There is good news for budget-conscious users: the market now offers a wide variety of free graphics editors. While Adobe Photoshop and its professional siblings dominate the scene, it would be a mistake to overlook the GIMP. The truth is that you don't need such advanced environments for basic photo editing. If you prefer an offline solution, you can always check our list of recommended editors, but if a browser-based alternative is enough, don't hesitate to give Photopea a try.
Some of our readers might be surprised, but most of my photo adjustments (brightness, contrast, saturation, resizing, cropping, etc.) are handled by Paint.net. The program has greatly improved its performance with the latest builds, and it really has everything I need — or at least enough to bend its tools to get the desired result. Of course, there are far superior programs in terms of resources and compatibility, but the progress of 'basic' editors has even been acknowledged by the big players. To name one, Adobe offers Photoshop Express for free, though with several feature limitations and a requirement for Flash. One of its direct alternatives is Photopea.
Photopea: Complete and Easy to Use
Edgardo first talked about Photopea in December 2016, and we're happy to see it has grown considerably. This editor has no problem opening PSD, XCF, or Sketch files, and its compatibility doesn't end there. Another highlight is the interface, which not only features an attractive Dark Mode but also a solid Spanish translation. The full history of actions, layer control, palette, secondary modes, filters, and effects — everything appears perfectly integrated in the browser, even at low resolution. While some functions fall a step below what Photopea's competitors offer (for example, the maximum interpolation when resizing is bilinear), they present no irreconcilable difficulties.
Now, why did we write 'online' in quotes above? After all, you need a connection to access it. However, the developers explain that Photopea runs locally. The images you edit are never uploaded to the Web, and if you wish, you can disconnect from the Internet and Photopea will continue to function without restrictions. With more than five years of work under its belt, Photopea looks great, and we extend our recommendation for you to try it.
