GIMP is the open source Adobe Photoshop alternative
Available for Windows, Linux, and macOS, GIMP is a free photo editing tool with the ability to have masks, layers, color adjustments, and a huge library of plug-ins.
Image editing articles
How to Open .HEIC iPhone Photos in Windows
Out of the box, Windows does not support .HEIC files, so you can't open photos transferred directly from your iPhone or iPad devices. But the solution is simple.
FastStone Image Viewer is fast, free and also comes with a converter and editor
FastStone Image Viewer features image editing tools like a healing brush, sharpen/blur, color adjustment, and more with a UI similar to Windows Explorer.
Paint.NET 4.3.7 improves rendering speed by 100%
Free image editor Paint.NET has vastly improved rendering performance on its latest revision, in addition to other minor fixes. Download it here.
Darktable is a free and cross-platform Adobe Lightroom alternative
Darktable is a highly sought-after photography app that specializes in non-destructive raw image post-production, acting as a virtual light table and darkroom for your RAW images.
Krita, the free sketching and painting program, hits version 5.0
Krita 5.0 arrives with new animation tools, better format compatibility with AVIF and WebP, an overhauled UI and more.
Adobe Creative Cloud Express allows non-designers to create professional multimedia content
The base app is free, with a $10 premium tier that adds more assets and features
Why Do Image Files Need Different Formats?
Most of your digital photos use the JPEG format, but when you download an image from the web, it may be using the more modern WebP format. But why do we need so many file types? And how are they different?
Top Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop
While many professionals swear by Adobe Photoshop, others find it a bit overkill, and that also goes for the subscription. If you're among the latter, you should try some of these alternative photo editing tools.
Adobe's Super Resolution tool uses machine learning to give users clear 4x image supersampling
Upscale a tight crop of a distant subject or refresh the look of your old 8 MP photos
Open-source vector graphics editor Inkscape hits 1.0, free to download
After 16 years of development, Inkscape 1.0 introduces a long list of features that make the final version of this open-source free editor a very appealing tool for all kinds of designers. It's available to download for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Grab Skylum Luminar 3 for just $29, a pro-level, no subscription Adobe Lightroom competitor
Elevate your photos to the next level
Facebook researchers are working on a way to fix blinking selfies
The system uses a variant of 'deepfake' GAN technology
Gimp releases major update, version 2.10
GIMP 2.10 originally focused on porting the program to a new image processing engine, GEGL, but the new version also offers improved tools, better file formats support and a plethora of improvements targeted at digital painters and photographers.
DxO saves Google's Nik Collection photo editing software from extinction
But it's unlikely to remain free for much longer
Microsoft plans to remove Paint from Windows, but will still live at the Store
After 32 years as part of Windows, Paint will be moved to the Windows Store as a free download
GIMP, the popular free photo editor, gets updated
GIMP is arguably the closest it gets to an open source free alternative to Adobe Photoshop. With tons of features and image manipulation tools at your disposal (and the complexity that comes with it), GIMP is a powerful cross-platform desktop photo editing program. The latest version brings several GUI improvements, bug fixes and general enhancements. Full release notes and download links for Windows, macOS and Linux are here.
Five Free Worthy Replacements for Paid Image Editors
Adobe Photoshop has long been the gold standard for image editing among professionals and photo enthusiasts. But for the average user who just wants to touch up the occasional photo, it can be hard to justify the cost and it probably does more way than you really need or care to do. There are plenty of free alternatives and we've rounded out our picks.
