Every photographer knows that image editing software is an essential part of their craft. Even in an elegantly posed shot with the perfect lighting and perspective, there can be one tiny detail that's off. Perhaps a bride has a blemish that she'd hate to remember when looking back on the pictures from her wedding day. Maybe the pictures from their anniversary party have left Grandma and Grandpa looking washed out, and a light sepia filter would do the trick. Whether you're cropping, airbrushing, editing contrast or adding text, photo editing software is the essential second step for all digital photographers.
Adobe Photoshop, arguably the most well-known photo editing software on the market, also happens to be one of the most expensive. Purchasing a legitimate copy of Photoshop costs much more than most people could afford on a photographer's salary, even less so if taking pictures is simply their hobby. While the monumental price tag attached to Adobe's popular software is disheartening, Photoshop is far from being the only option for image editing. In fact, there are a variety of free and cheap image editors, some of which are geared towards amateur photographers and others which will provide functional editing for the pros.
1. GIMP
Perhaps the most popular free image editor available, GIMP is an open source image editing program that is based around users downloading plug ins and add ons in order to customize the software to meet their needs. With the right setup, GIMP can easily mimic the functions of more expensive image editing software- the setup just takes a bit of legwork to perfect. In its most basic form, GIMP is a great tool for even the most novice photo editor, but when customized, it packs a punch.
2. Corel Paint Shop Pro
Paint Shop Pro, an image editing software formerly owned by Jasc, features an excellent suite of photo editing and imaging editing options. PSP allows users to create macros, a recorded series of edits that can be quickly and repeatedly performed on a batch of images. While Paint Shop Pro isn't free, it generally retails for around $100 and is often discounted. For an experienced editor, Paint Shop Pro is a pretty straightforward and self-explanatory piece of software. While it may look complex to a novice image editor, the software offers a convenient and effective tutorial to aid the learning process.
3. Picnik
For amateur photographers who mostly stick to taking family snapshots and consider photography a hobby, editing photos via an online editor is a definite option. Picnik is just the sort of editor that is appropriate in this situation. Picnik is free to use and easy to understand, featuring intuitive controls that are easy to navigate even without having used photo editing tools in the past. Picnik has an automatic photo fix feature which balances the brightness, contrast, saturation and color in a photo to create a nicer looking image. There are also plenty of filters available to dress up pictures and create artistic effects.
About the Author:
Written by Joseph Riley. Joseph is a photo enthusiast who lose learning and teaching all he can about photography, he buys all of his cameras and photo equipment online at snappit.com.au.
1. GIMP
Perhaps the most popular free image editor available, GIMP is an open source image editing program that is based around users downloading plug ins and add ons in order to customize the software to meet their needs. With the right setup, GIMP can easily mimic the functions of more expensive image editing software- the setup just takes a bit of legwork to perfect. In its most basic form, GIMP is a great tool for even the most novice photo editor, but when customized, it packs a punch.
2. Corel Paint Shop Pro
Paint Shop Pro, an image editing software formerly owned by Jasc, features an excellent suite of photo editing and imaging editing options. PSP allows users to create macros, a recorded series of edits that can be quickly and repeatedly performed on a batch of images. While Paint Shop Pro isn't free, it generally retails for around $100 and is often discounted. For an experienced editor, Paint Shop Pro is a pretty straightforward and self-explanatory piece of software. While it may look complex to a novice image editor, the software offers a convenient and effective tutorial to aid the learning process.
3. Picnik
For amateur photographers who mostly stick to taking family snapshots and consider photography a hobby, editing photos via an online editor is a definite option. Picnik is just the sort of editor that is appropriate in this situation. Picnik is free to use and easy to understand, featuring intuitive controls that are easy to navigate even without having used photo editing tools in the past. Picnik has an automatic photo fix feature which balances the brightness, contrast, saturation and color in a photo to create a nicer looking image. There are also plenty of filters available to dress up pictures and create artistic effects.
About the Author:
Written by Joseph Riley. Joseph is a photo enthusiast who lose learning and teaching all he can about photography, he buys all of his cameras and photo equipment online at snappit.com.au.
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