When it comes to digital images, colours aren't simply stored as red, green and blue. In fact, they're modified so darker values are stored with more granularity than brighter ones. Unfortunately, if an image editor, such as Photoshop, doesn't take this into consideration when say, blurring, you'll get an incorrect -- and sometimes poor-looking -- result.

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.

If you're a casual Photoshop user, you probably know how to find the cropping tool and have a vague idea of what the lasso function does. But what about all those other mysterious looking icons? As it turns out, they all have something meaningful to contribute to the editing process and can vastly improve the appearance of your photos. This handy pictorial explains what every major tool on the taskbar does -- from the clone stamp to the colour selection tool.

Take a moment before you reshare that hilarious or terrifying image on your favourite social media channel of choice -- is it, in fact, as authentic as it first appears? From political scenes to shark invasions, the web is rife with fake photos thanks to easy-to-use image editing tools and gullible viewers. Here's how to make sure you don't get caught out.

Ready to make the jump from crayons to Photoshop? No need to panic -- the internet is packed with resources to guide you through your first steps in the world of professional image and photo editing. TastyTuts' comprehensive 33-video tutorial is as good as it gets and comes complete with extensive course notes and other useful content.

When it comes to design software, the Adobe Creative Cloud suite is king, and anyone looking to make a living as a graphic designer or video editor needs to know it inside out. Programs like Photoshop and Illustrator have a rep for being complicated, but thanks to this Adobe CC Essentials Training Bundle, you can master the suite in no time.

In a world where sophisticated Instagram filters enhance photographs and Snapchat filters can add on a full face of makeup, how does someone know when an image is doctored or when it's unaltered? It's tough, but one app is here to fight photo fraud by giving its stamp of authenticity for untouched content.

Adobe's Creative Suite is one of the best software packs out there for professionals, but the suite is prohibitively expensive for most people - and it's about to get even pricier in Australia. If you can't drop the cash, you can still get a similar experience with free or cheap software. Here's how to build your own Creative Suite.

Adobe Creative Cloud is about to get even more expensive in Australia. From June 5, all software in the CC suite will increase by a whopping 25 per cent. The good news is that you can pay the existing price for another year if you renew your subscription early.

A portrait is often defined with a little depth of field of effect that makes the person in focus really pop. Most smartphones can't produce this effect, but How-To Geek shows off a way to use a single Photoshop effect to create the same look.

Starting out in Photoshop can be scary, especially if you’ve never used a graphics tool as robust as it. With a little effort anyone can learn to be comfortable with Photoshop, but there’s a difference between being comfortable in Adobe’s flagship software and being useful with it.

We all love taking pictures - but as hundreds of thousands of over-exposed selfies, speed-smeared action shots and mis-cropped, poorly composed family photos will attest, most of us could us a little help with some basic Photography 101 steps.

Windows/Mac/Linux: If you're on the lookout for a digital painting tool and Photoshop is too expensive, Krita is a fast, free and open source art tool that was developed by artists looking for something that met their needs without a ton of bloat or overhead. Plus, it's completely cross-platform.

If you have a Chromebook that supports Play Store apps, you may be able to download and use six Adobe apps for free, from Photoshop to Illustrator.

Photoshop is the premier imaging software on the market, and it’s a skill many employers value in job candidates. That’s why picking up the Become a Photoshop Pro Bundle is a smart move, thanks to its 22 hours of top-notch Photoshop training.

Chromatic aberration is the unwanted distortion of colours that you sometimes notice on the edges of your photos. It happens because colours of light have different wavelengths, which means your camera lens refracts them slightly differently. Here's a quick fix to compensate in Photoshop.

If you're paying for premium software, chances are there's a free alternative out there you could use instead, with features just as good as the ones you've become accustomed to. Whether you fancy a change from your usual application-of-choice, or you're just on a tight budget, these are the free software apps you need to know about.

Windows: Affinity Photo, the superb Photoshop alternative on Mac, is now available on Windows computers. And you can currently download and use the software for free.

When it comes to graphic design software, the Adobe Suite is king—and essential for any aspiring designer to master. Fortunately, you can score a trove of Adobe Suite training with the Adobe Web and Graphic Design Master Package. Featuring 135 design courses, this colossal collection is the only resource you need to become an absolute Adobe pro.