5 best alternatives to Photoshop

Much like Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop CC is one of those products that is synonymous with a certain type of activity – most people use Word as the ‘default’ programme for word-processing, and likewise, Photoshop has become the standard among art directors, designers and photo editors looking to process imagery.

Yet Photoshop’s price tag is probably a lot less popular, and if you’re not prepared to pay the £105 per year, there are some other, far cheaper options out there. Here is a list of five best:

1. GIMP

Ok, so don’t let the title put you off. GIMP, which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, is an open-source project aimed at allowing computer users of any persuasion (Linux, Windows or Mac) to edit their photos for free. Many of the tools mimic those of Photoshop, although the software can’t do as many things as the Adobe suite.

2. Pixelmator

Pixelmator only works with Mac computers, but for £20.99 offers users a more intuitive experience than Photoshop. For a start, it meshes with iCloud and iPhoto, and it has built-in tools that will allow you to export photos to Flickr and Facebook – great, if you maintain a photoblog for your company. It can read and generate Photoshop formats, and has a bevy of filters you can use to improve your imagery.

3. Picasa

Google’s foray into image editing is far from a competitor to Photoshop, but if all you need is a programme with a few simple features, then Picasa is for you. Those simple features include resizing, colour correction and exposure settings, plus a passably good clone stamp. It’s free and available across different computer platforms.

4. Acorn

For £29.99 this Mac-only photo editor is known for its speed and  advanced image editing. Like Photoshop, it lets the user automate work steps and play around with a host of non-destructive filters – meaning you can adjust an image without altering any of the information contained in the original.

5. Photoshop Elements

Ok, so you’ve heard that Photoshop CC is the industry standard… you can, of course, use the chopped down version at a chopped down price. Photoshop Elements costs around £66 for a one-off licence and many low-end users will not notice a jump down in functionality, whether adjusting brightness and contrast, tweaking with saturation, or trying to remove an unwanted thumb from the corner of the frame.

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