The key to remarkable and eye-catching photography is often photo editing. Whether you are just taking pictures on your phone as a beginner or a professional photographer, graphic designer, pre-press editor, digital artist, content creator, travel blogger, or someone who wants to showcase their creativity, purchasing the right photo editing software is essential.
Nowadays, cameras are more powerful than ever, and with the advance of technology, the images have never been of better quality. However, if you want to transform your photos from simple looking to look outstanding or aesthetic, a fantastic photo editor can get the job done. With that being said, the market is oversaturated with plenty of different photo editors, but not all of them are the same. Some feature basic tools from adjusting brightness, object removal, and color correction to adding effects, cropping, and other adjustments.
In contrast, others have more advanced tools that can assist you in reaching your photo editing skills quickly and easily. To help you find the best photo editing software for your needs, in this article, we will talk about our top five photo editors and discuss all of the features and creative elements they offer to enhance your digital images, get the most out of them and grow your online business.
The 5 Best Photo Editing Sites For Photographers (2022)
- My Memories Suite: Overall Best Photo Editing Software, Editor’s Choice
- Snappa: Top Photo Editor With Plenty Of Creative Tools
- Fotor: Popular Photo Editor For Image Design & Collage
- Stencil: Best Photo Editing App For Graphic Designers
- Skylum Luminar: Popular AI-powered Photo Editor On The Market
#1. My Memories Suite: Overall Best Photo Editing Software, Editor’s Choice
My Memories Suite is digital scrapbooking software that is easy to use, simple to understand and non-time-consuming. Using this popular software in just a short period of time, you can create scrapbooks, photo books, prints, custom gifts, and many other options. This software is available for commercial and personal use, and it comes with many useful editing tools. We especially like My Memories Suite because it saves you time while still allowing you to be creative. With this editing software, you can create your own digital scrapbook using ready templates, adjust them and customize them with embellishments to fit your liking.
Additionally, you can place, free-rotate, and resize images, add strong text effects, clipart, or different backgrounds. The interface is colorful and modern, which can spark your inspiration and creative side. To edit the photos, you can blur them, sharpen them, add filters, remove red-eye, and export them as JPG, PDF, SNG, and SVG files. My Memories Suite also allows you to print your project and turn it into a physical book. Moreover, you can save and share your designs across various social media platforms.
Price
This software is compatible with both Windows and Mac, and you can easily download it in a couple of minutes. You can purchase My Memory Suite for $39.99 or get a free trial if you want to test how it works before you buy it. In addition, you can buy a My Memories Suite Shipping Disk for $39.99 or get a bundle pack of three or five copies for $59.99-$79.99. You can find all the options and pricing on My Memories Suite’s website and receive discounts for bulk orders by using the relevant codes.
Highlights
- A large variety of editing features that give you control over details
- You can make scrapbooks, cards, calendars, prints, photo-books, and others
- To do your project, you can use designer templates or start from scratch
- The software allows you to add photos and embellishments from your gallery
- You can use different backgrounds, edit your photos and add filters
- The editor allows you to choose a font and create custom headlines
- You can add various shapes and add imprints
- You can download the software, but you can also order a program CD
- You can export pages or create a calendar and create your paint layer
- The software recently added new features to enhance your photo
- The software gives you the creative freedom to design posters, metal prints, canvas prints, coffee mugs, water bottles, and mousepads
- You can navigate the image gallery effortlessly
- The users can finish their project any time and use search options to find different embellishments, backgrounds, and imprints
Pros
- Compatible with 34-bit and 64-bit processors and both PC and Mac
- On the website, you can find tutorials to start editing
- A well-designed and bright interface
- Numerous filters, embellishments, and tools
- It features a print service for affordable prices
- Many layout tools and export options
Cons
- No option for background music or video clips
- No express shipping for international orders
=> Click here to visit the official website of My Memories Suite
#2. Snappa: Top Photo Editor With Plenty Of Creative Tools
Snappa is a photo design software that will help you transform your images by adding dimensions and effects. The excellent graphics editor has an easily-accessible toolbar where you can find all the tools you need in terms of effects, graphics, and text. With Snappa, you can create online graphics, social media banners, or edit photos for blogs easily, even if you are not a graphic designer. This photo editing software allows you to resize images to fit your project and make use of the already made templates. Such templates can make your business’s social media platforms look more professional, and you can grow your online presence by attracting more attention and clicks.
Snappa Details
On top of that, what differentiates Snappa from many other editing software is that it gives you access to millions of stock photos free of cost without worrying about usage rights. By purchasing Snappa, you can turn your imagination into reality by creating everything you have imagined. This editing platform also gives you access to numerous fonts, vectors, and shapes that you can add to your images, as well as aesthetically pleasant photo effects that can make a significant difference. Also, removing the background of a picture used to be an intricate task, but with Snappa, you can do that with just one click of a button. You can even share your graphics on Social Media instantly without the need to leave the editing software.
Price
Another great thing about Snappa is that its pricing structure is very simple. This photo editing software offers a free plan for one user, which gives you access to more than 6,000 templates, millions of HD photos and graphics, and three downloads per month. Snappa has a pro pricing plan costing $15 a month or $10/month if billed yearly. This printing plan is suitable for one user. It comes with more than 6000 templates, millions of HD photos and graphics, unlimited downloads each month, social media integrations, custom fonts upload, and an option to remove image backgrounds. Finally, you can get a team pricing plan for 5 users with the same features as the pro one with an exclusive feature for team collaboration.
Highlights
- You can sign up for free and get a video tutorial
- The Snappa editor allows you to crop, reshape pictures and upload custom dimensions
- During editing, you can add text, effects, change color and saturation, and brightness
- On Snappa, you can choose from 200+ fonts or upload custom fonts and play with shadow and blur to enhance your text
- An intriguing speech bubble option that enables you to give your image a voice
- You can remove the background from selfies and logos
- The app also allows you to blur and flip images and vectors
- On this photo editor, you can design from scratch or pick a template
- You can resize photos to suit any social media platform
- Snappa is ideal for creating professionally-looking custom banners
- The team collaboration feature allows teams to work seamlessly together
- A simple and modern interface, and beginner-friendly software
- A free trial option before making a purchase
Pros
- Well-designed and clean interface
- Plenty of image editing tools for all social media platforms
- Straightforward pricing plan
- Suitable for users without experience
- Blog section with very useful articles and tutorials on photo editing
- Very informative website and software suitable for Windows and Mac
Cons
- No Snappa mobile apps are available
- Online English language support
=> Click here to visit the official website of Snappa
#3. Fotor: Popular Photo Editor For Image Design & Collage
Another photo editor that secured a spot on our list is the cloud-based editing software known as Fotor. With over 300 million users, this fantastic editing software known as Fotor is one of the most popular photo editors that cover a range of editing tools. This editor is available for both desktop and online, and it is easy to use. The software comes with image-enhancing tools and effects that can make your pictures very striking. What sets Fotor apart from many other photo editors is that this photo editor provides one-click filters that will make your photos become even more visually appealing. You can also add special effects, place frames and borders, and create photo collages. Fotor is a photo editor that supports editing with RAW conversion support on the desktop version.
Fotor Details
Once you open Fotor, you will be presented with three options to edit your photo, create a design for banners, posts, logos, ads, and others and make a photo collage. The editing option is the most suitable for photographers that want to do photo editing and retouching. Once you open your image, you can use all of the left panel tools, including cropping, rotating, resizing, adjusting contrast and saturation, highlights and exposure, adding text and elements, and many others. Fotor can make all of your photos look professional with the special effects it provides in just minutes. You can also transform your original artwork into NFTs and explore customizable designs for different occasions using this photo editing software.
Pricing
The Fotor basic pack is free of cost, and it comes with basic edit adjustments, effects, collage adjustments, and design resources. However, if this pack does not meet your artistic requirements, you can also purchase a Fotor Pro and get access to all the advanced tools, 200+ effects, beauty touch-ups, numerous collage layouts and templates, and stylish fonts. This plan supports HD pictures for download and print, file management, and access to many photos for personal and commercial use. This pack will cost you $8.99 a month or $39.99/month billed annually. With that being said, the most popular plan is Fotor Pro +, which you can get for a price of $19.99 a month or $89.99/month annually. This plan has similar features to the previously mentioned one, including no ads, massive cloud storage, millions of stock photos, email support, etc.
Highlights
- On Fotor, you can crop and resize any image of your choice.
- You can get a transparent image and remove the background with extreme accuracy.
- Fotor enables you to beautify your photos and enhance their quality with one click.
- With Fotor, you can remove blemishes, pimples, freckles, and wrinkles and smooth your face.
- It provides fantastic photo effects inspired by visual styles made by designers.
- You can edit photos instantly using different creative tools and stickers.
- Free trial for beginner users and affordable pricing plans.
- The photo editor supports High Dynamic Range that allows you to merge photos with different exposure.
- Easy to use and elegant interface and informative website.
- Mobile app versions for IOS and Android devices.
- You can start designing from scratch or get a template and make a collage.
Pros
- Photo editor and collage maker in one editing software
- You can edit images on mobile and desktop version
- A wide range of editing tools and photo and text effects
- Easy-to-navigate platform with affordable pricing plans
- Fotor is available in several different languages
- A 30% discount for students
Cons
- There are no brushes for drawing
- Many ads on the web and mobile apps
=> Click here to visit the official website of Fotor
#4. Stencil: Best Photo Editing App For Graphic Designers
Stencil is a web-based photo editing program for people who want to create digital assets despite their experience. It first started off as Share As Image until it was renamed to the Stencil editing software we know today. This design & photo editing tool is suitable for beginners but also suitable for social media marketers, bloggers and business owners looking to grow their brand online. Stencil is designed to help you express your creativity through digital imaging and make your visual creative process fun and inspiring. Once registered, to start editing photos, you can use a web editor, browser extension, or a WordPress plugin.
Stencil Details
If you are someone that likes to edit their photos quickly and efficiently, then Stencil might be the best photo editing software for you. It is simple to use and understand and provides many useful tools for retouching your digital images. On Stencil, you can find more than 5 million royalty-free photos in high resolution that you can use for your creative vision. Moreover, you can save all of the photos you like in favorites to easily find them whenever you need them. Suppose you want to edit photos that you later want to post on your social media accounts; Stencil has you covered. You can resize the photo with the already made preset custom sizes or create your own dimensions. Stencil also gives you access to more than 4,000 Google fonts. Still, you can upload your font to achieve the desired effect.
Pricing
The hobbyists can use Stencil for free and save up to 10 images a month. Additionally, the photos, icons, and other features they can use are also limited. The free version allows you to apply up to 50 images and create 10 collections. On the other hand, you can purchase the Pro version for $15 a month or $9/month when paid annually. This pricing package gives you access to more than 5 million photos, numerous fonts, icons, and graphics. It allows you to upload up to 250 images and 25 collections, create logos and watermarks, upload your fonts, etc. However, those are not all options as Stencil has an unlimited pricing plan for $20 a month and $12/month if paid annually. As the name itself suggests, the unlimited pack gives you unlimited access to all Pro features.
Highlights
- All of the paid plans come with a 7-days money-back guarantee.
- Millions of free stock photographs and illustrations.
- More than 650 templates available to customize.
- The software has integrated more than 2,000 google fonts to use.
- It features optimized sizes to post pictures compatible with all social media sites.
- You can store photos on the cloud and view and edit them anytime that you like.
- The social sharing features are excellent for marketers.
- Numerous royalty-free photos, backgrounds and templates to select from.
- The software allows you to create inspiring quote images.
- Blog section with educational articles on photo editing and social media topics.
- You can preview and share images on all popular social media platforms.
- A wide range of editing tools for beginners and experienced editors.
- It provides multi-channel support and various options for creating visual content.
Pros
- Easy to use for experienced editors and non-designers
- Features fantastic templates, graphics, and fonts
- Plenty of versatile editing tools for all users
- The paid plans come with a money-back guarantee
- Offers a great variety of color effects for photos
- Stencil focuses on providing innovative and exciting features
Cons
- The free version provides limited features
- The unlimited pricing plan might be pricey for some users
=> Click here to visit the official website of Stencil
#5. Skylum Luminar: Popular AI-powered Photo Editor On The Market
Skylum Luminar uses innovation and sets standards on the market for photo editing. This Artificial Intelligence-powered photo editing software uses technology to transform your already great photos into something remarkable. With Skylum Luminar AI, you can enhance your photos and make landscapes appear even more vivid. Moreover, you can retouch portraits, remove unwanted subjects or replace and change objects in the image to fit your project. With hundreds of exclusive photo filters this editing software offers, you can make all of your photos in one style so that your profile is aesthetically pleasing. Skylum is advanced editing software that saves you time and effort thankfully for the AI; this software implements automatic edits to enhance your photos instead of doing it manually.
Skylum Luminar Details
Another great thing about Skylum Luminar is that it can perfect your photo memories. Suppose you have traveled to some far destination, but the weather was not ideal, by correcting the camera exposure and making the colors more vibrant. In that case, you can transform your photo into a picturesque and visually-appealing postcard. Additionally, you can enhance your beautiful face features by smoothing your skin with natural texture, or you can crop the photo to match your liking. If you are an outdoor or space enthusiast, you can also make your photo more attractive by adding birds, space shuttles, moon, or objects in the background. You can even change the perspective of an image, and if you do not like the automatic composition, you can still do it manually.
Price
We find it amazing about Skylum Luminar that you can download it for free and purchase a license for 1-computer for $47, get Luminar AI Plus for $67, or Luminar AI and Aurora HDR for $108. In addition, a 2-computer lifetime license costs $59, while the Luminar AI plus $79 and $138 with Aurora HD Plus. The Luminar Plus provides RAW support and other additional tools, and the same applies to the package of Skylum Luminar with Aurora HDR.
Highlights
- You can select a simple style and apply it to all of your photos.
- The advanced tools allow you to change the weather and atmosphere in the photo.
- Provides exclusive face features for skin, iris, and eyebrows to perfect your portrait.
- It is the first photo editor that is entirely Artificial Intelligence-based.
- Skylum Luminar suggests templates that go well with your image.
- Tutorials and guides written and made by photography professionals on the site.
- The software is simple to understand, and you can easily find all functions.
- You can replace the sky and make it realistic in just a couple of seconds.
- With Skylum Luminar AI, you can change the perspective of the image.
- The editor allows you to play with brightness, contrast, and saturation.
- Provides a structured tool that enables you to show more details in the image.
- This online photo editing platform is compatible with both Windows and macOS with suitable system requirements.
- Luminar Neo option to add more depth to your photos, control the light in 3D space.
- Luminar Neo enables you to remove background, dust, dirt, and distracting objects.
- Uses masks and layers for authentic creative expression.
- Also offers all the necessary essential photo editing tools.
Pros
- A range of unique effects and tools supported by AI
- Saves you time and effort with automatic edits
- It is easy to use and has an amazing user interface
- Offers Luminar Neo tools for even more creative editing
- Offers 30-days money-back guarantee and 24/7 technical support
- Provides a lot of other useful tools, guides, and tutorials
- Suitable for beginners and experienced editors for reasonable pricing
Cons
- The system requirements can be high for some users
- The software takes more disc space
=> Click here to visit the official website of Skylum Luminar
How we have made our List of Photo-Editing Software?
Everyone has different editing needs, so finding the best software out of many is a real challenge. For that reason, to narrow down our selection, we have set criteria to find photo editors that will be easy to use, affordable, and have all the necessary tools for retouching and altering digital images. We made sure to select beginner-friendly options and compatible devices operating on different operating systems. We looked for high-quality image processing, image organization tools, masking, and retouching tools, creative presets and effects, fast software and processing, photo editing versatility, etc. We also included editors with sharing options, file format support, and creative freedom. We managed to set aside five photo editing software suitable for individuals with different skill levels, great quality, and powerful photo editing software tools that will bring excellent value for the money.
Factors You Should Know When Purchasing Photo Editing Apps For Beginners
As technology is constantly evolving, digital cameras have become more accessible than ever, and every smartphone comes with a camera. Whether you are a professional in photography, hobbyist, or beginner, editing software can make a massive difference in your photo’s appearance and quality. However, with so many options on the scene, finding the one that works best for you is difficult. What is more, all the editors are adding new functions each year, making you hesitate on what to choose. To help you make a more informed decision, we will present you with some factors that you can consider doing your search.
System and Camera Compatibility
Before you purchase any photo editing software, we suggest checking whether it is compatible with your device. Some editing software works with Windows and macOS, but others are compatible with only one. Aside from the operating system, ensuring whether the editing software is compatible with your graphic card and processor. Otherwise, you won’t be able to open and use the program or get the photo quality you desire. Other factors to check are the hardware requirements and whether you have enough disc space if you download the software. Additionally, you must check whether the software supports your camera and raw files compatibility, and other file formats. This is significant to achieve the right colors and have access to all the necessary editing and customizing tools and be able to save your photos according to your needs.
Editing Features and Performance
Everyone has different needs and artistic styles, so having this in mind, you need to look for editing features by your preferences. Some photographers focus on nature and landscapes while others with portraits and objects. Therefore, you should look for editing tools that match your needs, including primary crop, resize, transform and other similar photo tools or look for a variety of filters, adjustments, and enhancing tools. Whether you need presets, templates or brushes, fonts, or text effects, all of these factors will guide you to finding the right photo editor for you. Also, you can look for organizational tools if you like to keep your photography organized.
Workflow
Aside from editing functions, excellent editing software should have a speedy performance and provide a fluid workflow. Such software should process the images and the changes fast, support different file formats, and the interface should be simple to use and understand. Some editors allow you to add watermarks and create logos to add different embellishments, while others can assist you in creating collages of your favorite pictures. No matter what you are looking for, a smooth photo editing workflow is necessary to edit your photos successfully. Also, if you are a beginner in photo editing, you can look for an online editor that offers tutorials and guides, and other photo editing software including additional useful resources.
Photo Sharing
Whether the software allows you to easily share your photos online is another vital factor to consider. Once you finish editing, some programs enable you to post the photos quickly and directly. Also, some software has tools to help you resize the photos according to the social media platforms, and some allow you to upload images to website builders. Furthermore, if you plan to use other photos, you need to look for software that provides plenty of royalty-free stock photos and templates.
Price
You can download some editing software for free, but keep in mind that the options will be limited. If you are not sure whether a specific editing program is right for you, you can also opt for a free photo editing software trial version. This option will give you time to see how the software works on your computer and try the features it provides. When you are thinking of buying a licensed pack to get access to all of the features, you can compare prices and purchase according to your budget and your needs. Moreover, if there is a money-back guarantee, it is a bonus. It can make your shopping experience less stressful, especially if you purchase editing software for the first time.
Customer Reviews
Another great way to see what you can expect from online editing software is to read reviews from other users. That way, you will find out more about others’ experiences which can contribute to making the right decision. By doing so, you can discover whether the editing software works as advertised, provides high-quality editing tools and whether it provides smooth editing performance. However, it is vital to keep in mind that everyone has different artistic needs, so what works for someone regarding photo edits may not be suitable for you. On top of that, we suggest checking the program’s rating online and reading as many reviews from different sources as possible.
FAQs About Photo Editing
Q1.What exactly is Photo Editing?
Photo editing is considered an art and ability to enhance your photos to look more aesthetically pleasing, visually appealing, and realistic like you are viewing the image with your own eyes. Thankfully for numerous editing software, the editing possibilities are endless. With such programs, you can adjust colors and make them more vivid, play with brightness, contrast, and shadows, remove unwanted objects, replace them, etc. You can also beautify your portraits, replace the sky or add digital art and text. Moreover, you can transform and crop and resize your photo and add different presets in various styles. You can also add different photo filters to make all of your photos have a similar style, or you can also create collages from your favorite photos.
Q2.Why should one edit their photos?
You can make your favorite photos appear even more stunning with photo editing software. Suppose you are a photographer, graphic designer, or someone that works with photography. In that case, such edits can make a very big difference and assist you in showcasing your talent, skills, and creativity. Also, high-quality and professionally-looking photos can attract more buyers and help you grow your brand image and online business. By creating your photo style, the buyers will be able to recognize your artistic expression and work. Also, quality images give a message of authenticity and professionalism, which buyers appreciate. As social media is so popular, beautiful images can improve your online presence and customer engagement, vital for content creators, bloggers, business marketing, and many others.
Q3.Which photo editing software is the best?
There is no one right answer for everyone, as everyone has different styles, preferences, and requirements from editing software. However, some requirements make the software stand out from so many others. Great editing software has both basic and advanced editing tools, and it is fast and easy to use and understand. In addition, it is compatible with all devices and works very fast, providing a smooth editing experience. The more advanced editing programs also have unique tools to make your pictures look very visually appealing and help you express your imagination through your photos. Some professional photo editing software also provides many other photos and graphics that you can use, different fonts to select that will go well with your style and other graphics that will enhance your art.
Q4.Does this editing software require photography knowledge and editing skills?
Even though some editing programs have advanced features that can help professionals get the most out of their photos, they are all easy to use and understand. You can quickly find all of the editing tools and features and transform your photos as imagined. Still, for those using such programs for the first time, some platforms offer guides and tutorials on using each tool, effect, and feature, which is very beneficial for many users. Also, some editing platforms allow you to make changes with only one click or a couple of steps, while others offer automatic editing. What you can also do before adding your picture is check what each feature does, and by doing that, you will be able to get more familiar with the program.
Q5.What are some of the most popular editing styles?
When we say editing style, we think of a specific theme and look at your pictures. You can make your photographs appear ‘cinematic’ or make them bright with vivid colors. You can also implement matt style, add warm highlights, add cool tones, etc. Such photo editing programs offer a variety of styles, so after trying them, you can see which one you are gravitating most to. By making all of your photos look similar, you can express your unique style, which can contribute to a better social media presence and better brand marketing. Moreover, doing so can make your work more cohesive and make your social media profile or portfolio more striking.
Conclusion: Which App Are Professionals Using To Edit Pictures?
In the final analysis, we can express that photo editing makes a significant difference whether you are a professional photographer, photo editor, graphic designer, hobbyist, or someone who likes to create memories by taking pictures. Even though the cameras already provide high-quality photos with the advance of technology, you can make them even more fascinating by using suitable image editing software. As the need for such programs is constantly growing, you can find plenty of options online.
However, not all programs have the same features, are suitable on different devices, and are cost-effective. Therefore, we set strict criteria to find some of the best options in terms of editing software which provides different options intending to offer our readers variety. We hope that this article will provide you with information about photo editing and editing software that you can purchase and download to make the best decision for yourself. We suggest checking all of the options on our list and starting your creative journey today in a fun and inspiring way.
