Like all other creative endeavors, the advent of PCs well and truly revolutionized the process of photo editing. It did not take long for Photoshop to become king of the hill, through programs like GIMP and Paint.NET have also been a fan favorite over the decades.
Adobe Spark is a free design app with a powerful, easy-to-use picture editor. Scale, rotate, tilt, resize, and flip photos. Apply filters, text, or adjust contrast, brightness, saturation, warmth, or sharpness—all with a few taps. GIMP is a cross-platform image editor available for GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows and more operating systems. It is free software, you can change its source code and distribute your changes. Whether you are a graphic designer, photographer, illustrator, or scientist, GIMP.
The arrival of Windows 8, and then Windows 10, paved the way for the next breed of such software.
And although other mobile platforms are seeing more action when it comes to photo enhancers these days, many such apps are also available for Windows 10.
These, combined with the regular photo editors that desktop users have had access to for years now, make the latest version of the OS the best bet for photo editing.
That said, image editing is only a fun and rewarding experience if you have the right tools. Here are 10 of the best photo editors for Windows 10 that are perfect for the job.
Top 10 Photo Editors for Windows 10
| Photo Editor | Best For | Pros | Cons | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photoshop CC | Professional graphic designers | Expert feature set, unmated tools, regular updates | Expensive for casual use, monthly subscription required | ★★★★★ |
| PaintShop Pro X9 | Amateur photographers, web designers | Professional package, with features suited both for print and web | Requires a purchase, paid templates | ★★★★★ |
| PicsArt | Everyday use, creating social images | Overwhelming variety of predesigned art, vibrant community | Limited toolset for manual image editing | ★★★★★ |
| Photos Pos Pro | General use, students, web designers | A wealth of features and options, short learning curve | Limited resolution in the free version, performance could be better | ★★★★☆ |
| Fotor | Everyday use, automatic image enhancements | Solid all-round photo editing, sleek user interface, excellent filters | Not as good when it comes to manual editing | ★★★★☆ |
| Fhotoroom | When you need to quickly edit photos from your camera | Snappy performance, plenty of tools, social integration | Lacks creative image enhancement options | ★★★★☆ |
| PhotoScape Editor | Almost perfect for home and general use | Overwhelming number of features, solid toolset | User interface all over the place | ★★★★☆ |
| Photo Editor | Easy and automatic photo touchups | Lightweight, straightforward UI | Could do with more tools, very limited text input | ★★★☆☆ |
| The Nik Collection | Photographers, photo editors | Powerful suite of plugins, free, easy to pick up | Requires a host application, clunky UI, no update | ★★★☆☆ |
| Photoshop Express | Quick image enhancements | All basic filters and effects are included | Very limited options, UI could use some polish | ★★★☆☆ |
1. Photoshop CC
Much has been said about this flagship Adobe product, and much will be. But Photoshop CC remains an industry leader for a reason — multiple reasons, actually.
This beast of a photo editing program is loaded with an advanced feature that no other software comes close to matching. Advanced features that are refreshed and reimagined every year.
There are things you can do in Photoshop that simply can't be done in other photo editors.
And that's what sets it apart.
This de facto industry standard in raster graphics editing saw daylight in 1998, and each successive version has picked up a new set of tools and features.
From the spot, healing brushes to handle common photographic problems to the use of smart objects, 3D rendering, and advanced compositing to content-aware tools, you get the best of the best for whatever photo editing or image creation task you need.
All this, of course, comes at a cost. The price is almost as high as its learning curve, which means that Photoshop CC is best suited for professionals and experienced designers.
Or those that are willing to put in the time and commitment to learn its various intricacies.
2. PaintShop Pro X9
Before the next generation of photo editors took charge, PaintShop held firm as the alternative to Photoshop.
It really is one of the better and more polished programs that you can get your hands on these days, for a fraction of the cost of Photoshop, and without the hassle of a subscription.
Originally published by Jasc Software, Corel acquired the program when it purchased the company in 2004. Since then, this powerful little piece of software has been snowballing into strength.
The program has a similar look and feels to other photo editors on the market — which is to say a polished and professional user interface that both novices and experienced image editors will feel right at home with.
Adobe photoshop 12 crack. And the best thing is even though PaintShop Pro offers a lot of advanced tools, it also balances things out with several quick and easy fixes that beginners are sure to appreciate.
You get one-click adjustments along with precise selections and layer capabilities, an array of pens and brushes to go with content-aware editing tools.
X9, the latest version, packs in the comprehensive photo and image editing abilities with a selection of features that help with the creative graphic design.
Plenty of templates and text presets round up the versatility of this very capable program that offers a bit of everything for web, print and photo projects.
Add in plugins support, and you are playing with power. Excellent choice.
3. PicsArt
Body Photo Image Editor Free
PicsArt is another one of those solutions that started life as a mobile app, but over the years has become an established platform and creative community.
One of the most popular image editing applications that the Windows Storehouses, PicsArt brings along an eclectic array of tools and effects with it.
The developers boast of more than 1,000 editing features, and every one of them is fun, engaging and easy to use. In need of photo effects? A collage maker? Drawing and painting tools? Filters? Clipart? Frames? Backgrounds? Even stickers? PicsArt has got you covered.
An impressive amount of customizability is also on offer, and this extends to both the drawing and painting feature sets.
Speaking of the latter, the photo editor in this freemium app packs in all manner of enhancements like support for layers, brush filters, masks, shapes, and whatnot.
PicsArt is software that excels at what it aims to deliver, and that is easy and creative editing capabilities in an increasingly social world.
4. Photos Pos Pro
Photos Pos Pro may not be as widely known as Photoshop, Paint.NET, and GIMP, but when it comes to software that packs in advanced imaging tools, this program is one of the first names on the list.
Its user interface is more refined and accessible than the latter two choices listed above, and its feature set rivals Photoshop in some aspects.
Photos Pos Pro offers two user interfaces — a regular one with all the options stacked, and one for beginners with a filter-based approach.
The expert layout, as you may expect, is where all the action happens. You get sophisticated tools for photo editing, ranging from layers and masks to curves and levels adjustments.
A clone brush is also available for those detailed touch-ups, as is support for scripts and batch editing.
If there is a drawback in the free version of Photos Pos Pro, it's that images can only be saved at a maximum resolution of 1024 x 2014, which means you probably will find the final output too small if you plan on printing it out.
Luckily, Photos Pos Pro Premium is available at a reasonable price of $39.90, for those that are ready to upgrade to the full functionality of this capable and very efficient image editor.
5. Fotor
Fotor landed on the Windows Store fairly early in the life of Microsoft's modern platform. And though it is now also available as a standalone desktop program, it remains one of the best photo editing apps for Windows 10, giving you nearly everything you need to make your images look their best.
An all-in-one solution tailored towards image editing, Fotor comes with all the basic editing tools and visual effects that you expect from a professionally designed app like this.
A large selection of frames is also included, created with input from experienced designers and photographers, and the collage maker comes with a large variety of layout options to create the look you want.
Fotor also packs one brilliant trick up its proverbial sleeves — a batch processing tool. This is something that many image editing programs lack, and the inclusion of this feature allows you to add a bunch of photos at once and have Fotor do its magic on all of them at once.
An intuitive program that is very easy to use, with a UI that is right up there with the best, Fotor incorporates several tops of the line features that make photo editing a rewarding experience. Well worth a day.
6. Fhotoroom
Free Image Editing Website
Another popular Windows Store Entry, another creative name. Fhotoroom is billed as one of the most advanced non-destructive image editors around, with obligatory social features bundled in for modern Windows users.
Things start with some highly capable photo editing capabilities, including full support for things like GPS Metadata, EXIF, and all the popular formats. Tools range from resizing and rotation, color, exposure, and lens correction, and filter options include denoise, grain, and HDR.
In short, all bases covered.
Notable mention for the included presets and frames, as well as a sharing community and the ability to upload photos to social networking websites.
Fhotoroom is very easy to use, with a neatly designed interface that only adds to the allure of the popular and highly usable application. Recommended.
7. PhotoScape Editor
The only thing that drags PhotoScape Editor down is its rather unusual interface. Look beyond it, and you will find an image editing suite that is rich in features, and puts an impressive array of tools at your disposal, including, surprisingly, file management functionalities, as well.
Unlike some other programs in this list, PhotoScape is a photo editor through and through.
That's its primary function.
But remarkably, this program offers a lot more than basic retouching.
It also serves as an image viewer, a batch editor, a screen capture tool, and a solution with a cornucopia of filters and effects that you can use to quickly liven up an image.
And that's not all — you can stitch together multiple images into panoramas, create animated GIFs, deal with RAW files, create slideshows, and even print photos.
A peculiar looking circular menu greets you when you first up the program, and it provides access to all these various tools. The rest of the interface is as cluttered, to be brutally honest.
Ultimately, even if you don't use this free program for all these additional functionalities, its prowess when it comes to photo editing is right up there at the top.
PhotoScape Editor is an accomplished image editor that has the potential to become truly the next level with a UI uplift.
Worth a mention that the company also sells PhotoScape X Pro on the Windows Store, a somewhat expensive app at $29.99 that has a few tricks of its own. You might want to download a trial version and see whether it is for you.
8. Photo Editor
With a vanilla name like this, this photo editing program by Aviary shares a lot with Photoshop Express. In that, it is a powerful editor that lets you touch up your photos without any confusion. The UI shares similarities, as do the included filters and effects.
This is certainly not a bad deal, considering the fact that this free app packages all the right tools you need to edit your photos straight from the camera.
Inside you'll find all the basic photo editing tools like filters and effects, brightness and contrast options, along with support for several of the most popular file formats, including PNG.
Its text input is not as streamlined as other applications, which perhaps comes as no surprise for an app that deals with sliders and buttons to do the editing. A fully-featured graphic design software, this is not.
It's a good app — just don't expect it to compete with some of the other big wigs out there.
9. The Nik Collection
Google acquired the developers of the Nik Collection in 2012, in what many felt was a rather surprising move. Since then, the search engine giant lowered its price before ultimately making this powerful suite of applications absolutely free for users to download and use.
Which was an enormous move, in of itself?
Fnaf demo app. That's because the Nik Collection brings along several advanced capabilities into the mix, from effects that simulate the feel of classic film cameras to HDR photography.
The included sharpening tool works well to bring out details in photos, while the selective color module does a great job adjusting the tone of your images.
All these features are flanked by a comprehensive set of filters that help with color correction, photo retouching, and creative effects.
Although Google has stopped updating this very powerful image editing suite going forward, it still works nicely with the latest versions of Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom or Aperture — its designated selection of host applications — and remains one of the most capable photo editing solutions for remarkable the price of free.
10. Photoshop Express
When a company like Adobe is behind something, you automatically have a certain level of expectation.
The world's leading developer of design software may have the market cornered with Photoshop CC, but it also offers Photoshop Express, a sleek and streamlined version for Windows 10 devices.
Good thing, then, that Photoshop Express delivers.
The quick and easy way to apply filters and effects that Photoshop Express brings to the table makes it an easy recommendation if your sole purpose is to beautify your photos and make them remarkable.
The various filters and effects included in this program are easy to get started with and deliver excellent results overall.
It does miss out on a lot of manual editing tools and fine capabilities that other apps on this list offer. But that does not matter because, at the end of the day, Photoshop Express is best suited to transform everyday photos and your captured moments stand out — it's the only way it rolls.
- January 02, 2020
- 28 min to read
A comprehensive review of the best RAW photo editors on the market
There are many RAW photo editors available, and they get better every year. It can be hard and time-consuming to try all of them, so we've tried them for you and come up with a list of the best RAW photo editors you should consider right now.
Professional photographers shoot in RAW to preserve as much detail as possible. They want high-resolution images with a wide dynamic range, natural-looking colors, and sharp details. RAW files are large files that need powerful editors. A good RAW photo editor is able to edit RAW files while preserving image quality and color accuracy.
The first criterion in choosing a RAW photo editor is how good the RAW processor is and how well it renders the RAW data. But there are also other criteria to consider, such as support for batch processing, digital asset management, preset libraries, layers and masks, and local editing tools. Practicality is also important. Consider system requirements, processing speed, the user interface and workflow, and, of course, the price.
Because RAW editors are sophisticated software that require a long time to develop, you'll hardly find free RAW photo editors. The only free editors on our list are darktable and RawTherapee, cross-platform image processing programs with enthusiastic communities around them. Nevertheless, all paid RAW photo editors on this list offer free trials that allow you to test them before buying.
The best RAW photo editors on the market
1. Luminar 4
Released at the end of 2019, Luminar 4 is a RAW photo editor that includes AI-based technology. Yes, it provides support for most RAW file formats and all the basic adjustments you need, but it also provides content-aware automatic adjustments. Its smart features and friendly interface have already convinced many professional photographers to become Skylum Ambassadors.
Luminar's AI-based features analyze your images and make decisions based on their contents. Luminar 4 recognizes objects and people and applies custom adjustments for different types of pictures. It includes AI-based features for sky replacement, skin and portrait enhancement, structure enhancement, general image enhancement, and adding sun rays.
Moreover, Luminar 4 comes with more than 70 built-in presets, called Looks, that provide easy access to the most popular artistic styles. You can also create your own presets and download Signature Looks designed by renowned photographers from the Luminar Marketplace.
Luminar 4 allows you to fine-tune every aspect of an image, which is great because in RAW editing, every detail counts. Luminar works with layers and masks and provides easy tools for controlling opacity and blending modes. The workflow is fluid and easy to learn, and you'll find features such as batch processing, adjustment synchronization, digital asset management, and image rating and labeling.
Luminar 4 works as standalone software, a plugin for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, and an extension for Apple Photos. It's available for Mac and Windows and costs $89.
2. Aurora HDR
Aurora HDR was the first Skylum solution for RAW photo editing and is one of the most appreciated HDR photo editors. It's the perfect choice if you want to create images with a wide dynamic range. Aurora provides tools for bracket merging that create high-quality images without halos, chromatic aberrations, or artifacts. It also includes basic tools such as color toning, a polarizer filter, detail enhancer, and LUT mapping.
Like Luminar 4, Aurora HDR makes use of AI technology to separate noise from detail and deliver exquisite denoising and detail enhancing tools. As Aurora is a RAW photo editor, its support for layers and masks is especially useful. Also useful are the presets designed in collaboration with professional photographers, which deliver amazing effects in seconds.
In terms of practical features, Aurora HDR offers batch processing, support for most popular cameras, and the ability to run as standalone software or a plugin for Adobe and Apple products. Aurora HDR is available for Windows and Mac and costs $110.
3. Adobe Lightroom
Due to its prestigious producer, Adobe Lightroom has been the standard in RAW photo editing for a long time. But it has lost many fans since Adobe introduced the monthly subscription plan. Yes, Lightroom is a RAW photo editor that gives you access to cloud space and synchronizes your edits across all your devices. But it's expensive, and people have started to look for cheaper alternatives. Adobe Lightroom costs $9.99 per month, which means almost $120 per year. That's more than other software costs for a lifetime license.
For this money, Adobe Lightroom offers endless sharing capabilities, image synchronization, exquisite image management tools, and easy-to-use image editing tools. It also has many presets, and you can find more in the large Adobe community, which also offers books, tutorials, and video materials.
Adobe Lightroom is available for Windows and Mac, but check the system requirements before you buy it because it requires relatively new operating system versions.
4. ACDSee Photo Studio
ACDsee is known for its image organizing software, but its latest products show that it has become a powerful competitor on the photo editor market. Photo Studio is a complete editing solution that includes RAW processing, image editing tools, and the amazing ACDSee digital asset management.
ACDSee Photo Studio Professional 2020 supports more than 500 camera models and offers RAW editing tools such as LUTs, non-destructive color grading, lens corrections, noise and haze removal, contrast and brightness adjustments, layers and masks, selection tools, and local adjustments. It's fast and supports many file formats, offers batch processing, and has a lot of tools for zooming, previewing, and reviewing images. In terms of the interface and image management, it's one of the best RAW photo editors.
ACDSee Photo Studio Professional 2020 is available only for Windows. There's also a separate ACDSee Photo Studio for Mac 6. You can choose between a monthly subscription at $8.90 and a lifetime license for $99.95.
Photo Editor online, free Image Editing
5. PhotoDirector Ultra
With PhotoDirector Ultra, Cyberlink aims to deliver a photo editor that accumulates the functionalities of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom at a better price. PhotoDirector Ultra supports many RAW file formats and provides AI-based tools for image retouching, layer editing, and presets.
This software is aimed at a wide variety of users, from professional photographers to the general public. It mixes powerful content-aware image adjustments with tools for making videos out of images, frame templates, and 360-degree photo editing. Delivering a wide variety of features isn't always the best idea, however. Professional photographers are more interested in color accuracy, noise reduction, and detail preservation than in applying brushstrokes that simulate painting styles.
But despite the features unrelated to RAW editing, PhotoDirector Ultra is very good at recovering blurred images, eliminating haze and fog, and retouching portraits. It also provides image management tools, cloud storage, and additional products such as special effects and dedicated plugins.
PhotoDirector Ultra is available for Windows and Mac and costs $74.99.
6. Capture One Pro 2020
Capture One develops a RAW photo editor that supports many RAW file formats and has dedicated versions for Fuji and Sony camera users. Capture One Pro 2020 is a complete photo editing solution for all cameras, and it provides tools for image editing and management.
While Capture One Pro 2020 isn't very easy to learn and use, once you get to know it, you'll have full control over every aspect of your images. This software's features range from tools for basic image adjustments (fixing exposure, color, and contrast) to HDR tools, advanced color adjustments, and presets. Essential for a RAW editor, Capture One Pro 2020 works with layers and masks and provides non-destructive editing.
Capture One Pro 2020 is a powerful photo editor even if its workflow isn't for beginners. It provides lens and camera profiles, lens correction, high color accuracy, and tools for printing and creative artwork. All these features come with a price, however: Capture One Pro 2020 costs $27 per month. It's available for Windows and Mac.
7. DxO PhotoLab
Like Capture One Pro, DxO PhotoLab is a complex RAW photo editor for professional photographers. It focuses on color accuracy and camera compatibility. DxO PhotoLab matches the rendering of over 60 camera models and provides optical corrections and custom lens profiles.
Among its best features are exquisite color tools such as ICC profiles, Moiré removal, and the new HSL tool, more than 40 presets, haze removal based on colorimetric component analysis, noise removal that's been optimized to process RAW files at high speed, and local adjustments. DxO PhotoLab is an editor for color perfectionists and aims to satisfy the most demanding professionals.
DxO PhotoLab provides digital asset management with all you need for organizing images in a neat interface. It's available for Windows and Mac and costs $140.
8. PaintShop Pro
PaintShop Pro is one of Corel's solutions for photo editing that includes RAW functionalities. Keeping to Corel's long tradition in graphic design, PaintShop Pro provides not only photo editing tools but also graphic design tools. So if you want tools for creating artistic compositions, drawing, and painting onto images, PaintShop Pro is the best editor for you.
In terms of RAW photo editing, PaintShop Pro offers a powerful RAW processor, lens correction, HDR editing, geometric transformations, basic adjustments for image retouching, and layers and masks. It doesn't have too many filters and presets, but it offers support for third-party plugins such as the NiK Collection from DxO and Topaz Labs plugins. This may cover the need for extra features, but these plugins come with an additional cost.
In terms of useful functionalities, PaintShop Pro doesn't have digital asset management, but it does provide batch processing and support for many file formats. PaintShop Pro is easy to learn and has a customizable workspace. But if you don't need graphic design tools, they'll only slow you down.
PaintShop Pro is available only for Windows and costs $79.
9. AfterShot Pro
Another RAW photo editing solution from Corel is AfterShot Pro. Designed to compete with Adobe Lightroom, AfterShot Pro focuses on increasing processing speed while delivering high-quality images.
Unlike PaintShop Pro, however, AfterShot Pro is dedicated to photography. This means is has RAW camera profiles, lens corrections, a large library of presets, and highlight recovery for images with a wide dynamic range. It also provides efficient digital asset management and integrates with other editors. In exchange, it doesn't have graphic design tools.
In terms of RAW photo editing, we're more interested in color accuracy, noise reduction, and HDR tools than in drawing tools. Still, the advanced selection tools provided by Corel's programs are always welcome for local adjustments and subtle image retouching.
AfterShot Pro is a better option than PaintShop Pro for RAW editing. It's also more expensive, as it costs $99.99. But if you compare it with Adobe Lightroom, you'll see that it's worth the money.
10. Darktable
Image Photo Editor Free Download
Darktable is an open-source, free RAW photo editor available for Linux, Mac / macports, BSD, Windows, and Solaris 11 / GNOME. It's designed to be a virtual darkroom and allows you to view negatives through a zoomable lighttable.
Aiming to be more than a RAW convertor, darktable provides tools for image enhancement, batch processing, and tethered shooting. It also allows you to develop your own image processing modules and add them to the program.
For a free editor, darktable offers exquisite tools, from an optimized RAW processor that can manage large files to non-destructive edits and professional color management. It has ICC profiles, several demosaicing methods, base and tone curves, lens corrections, and tools for dithering, haze, fringing, noise removal, color, contrast, and white balance adjustments. It also offers a few filters for creative effects.
However, darktable has minimal image organizing functionalities. It does allow you to search for images by tags, stars, and labels, and it works with metadata.
11. RAW Power
Gentlemen Coders offers a RAW photo editor for Mac and iOS called RAW Power that can run as standalone software or a Photos extension.
RAW Power uses Apple's RAW decoder to provide high-quality images. Among its best features are support for hundreds of camera models, precise curve adjustments, white balance recovery, lots of presets, and perspective and chromatic aberration corrections.
RAW Power also provides digital asset management, batch processing, synchronization between devices via iCloud Photo Library, multiple editing windows, and batch export. It comes as an extension to Apple Photos and costs $29.99
12. RawTherapee
RawTherapee is a free RAW photo editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It provides high-quality images with high dynamic range and uses state-of-the-art demosaicing algorithms. Although it's open-source software, RawTherapee supports most common RAW file formats, including those from Pentax and Sony.
Among its best features are RAW histograms, adjustments for fixing exposure, contrast, detail, and color, color profiles, and advanced controls. RawTherapee also lets you save your current editing profile for later use or batch editing. Unfortunately, it doesn't support layers, and you have to apply all adjustments to the same layer, which may be confusing.
A Free Photo Editor
7. DxO PhotoLab
Like Capture One Pro, DxO PhotoLab is a complex RAW photo editor for professional photographers. It focuses on color accuracy and camera compatibility. DxO PhotoLab matches the rendering of over 60 camera models and provides optical corrections and custom lens profiles.
Among its best features are exquisite color tools such as ICC profiles, Moiré removal, and the new HSL tool, more than 40 presets, haze removal based on colorimetric component analysis, noise removal that's been optimized to process RAW files at high speed, and local adjustments. DxO PhotoLab is an editor for color perfectionists and aims to satisfy the most demanding professionals.
DxO PhotoLab provides digital asset management with all you need for organizing images in a neat interface. It's available for Windows and Mac and costs $140.
8. PaintShop Pro
PaintShop Pro is one of Corel's solutions for photo editing that includes RAW functionalities. Keeping to Corel's long tradition in graphic design, PaintShop Pro provides not only photo editing tools but also graphic design tools. So if you want tools for creating artistic compositions, drawing, and painting onto images, PaintShop Pro is the best editor for you.
In terms of RAW photo editing, PaintShop Pro offers a powerful RAW processor, lens correction, HDR editing, geometric transformations, basic adjustments for image retouching, and layers and masks. It doesn't have too many filters and presets, but it offers support for third-party plugins such as the NiK Collection from DxO and Topaz Labs plugins. This may cover the need for extra features, but these plugins come with an additional cost.
In terms of useful functionalities, PaintShop Pro doesn't have digital asset management, but it does provide batch processing and support for many file formats. PaintShop Pro is easy to learn and has a customizable workspace. But if you don't need graphic design tools, they'll only slow you down.
PaintShop Pro is available only for Windows and costs $79.
9. AfterShot Pro
Another RAW photo editing solution from Corel is AfterShot Pro. Designed to compete with Adobe Lightroom, AfterShot Pro focuses on increasing processing speed while delivering high-quality images.
Unlike PaintShop Pro, however, AfterShot Pro is dedicated to photography. This means is has RAW camera profiles, lens corrections, a large library of presets, and highlight recovery for images with a wide dynamic range. It also provides efficient digital asset management and integrates with other editors. In exchange, it doesn't have graphic design tools.
In terms of RAW photo editing, we're more interested in color accuracy, noise reduction, and HDR tools than in drawing tools. Still, the advanced selection tools provided by Corel's programs are always welcome for local adjustments and subtle image retouching.
AfterShot Pro is a better option than PaintShop Pro for RAW editing. It's also more expensive, as it costs $99.99. But if you compare it with Adobe Lightroom, you'll see that it's worth the money.
10. Darktable
Image Photo Editor Free Download
Darktable is an open-source, free RAW photo editor available for Linux, Mac / macports, BSD, Windows, and Solaris 11 / GNOME. It's designed to be a virtual darkroom and allows you to view negatives through a zoomable lighttable.
Aiming to be more than a RAW convertor, darktable provides tools for image enhancement, batch processing, and tethered shooting. It also allows you to develop your own image processing modules and add them to the program.
For a free editor, darktable offers exquisite tools, from an optimized RAW processor that can manage large files to non-destructive edits and professional color management. It has ICC profiles, several demosaicing methods, base and tone curves, lens corrections, and tools for dithering, haze, fringing, noise removal, color, contrast, and white balance adjustments. It also offers a few filters for creative effects.
However, darktable has minimal image organizing functionalities. It does allow you to search for images by tags, stars, and labels, and it works with metadata.
11. RAW Power
Gentlemen Coders offers a RAW photo editor for Mac and iOS called RAW Power that can run as standalone software or a Photos extension.
RAW Power uses Apple's RAW decoder to provide high-quality images. Among its best features are support for hundreds of camera models, precise curve adjustments, white balance recovery, lots of presets, and perspective and chromatic aberration corrections.
RAW Power also provides digital asset management, batch processing, synchronization between devices via iCloud Photo Library, multiple editing windows, and batch export. It comes as an extension to Apple Photos and costs $29.99
12. RawTherapee
RawTherapee is a free RAW photo editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It provides high-quality images with high dynamic range and uses state-of-the-art demosaicing algorithms. Although it's open-source software, RawTherapee supports most common RAW file formats, including those from Pentax and Sony.
Among its best features are RAW histograms, adjustments for fixing exposure, contrast, detail, and color, color profiles, and advanced controls. RawTherapee also lets you save your current editing profile for later use or batch editing. Unfortunately, it doesn't support layers, and you have to apply all adjustments to the same layer, which may be confusing.
A Free Photo Editor
RawTherapee has a neat workspace that allows you to find all you need in seconds. It's intuitive, well-labeled, and has shortcuts for everything. It also provides file browsing, ratings, and color labeling, and it supports metadata. For those who want to see how printed images will look, RawTherapee runs a simulation with a specific printer profile.
13. Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo provides powerful photo editing and graphic design tools. Alongside RAW editing, it provides HDR editing and focus stacking, panorama stitching, support for editing Adobe Photoshop files, and painting tools.
In terms of RAW photo editing, Affinity Photo's big advantage is its ability to process very large files (more than 100 Megapixels) and to offer smooth zoom at 60 frames per second. It gives you full control over the smallest details of your images and provides editing tools such as levels, curves, HSL, and exposure and white balance adjustments. All edits are non-destructive because Affinity Photo works with layers and masks. You can perform local adjustments using advanced selection tools, analyze histograms, and edit EXIF information.
Affinity Photo provides lens corrections, noise reduction, and hot pixel removal, which is essential for RAW editing. It also provides presets and effects, including brush libraries and text and vector tools. It's one of the best RAW photo editors for creating artistic compositions and collages.
Affinity Photo is available for Windows, Mac, and iPad and costs $49.99 respectively $19.99.
In conclusion
We've tested the most powerful RAW photo editors on the market, but the final decision is yours. Choose the best editor for your needs. Consider your budget, frequency of use, skills, and artistic preferences. For example, you shouldn't buy an editor with graphic design functionalities if you don't do abstract photography and strong editing. If you work with large amounts of similar images, batch processing is a must. So is digital asset management when you have lots of albums and catalogs. Keep in mind that trying before buying is the wisest thing you can do.
