12 Best Photo Editing Software For PC Free & Paid

If you are just starting up your business in photography, you extremely need the best photo editing software for PC. A photographer who runs on a business of photo printing, having the best photo editing software is a must. If you are a photographer, either a beginner or an advance, begin to think about this.

Photo editing software plays a much important role in helping you bring focus to an image, highlight the key subjects, and transform a common picture into an incredible one. Photo editing software keeps you able to change the ordinary picture into the extraordinary one. Believe it or not, some amazing photos which are instagramable or the ones you see on social media as well as printed media are processed by the photo editing software before they are brought to share or print out.

Now you can enhance your photography skill along with the assistance of photo editing software. Thus, you bring what you do to perfection. Please consider the following photo editing software for your PC.

12 Best Photo Editing Software For PC Free & Paid

1. Adobe Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom

The first best photo editing software you can install for your PC is Adobe Lightroom. When it comes to photo editing software, Adobe is the gold standard you are going to use. You may find that Photoshop is too complex, then you must be sure to love installing Lightroom with all its ability to edit your image or picture in a straightforward intuitive interface along with the amazing features to offer.

The features that will let you optimize and customize Adobe Lightroom include face detection, camera, and lens-based correction, Brush and Gradient adjustment, Fixing and Blurring tools, customizable sliders, multiple device support as well as presets and professional filters. All of these features make Lightroom the best to download for PC and support the photo editing process.

2. SKylum Luminar

SKylum Luminar

The second best photo editing software for PCs you may also know is Skylum Luminar. This software was not as popular just a few years ago as it is now in 2024. Originally released in 2016, Luminar has grown enormously in popularity as a powerful editing tool for professional photographers around the globe over the past couple years. Luckily, unlike other photo editing softwares like Adobe Lightroom or Capture One, Skylum Luminar has no monthly subscriptions or complex licensing models.

Some key features that empower Luminar to be one of the world’s top photo editing tools include exclusive filters like Sunrays, Top & Bottom Lighting, and the Orton effect filter. It also has robust adjustment layers and masking capabilities, allowing for non-destructive editing on layers. Additionally, Luminar has specialized presets built specifically for editing drone photos from DJI models. These drone photo presets automatically adjust colors and lighting to make aerial shots really pop.

Beyond those standout features, Luminar boasts fast photo management powered by artificial intelligence, advanced black and white conversion tools, and even has built-in sky replacement capabilities to easily swap out lackluster skies. It also plays nicely with other editing programs as both a plugin and host application.

So, if you want professional-looking photo editing results without the professional photo editing price tag or learning curve, Skylum Luminar is an excellent option to consider. With its expandable libraries of custom textures, LUTs, backgrounds, and presets, Luminar aims to be a comprehensive editing studio for photographers looking to take their images to the next level. Compared to just a few years ago, today’s version of Luminar is leagues beyond where it started and continues to impress seasoned photographers as a robust alternative to mainstream editing programs.

3. Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop Best Photo Editing Software For PC

As the pioneering leader and longtime industry standard in advanced image manipulation and editing, the versatile creativity unleashed through Adobe Photoshop has made it a ubiquitous staple in the professional creative toolkit for over 30 years.

While free web apps may enable basic filters and adjustments, true mastery over realizing uninhibited digital art directions remains the defining domain of Photoshop. Its deep well of features including layered compositing, masking, painterly brush effects, typography tools, non-destructive adjustments and transformations, shape and vector functionality, and seamless asset export capacities continue driving innovation across photography, graphic design, VFX, web, fine art and countless other fields.

Though its expertise-oriented breadth may overwhelm novices initially, photoshop tutorial library gives creators access to the same esteemed retouching, compositing, illustration and 3D tools that empower major agencies and artists alike. New AI-driven features like one-click subject selection, automated photorealistic graphic generations and machine learning-based edits aimed at expediency continue advancing its capabilities each year.

While free mobile apps have their ease-of-use benefits, serious creators yearning limitless versatility in their projects ultimately gravtitate to the near endless freedom Photoshop unlocks through simply mastering its interface and toolset. For unrivaled creative control perfecting images from concept to delivery for over 30 years, Adobe Photoshop remains the gold standard for bringing uninhibited digital art visions to reality.

4. Capture One

Capture One

Capture One is a premium photo editing program tailored specifically for processing RAW camera files with precision color and exposure enhancements usable even on high megapixel images. What began in the late 1990s as proprietary software for Phase One’s early digital camera systems has evolved into an industry-leading editing suite used widely among professional photographers.

Now under the independent company Capture One A/S, Capture One’s specialized RAW editing capacities which leverage powerful color grading tools, non-destructive layer adjustments and robust camera/lens optimizations continue defining it as a photographer-first solution. Recent innovations have expanded the platform’s accessibility through new perpetual licensing, collaborative online editing via Capture One Live and even a full-fledged iPad/iPhone app providing core editing on-the-go.

While prosumer apps offer user-friendly filters and basic adjustments, Capture One maintains an expertise-oriented workflow catering expressly to commercial creators managing high volumes of intricate multi-layered photography projects with color accuracy requirements. For studios and professionals relying on consistent final image quality and efficient batch processing of large 20MP+ photo collections, Capture One provides an integrated photography ecosystem scaling to support intricate projects from capture through delivery.

5. On1Photo RAW

On1Photo RAW

Are you looking for a complete photo editing software that you can freely try? As the photography ecosystem grows increasingly complex across devices and platforms, there exists a dire need for consolidated apps that simplify rather than fragment post-processing and asset organization. ON1 Photo RAW 2024 answers that call by furnishing an end-to-end solution equipped to handle a photographer’s complete workflow from desktop to mobile for stunning creativity with streamlined efficiency.

6. Corel PaintShop Pro

Corel PaintShop Pro

When surveying the landscape of powerful yet approachable photo editing programs for Windows, Corel’s PaintShop Pro software emerges as a leading choice prizing simplicity in delivering professional image enhancements. Though it may lack some of the cutting-edge capabilities defining premium suites, PaintShop Pro 2023 furnishes everything needed for upgrading shots through an intuitive toolkit.

At its core lives an array of AI-enhanced features like one-click corrections leveraging machine learning to instantly boost tone, color and dynamic range. Building upon this intelligent foundation sits editing staples ranging from cropping to blurring to tool sets tailoring 360 imagery and graphic design templates streamlining collage creation or text overlay projects.

While avoiding feature bloat keeps navigation focused, handy extras do abound like creative brush packs, texture libraries and myriad backgrounds to augment visual flair or arriving at desired stylistic directions smoothly. Comprehensive learning materials like tips, video tutorials and user forums further ensure users continually upskill techniques for tackling any photo task at hand using PaintShop Pro’s graceful interface.

So for those seeking powerful and precise core photo editing functionalities via a straightforward Windows ecosystem skipping the complexity of pro-grade suites, PaintShop Pro warrants consideration. It won’t overwhelm yet still furnishes all the adjustment staples required, especially as enhanced through machine learning intelligence. Sometimes, basic can prove most beautiful by not losing sight of efficient editing in pursuit of sheer tool volume.

7. ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate

ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate

As photography workflows continue growing more multifaceted across soaring asset volumes and increasingly mobile creative directions, ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2024 positions itself as an indispensable one-stop shop able to meet creators’ entire spectrum of imaging needs – from efficient organization to swift editing to presentation-ready polish.

New local AI capabilities built using machine learning algorithms help remove grunt work through features like automatic keyword tagging, facial recognition and quality culling. Combined with mainstay editing tools covering everything from RAW processing to precision masking to batch export actions, the software aims to liberate photographers towards more impactful creative directions rather than technical obstacles.

indeed, the 2024 update seems squarely focused on further reducing tedious clicking via new AI-powered systems like one-click sky replacements, automated object selection from rough outlines and intelligent keyword suggestions to help surface needed assets rapidly from vast catalogs. Enhanced portrait editing presents granular control over attributes like eye alignment and skin texture to facilitate professional retouching.

ACDSee Ultimate 2024 also intimately understands extending editing from desktop to mobile shooting is now crucial. Thus complete sync and accessibility options between catalogues across Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices give professionals fluidity in picking up right where they last left off in the creative process regardless of platform.

In many ways, ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2024 provides a response to growing photographer frustration around fragmented workflows, asset bloat and repetitive editing tasks impeding the true craft. Its holistic framework stays well-attuned to pain points creatives wrestle daily. The solution strives to let quality imagery speak louder by clearing away the static through consolidation and automation. For photographers feeling inundated by technical clutter, ACDSee proposes a simplified, integrated editing hub enhanced by AI.

8. Gimp

Gimp

Did you know that Gimp is a free professional photo editing software? Well, it is not only free to download and install but also easy to set up on your pc.

As a premier free and open source image editing alternative with over 25 years of development, The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) continues earning wide acclaim as a scalable yet accessible photo and graphics suite suitable for everyone from casual users seeking a few basic touchups all the way to professional photographers and illustrators tackling commercial projects.

While its expansive feature set spanning layers, advanced selections, transformations, color correction and enhancement tools matches what premium platforms offer, GIMP differentiates itself through an immutable dedication to enabling universal access by keeping its software freeware rather than adopting a paid or subscription model. This liberating ethos thus allows school programs, independent creators, startups and more tap into sophisticated editing functionalities without barriers.

Yet GIMP doesn’t take open source as an excuse for compromise. As a community-driven project actively improved for decades, it sports best-in-class color management ensuring faithful reproduction meeting publishing standards, robust framework extensibility via scripts and plugins, and a redesigned interface improving user experience significantly. Whether manipulating images through coding or mouse clicks, it keeps all creative doors open.

Such an intersection of accessibility, customizability and high-fidelity capacity has made GIMP indispensable across diverse image production pipelines – from photographers seeking retouching and restoration tools for archival family projects to illustrators, designers and VFX artists collaborating within creative agencies piecing together professional marketing assets or film scenes leveraging GIMP’s layered approach.

Because image creation inherently connects deeply to portraying identity and narratives in wider contexts, GIMP’s commitment to enabling anyone in capturing and transforming visions unencumbered by software limitations persists as a testament for open access to creative tooling as a conduit towards open access to express honestly. Its enduring development reminds just how empowering free software can prove when molded deliberately around advancing creative liberties rather than profits.

9. Canva

Canva

Another best photo editing software for pc highly recommended is Canva. It’s extremely simple graphic design software that is operating on a freemium model. It comes with many photo editing tools and products.

Unlike other photo editing software, Canva enables you to download and install it not only for your pc but also for your mobile device. Canva also lets you adjust many kinds of image elements only by a simple drag-and-drop editor. You can also add fonts and templates to your image whenever you want to use them on your site.

The features of Canva include thousands of templates, photo blur and vignette, image cropping and straightening, design grids and photo frames, image transparency tool, stickers, and badges, add texture, photo bubble maker, and photo enhancer. Make sure you optimize all of these features and produce the best result for photo editing.

10. Coreldraw

Coreldraw

As a fixture in the digital design toolkit for over 30 years, CorelDRAW’s extensive vector illustration and page layout tools have rightfully earned distinction as an indispensable asset used ubiquitously by creators seeking professional yet straightforward graphic and logo design software for Windows.

Unlike raster-based editing tailored to pixel-based photography and imaging, CorelDRAW enables constructing sleek customizable vector artwork, typography and layouts comprising of mathematical curves, shapes and color fills scalable to any size without quality loss suitable for usage across mediums like signage, T-shirts, brochures and websites. Its immense toolset spanning everything from object arrangement to font management empowers concept-to-delivery design agility.

Yet CorelDRAW balances pro-grade reliability and output with accessibility welcoming beginners. An intelligent and customizable interface guides users onto intuitive creation paths rather than presenting an impenetrable tool sea. Smart drawing aids, style Explorer libraries and live previews foster efficiency at every expertise level. Extensive file format interoperability ensures seamlessly marrying Corel projects into multi-software pipelines.

For graphic communication extending professional studio polish and personal flare across print and digital displays, CorelDRAW delivers an unparalleled design environment fertile for cultivating stylistic identities. Its enduring relevance owes credit to holistically understanding designers crave accessible ventures into visual innovation.

11. Pixlr

12. RawTherapee

As a premier free and open source RAW photo editing suite, RawTherapee packs professional-grade processing capabilities rivaling premium commercial platforms. Its expansive toolkit for precision adjustments spanning exposure, color balance, noise reduction, sharpness and more makes methodical batch editing workflows scalable and non-destructive.

While the sheer depth of sliders and advanced controls like curves may overwhelm novices at first glance, peerless editing horsepower awaits those willing to climb the initial learning curve. Careful attention towards high-fidelity processing sees RawTherapee excel at coaxing out elusive details in high dynamic range imagery and enables photographers craft immaculate corrections tailored to their camera make and lighting context.

Yet abundantly functional, RawTherapee balances rigor with customizability. Its modular plugin architecture means photographers can incorporate added formats and specialty features like film emulation without disruption, while preset sharing fosters technique pollination across the user community. An open development ethos focused on steady gains through user feedback makes RawTherapee highly responsive to practical photographer demands.

Such scalability and creative freedom have made RawTherapee a quietly indispensable pillar holding up many photographic studios wrestling with rising shoot volumes and client color accuracy expectations yet unwilling to be locked into subscription plans. Once onboarding past the interface, many discover a passionate hive of photography craft and code crafting alike.

At its core, RawTherapee represents the open source community’s enduring commitment to empowering photographers’ willful creative authority over their images rather than having artistry obstructed by proprietary constraints. It places accuracy, agency and democratic access to advanced editing tools above all – a noble phronesis more suites could adopt.

FAQ: Photo Editing Software

Conclusion

In short, possessing the best photo editing software for pc is a must and much recommended to support the way you are producing the best photo either for you yourself or for your customers.