By Brian Jones

Corel has always been right on the heels of Adobe’s excellent Elements series of editing software. Paintshop Pro X6 Ultimate is surely closing the gap. On top of being easy to use and powerful, this iteration has a ton of new features to make it even more useful. Paintshop Pro X6 Ultimate has a long list of features that most photographers, serious or not, will find extremely useful on a regular basis. Some of the new features for this version are 64-bit performance, enhanced RAW format functionality, 3rd party plugins, and the powerful “Perfectly Clear” one touch editing tool. This is a fantastic example of what photo editing software should be without having to spend many hundreds of dollars on features that you’ll never touch or bother to even try learning. Corel Paintshop Pro X6 Ultimate is available for $79.99.

Quick Specs

• Operating system: Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, or XP
• Skill level: intermediate to advanced

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

Prices

Back to Top Photo Editing Programs

By Brian Jones

Photoshop is one of the most known photo editing programs out there on the market. It also has the reputation of being extremely expensive and complicated. Adobe’s Elements line of software is here to put those ideas to rest. Photoshop Elements 12 is a stripped down version of the full Photoshop and the answer to that expensive price tag. The elements version of photoshop is excellent for light editing, organizing your photos, and sharing them online. This balance is where you are going to see Elements beat out many other programs at this level. Some will be better at organization, while lacking in the editing arena. This is because Adobe created Elements program with the everyday photographer in mind. This program is ideal for the photographer that is going to make light edits like cropping and minor touch ups then share their images with friends and family online. This program is available for $89.99-$99.99.

What’s New in Photoshop Elements 12?

• Guided Editing mode to achieve special effects on your own like burst zoom, jigsaw puzzle, and photo restoration
• Quick Edit mode makes adding textures and frames a snap
• Expert Edit mode enables you to fine tune auto correction features
• Adobe Camera RAW support

Quick Specs

• Operating system: Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, XP (limited RAW functionality), and Mac OS X v10.7-v10.8
• Skill level: intermediate to advanced

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

Prices

By Brian Jones

When it comes to digital photography, there are an endless amount of decisions to make. Your editing software is no different. We all know that Photoshop is the go-to editor for professionals, but what should the armatures and hobbyists use so they don’t have to drop a fortune on software? We have compiled a list of the ten best photo editing programs out there based on the following criteria:

1. Ease of use
2. Editing power
3. Organization options
4. Speed of program processes
5. Sharing options through e-mail and social networks
6. Tutorials and support availability
7. Import and export of many types file formats
8. Extra features like slideshow publishing and label making

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

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More Photo Editing Programs

By Brian Jones

Ease of use is sometimes the most important thing when it comes to software. Photo Impression 6.5 Gold is a pretty bare bones program, which isn’t always bad. That means you will not be pulling out your hair in confusion. It is also not the most powerful editor on the list, but it will get the job done most of the time. The Easy Fix Wizard is a great feature that does just enough to get your photos looking good with minimal effort. You can easily crop, adjust brightness and contrast, sharpen, and eliminate red-eye. Photo Impression 6.5 Gold is available for $29.99.

Quick Specs

• Operating system: Windows Vista and XP
• Skill level: beginner

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

By Brian Jones

This photo editing software would be a great place to start for those weary about getting into the world of digital photography software. This program does everything from editing, organizing, and sharing pretty well with a great help and tutorials. ACDsee Photo Editor 2008 has all of the necessary tools for basic edits like red eye, dodge, burn, sharpen, and smudge. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but just enough to get your pictures looking great and ready to share. ACDsee Photo Editor 2008 is available for $14.99 on their website.

Quick Specs

• Operating system:Windows Vista and XP
• Skill level: beginner

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

Prices

By Brian Jones

Photo Explosion Deluxe 4.0 will grant you never ending possibilities when it comes to photo projects. This program will push your creative side to the limits with the ability to create photo calendars, CD labels, greeting cards, scrapbooks, and more. Photo Explosion Deluxe 4.0 is also a great for light editing, not heavy edits that require a lot of computer resources. There is a helpful Quick Fix button that takes care of simple edits automatically with a batch processing option. All in all, Photo Explosion Deluxe 4.0 is aimed at those looking to share their photos in uniqe ways with friends and family. It is available for $37.94.

Quick Specs

• Operating system: Windows 7, Vista, and XP
• Skill level: beginner

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

Prices

By Brian Jones

Photo Impact Pro 13 really does it all when it comes to photo editing software. You will find yourself organizing, editing, and sharing your photos with ease and simplicity in no time. If you are new to photo editing software, Photo Impact Pro 13 has included a great Basic Mode to get you started. This program is also for the more experienced users as well. Version 13 includes a revamped ExpressFix Wizard that automatically fixes brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, tones and more. Photo Impact Pro 13 is available for $74.98.

Quick Specs

• Operating system: Windows 7, Vista, and XP
• Skill level: beginner

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

Prices

By Brian Jones

In these days of digital photography, photo editing programs have become more and more complicated. If you are looking a program that is powerful and easy to use, Photo & Graphic Designer 7 is probably going to be exactly what you want. This program really performs with some of the features you will actually use a lot like the Magic Eraser. It does leave out some less used features, like the ability to create albums, but it is really good at what it has. Photo & Graphic Designer 7 is available for $49.99 to $89.99.

Quick Specs

• Operating system: Windows 7, Vista, and XP
• Skill level: intermediate

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

Prices

By Brian Jones

Portrait Professional 10 is the photo editing software designed specifically for the photographer with a portrait-centric mind. Some will be quick to note that this program doesn’t come with the bells and whistles of most other editors like slide show and CD label authoring or enhancing filters. When all is said and done, this program surely makes up for what it lacks by performing beautiful and natural edits on portraits that look professionally done. The interface is very simple to use too. All you have to do is click on specific areas of the face, then move sliders around until you are satisfied with the result. Portrait Professional 10 is available for $39.95 to $49.95.

Quick Specs

• Operating System:Windows 7, Vista, XP, Mac OSX 10.5 or later.
• Specifically for portrait photos
• Skill level: beginner to intermediate

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

Prices

By Brian Jones

PhotoStudio Expressions Platinum 6 is for the photographer looking for simplicity in their editing software. This program is all about taking the confusion out of the process. The best feature by far is the Easy Fix Wizard that automatically fixes things like brightness, contrast, cropping, color, and sharpess. This takes the guess work out and is even able to do multiple images simultaneously. The creative options in this program allow users to create slideshows, greeting cards, calendars, albums, and more. This could turn sharing your memories with friends and family into endless amounts of fun projects. All in all this is a great program for those not looking for a complicated or expensive photo editor. It is available for $29.99.

Quick Specs

• Operating system: Windows 7, Vista, and XP
• Skill level: beginner

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

Prices

By Brian Jones

Serif PhotoPlus X5 is a solid program for editing your digital photos. Beginners and experts alike can find just about anything they will need in a photo editor here. Speed is one of the best things about this software. Sometimes heavy edits on large files can take entirely too long, but not here. PhotoPlus X5 also makes it very easy to do the most common edits like, red-eye and blemish removal, by making them easy to find and access on the side-bar instead of buried deep in menus. The included PhotoPlus Organizer makes is easy to create virtual albums and share them online. This program is available for $69.99.

Quick Specs

• Operating system: Windows 7, Vista, and XP
• Skill level: intermediate

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

Prices

By Brian Jones

Photoshop is the first name that comes to mind when you think of a photo editor. The expensive price tag of that program also comes to mind as well. Photoshop Elements 10 is a stripped down version of the full Photoshop and the answer to that expensive price tag. This program is very good at three things: editing, organizing, and sharing. This balance is where you are going to see Elements beat out many other programs at this level. This is because Adobe created Elements program with the everyday photographer in mind. This program is ideal for the photographer that is going to make light edits like cropping and minor touch ups then share their images with friends and family online. This program is available for $79.99-$99.99.

Quick Specs

• Operating system: Windows 7, Vista, XP, and Mac OS X v10.5.8-v10.7
• Skill level: intermediate to advanced

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

Prices

By Brian Jones

Powerful and easy to use will always be the first two phrases used to describe this photo editing program. Paintshop Pro X4 has a long list of features that most photographers, serious or not, will find extremely useful on a regular basis. Some of the new features for this version are high dynamic range (HDR) module, new vignette effects, enhanced RAW editing, cloning tools, adjustment layers, a redesigned workspace, shot info panel and a lot more. This is a fantastic example of what photo editing software can be without having to spend hundreds of dollars on features you may not ever use. Corel Paintshop Pro X4 is available for $49.99.

Quick Specs

• Operating system: Windows 7, Vista, or XP
• Skill level: intermediate to advanced

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera equipment as he experiemented with everything available… See more about Brian

Prices