Alternatives to Photoshop

4 Programs That are Just as Good as Photoshop But Won’t Break the Bank

With many software companies moving from a single-time-purchase model to a subscription for licensing of their programs, using them and staying up to date can get very expensive, very quickly. 

Luckily, for most industry-standard programs, there are free or inexpensive alternatives that will give you the same results without breaking the bank.

Here are four alternatives to Adobe Photoshop that will allow you to use many of the same tools and functions at a fraction of the cost

  1. Adobe Photoshop Express
    This first one is really just “Photoshop Lite” but it’s great for people who just need to use the basic functions of Photoshop. Photoshop Express is good for users who are familiar with the Adobe Interface and know how Photoshop works because the tools are pretty much the same.

    This free program allows you to crop, rotate and resize photos as well as adjust standard variables like exposure, contrast, saturation, highlights and shadows, among others. Photoshop Express is available in the browser on desktop and is also available in app form for your phone.


 

  1. GIMP
    A fan favorite for Photoshop alternatives is the Gnu Image Manipulation Program commonly known as GIMP. This free open-source software has been around for over 20 years and is a go-to for people looking for a Photoshop-quality program.

    GIMP gives users standard photo-manipulation abilities, a large selection of brushes and other drawing tools and other photo editing functions. This program can also be used offline as it can be downloaded to your computer rather than being used in your browser.


 

  1. Pixlr
    Pixlr has been described as Photoshop but placed into your browser. It’s free (for the most part) and completely online. It’s good for users who are familiar with Photoshop (because the tools are very similar) but would like to be able to use it anywhere.

    While the basic version of this software is free and contains most of the tools that the average user would want, there is a premium version that gives you extra features and an ad-free experience.

 

  1. Canva
    Canva is a fairly simple but very useful browser-based graphic design program. Where the other programs have great photo manipulation capabilities, Canva really takes the lead with its graphic design tools. It has a very simple drag and drop interface and it comes with hundreds of shapes, graphics, pictures, fonts and other tools that you can use in your design for free. It also allows you to add videos, QR Codes, Google Maps images and other helpful add-ons to your design.

There is a premium version that gives you access to more tools and content libraries but there is still plenty to use in the free version.

Canva also gives users the option of a mobile app for graphic design on the go.

Photo editing and graphic design don’t need to be expensive skills, with the right tools and a little hard work anyone can pick it up.

For those looking for a little more guidance, Metro Media Institute offers a number of classes in Graphic Design, Photography and even Photoshop.

Check out our full class listing HERE.

 

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