Photoshop is the primary word in graphic design software, and also like most leading software products, it demands a fee from anyone who wants to use it. To access Photoshop, you will need to fork out about $19.99 every month. I don’t have any problem with this given how powerful Photoshop is, but some do.
Luckily, there is a solution to this price problem.
Some Free Alternatives to Photoshop do exist, and they hold their own in terms of quality, further. Here they all are. So, You can check here for non-Free Photoshop Alternatives).
Best Free Photoshop Alternatives in 2020
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Paint.NET
Thanks to its image-based tabs system, which makes it easy to work on multiple projects at once, Paint.Net is an excellent free alternative to Photoshop. The addition of layers – a feature usually reserved for expensive professional software – makes Paint.Net tough to beat. This UI will feel familiar to Photoshop users, but it is also effortless to pick up newbies.
So, I see it as a halfway house between Photoshop and Microsoft Paint, making it easy for graphic design newbies to grasp. It is for that reason – that I have personally been using Paint.NET for all my image editing needs over the last few years. Its simplicity, connected with the advanced features available, makes it a tough one to beat and an excellent option for users with difficulty with software geared more towards experienced users.
Highlights include several special effects that can sharpen, blur, emboss, distort, and eliminate red-eye from photos in a few clicks. It is bad news for Mac users, Although Paint.NET is available only for Windows.
Krita
Krita was created by artists to make art tools affordable to everyone. This is an open-source digital sketching and painting studio geared towards concept artists—illustrators and designers who want to sketch from scratch. Therefore, if you want to edit existing imagery, this one isn’t for you. Now Krita offers training material to kickstart your illustration career (or hobby) and can open PSD files, also.
There is a little learning curve to software, and the UI isn’t too user-friendly, Hence, its best suited to users with some experience. However, at once, you get the hang of it. This is an exceptional Photoshop alternative full of excellent features for painting and design.
GIMP
GIMP is one of the most common free Photoshop alternatives. It’s also likely to be the most influential graphic design tool on this list. It’s free and open-source but packs a professional punch nonetheless.
There are significant similarities between Photoshop and GIMP in terms of functionality and user interface, so many find migration from one to the other to be smooth. GIMP is also capable of working and opening with PSD files, which are Photoshop specific.
GIMP has several high-quality features that hold their own against those of Photoshop. This professional features available in GIMP, gradients, such as color adjustment tools, customizable brushes, and auto image enhancement tools, make it easy for users to create artwork from scratch and edit photos.
The in-depth tutorials provide for all users from Starters to an advanced level. This gives it super accessible to everyone, including users who aren’t familiar with the open-source apps.
Pixia
Pixia is a raster graphics editor and painting program specifically well–suited for many forms of digital painting. This gives a lightweight painting environment for digital painting and artwork of all types! Unlike other editing tools and digital art, Pixia strips away the bloatware features, leaving a fast, focused environment that ensures you can paint without any distraction. It is also freeware making it the best free Photoshop alternative.
Inkscape
Inkscape is a Fully free and open-source vector graphics editor. It is perfect for creating icons for apps and sites, cartoon illustrations, and also logos. Notwithstanding being free, Inkscape feels and looks incredibly advanced. Several of its many features include intelligent drawing tools, the ability to import and export multiple file types, add-ons, and multilingual support. So, These powerful tools and its intuitive UI make it an excellent option for beginners.
However, it is probably a little more comparable to Illustrator, Inkscape is a great free Photoshop alternative, especially if you want to save some $$$ (since it’s free). It is also one of the few options on the list cooperative with Linux (along with GIMP).
SumoPaint
The SumoPaint’s slogan is, ‘Photoshopping in your browser’ – which is pretty self-explanatory. It is an incredibly powerful web app with an answer to most, if not all, of Photoshop’s best features. It is also super fast to navigate, and the interface is pleasing to the eye. All of the standard features are free, such as gradient fill, blur, smudge, line tools, and other features you’d expect to find in Photoshop.
You can use it within your browser and tolerate the ads, or upgrade to SumoPaint Pro to use it without ads and use more features.users to access all the necessary image manipulation features for free. So, SumoPaint Pro also permits you to download the software so you can use it offline.
Seashore
If you are a dedicated Mac user, Seashore may be for you. It’s Available only for Mac OS X’s Cocoa framework, and Seashore takes inspiration from GIMP (number one on this list) by serving up similar functionality and using the same original file format.
Although, unlike the GIMP, Seashore is pointed at a broader audience who want to do some basic image editing. It’s ideal for new users with little experience in this area, although the UI is pretty basic and leaves room for improvement. If you’re an amateur photographer or need to perform some basic image editing, Seashore will do the trick.
exPhoto
exPhoto is another app by the same developer that created Pixia and is more geared towards print graphics and photo editing. The advantage is that you can select which form best suits your requirements at the time.
So, Doing some digital painting? Looking to touch up a photo? Load up, Pixia. Time for exPhoto. Surely, you have to install two apps, but it remains the features geared towards the task at hand, which is smart.
exPhoto is capable of saving and handling as PSD, just like GIMP.
Canva
Canva is a browser-based web application that provides everything a graphic designer needs. Who likes to work on their phones or tablets, there are apps for Android and iOS as well. This Used by over 10 million people, Canva serves up millions of stock images, hundreds of fonts, and a wide range of icons, filters, and shapes. With their sources to hand, you can drop and drag images into place before editing them.
So, The simplicity of Canva makes sophisticated design accessible to everyone with several ranges of templates available. Even the most amateur of users will make decent design outcomes with the help of this application. Seasoned graphic designers may get Canva to be a little lightweight, but it is a useful app to have on hand when you need to take a few shortcuts and don’t want to decrease quality. This is a freemium application, and more experienced designers will need the paid version; however, pricing is nowhere near Photoshop territory.
Pixlr
Pixlr comes in two distinct flavors. Pixlr Express is ideal for simple edits and quick fixes, while Pixlr Editor is for power users. So, Both are both free, and both are browser-based web apps, so there is never any need to download the software.
This makes it perfect for Chromebook users, Moreover. The Pixlr is feature-packed but has a clean UI that makes it very easy to navigate these features without seeming “cluttered” or overwhelming the users with the available options. One super significant benefit to Pixlr is that it runs free Android and iOS apps that allow you to edit right from your smartphone.
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Free Graphic Design Software That Doesn’t Suck
Photoshop is a substation, but if you are struggling to justify its rather hefty price-tag, then the ten Photoshop Alternatives listed above should tide you.
If you are interested as to what options exist with a price tag, check our list of the Paid Photoshop Alternatives.