped a slew of developers from having a go. So, what are your options in 2017? Turns out, you have a few.
Last week, my favourite web-based photo editor, PicMonkey, started charging users. As it turns out, PicMonkey has also been a favourite with a good number of my Lifehacker coworkers. It's easy, lightweight and makes small edits like resizing photos or creating collages (stuff we do here pretty regularly) super simple. I've been using it almost every day, multiple times a day, for years.
Adobe Photoshop is the market leader when it comes to photo retouching, image editing, and creating new images from scratch. However, for most people's needs, it may just be too many features to wade through, too much money to spend, or too complicated to use. Thankfully, there are plenty of powerful alternatives. Here's a look at five of the best.
Windows: Free image editor Paint.NET has released its first major update in six years. The new version packs a better rendering engine and a bunch of other improvements that still rank it as an essential Windows download.
When you think of image editors on any platform, your mind goes straight to Photoshop. For most of us, paying Adobe's high costs will get us an app that does more than we really need. As a result, we feel Pixelmator will win the hearts of most users on the Mac. It handles just about every image-editing task you'd think to throw at it for less than the cost of two months of a Photoshop subscription.
We've covered the free Aviary online image editor several times -- it is robust enough to work for most people who want to tweak their photos but don't require a full version of Photoshop or GIMP. They've just released a plugin for Android that brings the same functions to your phone or tablet so now you don't have to transfer the image to your computer before editing.
iOS: If you've ever taken a hasty photo on your phone and didn't leave enough room on the outside, AntiCrop is the app can "uncrop" those photos by filling in the edges with just a few swipes.
Online editors are increasingly more capable of bridging the divide between spartan image editors like MS Paint and full-fledged editors like Photoshop. If you need something in the middle with a slew of features and options, Thumba has you covered.
