104 Photo Editing Tools You Should Know About
Hello, photographers. For the last two months, I’ve been doing market research for my project Photolemur and looking for different tools in the area of photo enhancement and photo editing. I spent a lot of time searching, and came up with a large organized list of 104 photo editing tools and photography apps that you should know about.
Table of contents
- Photo enhancers (1-3)
- Online editors (4-21)
- Free desktop editors (22-26)
- Paid desktop editors (27-40)
- HDR photo editors (41-53)
- Cross-platform image editors (54-57)
- Photo filters (58-66)
- Photo editing mobile apps (67-85)
- RAW processors (86-96)
- Photo viewers and managers (97-99)
- Other (100-104)
Photo enhancers
1. Photolemur – The world’s first fully automated photo enhancement solution. It is powered by a special AI algorithm that fixes imperfections on images without human involvement (beta).
2. Softcolorsoftware – Automatic photo editor for batch photo enhancing, editing and color management.
3. Perfectly Clear – Photo editor with a set of automatic correction presets for Windows&Mac ($149)
Online editors
4. Pixlr – High-end photo editing and quick filtering – in your browser (free)
5. Fotor – Overall photo enhancement in an easy-to-use package (free)
6. Sumopaint – The most versatile photo editor and painting application that works in a browser (free)
7. Irfanview – An image-viewer with added batch editing and conversion. rename a huge number of files in seconds, as well as resize them. Freeware (for non-commercial use)
8. Lunapic – Just a simple free online editor
9. Photos – Photo viewing and editing app for OS X and comes free with the Yosemite operating system (free)
10. Fastone – Fast, stable, user-friendly image browser, converter and editor. provided as freeware for personal and educational use.
11. Pics.io – Very simple online photo editor (free)
12. Ribbet – Ribbet lets you edit all your photos online, and love every second of it (free)
13. PicMonkey – One of the most popular free online picture editors
14. Befunky – Online photo editor and collage maker (free)
15. pho.to – Simple online photo editor with pre-set photo effects for an instant photo fix (free)
16. pizap – Online photo editor and collage maker ($29.99/year)
17. Fotostars – Edit your photos using stylish photo effects (free)
18. Avatan – Free online photo editor & collage maker
19. FotoFlexer – Photo editor and advanced photo effects for free
20. Picture2life is an Ajax based photo editor. It’s focused on grabbing and editing images that are already online. The tool selection is average, and the user interface is poor.
21. Preloadr is a Flickr-specific tool that uses the Flickr API, even for account sign-in. The service includes basic cropping, sharpening, color correction and other tools to enhance images.
Free desktop editors
22. Photoscape – A simple, unusual editor that can handle more than just photos
23. Paint.net – Free image and photo editing software for PC
24. Krita – Digital painting and illustration application with CMYK support, HDR painting, G’MIC integration and more
25. Imagemagick – A software suite to create, edit, compose or convert images on the command line.
26. G’MIC – Full featured framework for image processing with different user interfaces, including a GIMP plugin to convert, manipulate, filter, and visualize image data. Available for Windows and OS
Paid desktop editors
27. Photoshop – Mother of all photo editors ($9.99/month)
28. Lightroom – A photo processor and image organizer developed by Adobe Systems for Windows and OS X ($9.99/month)
29. Capture One – Is a professional raw converter and image editing software designed for professional photographers who need to process large volumes of high quality images in a fast and efficient workflow (279 EUR)
30. Radlab – Combines intuitive browsing, gorgeous effects and a lightning-fast processing engine for image editing ($149)
31. Affinity – Professional photo editing software for Mac ($49.99)
32. DXO Photo Suite – Powerful photo editing software for ($189)
33. Pixelmator – Pixelmator for Mac is a powerful, fast, and easy-to-use image editor ($29.99)
34. On Photo 10 – Professional photo editor with easy-to-use interface ($89.99)
35. Corel AfterShot Pro 3 – Professional photo editor with the world’s fastest RAW photo processor ($79.99)
36. Zoner – Everything from downloading onto your computer to editing and sharing, all in one place. For Windows only ($99)
37. Acorn 5 – An image editor for macOS 10.10 and later ($29.99)
38. Photosense – Quick and easy batch photo enhancement software for Mac & iOS ($18.97)
39. Photo Plus – Easy-to-use professional photo editor for PC ($99.99)
40. DXO Optics Pro – Photo software that automatically corrects your photos by taking the camera model and lens into account ($129)
HDR photo editors
41. Aurora HDR – The easiest and the most advanced HDR photo editor for Mac ($39)
42. EasyHDR – HDR image processing software for Windows and Mac ($39)
43. PhotomatixPro – One of the first HDR photo editors in the world for Windows and Mac ($39)
44. Fotor HDR – Free online HDR photo editor
45. HDRExpress – Easy to use HDR processing software for Mac and Windows ($79)
46. HDR Darkroom – Fast and easy-to-use software for Mac and Windows for creating impressive landscape images ($89.99)
47. Photo-kako – The free online photo editor, a photo-like composite can be processed into HDR images.
48. Light Compressor – Simple post processing app that lets you combine multiple exposures into a high dynamic range image for Mac ($3.99)
49. Hydra – Another easy-to-use HDR Mac App ($59.99)
50. Dynamic Photo HDR – A next generation High Dynamic Range Photo Software with Anti-Ghosting, HDR Fusion and Unlimited Effects for Windows ($65)
51. LuminanceHDR – Free application to provide a workflow for HDR imaging, creation, and tone mapping.
52. HDRMerge – Free software, that combines two or more raw images into a single raw with an extended dynamic range.
53. EnfuseGUI – Enfuse is an Open Source command-line application for creating images with a better dynamic range by blending images with different exposures (free)
Cross-platform image editors
54. polarr – Pro photo editor designed for everyone (pro version – $19.99)
55. Pixlr – High-end photo editing and quick filtering
56. Fotor Pro – Cross platform editor and designer, available on every major mobile device, desktop computer and online with One-Tap Enhance’ tool and RAW file processing
57. GIMP – A cross-platform image editor. Free software, you can change its source code and distribute your changes.
Photo Filters
58. Creative Kit 2016 – 6 powerful photography apps and over 500 creative tools inside a single, easy-to-use pack. For Mac only ($129.99)
59. On1 Effects – Selective filtering for advanced photo effects (free)
60. Rollip – HIGH QUALITY PHOTO EFFECTS. 80+ EFFECTS (free)
61. Vintager – Vintager is fun, creative and easy-to-use software that provides you with a number of special effects that can be applied to your photos to give them a retro/vintage style
62. TheNick Collection – A professional-level filter selection, now made free (by Google)
63. Noiseware – Award-winning plugin and standalone for photo noise reduction ($79.95).
64. Topazlabs – A lot of photo editing plug-ins that works with software that you already own. Including Photoshop, Lightroom, and many others (from $29.99)
65. Focus Magic – Focus Magic uses advanced forensic strength deconvolution technology to literally "undo" blur. It can repair both out-of-focus blur and motion blur (camera shake) in an image ($65).
66. Eye Candy – Eye Candy renders realistic effects that are difficult to achieve in Photoshop alone, such as Fire, Chrome, Animal Fur, Smoke, and Reptile Skin($129).
Photo editing mobile apps
67. LightX – Advanced Photo Editor to make cut out,Change background and Blend photos ($1.99)
68. Afterlight – The perfect image editing app for quick and straight forward editing ($0.99)
69. File New – The Ultimate Photo Editor ($0.99)
70. Pixomatic – Blur, Remove Background, Add Color Splash Effects on Pictures ($4.99)
71. 99 Filters – All types of filters and overlays for Instagram and Facebook ($0.99)
72. Photo Lab Picture Editor – Effects superimpose, pic collage blender & prisma insta frames for photos (free)
73. Avatan – Photo Editor, Effects, Stickers and Touch Up (free)
74. Retrica – Camera app to record and share your experience with over 100 filters (free).
75. Aviary – Photo editing app (bought by Adobe) Make photos beautiful in seconds with stunning filters, frames, stickers, touch-up tools and more. Provide SDK for app developers (free)
76. Snapseed – A photo-editing application produced by Nik Software, a subsidiary of Google, for iOS and Android that enables users to enhance photos and apply digital filters (free).
77. Instagram – Instagram is a fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Snap a photo with your mobile phone, then choose a filter to transform the image into a memory to keep around forever. One of the most popular mobile photo apps (free)
78. Lifecake – Save and organise pictures of your children growing up with Lifecake. In a timeline free from the adverts and noise that clutter most social media channels, you can easily look back over fond memories and share them with family and friends (free)
79. Qwik – Edit your images in seconds with straightforward hands-on tools, and share them with Qwik’s online community. With new filters and features being added every week, Qwik is constantly keeping itself fresh and exciting (free).
80. VSCO Cam – VSCO Cam comes packed with top performance features, including high-resolution imports, and before and after comparisons to show how you built up your edit. Free (with paid filters $57/each)
81. Camera MX – The Android exclusive photo app Camera MX combines powerful enhancement tools with a beautifully simple user interface. Thanks to intelligent image processing you can take visibly sharper snaps, as well as cutting and trimming them to perfection in the edit. (free)
82. Lensical – Lensical makes creating face effects as simple as adding photo filters. Lensical is designed for larger displays and utilises one-handed gesture-based controls making it the perfect complement to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S Plus’s cameras (free).
83. Camera+ – The Camera app that comes on the iPhone by default is not brilliant: yes, you can use it to take some decent shots, but it doesn’t offer you much creative control. This is where Camera+ excels. The app has two parts: a camera and a photo editor, and it truly excels at the latter, with a huge range of advanced features($2.99).
84. PhotoWonder – Excellent user interface makes Photo Wonder one of the speediest smartphone photo apps to use. It also has a good collage feature with multiple layouts and photo booth effects. The filter selection isn’t huge, but many are so well-designed that you’ll find them far more valuable than sheer quantity from a lesser app. The ‘Vintage’ filter works magic on photos of buildings or scenery. (free)
85. Photoshop Express – As you would expect from Adobe, the interface and user experience of the Photoshop Express photo app for Apple and Android devices is faultless. It fulfils all the functions you need for picture editing and will probably be the one you turn to for sheer convenience. ‘Straighten’ and ‘Flip’ are two useful functions not included in many other apps (free).
RAW Processors
86. RAW Pics.io – The most popular in-browser RAW files viewer and converter. Support the most DSLR RAW camera formats. ($1.99/month with free trial).
87. Rawtherapee – Is a cross-platform raw image processing program, released under the GNU General Public License Version 3 (free)
88. Darktable – An open source photography workflow application and RAW developer
89. UFRaw – A utility to read and manipulate raw images from digital cameras. It can be used on its own or as a GIMP plug-in.
90. Photivo – Handles your raw files, as well as your bitmap files, in a non-destructive 16 bit processing pipeline.
91. Filmulator – Streamlined raw management and editing application centered around a film-simulating tone mapping algorithm.
92. PhotoFlow – Raw and raster image processor featuring non-destructive adjustment layers and 32-bit floating-point accuracy.
93. LightZone – Open-source digital darkroom software for Windows/Mac/Linux
94. RAW Photo Processor – A Raw converter for Mac OS X (10.4-10.11), supporting almost all available digital Raw formats
95. Iridient Developer – A powerful RAW image conversion application designed and optimized specifically for Mac OS X. Iridient Developer supports RAW image formats from over 620 digital camera models ($99)
96. Photoninja – A professional-grade RAW converter that delivers exceptional detail, outstanding image quality, and a distinctive, natural look ($129)
Photo viewers and managers
97. Digicam – Advanced digital photo management application for importing and organizing photos (free)
98. gThumb – An image viewer and browser. It also includes an importer tool for transferring photos from cameras (free)
99. nomacs – Nomacs is a free, open source image viewer, which supports multiple platforms. You can use it for viewing all common image formats including raw and PSD images.
Other
100. PortraitPro – PortraitPro is the world’s best-selling retouching software, that intelligently enhances every aspect of a portrait for beautiful results ($79.90)
101. Lucid – Stand-alone desktop software that makes it easy for lifestyle photography enthusiasts to improve pictures ($49)
102. Photomecanic – A standalone image browser and workflow accelerator that lets you view your digital photos with convenience and speed
103. ImageNomic Portraiture – Professional skin retouching software
($199.95)
104. Acdsee – Photo manager, editor and RAW processor with non destructive layer adjustments all in one ($49.95)
You can offer your suggestions for new services and software in the comments below, and we may add it to the list.
About the author: Nazar Begen is a photography enthusiast based in Ukraine and one of the people behind Photolemur, an AI-powered auto-enhancement tool for photos that’s currently in beta. You can connect with Begen through Twitter and Facebook.
