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When you’ve spent time learning photography, honed your craft and made an effort to take great photos, the next part of perfecting an image comes from editing. Editing can take a great picture and make it an outstanding one. But where to start? There is so much online software available that it may be hard to know which is best for you and your projects. To make things easier, we’ve added a few options below that we have personally tried with both free and paid options to get you started.

GIMP: Free Editing Software

GIMP is a cross-platform editor for a range of images, including photographs, vectors, and illustrations. Tasks that GIMP can perform include retouching, image composition and authoring. It works on various operating systems, including GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows, so there is something for every type of device. It has a host of useful functions no matter if you are a graphic designer, photographer, or illustrator, GIMP tools will help get the job done. There are also further enhancements for usability and productivity with customisation options and 3rd party plugins ensuring that you have an easy time on your edits.

Photopea: Free Photo Editor

Photopea is another web-based editor great for photos. This platform can edit and design images, vectors, graphics and illustrations while also offering web design integration functionality. This makes working and moving between formats a breeze. Photopea is a free application that works in the Google Chrome browser, however, there is also a premium version available for a monthly fee. Check out their free version first before taking any upgrade leap.

Affinity: Paid Editing Software

Affinity is a software known for being fast and precise in all of its functions, from editing and retouching to creating a multi-layered composition that pops. Complete photographic corrections, finesse delicate elements, or lose yourself in complex fine art – the program can handle everything. Affinity provides a perfect canvas for photographers and creative professionals with speed, power and accuracy while also being available on macOS, Windows and iOS.

Adobe: Subscription-Based Software

The Adobe Creative Cloud is probably the most famous editing and creative technology available in the world today. Their studio includes popular programs, including Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom and Dreamweaver. Photoshop, in particular, offers the functionality you need to edit your images and photography to the highest and most professional level. While it’s often seen as a tool for professionals, beginners can also use Photoshop, learning from the many helpful tutorials available online. Of course, Photoshop is the most expensive on the list, but it’s worth checking out for its professionalism, reputation, and compatibility across many systems.

Explore On-Demand With Beyond Print

Once your photos and images are edited, beautiful, and ready to go out into the world, take a look at how we can help. Beyond Print offers a range of print types, a variety of sizes, with personalised postage and sending options to get you started selling your pieces and making money from your art.