Pixel-Based Image Editing and Painting Software for Windows
Pixel-based image editing and painting software for Windows. These are full-featured, all-purpose image editors that allow you to create and edit bitmap or raster images and photos. They offer tools for painting, retouching, color correcting, and much more.
Guide Top Picks: Advanced Photo Editors for Windows
When choosing a photo editor for professional or business use, you need flexibility, stability, and an intuitive interface which provides a streamlined workflow. Here are my picks for Windows image editors that best fit these requirements.
When choosing a photo editor for professional or business use, you need flexibility, stability, and an intuitive interface which provides a streamlined workflow. Here are my picks for Windows image editors that best fit these requirements.
Guide Top Picks: Beginner Photo Editors for Windows
I've selected what I feel are the best picks for Windows photo editors that provide a suitable balance between flexibility and ease of use.
I've selected what I feel are the best picks for Windows photo editors that provide a suitable balance between flexibility and ease of use.
Guide Top Picks: Budget Photo Editors for Windows
These products provide most of the core image editing functions at a price that is quite reasonable. In this category, prices range from $20 to about $60 US for Windows software.
These products provide most of the core image editing functions at a price that is quite reasonable. In this category, prices range from $20 to about $60 US for Windows software.
Guide Top Picks: Free Photo Editors for Windows
Even if you can't afford to spend anything on software, you can still find free software to help you create and edit your photos and images. These are what I feel are the best choices for free photo editing software.
Even if you can't afford to spend anything on software, you can still find free software to help you create and edit your photos and images. These are what I feel are the best choices for free photo editing software.
Adobe Photoshop (Win/Mac)
Adobe Photoshop is the industry leader in high-end professional image editing.
Adobe Photoshop is the industry leader in high-end professional image editing.
Adobe Photoshop Elements (Win/Mac)
Photoshop Elements is Adobe's photo-editing application designed for amateur photographers, digital imaging enthusiasts, and small business users. This product replaces Adobe Photoshop LE and Adobe PhotoDeluxe, both discontinued.
Photoshop Elements is Adobe's photo-editing application designed for amateur photographers, digital imaging enthusiasts, and small business users. This product replaces Adobe Photoshop LE and Adobe PhotoDeluxe, both discontinued.
ArtRage 2 Painting Software for Windows and Mac
ArtRage is an inexpensive, fun, and easy-to-learn program for experimenting with digital art in Windows, Tablet PC or Mac OS. The user interface is absolutely gorgeous and designed for ultimate ease of use. Children and adults alike will have a ton of fun painting and drawing with art tools that act and interact just like real-world paint, pens, pencils, crayons, and even glitter!
ArtRage is an inexpensive, fun, and easy-to-learn program for experimenting with digital art in Windows, Tablet PC or Mac OS. The user interface is absolutely gorgeous and designed for ultimate ease of use. Children and adults alike will have a ton of fun painting and drawing with art tools that act and interact just like real-world paint, pens, pencils, crayons, and even glitter!
Corel Painter (Win/Mac)
In addition to image editing tools, Painter includes a wide array of natural media painting tools and drawing tools that allow you to create effects that can't be achieved in other image editors.
In addition to image editing tools, Painter includes a wide array of natural media painting tools and drawing tools that allow you to create effects that can't be achieved in other image editors.
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 9 (Win)
Microsoft's Digital Image Suite 9 and Digital Image Pro 9 are best suited to users who want simplified tools for image enhancement as well as a nice variety of professional-looking designs which can be personalized and produced without a lot of fuss.
Microsoft's Digital Image Suite 9 and Digital Image Pro 9 are best suited to users who want simplified tools for image enhancement as well as a nice variety of professional-looking designs which can be personalized and produced without a lot of fuss.
Alias Sketchbook Pro (Win/Mac)
Alias Sketchbook Pro is an innovative freehand drawing and painting program designed specifically for Tablet PC and graphics tablet users on Windows and Macintosh. If you've been frustrated or overwhelmed by the complexity of other artistic software, Sketchbook Pro is a great way to sketch out ideas, annotate images, and explore computer-based drawing.
Alias Sketchbook Pro is an innovative freehand drawing and painting program designed specifically for Tablet PC and graphics tablet users on Windows and Macintosh. If you've been frustrated or overwhelmed by the complexity of other artistic software, Sketchbook Pro is a great way to sketch out ideas, annotate images, and explore computer-based drawing.
Jasc Paint Shop Pro (Win)
Paint Shop Pro is an extremely popular and affordable image editor with vector drawing tools, special effects, and image optimization. Comes with a built in image browser and GIF animation tool.
Paint Shop Pro is an extremely popular and affordable image editor with vector drawing tools, special effects, and image optimization. Comes with a built in image browser and GIF animation tool.
Ulead PhotoImpact (Win)
PhotoImpact provides image editing features and tools for Web graphics, small business communications, and digital photography.
PhotoImpact provides image editing features and tools for Web graphics, small business communications, and digital photography.
Microsoft Picture It! Digital Image Pro 7 (Win)
Microsoft Picture It! Digital Image Pro 7.0 is a photo editor with simplified tools for image enhancement as well as a nice variety of professional-looking designs which can be personalized and produced without a lot of fuss.
Microsoft Picture It! Digital Image Pro 7.0 is a photo editor with simplified tools for image enhancement as well as a nice variety of professional-looking designs which can be personalized and produced without a lot of fuss.
Deep Paint (Win)
This Photoshop-compatible plug-in also functions as a standalone application with a complete set of natural-media painting and drawing tools. Also includes lots of "unnatural" tools for special effects and image manipulation.
This Photoshop-compatible plug-in also functions as a standalone application with a complete set of natural-media painting and drawing tools. Also includes lots of "unnatural" tools for special effects and image manipulation.
ImageForge PRO (Win)
Featured Download - Paint and edit images, retouch scanned pictures, make animations, slide shows, and more with a full set of painting tools, special effects filters, Web imaging and animation features, layers support, and much more. Shareware, $28.95 US.
Featured Download - Paint and edit images, retouch scanned pictures, make animations, slide shows, and more with a full set of painting tools, special effects filters, Web imaging and animation features, layers support, and much more. Shareware, $28.95 US.
LView Pro (Win)
Featured Download - 32-bit image processing suite with tools for capturing, viewing, browsing, printing, converting, editing, publishing, and cataloging images. $39.99 US
Featured Download - 32-bit image processing suite with tools for capturing, viewing, browsing, printing, converting, editing, publishing, and cataloging images. $39.99 US
Satori Products (Win)
Featured Download - Satori offers several image editing and illustration products which feature a non-destructive object-based editing environment. Freeware and trial versions available.
Featured Download - Satori offers several image editing and illustration products which feature a non-destructive object-based editing environment. Freeware and trial versions available.
Adesign (Win)
This graphic design application offers bitmap drawing and painting tools and photo retouching and enhacement capabilities. Also features 2D and 3D image effects, layers, layer masks, deformation tools, vector tools, unlimited undo/redo, and more. Supports 28 file formats including layered PSD import. $69 US. Trial download available.
This graphic design application offers bitmap drawing and painting tools and photo retouching and enhacement capabilities. Also features 2D and 3D image effects, layers, layer masks, deformation tools, vector tools, unlimited undo/redo, and more. Supports 28 file formats including layered PSD import. $69 US. Trial download available.
ArcSoft PhotoStudio (Win/Mac)
Photo editing, retouching, enhancement, and special effects with features including multiple undo/redo, layers, editable text, and batch processing.
Photo editing, retouching, enhancement, and special effects with features including multiple undo/redo, layers, editable text, and batch processing.
Artizen (Win)
"Artizen is a image manipulation application that provides easy access to simple image conversion and image manipulation tools and utilities." Features over 150 effects, tools, and utilities.
"Artizen is a image manipulation application that provides easy access to simple image conversion and image manipulation tools and utilities." Features over 150 effects, tools, and utilities.
BetterJPEG (Win)
Edit JPEG without recompression loss - BetterJPEG is a photo editor that lets you perform common photo manipulations, but preserves image quality by only recompressing the parts of the image that have changed when saving the image back to the JPEG format.
Edit JPEG without recompression loss - BetterJPEG is a photo editor that lets you perform common photo manipulations, but preserves image quality by only recompressing the parts of the image that have changed when saving the image back to the JPEG format.
Colour-Science Image Editor (Win)
"The Colour-Science Image Editor is a very fast image editor including fully automatic i2e image enhancement and Color Managment. It is the ideal software if you have to preview and edit a large number of images in short time. Image Editor is used in many professional photo labs to enhance customer orders before printing."
"The Colour-Science Image Editor is a very fast image editor including fully automatic i2e image enhancement and Color Managment. It is the ideal software if you have to preview and edit a large number of images in short time. Image Editor is used in many professional photo labs to enhance customer orders before printing."
Deleter CGillust (Win)
CG illus was originally sold in Japan for Japanese Animation and Manga fans. In 2001, it was made available in English and has become the standard software for drawing anime and manga style illustrations.
CG illus was originally sold in Japan for Japanese Animation and Manga fans. In 2001, it was made available in English and has become the standard software for drawing anime and manga style illustrations.
FotoFinish (Win)
Create, edit, organize, enhance, print, and share images and photos.
Create, edit, organize, enhance, print, and share images and photos.
Image Broadway (Win)
Offers painting and retouching tools, color and tonal adjustments, optimization, image mapping, creative effects, transparency, channels, and more.
Offers painting and retouching tools, color and tonal adjustments, optimization, image mapping, creative effects, transparency, channels, and more.
LightZone (Win/Mac)
LightZone is an image editor for photographers. "Based on photographic principles and the Zone System method, LightZone is a more natural and intuitive approach for photo retouching, allowing you to focus on what to do with your images rather than how to do it."
LightZone is an image editor for photographers. "Based on photographic principles and the Zone System method, LightZone is a more natural and intuitive approach for photo retouching, allowing you to focus on what to do with your images rather than how to do it."
Manga Studio (Win/Mac)
"Manga Studio... provides all the essential tools you need to create professional, ready-to-publish pages from start to finish! Manga Studio offers an intuitive interface, and delivers the best suite of ready-to-use screen tones, content and special manga and comic effects for hobbyists, experienced artists and professionals."
"Manga Studio... provides all the essential tools you need to create professional, ready-to-publish pages from start to finish! Manga Studio offers an intuitive interface, and delivers the best suite of ready-to-use screen tones, content and special manga and comic effects for hobbyists, experienced artists and professionals."
NeoPaint (Win/DOS)
"Artists studio" allows business and home users to touch up photos and create images with painting and drawing tools, selection tools, special effects, scanner and digital camera support, and more.
"Artists studio" allows business and home users to touch up photos and create images with painting and drawing tools, selection tools, special effects, scanner and digital camera support, and more.
openCanvas (Win)
A shareware image editor for manga and anime style illustration.
A shareware image editor for manga and anime style illustration.
PaintBuster (Win)
"PaintBuster is a very fast, small, compact and innovative paint and photo enhancement program. PaintBuster enables you to resize, crop, rotate, cut and paste and enhance your family photographs as well as create images for the home web-page."
"PaintBuster is a very fast, small, compact and innovative paint and photo enhancement program. PaintBuster enables you to resize, crop, rotate, cut and paste and enhance your family photographs as well as create images for the home web-page."
Photo Pos Pro Image Editor (Win)
An inexpensive photo editor with advanced features.
An inexpensive photo editor with advanced features.
Photo-Brush (Win)
A shareware image editor, painting program, and retouching tool with pressure-sensitive tablet support, special effects filters, scanner support, a texture generator, warping effects, image nozzles, and much more.
A shareware image editor, painting program, and retouching tool with pressure-sensitive tablet support, special effects filters, scanner support, a texture generator, warping effects, image nozzles, and much more.
PhotoLine32 (Win/Mac)
Photoline32 offers tools and features for pixel and vector based editing, batch processing, filters, layers, transparency, pressure sensitive tablet support, and more.
Photoline32 offers tools and features for pixel and vector based editing, batch processing, filters, layers, transparency, pressure sensitive tablet support, and more.
PicMaster (Win)
Multi-purpose image editor offers image editing, Photoshop-compatible filter support, slide shows, 3D images, video image capturing, scanning, catalogs, screen shots, poster printing, and more.
Multi-purpose image editor offers image editing, Photoshop-compatible filter support, slide shows, 3D images, video image capturing, scanning, catalogs, screen shots, poster printing, and more.
Picture Window Pro (Win)
"Picture Window Pro is a powerful photo editing tool designed for serious photographers with demanding creative and quality standards. It provides a comprehensive set of photo manipulation and retouching tools which allow you to control and shape every aspect of your images and to create high quality prints, page layouts, multimedia electronic slide shows and other forms of output."
"Picture Window Pro is a powerful photo editing tool designed for serious photographers with demanding creative and quality standards. It provides a comprehensive set of photo manipulation and retouching tools which allow you to control and shape every aspect of your images and to create high quality prints, page layouts, multimedia electronic slide shows and other forms of output."
PictureMan (Win)
Image processing, retouching and enhancement tool with over 100 image processing filters and special effects. Features layer support, painting tools, plug-in support, channel processing, pressure-sensitive tablet support, brush-on filters, automation, and more. Trial download available.
Image processing, retouching and enhancement tool with over 100 image processing filters and special effects. Features layer support, painting tools, plug-in support, channel processing, pressure-sensitive tablet support, brush-on filters, automation, and more. Trial download available.
PictureMan Painter (Win)
Full-featured image editor with color tuning, Web optimization, button maker, plug-ins and special effects, Photoshop plug-in support, selection and masking tools, custom brushes, tablet support, and more.
Full-featured image editor with color tuning, Web optimization, button maker, plug-ins and special effects, Photoshop plug-in support, selection and masking tools, custom brushes, tablet support, and more.
Pixarra TwistedBrush (formerly Sketchbook) (Win)
"Software for artists without the complexity of other art programs. The focus is on ease of use and high quality tools. Pastels, oil paints, acrylics, charcoal, oil pastels, pencils, pens are just some of the tools within Pixarra TwistedBrush, each bringing the carefree feeling of sketching to the computer."
"Software for artists without the complexity of other art programs. The focus is on ease of use and high quality tools. Pastels, oil paints, acrylics, charcoal, oil pastels, pencils, pens are just some of the tools within Pixarra TwistedBrush, each bringing the carefree feeling of sketching to the computer."
Pixel (Multi-platform)
"Pixel is a RGB, CMYK and HDR image editing, photo retouching and manipulating program available for many operating systems formerly known as Pixel32. It is available for Windows, Linux, Linspire, MacOSX, BeOS, Zeta, QNX, MorphOS, FreeBSD, eComStation, OS/2, SkyOS and even old plain DOS, for both x86 and PowerPC architectures."
"Pixel is a RGB, CMYK and HDR image editing, photo retouching and manipulating program available for many operating systems formerly known as Pixel32. It is available for Windows, Linux, Linspire, MacOSX, BeOS, Zeta, QNX, MorphOS, FreeBSD, eComStation, OS/2, SkyOS and even old plain DOS, for both x86 and PowerPC architectures."
Pixopedia 24 (Win)
Shareware image editor and painter for Windows features the ability to apply actions in a multitude of ways, a variety of customizable brushes, 3D brush effects, special image effects, warping and distortion tools, pixel shifting, retouching tools, painting tools, and more. Site offers a tutorial, tips, and more.
Shareware image editor and painter for Windows features the ability to apply actions in a multitude of ways, a variety of customizable brushes, 3D brush effects, special image effects, warping and distortion tools, pixel shifting, retouching tools, painting tools, and more. Site offers a tutorial, tips, and more.
Presto! ImageFolio (Win/Mac)
Process photographs, graphics, and drawings captured from scanners, VCRs, a laser discs, digital cameras, video capture boxes and any other location that the computer can capture images from. Also create images with drawing and painting tools and effects.
Process photographs, graphics, and drawings captured from scanners, VCRs, a laser discs, digital cameras, video capture boxes and any other location that the computer can capture images from. Also create images with drawing and painting tools and effects.
Selteco Photo Lab (Win)
"Acquire images from scanners, digital cameras, web or screen; rotate, resize, crop images; adjust brighness, contrast, levels, gamma, saturation or color temperature; optimize images for the Web and export in GIF or JPEG format; create multilayer graphics using bitmap and text objects; support for PSD, BMP, TIFF, GIF, JPEG and WMF formats."
"Acquire images from scanners, digital cameras, web or screen; rotate, resize, crop images; adjust brighness, contrast, levels, gamma, saturation or color temperature; optimize images for the Web and export in GIF or JPEG format; create multilayer graphics using bitmap and text objects; support for PSD, BMP, TIFF, GIF, JPEG and WMF formats."
Serif PhotoPlus (Win)
This image editor includes features such as warping effects, automatic image extraction, built-in image browser, picture brushes, GIF animation, retouching tools, layers, special effects and more.
This image editor includes features such as warping effects, automatic image extraction, built-in image browser, picture brushes, GIF animation, retouching tools, layers, special effects and more.
Turbo Photo (Win)
"Turbo Photo is a powerful photo editing software which helps digital camera owners to refine their photos after shot."
"Turbo Photo is a powerful photo editing software which helps digital camera owners to refine their photos after shot."
Ultimate Paint (Win)
Image editor that supports JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PCX, AVI (reading only), WMF/EMF, ICO (reading only) and IFF/LBM image formats. Freeware and shareware versions available.
Image editor that supports JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PCX, AVI (reading only), WMF/EMF, ICO (reading only) and IFF/LBM image formats. Freeware and shareware versions available.
Wizardbrush (Win)
Natural media painting tool with layers support.
Natural media painting tool with layers support.