Best photo editing software? 6 Photoshop alternatives tested and rated

jmeyer | Accessories | Reviews | 12/03/2013 01:00am

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Best photo editing software: the verdict

Each of these photo editing software programs brings something unique to the table, and their scores reflect how well their feature-set and performance compare with Photoshop CS6.

Adobe Lightroom offers an effective way of working with your photos, and Aperture does the same for Mac owners.

Corel PaintShop Pro X5 is cheap, straight-forward and effective, while PhotoPlus X6 tackles Photoshop head-on.

DxO Optics Pro concentrates on image enhancement, beating the limitations of your camera and lenses.

Our top three best photo editing software programs in a nutshell

01 Adobe Photoshop Elements 11

What’s good: It does almost everything you’d need an image editor to do
What’s bad: The novice-orientated approach could get on your nerves
Our verdict: Elements 11 is great at both organising and editing your photos, whatever your level of photographic experience

02 Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4

What’s good: Combines organising and editing
What’s bad: Lacks more advanced tools, like layers
Our verdict: Does lots of things Photoshop doesn’t

03 Corel PaintShop Pro X5

What’s good: More powerful than Elements in some ways…
What’s bad: Dated and awkward to use in others
Our verdict: Good if you want to try new tools

PAGE 1: Why you might want a Photoshop alternative
PAGE 2: The photo editing software we tested
PAGE 3: How we tested this photo editing software
PAGE 4: Best photo editing software – our top Photoshop alternative