Undoubtedly, “photographic post-processing” is one of the stages for our photographs to be incredible and above all striking. Most of the time, everyone dares to skip this step due to the certain degree of difficulty of a photo editor, and the cost of them.
It should be noted that all these tools undergo changes over time, at the same time that others emerge and become popular at the cost of improving some functions or including features that lack their competence.
That is why, we prepared this post from the best photo editors of 2020. Since today, photographs have become part of the routine of anyone, a cause of this is due to the popularization of social networks (currently our image gallery in the cloud).
As a consequence, the anguish arises that our images are magnificent. However, we are not very concerned about the important post-processing process, which will help us improve the image quality by correcting small details such as the improvement of tones, light balance and fixing their exposure.
However, we must do our best to capture the photos as perfectly as possible, directly from the camera, to make work easier.
We leave you this list of the best photo editors 2020, we suggest some that can help you with photographic treatment online, for PC and for Smartphone or Cell phones. And that regardless of your skills, you manage to give a professional and quality touch to it. Without further ado, here is the list:
Best online photo editors
Pixlr, advantages and disadvantages
Pixlr Editor is considered one of the best free online photo editors. Its functions include the admission of fully customizable layers and masks, cropping, the ability to add effects and color overlays, and it also allows modifying the lighting. Finally, it offers you the possibility to automatically adjust the image with just a click.
It should be noted that you can open your files from your computer or a specific URL. In addition, it has an interface appreciated by the public for its simplicity.
One of the disadvantages of Pixlr is the ads, since they are displayed in our workspace. Anyway, it is a tiny detail due to the multitude of tools that it offers for free.
However, the most notable drawback is that you need to have the outdated Flash installed. Since less and less people use this plugin (it was displaced by the new HTML5), its creators decided to launch Pixlr X, an HTML-based version that includes improvements and new functionalities, such as PSD file support.
In summary, Pixlr is a very interesting option for both photography fans and simple professional retouching, since it does not support RAW. In fact, for 3.99 / month you will be able to access a library where you will have effects, icons and even premium fonts.
Polarr, a complete photo editor
Polarr certainly deserves a mention in this article. We are talking about a powerful online photo editor, full of tools and filters that will allow you to edit every little detail of the photograph, with the aim of giving a professional finish to your images, whether you are professional or not.
Its minimalist and interactive design allows us to have on hand all the tools we need to work efficiently, providing a satisfactory experience and unimaginable performance.
Note: You have the possibility to process images of up to 30 megapixels, maintaining an amazing performance in the case of a web application, a lot!
With Polarr if you can import and develop your photos in RAW format, being one of the few editors that supports this format.
When using this application, we will enjoy such basic adjustments, such as cropping, adjusting colors or temperature, up to more advanced tools (layers, masks, saturation, exposure, focus, depth, reducing noise, among others) to give it a touch up magical to our photos.
One of its most striking aspects is the wide range of filters and presets that it has, designed to give a striking improvement to photography without complicating our lives much. In addition, you have the possibility to create your own filters and later save them for future use.
It should be noted that one of its advantages is the integration with various cloud storage services, including the famous Google Drive and Dropbox, up to Picasa, Flickr and Box.
Also, it has an autosave function in case we accidentally close our browser or a fault occurs in our device, therefore, we will have the security that our projects will be totally safe in the cloud.
Without a doubt, Polarr is a recommended alternative in case you do not have Photoshop and Lightroom, due to its incredible performance and repertoire of editing tools that it brings with it.
The best PC photo editors 2020
Photoshop and Lightroom, the best combination
Both Photoshop and Lightroom are the most popular photo editing programs out there. Although both were created by the famous Adobe company, and are aimed at photo editing, they do not share the same functions in the post-processing workflow.
While Photoshop is focused on general digital image editing, which includes creating or altering detailed images, Lightroom emphasizes the workflow of a digital photographer, from developing and editing photos to exporting and organizing photos. they.
Needless to say, the tools you will get when using one or both programs, suffice it to say that you will have the necessary functions for editing, including the following: import of your images in RAW, JPEG, TIFF and PNG, color adjustments, tones, correction of imperfections captured with the lens, manipulation of HDR images, among others.
And only with Photoshop you will be able to work with layers, masks, make cuts, modify the resolution and even add texts with wonderful fonts.
To summarize, Lightroom is capable of doing most of the photo editing work in the most efficient way possible, while Photoshop is used for special cases where the image needs to be altered, one could even say that the latter is adapted for graphic designers.
GIMP, the best free photo editor
Don't let the word “free” fool you, GIMP is considered the most powerful free photo editor on the market. The reason for this is its large catalog of tools capable of carrying out basic adjustments to professional adjustments, which will allow you to carry out the same actions as a payment application.
GIMP is said to be the perfect, open source alternative to award-winning Photoshop. Both in functionalities and in its interface, completely customizable.
One of its advantages is being an open source software, if you ask thanks to an immense active community of developers, who seek to polish each of their tools, as well as reduce their deficiencies, thanks to this the program receives constant updates with the objective of solving these approaches.
To be a freeware photo editor, GIMP supports RAW and PSD files, and all other formats. To edit you will have at your hands the support for customizable layers, brushes and filters, simple adjustments (colors, tones, cutouts, size modification, etc.), even presets to try to automatically perfect our photos.
We invite you to give GIMP a try, it is certainly a striking and complete alternative to paid publishers that is worth trying. On its website you will have tutorials and learning videos to learn how to use it. You can download it from the following link.
Best mobile photo editors
Photoshop Express, free with basic options for editing
Although it is named Photoshop, it does not include a third of the original's features. It is because it is an "Express" version, that is, a reduced edition of the award-winning Adobe software, in order to bring it to smartphones and tablets.
Photoshop Express arises from the popularity and acceptance of the classic version for computers dedicated to fans and professionals of photography. However, this edition compatible with mobile phones is not intended for professionals, but rather for users who require quick and easy retouching of their images.
A clear example of this is that it does not support working with layers. In the same way, it maintains the fundamental tools of any editor, with this we mean color leveling, contrast, saturation, exposure, as well as the elimination of spots or defects.
It also brings with it a selection of predefined filters, ideal to give a striking appearance to our photos, and if it is not striking enough, we can add texts and even create collages to find the ideal finish.
And like all photographic applications today, it includes a function to automatically define the most optimal parameters to give a noticeable improvement to the image.
It is important to mention that you can open any image from the same device or from the Creative Cloud service, Google Photos or Dropbox.
Although its functions are limited compared to the original Photoshop, we must appreciate that for a mobile photo editor it has the essential tools to cover the needs of a user who deals with photographs for a simple hobby on their iOS or Android.
Facetune, an editor focused on Selfies
Although Facetune (original version, not Facetune 2) stands out for being an app to edit selfies, it also has interesting settings that will allow you to touch up some of your photos, in order to show your best face;)
The main difference of Facetune with the editors that we presented earlier, is that most of the tools that it has have predefined options, for example, it is possible to achieve a more defined and uniform skin, whiten teeth, modify the color and brightness of the eyes and hair, remove the red-eye effect, restructure the smile size and much more.
Likewise, you can also edit the lighting, shadows, focus, and even trim if necessary. We can also choose to apply filters or frames to give an animated touch to our photos.
Note: you can export your work to the different social networks that you have.
Although it is not the most versatile and comprehensive editor on the list, it is certainly the easiest to use to apply photo retouching effectively, for immediate results. This application is available for both iOS and Android.
Conclusion
So far we have come with our list of the best photo editors of 2020, remember that this selection is based on our needs and thoughts, so it is not a list for all tastes.
We can say that the editors named are the most complete on the market, due to their tools and functions capable of meeting the needs of amateurs and professionals in the area.
It is up to you to evaluate the proposals described, and choose which is the best photo editor for you, according to your needs.