Photoshop Alternatives: Another 14 Free Image Manipulation Tools

Image editing encompasses the processes of altering images. We use raster graphics editor as primary tool to edit a digital image in terms of manipulating, enhancing, transforming, applying effects and filters, and file formats converting.

Due to the popularity of digital cameras, image editing programs are readily available. At this moment, we believe Adobe Photoshop is still the most powerful program on market which perform a large variety of advanced image manipulations. However, not everyone will afford to get a copy for popular raster-based digital image editors like Adobe Photoshop if all one need to do is just basic image editing.

1. Photobie

   Photobie is image editing software that combines features amateurs can use with advanced tools professionals will appreciate. Photobie is free for personal use with no Pro upgrade to pay for — all features are free.
   

2. Photo! Editor

   Photo! Editor is powerful multifunctional software offering a complete set of image editing tools. It contains anything a digital camera owner might need to correct or enhance their photos. You will enjoy the ultimate convenience and professional approach provided by each of the tools. With Photo! Editor, you can remove red eye instantly, enhance the color of the image, make funny caricatures, add astonishing lighting effects, straighten, resample and crop images. The Denoise tool is one of the world’s best to effectively remove luminance and color noise from digital images made under poor lighting conditions. You will also appreciate the Make Up tool that offers a complete set of retouching filters to make the best of your portrait photos.
   

3. Phantasmagoria

   Phantasmagoria is a fun, light-weight image editing application. The main focus is to apply effects to images, along with the basic editing that might be required after a sub-par shoot. In other words, what most of us actually need.
   

4. Image Analyzer

   Image Analyzer is an advanced image editing, enhancement and analysis software. The program contains both most image enhancement features found in conventional image editors plus a number of advanced features not even available in professional photo suites.
   

5. Artweaver

   Artweaver is a Windows Freeware program to simulate natural brush tools. It is therefore suitable to leave your creativity free run. Artweaver offers you a clear program window, which can be used without training immediately.
   

6. Active Pixels

   Active Pixels resembles Photoshop in many aspects, from the way menus and windows are laid out on its interface to the keyboard shortcuts used for many actions. It also includes similar tools, like the magic wand, the gradient, the polygonal lasso and others. What’s more, it supports working with layers. Active Pixels also includes some extra embedded apps, such as a red-eye fixer, a picture browser and a screen capture tool – although it only grabs full-screen images.
   

7. Photoscape

   Photoscape is the fun and easy photo editing software that enables you to fix and enhance photos. Photoscape has a very powerful editor for you to perform resizing, brightness and color adjustment, white balance, backlight correction, frames, balloons, mosaic mode, adding text, drawing pictures, cropping, filters, red eye removal and blooming.
   

8. VCW VicMan’s Photo Editor

   VCW VicMan’s Photo Editor is a versatile image editor with an intuitive interface and a wide variety of features. This powerful application is user friendly, offering simple image editing, high productivity and easy customization.
   

9. PaintStar

   PaintStar is a versatile digital image processing software suitable for such tasks as retouching of photographs, composing and authoring images, image morphing, screen capture, and displaying image thumbnail in Windows Explorer context menu. It supports alpha, layer, path ,and the most common editing techniques.
   

10. Helicon Filter

    Helicon Filter is a complete image editing solution for the digital photographer. Its easy and intuitive interface, live preview feature, and in context help ensure an easy start for beginners. The program is built as step by step workflow guiding you through all post processing stages.
    

11. Evan’s Image Editor

    Evan’s Image Editor (EIE) is a free image editor that allows for editing and creation of animated or still images. It contains several GPU-powered image modifiers that take advantage of modern graphics hardware, giving you an instant preview of the effect while you adjust parameters.
    

12. Free Image Editor

    Free Image Editor is a bitmap image-editing application that lets you retouch existing photos or create original graphics. Free Image Editor provides a rich graphics toolset for digital photography, print production and Web design.
    

13. Photo Pos Lite

    Photo Pos Lite is a free lite version of the award-wining photo editor Photo Pos Pro. Using the Lite version you can edit, enhance and manipulate your pictures easily. You can edit and optimize your pictures, print it, resize it, convert it to another format and much more. The editor also includes some great drawing and painting tools for creating computer graphics. Support of scanners and digital cameras, Various of Image Enhancing and editing tools and functions, Paint Brush Tool, Shapes Tool, Clone Brush Tool, Rich Text Tools, Special Effects, Selection Tools, Simple Gradients and more.
    

14. MAGIX Xtreme Photo Designer

    In MAGIX Xtreme Graphic Designer your photos will be edited quickly and precisely. Its comprehensive set of features gives your less successful shots a helping hand and assists in transforming your photo ideas into reality. An intelligent Task Wizard explains simple and complex editing steps, resulting in successful image editing, fast!
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