A lot of free photo software is available on the market - know which one

Did you know a lot of the free photo software available on the market is fully capable of doing both simple and more advanced image editing? And believe it or not, it does not cost a single dollar. The free options have improved over time and they now have functionality that will do for many of us.

If you are uncertain how much time and money you will spend on image editing, trying out the free image editors is a good idea. Learn more about some of the free options below.

FREE IMAGE EDITORS

GIMP 2.6.1



GIMP is free photo software developed by a group of volunteers and enthusiasts for photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.

The program is totally free and works on many operating systems. GIMP has most of the features commercial image editor packages have like painting tools (brush, pencil, clone etc), alpha channel support, layers and channels, transformation tools, quick mask and a lot more. It is an extensive package.

Some users, especially if they have used Photoshop earlier might find the user interface a little difficult and different from Photoshop. If you are one of them, there is help available. Since GIMP is developed by thousands of programmers around the world, a lot of plugins and extras are available.

GIMPshop is a modification of the free/open source GIMP, intended to replicate the feel of Adobe Photoshop. Its primary purpose is to make users of Photoshop feel comfortable using GIMP.

Read more about and download GIMP here.

Paint.net 3.36



Is another open source and free image editor. With Paint.net you can apply filters, special effects, work with layers, unlimited undo and many more things. It comes with an auto updater so you will always have the latest version.Paint.net is a great free photo software for windows. The download is very small at only 1.6 MB.

The program offers a clean and easy to understand interface that includes all common editing tools, as well as clone stamp and various image effects. More advanced users will also appreciate the fact that Paint.NET supports layers with transparency and layer adjustments. Additional features include Red-Eye removal, image resizing, sharpening, multi-level Undo and more.

The features might be fewer than with GIMP, but all the important editing functions are there. Some will claim Paint.net has an easier user interface than GIMP, but it is up to you to decide.

Read more about and download Paint.net here.

PhotoFiltre 6.3.1



Is a complete image retouching program – and it is a free photo software as well. You can do simple or advanced adjustments to images as well as adding a range of filters. It is simple and intuitive to use, and learning curve is not steep.The toolbar gives access to all the standard filters with just a few clicks.

You can do batch editing and resizing of many images at a time, which is convenient. Plugins can be downloaded from the web. If you have an older computer it will still work fine as PhotoFiltre uses little recourses. A Pro version PhotoFiltre Studio is also available at a cost of 30 Euro.

Read more about and download Photofiltre here.

Picasa 2.7

Picasa is a free photo software from Google that let you organize and do simple editing of your photos. Picasa is excellent for beginners who want to keep track on all their pictures and sort them into albums.

You can share with friends and family as collages and slideshow. Even a function for exporting photos to Web album is available. Picasa Web album is a photo sharing community. With smaller number of photos the organization and searching capabilities of Picasa will do.

For large amounts and more advanced editing other packages offers more. A new version 3.0 is coming soon.

Read more about and download Picasa here.



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