Professional-grade tools for Windows, Mac, and Linux
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These four open source image editors are fit for serious use.
GIMP
Powerful software that doesn’t crash.
Easily handles Photoshop-level image editing tasks.
Compatible with RAW images.
Not intuitive for beginners.
It is overkill for someone with simple editing needs.
User documentation is difficult to understand.
Supports layers, transparency, and plug-ins.
Handles most graphics and image editing needs.
Not powerful enough to replace Photoshop.
Open source version is more than 10 years old.
Microsoft included its simple paint program with Windows all the way back to the original release of Windows 1.0.
For many, the memories of using Paint are not good ones.
In 2004, thePaint.NETproject aimed to create a better alternative to Paint.
The software has evolved so much that it now stands alone as a feature-rich image editor.
Although newer versions of Paint.NET are still free, the project is no longer open source.
Operating system: Windows
Inkscape
Generates pro-level vector graphics comparable to Adobe Illustrator.
Compatible with many file formats.
Handles CMYK color awkwardly.
Processing is on the slow side.
Instead, vector graphics consist of lines and polygons arranged into shapes.
Vector graphics are often used to design logos and models.
They can be scaled and rendered at different resolutions with no loss of quality.
Operating systems: Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux
Krita
Great tool for digital painting.
No support for pressure sensitivity.
Isn’t as feature-packed as GIMP or Photoshop.
Operating system: Windows, macOS, Linux
