Best Photo Editing Software in 2023:
Whether you shoot with your smartphone or with a professional camera (DSLR), you need software to organize, edit, and transform your mediocre photos into something spectacular. The advancement in camera technology resulted in the development of more powerful photo editing tools with advanced features.
The photo editing software allows you to add filters, fun effects, bring focus to the image, and adjust color or saturation to make your images truly breathtaking. Along with this, the best photo editing software also helps to remove unwanted objects from your image and make sure everything seems right.
Moreover, editing the photos will reduce your image files’ size, which is important if you are planning to share the photo on your website, blog, or social media accounts. Plus, smaller image files improve loading speed on WordPress sites.
With so many photo editing software in the market, it is hard to find the right one for you. We have compiled a list of the 10 Best Photo Editing Software to save you from trying every software available and make it easy for you to choose the right software.
Without waiting more, let’s discuss the list of best photo editing software.
Best Photo Editing Software 2023:
Here is the list of Best Photo Editing Software that you can use in 2022 and 2023 to make your photos more amazing and attractive:
- Adobe Photoshop CC.
- Affinity Photo.
- Adobe Lightroom.
- Skylum Luminar 4.
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021.
- DxO PhotoLab 4.
- Exposure X6.
- Coral PaintShop Pro.
- ON1 Photo Raw Version 2021.1.
- GIMP.
1. Adobe Photoshop CC – The # Photo Editing Software:
Adobe Photoshop CC is our pick for best photo editing software because it is the most reliable, powerful, and advanced image editing tool. The software allows you to add effects, layers, enhancements, and many more. Moreover, it offers an intuitive interface to drag the images effectively, set a timeline, and assemble visuals.
It comes with various features to add textures, adjust colors, and other artistic filters to enhance your images’ look. You can easily work with Photography, Painting, Graphics, 3D, Web, and Motion inspired workplaces. Further, the software assists you in creating personalized panels and windows in the main layout. Various other features like Photo Collage, Instant Film Mockups, and Textured Geometric are also available.
Additionally, Photoshop CC gives you access to libraries, presets, and recent files while working from the same window. With built-in touchscreen controls and gestures, you can easily scroll through multiple images. Along with photo editing, the tool also allows editing videos of various resolutions, such as 720p, 1080p, and 4K. Plus, multiple 3D tools can be used for realistic rendering and faster performance.
The software is compatible with Windows, Mac, and iOS (iPad only) operating systems. For basic features, it offers a free trial version. Paid plans are also available:
- Photography (20 GB): $9.99/month
- Single App: $20.99/month
- All Apps: $52.99/month
Pros:
- Most powerful photo editing software
- Clean and intuitive interface
- Works with PCs and Mac OS
- Wide range of tools
- Numerous tutorials for beginners
Cons:
- Difficult to use for starters
- Subscription required
2. Adobe Lightroom – Top Photo Editing Software in 2022:
If you are looking for a super user-friendly photo editor with an easy workspace, Adobe Lightroom is the best choice for you. It comes with step-by-step interactive tutorials for both beginners and pros to learn basic or advanced features. It allows you to enhance batches of photos quickly and easily.
Adobe Lightroom provides various photo editing tools to create stunning images. It offers face detection tools to organize your photos and a wide range of other features, including lens-based corrections, professional filters, and customized sliders. It comes with a healing brush, retouches light, fixing tool, and blurring tool.
With the aid of Lightroom galleries, you can showcase your photos online. Along with this, the software is packed with other amazing features, such as image cataloging, multi-layer composition, raw processing, etc. Interestingly, Adobe Lightroom is compatible with several operating systems, like Windows, Mac OS, Android, and iOS.
Lightroom’s payment plan starts from $9.99 per month.
Pros:
- Interactive tutorials
- Seamless editing tools
- Effective raw editing
- Cloud backup is available
Cons:
- Output options are limited
3. Affinity Photo:
Affinity Photo is the tough rival of Adobe Photoshop and other professional photo editing software. A huge number of photography professionals around the world love to use Affinity Photo due to its unique and powerful features. Some of the advanced features offered by the software are:
- Raw Editing
- HDR Tone Mapping
- Batch Processing
- 360 Image Editing
- Multiple Layer Compositions
- Focus Stacking
- Panorama Stitching
- Digital Painting
The software allows real-time photo editing with a huge pool of toolsets, such as 100+ Megapixels image support, flawless retouching, magical inpainting brush to remove unwanted objects, and many more. Additional features offered by Affinity Photo include the addition of non-destructive filter effects, burn dodge, patch, blemish, and clone removal tools.
Additionally, it offers a list of filters, effects, and adjustments that can be blended to create amazing complex image compositions. With the help of advanced stitching algorithms and automatic image alignment, you can create perfect panoramas. At the same time, the advanced refinement algorithms help to achieve high levels of accuracy.
The software is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, and iPad, plus requires no subscription. A 90-day free trial is available, but to access advanced features paid plan starts from $25/month.
Pros:
- The best alternative to Adobe Photoshop
- Multiple editing tools
- Easy-to-use
- Affordable
Cons:
- Cataloging tools are not available.
4. Skylum Luminar 4:
Recently launched Luminar 4 has grown to be the popular photo editing software in a short time period. The main reason behind the popularity of Luminar 4 is its cutting-edge AI technology that helps to automatically adjust the brightening, toning, and clarifying of your image. Moreover, the software’s unique tools allow you to make astonishing images in different genres of photography, including Landscape, Travel, Portrait, and many more.
The Luminar is very easy to use, and you don’t need to spend your precious time learning the software. Some of the unique tools offered by the software are:
- AI Sky Replacement tool to change the mode of your photo instantly
- AI Skin Enhancer helps to get realistic results
- Augmented tool for inserting new objects in your images
- Sunrays tool assists to the source of sunlight
- Structure slider prevents damaging faces and skin
- Smart Contrast tool to preserve colors and details of the image
- Erase tool helps to remove any unwanted objects
In addition to these flabbergasted features, Luminar 4 comes with various other functionalities, like Landscape enhancer toolset, Noise removal tool, Batch processing, Dodge & Burn tools, Lens-correction, and non-destructive editing tools.
It is compatible with Windows and Mac OS. And you will be surprised to know that the software requires no subscription; you can use it for a lifetime with just a one-time payment that will cost you $89.00.
Pros:
- Unique AI features
- User-friendly workplace
- Non-destructive editing tools
- 24/7 customer support service
Cons:
- Virtual copies are not available
5. Adobe Photoshop Elements 2022:
Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021 is yet another photo editing software with a super-friendly interface. The software comes with Adobe Sensei AI-powered features that allow you to transform your favorite images into moveable photos or 2D and 3D animated Gifs that can be easily shared on social media platforms. Yes, you heard right; all of this can be done in just a single click.
Moreover, you can easily make a perfect landscape by removing haze, replacing skies, removing unwanted objects, and many more. The tool also helps to add personalized messages or motivational quotes to your images. Further, the fine-tun face tilt helps to adjust the position of the person’s face in the image to make sure that everyone is looking in the right direction.
With Element 2021, you can easily select the object in the image in order to make isolated edits. The software automatically adjusts the facial features, such as open closed eyes, turning frowns, whiten teeth, and more. Plus, you can easily soften the skin texture to make it look natural.
The software supports Windows and Mac OS operating systems. They offer both free trials and paid versions. The paid version starts from $99.99/full license.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Wide range of filter effects
- Step-by-step guided edits
- 2D and 3D animated Gifs creation
Cons:
- Limited Raw processing
6. DxO PhotoLab 4:
DxO PhotoLab 4 is one of the most advanced photo editing software with great features. It is popular for its lab-derived optical corrections to automatically correct the distortions, vignetting, sharpness, and chromatic aberrations. With the aid of DxO’s ClearView Plus tool, you can easily erase haze from your images, plus restore natural radiance and improve your look in just one click.
In addition to automatic corrections, the software also offers UPoint Technology, which gives you maximum control and aids in intuitive and effective local adjustments. The ColorWheel feature helps select the best color for your image, and you can also select color ranges from 8 different channels.
Moreover, the DxO Smart Lighting tool automatically analyzes your images to recover lost information and creates more beautiful portraits. Further, you can instantly access the photograph you’re looking for by using the dynamic DxO photo library. It also allows you to add and display simple keywords to better organize your images.
Other unique features of DxO PhotoLab 4 are:
- Multi-setting equalizer
- Wide range of Brush tools
- Repair tool
- Local adjustment palette
- Red-eye correction
They offer a 30-day free trial, and for access to advanced features, you need to buy a license for $129/lifetime.
Pros:
- Automatic optical corrections
- Powerful adjustment tools
- Multiple exports
Cons:
- Fujifilm X-Trans files not supported
7. Exposure X6:
Exposure X6 is another amazing photo editing software for creative photography. It focuses on keeping you in a creative zone by offering automatic adjustments to your workflow. You can transform your simple images into something breathtaking with the aid of software’s unique features, such as advanced color editor, realistic film grain, artistic focus effects, multiple overlays (border, texture, batch overlay import, etc.), and many more.
Other features offered by Exposure X6 are:
- Advanced masking tools
- Creative lens focus
- Portrait retouching
- Infrared tools (Glow, Fog, and Halation)
- Tilt-shift effects
- Light effects (Sun flare, Corner, or Side)
It uses your GPU to make editing quick and smooth for you. Plus, it doesn’t require any subscription, and you can buy a lifetime license for $129 with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Exposure X6 is compatible with Windows and Mac OS.
Pros:
- Excellent non-destructive Raw editing
- 500+ customizable presets
- One-click automatic adjustments
- Instant and smooth editing
Cons:
- Expensive
8. Coral PaintShop Pro:
Coral PaintShop Pro is one of the best photo editor software with cutting-edge AI and machine learning technology. It allows editing the images without compromising the resolution or visual quality. With the help of AI HDR Studio, you can instantly enhance the finest details and give a mesmerizing look to your photos.
Other unique features and tools offered by Coral PaintShop Pro are:
- Sea-to-SkyTM Workspace (for under-water photography)
- PhotoMirage Express (transform the image into realistic animation)
- Raw Photo Editing
- Photo Adjustments
- 360 Photo Editing
- Batch Processing
- Brushes, Textures, and Backgrounds
In addition to the above-mentioned features, the software also offers plugins, color palettes, brush extensions, and more. Step-by-step interactive tutorials are also available for beginners and pros. You can buy a lifetime license for $79.99, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros:
- AI-enhanced presets
- Interactive learning tutorials
- No subscription required
- Unique HDR effect
Cons:
- Only supports Windows
9. ON1 Photo Raw Version 2022:
ON1 Photo Raw Version 2021.1 is a professional photo editor with unique features to organize and edit without hassle. It is the most complete tool for all-in-one photo editing solutions. The software is easy to download and install and supports Windows and Mac operating systems.
The software comes with various advanced tools, including composting tools, built-in filters, masking tools, and a huge number of hottest presets. Other features offered by ON1 Photo Raw Version 2021.1 are:
- AI auto
- Spot healing brush
- Portrait and landscape enhancement tools
- Stackable filters
- Real-time adjustments
In addition to computers, the software is also compatible with mobile devices, including iOS and Android. ON 1 Photo Raw Version 2021.1 offers a 14-day free trial, plus has two payment tires:
- Monthly Subscription (200GB): $7.99/month
- ON 1 Photo Raw Software + Bonuses: $63.99
Pros:
- Professional photo editing without hassle
- Available for both computer and mobile devices
- Supports 800+ cameras
- Excellent Raw processing
Cons:
- Subscription required
10- GIMP:
GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) is a unique open-source photo editing tool. It offers various editing features for free without any restrictions. Whether you are a photographer, graphic designer, or illustrator, GIMP provides advanced tools to get your work done. Unlike other professional photo editors with huge paid subscriptions, GIMP offers almost advanced photo editing features for free. Some of the features are:
- Multi-layer compositions
- Retouching and Restoring tools
- Special filters
- Exposure control
- Graphic design elements
The software is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS operating systems. Moreover, with GIMP, you can edit photos absolutely free.
Pros:
- Free of cost
- Customizable interface
- Non-destructive filters
- Easy-to-use
Cons:
- Limited editing options
Final Thoughts
Well, this is the list of the 10 best photo editing software that you can use to transform your images into something appealing and amazing. If you are a beginner and looking for simple, free and easy-to-use software with basic editing features, you might consider trying GIMP.
Most of the above-mentioned photo editing apps are expensive. Yes, they might have all the features that you would possibly need, but they are still quite expensive. If you are someone that wants to learn more and get hold of a more professional piece of software later on, you can visit websites like The PirateBay and download photo editing software for free.
For professional photographers who require more sophisticated editing tools, Adobe Photoshop CC is a perfect choice. And if you want affordable software with all the editing features, Affinity Photo is worth trying.
If you desire to create the best 2D and 3D animated GIFs, we recommend trying Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021. Plus, you can also enjoy the cutting-edge AI-powered technology of Luminar 4.
We hope that this list will help you choose the best software and save you time and money.
But before trying any photo editing software, always look for the following features:
- Editing tools
- Workflow
- Interface
- Organization features
- Compatibility and photo-sharing capabilities.
