Photoshop may be one of the most known photo-editing software; however, it is not the only high-quality, user friendly photo editing software around. Some software for photo editing is free, while others must be paid for.
Depending upon what you want to use photo-editing software to accomplish, various software may have different levels of complexity and advanced functioning to meet your needs.
Here we take a look at the best four alternatives to Photoshop for magazine and newspaper editors, digital artists, photographers, and everyday consumers who just want to add a graphic or sharpen a picture.
1. InDesign
Photoshop alternatives in the publishing world include InDesign. This is also an Adobe product, but has enhanced tools for laying out text and photographs, formatting templates and custom pages, and superior technical customer support. The program offers a checklist so that you can be sure you have done all the actions for each page before printing it. You can also create QR Codes or do the layout for iPad apps without having to write any code. This software has one of the most comprehensive inventories of tools such as fonts and colours, and more.
Placeholder text is a useful feature to ensure that you can view the page design as it will look, even before you add the text which you want on the page. If you have ever seen the “lorem ipsum” text, this is what shows up in the placeholder text boxes. Editors who have final pages to fill with weekend events and sports can lay 95% of a publication out, leaving just those spaces for the last stories. The only downside is that it takes time to learn InDesign, but if you are in the publishing industry, you will find it is time well spent. Nearly as much as betting with Unibet.
2. Corel Painter
Digital artists trust Corel Painter X3 for their creative and business needs. Of the many digital painting software programs available, it is among the easiest to use and also features the most tools. Digital painting is high-quality with Corel, and the virtual studio you will find within the software rivals any major art studio. There are over 700 brushes, and basic tools include watercolors, pens, pencils, chalk, charcoal and more.
You can customise the tool layout on your canvas, use layering, import and export photographs, and use a reference image which will stay open while you are creating on your main canvas. Additionally, clone colours for your work from those used in your reference image. The mixing palette comes highly recommended, and auto-painting tools are included.
Some of Corel Painter X3’s available file formats include (RIFF) and video files (Framestack), but it also can open most other standard image files, including JPG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, BMP, TGA and PCX, PSD (photoshop) and QuickTime movies. The main drawback to Corel Painter X3 is the lack of support for lower versions of Window such as Vista and XP, although Mac OS seems to be fully supported. Digital artists are likely to have newer computer setups, so this may not be an issue for most who use the program.
3. Capture NX2
Professional photographers who want to save money and find an alternative to Photoshop will recommend Capture NX2. It is a particular favourite of those who use Nikon cameras. There are lots of correction tools, which can really highlight and make a difference to a photo or series of images. If you enjoy auto tools, there is a good auto retouch brush which will allow the user to remove dust, skin blemishes, and other little things which might detract from a decent shot.
There is another popular tool known as Quick Fix, which is actually a combination of some of the most common tools – exposure compensation, highlight protection, saturation, shadow protection, and level and tone curve all grouped together into a single window. This photo editor also lets photographers label and rate photographs. It has nine types of labeling and five levels of ratings, which is considered industry standard.
New photo editor users may find this program takes time to learn, however, most professional photographers have been working with photo software and trying new types is a routine part of the business.
4. GIMP
Everyday consumers will get a lot of enjoyment from programs such as GIMP. This program is compatible for Linux, Mac OS X, Sun OpenSolaris, FreeBSD, and Windows. Many have found similarities between this program and some of its more expensive, consumer-oriented counterparts. GIMP is free. You can also use it on your tablet. The tutorials are comprehensive and easy to follow.
There are a number of beginner and advanced retouching tools, including cloning, healing, correcting lens distortion, and vignetting.