Best Photo Editors for Windows 10

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.

The arrival of Windows 8, and then Windows 10, paved the way for the next breed of such software.

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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 EditorBest ForProsConsRating
Photoshop CCProfessional graphic designersExpert feature set, unmated tools, regular updatesExpensive for casual use, monthly subscription required★★★★★
PaintShop Pro X9Amateur photographers, web designersProfessional package, with features suited both for print and webRequires a purchase, paid templates★★★★★
PicsArtEveryday use, creating social imagesOverwhelming variety of predesigned art, vibrant communityLimited toolset for manual image editing★★★★★
Photos Pos ProGeneral use, students, web designersA wealth of features and options, short learning curveLimited resolution in the free version, performance could be better★★★★☆
FotorEveryday use, automatic image enhancementsSolid all-round photo editing, sleek user interface, excellent filtersNot as good when it comes to manual editing★★★★☆
FhotoroomWhen you need to quickly edit photos from your cameraSnappy performance, plenty of tools, social integrationLacks creative image enhancement options★★★★☆
PhotoScape EditorAlmost perfect for home and general useOverwhelming number of features, solid toolsetUser interface all over the place★★★★☆
Photo EditorEasy and automatic photo touchupsLightweight, straightforward UICould do with more tools, very limited text input★★★☆☆
The Nik CollectionPhotographers, photo editorsPowerful suite of plugins, free, easy to pick upRequires a host application, clunky UI, no update★★★☆☆
Photoshop ExpressQuick image enhancementsAll basic filters and effects are includedVery limited options, UI could use some polish★★★☆☆
ColorcinchPortable useVery robust even though being an online toolRequires interent for performing editing★★★★☆

Photoshop CC

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.

PaintShop Pro X9

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.

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 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 plugin support, and you are playing with power. Excellent choice.

PicsArt

Picsart

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.

Photos Pos Pro

Photo 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.

Fotor

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.

Fhotoroom

Fhotoroom

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 are 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.

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.

Photo Editor

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.

The Nik Collection

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?

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.

Photoshop Express

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.


Bonus: Colorcinch

We have added another special photo editing software as a bonus to this list named Colorcinch. Like Picsart, Colorcinch is also a browser-based online photo editor, which surprisingly comes with numerous functions and features that even dedicated offline applications lack.

With Colorcinch, you get the option to draw freehand pictures with multiple brushes. You can also perform basic to advanced editing such as crop, resize, blur, sharpen the image, customize the exposure, add text, make color pops, and many more modifications. One of the most exciting features of Colorcinch is the AI mode. If you are a beginner, you can use the AI mode to apply different features and enhance your pictures with a single click. In any other photo editing software, this would have required prior skills and knowledge.

Another great thing about Colorcinch is that since it is a browser-based tool, there is no need to download the installer file and install an offline program separately. This saves a lot of space on your disk. You can start photo editing straight away by visiting its official website and drag/drop or upload the picture on which you want to work.

For enhancing the picture, apart from the lots of editing functions, you will also get free templates and add-ons to choose from and apply to them. It supports every popular image format for editing and can also release an output in popular formats like PDF, JPEG, JPG, PNG, and others. Colorcinch is free to try with demo features. For accessing all the features of the web application, you require to purchase the premium plan. Colorcinch provides two pretty affordable plans for getting the premium version. If you get an annual subscription, the premium will cost you $3.99/month. On the other hand, if you opt for a monthly subscription, the charge will be $5.99/month. The premium version also allows you to resume your previously saved project so that you performing editing in breaks.

Overall, the tool is excellent for beginners and moderately advanced photo editing professionals.


2 thoughts on “Best Photo Editors for Windows 10”

  1. I agree with emmrecs as many folks that use PS are migrating to AP. Another excellent editor is ON 1 RAW and currently I am playing with another one called Zoner Photo Lab and it does still has a freeware version available as does ON 1 but support may be lacking. I have not checked youtube yet but for the other two, there are many video tutorials available and hopefully ZPL will have the same.

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