Do you want to perfect your photos with professional photo editing software for Mac or Windows? Whether you’re just starting or an expert photographer, editing your photos before submitting them to your photography webpage is critical.
The best photo editing software can assist in bringing focus to an image, highlighting key subjects, and transforming an ordinary photograph into something amazing. However, for most photographers, the question is: how do you choose the right editing software to complement your skills? We’ll go over the various photo editing software and provide all the information you’ll need!
Top 5 Professional Photo Editing Software
- Adobe Lightroom Classic – The Best Professional Photo Editing Software for Beginners.
- Capture One 22 – The Best Professional Photo Editing Software for Layers.
- Corel PaintShop Pro – The Best Professional Photo Editing Software on a Budget.
- DxO PhotoLab 5 – The Best Professional Photo Editing Software for Adjustments.
- Adobe Photoshop – The Best Professional Photo Editing Software for Advanced Features.
1. Adobe Lightroom Classic – The Best Professional Photo Editing Software for Beginners.
PRICING – £9.99/monthly.
The clean and straightforward workspace of Lightroom allows you to concentrate on what’s important — your image. The left-hand panel provides quick access to your image library, allowing you to switch between photos as you edit. Drop-down menus in the right-hand panel allow you to make quick adjustments, add keywords to your images, etc.
The first time you use Lightroom, it takes you on a guided tour of each module. Unlike some other in-app tours, Lightroom’s tutorial covers all essential points, so you don’t miss anything. In addition, you’ll be able to get started on your edits based solely on this brief introduction.
This programme is much more than a photo editor. It also functions as a photo organiser. Lightroom allows you to easily store and organise your images within the programme, removing the need for an external photo organising programme. Assign a star rating to your photos based on editing priority — or any other metric — and get to work!
Adobe designed Lightroom to be usable by photographers of all skill levels. So, don’t worry. Lightroom’s user-friendly interface doesn’t imply that it lacks power. That’s what makes Lightroom so impressive — it doesn’t sacrifice functionality for simplicity!
Key Features
- Photo organisation with face detection
- Corrections for cameras and lenses
- Changes to the brush and gradient
Reasons To Buy
- Excellent photo organisation and management.
- Support for plug-ins Connected mobile apps.
Reasons To Avoid
- Some competing products have a slightly more detailed initial raw conversion.
- Subscription required.
2. Capture One 22 – The Best Professional Photo Editing Software for Layers.
PRICING – £20/month.
Capture One of its strengths is the high quality of its raw production and editing tools, the strength of its layer-based local adjustments, and its suitability for professionals. It is usually used as a tethered capture or editing tool for studio photographers with sessions workflow and a Lightroom-style image cataloguing, searching, and non-destructive editing tool.
Capture One 2022 includes a new HDR merge feature that only works with raw files but is highly effective and natural-looking and a panorama merge feature.
Capture One’s conversions appear smoother or sharper, and the company’s collaboration means it can create some of the best Fujifilm processing and recreate Fujifilm’s Film Simulation modes.
Key Features
- HDR merge feature that only works with raw files.
- Panorama merge feature
Reasons To Buy
- Excellent raw processing
- Layers-based adjustments
- Excellent tethering tools +HDR
Reasons To Avoid
- Expensive
3. Corel PaintShop Pro – The Best Professional Photo Editing Software on a Budget.
PRICING – £60/year.
PaintShop Pro supports layers and allows you to edit both raster and vector image formats, which would require the use of two Adobe Creative Cloud apps. You do, however, miss out on some of the most advanced tools available in Adobe’s flagship photo editor, such as 3D modelling, detailed typography, and face liquefy.
PaintShop Pro’s effectiveness is faster than in previous versions, but it lags Photoshop in some photo editing operations. Similarly, while PaintShop Pro’s interface has dramatically improved over the years, it is still not as polished or unified as Photoshop’s. Nevertheless, PaintShop Pro is a worthy alternative if you’re a Windows user who isn’t committed to the Adobe ecosystem, especially given its low cost.
Key Features
- Photoshop-like capabilities at a lower cost
- Practical effects and editing tools
- Extensive assistance and tutorials
Reasons To Buy
- A good selection of vector drawing tools
Reasons To Avoid
- Interface inconsistency
- There is no macOS version.
- Some operations are time-consuming.
4. DxO PhotoLab 5 – The Best Professional Photo Editing Software for Adjustments.
PRICING – £129/yearly.
DxO PhotoLab is the successor to DxO Optics Pro, and it includes local adjustment tools from DxO’s acquisition of the Nik Collection software, making it a more powerful all-around photo-editing solution. In addition, the photo library window allows you to browse your image folders, create Projects, and perform basic filtering and housekeeping tasks. Still, PhotoLab’s true strength is its superb raw processing, incredibly effective DeepPRIME denoise tool, suitable local image adjustments, and highly effective lens corrections.
PhotoLab produces images of exceptional quality. PhotoLab 5 finally includes support for Fujifilm X-Trans files and a new selection/masking tool, and other enhancements. It’s not cheap, and it’s not particularly user-friendly, but PhotoLab 5’s raw file results are among the best.
Key Features
- Adjustment tools.
- Browse option.
Reasons To Buy
- Excellent raw processing
- Excellent lens corrections
- Support for X-Trans files.
Reasons To Avoid
- The photo library is still relatively primitive.
- The Elite version is quite pricey.
5. Adobe Photoshop – The Best Professional Photo Editing Software for Advanced Features.
PRICING – £9.99/monthly.
Photoshop isn’t known for its ease of use. On the contrary, if you’ve heard anything about Photoshop’s interface, it’s most likely been how difficult it is to use! And indeed, Photoshop isn’t the most accessible software to master. Instead, as with most worthwhile endeavours in life, it necessitates some patience.
Many newcomers to photo editing struggle with Photoshop because it provides such a vast array of tools. We’ll go over all the great things you can do with Photoshop later but know that it does try to reduce the learning curve by providing organised workspaces.
Adobe Photoshop includes tools you will not find in any other photo editing software. Photoshop may be the photo editor if you work on graphic design projects or other, more layered assignments.
Photoshop’s functionality can be expanded by using additional filters. However, Photoshop does not have nearly as many filters as programmes such as Lightroom and Skylum Luminar. In addition, while Photoshop allows you to import and use pre-sets, you may find that they disturb your workflow.
Key Features
- Expert touch-up and retouching
- Filters and brushes in abundance
- Editing with multiple layers
- 3D design capability
- Professional editing software
- Colour correction that is advanced
Reasons To Buy
- There are numerous photo editing and embellishment features available.
- Excellent social meme tools
Reasons To Avoid
- A Creative Cloud subscription is required for many features.
- Retouching options are limited.
References and Links
- https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/uk/buying-guides/the-best-photo-editing-software
- https://uk.pcmag.com/photo-editing/8546/the-best-photo-editing-software
- https://enviragallery.com/best-photo-editing-software-for-photographers/