The Best Photo Editing Programs Compared

Image Editing Software Definition: What are image or photo editing programs and why are they needed?

High-quality photos can be taken today with every well-developed smartphone. A camera function is standard on mobile phones and can usually be activated with one or two button presses. Therefore, it is no problem to quickly shoot an exciting, impressive photo at any opportunity. Yet, you no longer have to save meticulously for professional cameras with high-resolution and intelligent lenses or chips. If you want to take good photos, you can get a suitable device for not much more than 100 euros. Even conventional digital cameras can include the most important features that make professional photography possible (users only need to know how to use them correctly).

Private shots with appropriate devices can be used directly in most cases. They can easily be viewed with family, friends etc. or shared on social networks. Professionally used photos, on the other hand, usually only achieve the desired effect after editing. Whether it's photos that photographers provide to their private clients or product photos, marketing images or other shots in a business context - the desired effect can only be achieved after adjusting the colors, contrasts, light or even combining it with additional photo material.

An image editing program offers (of course, always depending on the equipment) various tools for such adjustment of photo files. It enables users to create an attractive and ultimately really convincing photo product from one or more image files. Image editing programs are also simply called image programs, photo software or sometimes Photoshop photo editing programs.

Solutions for digital image editing are now even standard on cameras, within smartphone camera apps or on social media. For example, if you want to present yourself in a more advantageous light in a photo, you can usually do this immediately after the shot has been taken with the respective device. Additionally, there is a wide range of photo editing programs for Apple or Android in the app stores, which offer many functions. However, these apps almost always serve typical requirements in the private sector. For professional image editing or in a business context, if mobile software for photo editing is desired - or alternatively such that can be used flexibly at multiple locations - a professional image editing program as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) should be used.

How does photo editing software work?

There are numerous forms of photo editing programs. These include for example graphic design software, retouching programs, solutions for converting images and classic image editing programs. The latter combines various functions with which photos can be adapted more or less extensively.

In this context, there are expert systems available that allow professional photo editing or are intended for use by trained specialists. There are also those that focus on end users with less or no experience in image editing. Depending on the orientation, usage is usually more complex or simpler and offers more or less flexibility in photo adjustment.

Basically, you can proceed much more precisely and achieve more with a professional image editing program than with a tool for everyone. However, the basic procedure is almost always the same:

1. First, one or more photos to be edited are opened in the image editing program.

2. Depending on the equipment, the software provides various tools in its interface. The interface is typically built around the open images with numerous buttons, which users can use to adjust their photos in various ways within the program.

3. The steps taken can be adopted or undone - good or professional programs allow working on different levels, which allows for a perfect match.

4. As soon as the desired result has been achieved, the final product can be saved in the required file format or exported directly to further processing stations.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of image editing programs?

Photos have been potentially extremely helpful elements of (digital) customer acquisition and retention, not just since the triumph of social media marketing. Humans can generally absorb image content very well, which - if the strategy fits - promises a quick and effective effect.

Corresponding visual impressions in the form of maximum beneficially edited photos are therefore essential in most industries when it comes to operating effective marketing or placing advertisements. Hence, the use of image editing programs is an important success factor.

Companies that work with the right software for their purposes can particularly benefit from the following advantages.

• Brand building: Images are extremely important for building a brand. Companies can, for example, focus on a certain editing style in order to create brand-promoting and brand-uniform photos and play them out. These can be the special saturation of individual colors, an extraordinary image section, a unique type of images or focusing patterns.

• Better sales: An essential purpose of photo editing is to improve the overall quality of images. Companies cannot use mediocre images that represent their goods or services. With a good image editing program, the quality of an image can be quickly adjusted to make it more appealing to the target group. Products are sold better with correspondingly well-edited photos.

• Building seriousness and credibility: One of the most important advantages of photo editing is the possibility of conveying a significant push of seriousness and credibility. For example, real, truly valuable and high-quality images on websites are much more convincing for people than prefabricated stock photos. A correspondingly positive impression has an effect on the entire brand.

• Extensive photo editing tasks become easier: In cases where companies rely heavily on photos, such as e-commerce websites with thousands of product images, image files have to be edited almost daily. The shots should not only always offer real added value, but also look as high-quality and uniform as possible. The best photo editing programs make it easy for their users to comply with the exact editing parameters. The same settings can easily be applied to a large number of images. It is even possible to promptly adjust a series of similar images by grouping them together and then applying predefined editing settings.

• Benefits in social media: Social media are an important marketing channel for most companies today. Facebook, Instagram and many other networks have managed to bring customers and brands closer together than all other channels. Through professional editing of images before they are played out there, companies can visually stand out from their competition in various ways and reach their target customers particularly personally.

• (Multichannel) reuse of images for more efficiency: The reuse of images for different purposes is another clear advantage that can be achieved with photo editing software. Adaptation via an appropriate program makes it possible to use the same image for different purposes. For example, a background can be changed quickly, other images important in the respective context can be integrated or possibly integrated fonts can be optimized for smaller devices or newspaper advertisements. There is then more time left for other aspects of the marketing plan.

And what about disadvantages? If an image editing software has been chosen that fits exactly to your own needs or the respective experiences, it should not mean any disadvantages in itself. However, there can be certain challenges - especially when inexperienced users use an image program. The following difficulties are quite typical:

• Time expenditure: Editing images on a PC can be very time-consuming. Even with simple programs, the process to the perfect result - especially for laymen - is usually lengthy. The larger the range of functions and the requirements for the image product, the more time must be planned. The degree between advantageous editing and too much time investment is narrow.

• Lack of experience: Professional photo editing programs are extremely powerful. Immensely many tools allow for detailed and far-reaching adjustments. The problem is that inexperienced users - even if their system offers a simple implementation of corresponding possibilities - often do not achieve any advantageous composition. They simply lack experience in creating persuasive images.

• No substitute for missing photographic talent: No photo editing app for PC can compensate for missing photographic talent. Although a lot can be achieved with photo editing software or professional photo editing, poor input material can only make it better to a certain degree.

Which photo editing program is the right one or how do you choose a suitable image editing program?

So what should you pay attention to when searching for a suitable program? The answer: When choosing an image editing program to professionally adjust photos for business purposes, the following factors should always be considered:

Editing Functions

Practically all good image editing tools provide typical, fundamental functions. Professional image programs allow more complex editing techniques, such as 3D effects, animated photos or special video functions, with extended features.

The latter possibilities are not relevant for all companies or private end users. However, those interested should always have the following elements on their agenda when looking for a photo editing program.

• Simple correction of colors, exposure, sharpness
• Cropping, cutting out and rotating photo elements
• Preferably lossless scaling
• Removing backgrounds and deleting objects
• The possibility of creating photo montages
• (Predefined) filter and effect tools
• Image editing on multiple layers
• Import and Export or storage of common image formats

In the selection of photo editing software, those responsible should clearly define the most common editing goals and then choose a program with specific functions. Are the priorities mainly confined to basic settings, such as exposure and white balance? Or should the chance exist to get creative with texts, filters and brushes? If it turns out that advanced techniques, such as skin retouching, background extensions or others, need to be applied more frequently to photos, then a professional photo editing program with a larger selection of editing tools is probably sensible.

Organizational Functions

Professional image editing programs sometimes allow not only editing photos, but also organizing them!

Those interested should at least keep this option in mind and consider how they currently manage their photos or whether the current variant works well or less well for them. It often proves useful to manage all images and their editing in one central place.

If an external solution is to be used for photo management, it is recommended to ensure that it can be optimally integrated with the photo editing software used.

Workflows

Smooth workflows for photo editing are an important key to efficiently creating great image products. Beginners in image editing usually do not have set procedures. They can calmly choose an image editing program that best suits their level of experience, and align their work processes to its possibilities.

However, when it comes to finding the ideal solution for professional image editors, the matter is no longer so "simple". These usually have established workflows that the software should be able to serve. For this, the user interface of the image editing program must be right. Ideally, it not only supports the usual workflows, but also improves them.

Integrations

After photos have been edited, the next step in the business use of images usually consists of their distribution. Some of the best photo editing programs have integrated functions for the direct forwarding of photos to social media, a CMS, an asset management system etc. The images reach the appropriate places without users of the photo editing program having to leave it.

Extensions

The more or the more intensively beginners deal with adjusting photos using an editing program, the greater their knowledge of image editing usually becomes. The question here is: Can the image editing program grow with the competencies? Generally, a system that can be flexibly extended is better to choose in case of expected changes in competencies - whether for laymen or professionals. Some providers have downloadable plugins for effects, filters, brushes etc. and/or whole additional modules with extensive tool collections or generally different versions of their software.

Support and Online Resources

With a new acquisition, the first steps of an image editing program or when switching to another system, it is important to know which resources are available that can help with a good start. There is quite detailed FAQs, video tutorials and more about some widespread editors for photo and image editing, both from their developing companies and from external sources. The direct support is also often good with established programs. While some smaller manufacturers only offer relatively little help and hardly any direct support is possible with free editing programs for photos.

Especially those who are new to photo editing should choose an image editing program for which there are many online tutorials and preferably also personal support. The existence of a larger online community of other program users can also be extremely helpful in order to get the most out of the chosen editor.

What do image editing programs cost - can you also edit images for free?

To get straight to the point: There is indeed good freeware for editing photos. Some free image editing programs bring a functional range suitable for commercial purposes. But usually there is no direct support. There are also free versions of otherwise much more powerful programs available.

Basically, interested parties can either install an image editing software on their computer or use it as a Software-as-a-Service solution (SaaS) via a web browser. However, the former variant is still more widespread.

For a professional image editing program with features that go beyond the standard, average users in a business context have to plan around 50 euros for a one-time purchase. However, these programs are still intended for rather simple tasks. Expert photo editing software with very powerful tools starts at about 300 euros annually and per license. But it can even cost over 1,000 euros.