Photo Editing Software: 7 Best to Use in 2024

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Key notes

  • This list presents the best photo-editing software for all types of users, from beginner to pro.
  • Not all photo editors for PC are free, but you can use a free trial or free demo to evaluate the key features. 
  • The best photo editing software for Windows on our list are rightfully taken by two apps from Adobe that come with great sets of tools and options.
  • Check our full list to discover some other useful solutions from inPixio, CorelDRAW, and other publishers.
 
Here are the best photo-editing software for Windows 10

Looking to make easy adjustments or perhaps more elaborate changes to your photo albums? Then, it might be a good time to check out some of the latest Windows photo-editing software.

Passionate photographers will no doubt have an extensive archive of snapshots that now need refining with an image editor.

If that sounds like you, read on. As you might have discovered already, you could utilize web-based photo-editing software to enhance your pics.

However, desktop apps get more regular updates, thus allowing you to make the most of the latest photo-editing techniques.

That is all thanks to publishers who release new versions of their flagship photo editors every one or two years to give them new tools and features.

The latest image editors include:

  • Vector graphics tools
  • RAW converters
  • Extensive filter effects
  • Paint and drawing options
  • Lens distortion correction
  • Shadow and highlight adjustment options
  • Photo management features
  • Layer masks, and lots more advanced editing tools

These are some of the best PC photo-editing applications.

What are the best photo-editing software tools for PC?

inPixio Photo Studio Pro 12

One thing about regular users that start photo editing is that they hate having too many features and tools at their disposal since this overwhelms them and makes them think they may be doing something wrong.

That’s why this next entry, inPixio Photo Studio Pro 12, caters to those exact users, offering a photo editor that focuses on simplicity and efficiency.

If you’re interested in simple things, like adjusting image settings, cropping, resizing, or removing options, this software is right for you. Some additional backgrounds are available for photomontages in the Photo Studio Pro 12.

More so, you will be guided every step of the way thanks to the abundance of interactive tutorials, so getting started will be a breeze.

Furthermore, you can share your creations on Facebook and Twitter and add some special effects by switching the skies for vibrant photos.

Photo Studio Pro 12

Restore old photos, create collages, and remove unwanted objects from them with the help of this great utility!
Check price Visit website

Adobe Photoshop Elements

Photoshop has long been the industry standard photo-editing software and a benchmark for all other photo editors.

The Elements software solution is the slightly stripped-down alternative to Photoshop CC, but it’s also a more economical and straightforward application to utilize for photo editing than CC.

Adobe has designed Photoshop Elements as a more user-friendly alternative to CC. As such, the software includes a Guided mode that provides tutorials and templates for editing pictures.

Photographers will also appreciate the Quick Edit mode with which you can apply quick fix edits with the application‘s more basic editing tools.

For more advanced editing, the software has an Expert mode. Element’s Expert mode includes more than 90 creative filters for images and the software‘s full gamut of editing tools.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Generous range of selection tools, adjustment layers, masks, paint options
  • Lens distortion correction option, a clone tool, vector graphic tools, and more
  • Elements Organizer for cataloging images
  • Advanced image search options
  • New guided effects, new dynamic slideshows, and a panorama tool for merging photos together

So, Photoshop Elements is certainly one of the must-have image editors in 2021.

Adobe Photoshop Elements

Photo editing is easy with this one-of-a-kind user-focused software that has it all. Are you ready to give it a try?
Free trial Visit website

PhotoWorks

PhotoWorks is an intelligent photo editor created for photographers of all skills, but it mostly aims at professionals who look to make photo editing easier without sacrificing the result.

Here are some of the features that PhotoWorks boasts:

  • Content-aware AI that can detect your photo’s genre and enhance it accordingly
  • One-click portrait enhancement features allow you to instantly retouch a portrait, smooth out the skin, remove blemishes, and whiten the teeth in a blink
  • Intelligent background replacement will allow you to seamlessly change the backdrop of any photo in just a few brushstrokes
  • Smart color grading with pro tools like Curves, Tone Mapping, and scores of built-in 3D LUT effects and filters.

These are just some of the tools that PhotoWorks offers, and the best part is that they can all be tested before you actually buy the software.

PhotoWorks

PhotoWorks

If you need to retouch photos in the simplest way possible, then go ahead and give PhotoWorks a try, you might end up loving it.
Free trialVisit website

Adobe Photoshop Express

Photoshop Express is the Adobe Photoshop app for Windows phones, iOS, and Android platforms.

Although this app has fewer photo-editing tools than Elements, it’s a quick and easy image editor for mobile photographers who need to edit snapshots.

Photoshop Express includes most of the more essential photo-editing tools for photographers.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Crop & Rotate, Resize, Exposure, Red Eye, Saturation, White Balance, Soft Focus, Sharpen, and Fill Light editing tools
  • Auto fix and enhance option (provides a handy quick fix for photographs‘ contrast and exposure)
  • 15 frames and more than 15 effects (plus the Adobe Looks Pack further expands the number of filters for the app)
  • Advanced sharing options(Twitter, Flickr, Instagram, in emails, or save them to the CC Library)
Adobe Photoshop Express

Adobe Photoshop Express

No list of photo editing tools can be complete without the best on the market: Adobe Photoshop!
Free trialVisit website

Skylum Luminar

Luminar from Skylum (ex. Macphun) is one of the hottest new Windows photo-editors for 2020.

This was previously an exclusive Apple Mac editor, but Macphun has released a Luminar version for Windows as well (64-bit platforms only).

The image editing software tool has massive discounts for current and new Luminar users. And, if you want to get stunning results, you can combine it with Aurora HDR.

Skylum Luminar is an all-in-one photo editor that packs in color toning, layers, sharpness, B&W processing, contrast, dehaze, luminosity mask, masking, object removal, and layer photo enhancement tools.

The real beauty of Luminar lies in its presets that you can apply to outdoor, travel, dramatic, portrait, and other photo categories.  For example, you could select the 60’s Black and White preset to give your photo a retro feel.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • More than 40 filters, such as soft focus, tone, grain, vignette, radiance, clarity and more besides
  • RAW-processing filter so that you can apply filters to RAW images
  • New Library and image management tools
  • AI-powered filters, signatures looks, and much more

The Luminar library is a highly customizable image catalog that makes browsing, rating, and organizing a joy.

Users can easily see a beautiful image wall that works with existing folders on their hard drive, connected devices, and synced cloud storage.

There’s no need to re-import images, simply selecting a folder adds it to Luminar where pictures can be viewed, color labeled, rated, and edited.

⇒ Get Skylum Luminar 


CorelDRAW

pixel painting software

CorelDRAW is one professional graphic design software that has revolutionized image retouching through its unique layer-based photo editing tools and bitmap-to-trace vector technology.

Some of its amazing enhance and retouch capacities include imperfections’ removal, perspective correction, tone and color adjustments, and HDR editing from RAW images.

All this and much more is possible thanks to the incredible Corel PHOTO-PAINT integrated solution plus AfterShot 3 HDR feature.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Professional vector illustration toolkit (AI-powered bitmap-to-vector trace technology)
  • Comprehensive photo editing suite
  • Expert-grade corrections and enhancements to RAW or JPEG images
  • Eliminate noise from highly-compressed JPEG images
  • Countless effects, masks, effects, and lenses
  • Replace Color, Blend, Mesh Fill, patterns, gradients, and much more
  • Non-destructive editing

⇒ Get CorelDRAW


NCH PhotoPad

PhotoPad is one of the best and simplest photo editors from the famous NCH Software. This tool has lots of features to offer so you could easily edit all your photos.

This is possible because it supports all popular image formats. In addition, the PhotoPad has a free version.

It edits RAW images, has many great features, and lets you edit photos like a pro without having too much experience with image editing tools.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Access to every basic image manipulation tool such as cropping, resizing, rotating, color fixing, light and color balancing
  • Merge multiple exposures to create amazing HDR images
  • Multiple layers (so you can apply and change different effects without literally destructing a photo)
  • Perfect for photo collages, effects (oil paint, cartoon, vignette, various filters), photo books, and many more
  • Background replacement process that can be easily made, even if you are not an infographics pro

⇒ Get NCH PhotoPad


Those are the best photo editors to check out this year. The decision that’s the best photo-editing software really depends on what exactly you need from it.

Speaking of your editing needs, there are plenty of specialized photo-editing tools available on the market. Some are very lightweight which is perfect for low-end PCs and very basic editing needs.

Other tools offer advanced editing options suitable for professionals. What’s it going to be? Share your choice via the comments section below.


More about the topics: photo editors, photo software