Top 5 feature-rich photo editors in 2024

Make use of popular photo editors whenever there's a need to beautify your photos and transform images into artwork to impress your Instagram or Facebook followers. There's a huge variety of photo editors that let you touch up pictures, get rid of blemishes, remove unwanted objects, change the background, correct the colours, adjust contrast and brightness, and whatever. Check out the list of top 5 photo editors and find the most suitable editing software to get the most of your pictures.

Price  
Special features  
Photo effects  
Impressive tools  
Supported OS  
$249.99 per year, 15-day trial
Design vector graphics, create logos & banners, replace colours, sync changes with colleagues
Over 100 effects in CorelPHOTO-PAINT
Perspective tools, Colour Splash, Lens Flare, Black & White, Photo Masks
Windows 10/8/7 and macOS 10.15 and later
Free of charge & open source
Extend the functionality with plugins, render images in batch mode, transform images into artwork
More than 130 filters
Gradient Editor, Subpixel Sampling, Blend, Healing
Unix, Linux, Windows 10/8/7, macOS 10.12 Sierra and higher
Free, pay $3.42 per month for the pro version, 30-day trial
Apply interesting visual effects, edit colour layers, animate & disperse still images, add tracks
A number of video-to-photo, AI-based & animation effects
360-degree photo editing, AI object and person segmentation, Sky Replacement, Sparkle & Glitch
64-bit Windows 10/8/7, Mac OSX 10.8 and higher
Free of charge, $39.99 for the pro version
Enhance photos, edit object layers, design slideshows & presentations, take screenshots
Over 1,000 filters and frames
Mosaic Brush, Clone Stamp, Focus Stacking, Colour Picker
Windows 10, macOS 10.12 or later
Free of charge for basic editing, $8.99 per month for the pro version, 3-day trial
Generate ads and logos, get access to templates, retouch portraits, create graphics for social media
Over 100 effects
Solar and sun halo effects, makeup options, Double Exposure Tools
Web, iOS, Android, Windows 10/8/7/Vista, and macOS 10.15 and higher

Price

$249.99 per year, 15-day trial

Free of charge & open source

Free, pay $3.42 per month for the pro version, 30-day trial

Free of charge, $39.99 for the pro version

Free of charge for basic editing, $8.99 per month for the pro version, 3-day trial

Special features

Design vector graphics, create logos & banners, replace colours, sync changes with colleagues

Extend the functionality with plugins, render images in batch mode, transform images into artwork

Apply interesting visual effects, edit colour layers, animate & disperse still images, add tracks

Enhance photos, edit object layers, design slideshows & presentations, take screenshots

Generate ads and logos, get access to templates, retouch portraits, create graphics for social media

Photo effects

Over 100 effects in CorelPHOTO-PAINT

More than 130 filters

A number of video-to-photo, AI-based & animation effects

Over 1,000 filters and frames

Over 100 effects

Impressive tools

Perspective tools, Colour Splash, Lens Flare, Black & White, Photo Masks

Gradient Editor, Subpixel Sampling, Blend, Healing

360-degree photo editing, AI object and person segmentation, Sky Replacement, Sparkle & Glitch

Mosaic Brush, Clone Stamp, Focus Stacking, Colour Picker

Solar and sun halo effects, makeup options, Double Exposure Tools

Supported OS

Windows 10/8/7 and macOS 10.15 and later

Unix, Linux, Windows 10/8/7, macOS 10.12 Sierra and higher

64-bit Windows 10/8/7, Mac OSX 10.8 and higher

Windows 10, macOS 10.12 or later

Web, iOS, Android, Windows 10/8/7/Vista, and macOS 10.15 and higher

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
50 (53%) 45 (47%)
Download
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite provides a complete set of professional tools to create vector illustrations, manage page layouts, and have full control over editing processes. It's an ideal choice in case you need to create eye-catching ads and logos.

It's free for 15 days but then you have to acquire the full version for $249.99 per year. The software runs on Windows 10/8/7 and macOS 10.15 and later.
Screenshot
Main Window
Features
  • Draw scenes in 1, 2 or 3-point perspective.
  • Add and arrange objects without losing perspective.
  • Share symbols across projects.
  • Syncronize changes made by colleagues.
  • Choose among a number of Google Fonts.
Advantages
  • Easily replace colours.
  • Make adjustments in real time and in context.
  • Process HEIF file formats for iPhone.
  • Write real-time comments.
  • Organize and share cloud files in the dashboard.
  • Search reviewer comments.
  • Export output files to a number of formats.
Disadvantages
  • External reviewers can't write comments without a Corel license.
  • It occupies too much space.
  • Slow updates.
  • Issues with exporting to PNG, DXF and DWG.
Official website:
coreldraw.com
GIMP
GIMP
23 (64%) 13 (36%)
Download
GIMP is designed to retouch your photos, transform them into a piece of art, change the foreground of your pictures, and convert photos and render images in batch mode. Use over 100 plugins and scripting functionality to extend the program's capabilities and add new filters.

Gimp is free and open source. The software is supported on Unix, Linux, Windows 7 and higher, and macOS 10.12 Sierra and higher.
Screenshot
Photo editing
Features
  • Customize the built-in functionality by using extra plugins.
  • Fix vignetting, barrel and perspective distortion.
  • Apply the Healing, Painting and Clone tools.
  • Work with a number of formats, including PSD, PIX, and MNG.
  • Save files on remote locations via FTP, SSH and HTTP protocols.
Advantages
  • Use custom patterns and brushes.
  • Apply the Gradient Editor, Subpixel Sampling, and Blend tools.
  • Rotate, flip and scale images.
  • Extract the foreground of your photos.
  • Do rectangle, ellipse, bezier and polygonal selections.
  • Design animations in the frame-as-layer format.
Disadvantages
  • You can't select multiple layers and configure the same text style for them.
  • It lacks options to group layers.
  • No native support for RAW files.
  • Difficult cropping.
  • It takes time to process large files.
Official website:
gimp.org
CyberLink PhotoDirector
CyberLink PhotoDirector
10 (50%) 10 (50%)
Download
This software allows you to design a unique piece of art, apply interesting visual effects, make your photos razor-sharp, control colours, and manage layers.

It's free of charge, however, if you want extended functionality, you need to get the full version for $3.42 per month, the trial version is available for 30 days. CyberLink PhotoDirector works on 64-bit Windows 10\8\7 and Mac OSX 10.8 and higher.
Screenshot
Version Window
Features
  • Add impressive light effects, including Light Hits, Bokeh and Sparkle Effects.
  • Manage colour layers with Glitch effects.
  • Get rid of fog and haze and get razor-sharp photos.
  • Animate, change and reposition the sky.
  • Apply AI-based object and person segmentation.
  • Capture snapshots of video files.
  • Use the Face Shaper, Body Shaper and Skin Smoothener tools.
Advantages
  • Animate and disperse still images.
  • Make use of Express Layer Templates, fonts, cliparts, frames and AI packs.
  • Get fast access to the built-in audio library and stock images.
  • Correct lens distortion.
  • Remove objects with Selected Sauce and fix chromatic aberration.
  • Manage midtones, shadows and highlights.
Disadvantages
  • Annoying pop-ups to upgrade the software.
  • Few animated text features.
  • No geotagging.
  • Few lens profiles.
  • Some menus are slow.
PhotoScape X
PhotoScape X
11 (65%) 6 (35%)
Download
This software lets you edit and convert your photos in batch mode. It's designed to enhance your photos. Apply over 1,000 effects, filters and frames, create impressive collages and slideshows, remove blemishes, manage object layers, and capture screenshots.

The software is free of charge, however, you can buy the Pro version at $39.99 for advanced editing. PhotoScape X is available only for Windows 10. Try PhotoScape for Windows 8/7/Vista/XP or macOS 10.12 and higher.
Screenshot
Change color
Features
  • View images in a number of modes, including Loupe View and Full Screen.
  • Remove the background of your image.
  • Merge your pics to create collages.
  • Generate animated GIFs.
  • Capture screenshots.
  • Add watermarks.
Advantages
  • Batch resize and rename photos.
  • Zoom in and pick colours.
  • Add GPS coordinates and geotagging.
  • Create HDR images.
  • Apply a number of tools, including Mosaic Brush, Clone Stamp and Focus Stacking.
Disadvantages
  • Can't open EPS files.
  • Cropping issues.
  • Issues with adding some text.
  • Problems with auto-adjustment features.
Official website:
x.photoscape.org
Fotor
Fotor
11 (79%) 3 (21%)
Download
It's a simple tool that enables you to design ads, logos and banners from scratch or use a number of free templates and stock images. Retouch your portraits, get rid of blemishes and wrinkles, and make collages.

It's free of charge but you can purchase the Pro version for $8.99 per month, there's a 3-day trial for a test drive. Fotor can be installed on iOS, Android, Windows 10/8/7/Vista, and macOS 10.15 and higher.
Screenshot
Share to Social Sites
Features
  • Apply over 100 effects in batch mode.
  • Add solar and sun halo effects.
  • Mask imperfections and enhance portraits.
  • Use makeup options.
  • Choose between 100 collage layouts.
  • Batch resize, rename and edit photos.
Advantages
  • Mix portraits and landscapes with Double Exposure Tools.
  • Create colour-saturated photos using HDR effects.
  • Get fast access to customizable templates and stock images.
  • Design graphics for popular social media.
  • Generate business cards and company letterheads.
Disadvantages
  • It doesn't automatically save editing sessions.
  • It may slow down the speed of your computer.
  • Few default fonts.
  • A lack of Arabic writing support.
  • The sofware offers less features than its web version.
Official website:
fotor.com

Conclusion

You see there's a wide range of decent photo editors. Choose photo-editing software depending on your needs:

- PhotoScape X is a good choice for quick tweaks, however, some options are quite unobvious to use.
- CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is ideal for professional designers who need perspective tools to create eye-catching graphics.
- Select GIMP if you want both to perform basic editing and transform your photos into something extraordinary.
- CyberLink PhotoDirector provides a number of outstanding light effects and allows for image animating. Still, it's better designed for professionals.
- Fotor is a simple tool for beginners, it greatly works if you need to quickly process your photos without advanced editing.

Comments

A
Andrea_8771 5 months ago

The problem with PhotoScapeX is that the project seems dead. There are no updates in years, I wrote to the support team and never received and answer...time to start looking to something else.

Reply Was it helpful? yes | no (+4)
R
Radhakrishnan 9 months ago

Very good inflrmatiion software.

Reply Was it helpful? yes | no (+2)