Undoubtedly, visuals are the lifeblood of online marketing. They play a significant role in engagement and help us stand out. But, creating visually appealing images is not as simple as it sounds.
From newbies to professional photographers, we all spend a lot of time perfecting our images. The process involves editing, organizing, and optimizing, which makes it a tedious task. Thankfully, there are numerous photo editing tools to do the job. And they allow us to transform photos into incredible images with just a few clicks.
But before discussing their features, let us see why photo editing is necessary?
Why Do We Need Photo Editing?
Resizing Images
Adjusting the image size is essential for enhancing its visual appearance. Size is also a vital consideration for a website's loading time. Bigger images take more space and increase the loading time. Consumers switch to other websites when a site takes too long to load. Therefore, image size can significantly impact a website's bounce rate.
Tip: If you have a website on WordPress, thoroughly go through its image size guidelines before uploading images.
Enhancing Quality
Many of us visit stock image sites to get affordable or free photos. While these pictures are good in quality, sometimes they require some tweaking. We can enhance their quality by editing and adjusting the color balance and focus.
Moreover, editing enables customization. Business photographers can easily adjust photos as per the brand's requirements. We can add text, change the font, remove the background, and do much more to improve quality.
Increasing Engagement
As editing enhances the picture quality, it directly affects consumer engagement. Eye-grabbing photos attract visitors and let them spend more time on the site. Sometimes, pictures can reveal a long story within minutes. Since they make things easier to understand, consumers can engage better through images.
The Best Online Photo Editing Tools
Now, you must be curious about the photo editing tools that can provide all these benefits. Without further ado, let's see what these tools are:
1- Adobe Creative Cloud Express
If you belong to the photographic industry, you must have heard about Adobe Photoshop. It is one of the most versatile tools for picture editing. Besides photographers, Adobe is helping numerous website designers and digital artists achieve the required graphics.
Creative Cloud Express is Adobe's online photo editor. The free editing tool lets you edit even on the go. Yes, sign in through your Facebook, Google, or Apple account, and edit pictures within minutes. You can also use the Adobe ID to log in.
Adobe lets you transform images into animated designs through this editor. You can select animation effects from its library, which provides hundreds of options. The animation text feature is also present to make your images stand out.
Besides this, photo collage, background removal, and graphic design style options are available. You can resize images, add borders, select themes, and do more for a perfect image transformation.
What's more, it offers a premium version too. By paying the subscription fees, you can enjoy advanced features like RAW editing and cloning.
2- Canva
This online editing tool provides numerous facilities under one roof. Be it a website design solution, branding template, or photo editing, Canva lets you do everything. Moreover, the tool is also the right place for video editors.
Searching for additional visuals is no more a problem. When you are in Canva, you quickly get access to thousands of stock photos. Above all, you can finish editing within minutes through its drag and drop feature. Tons of filters are present for you to choose from.
Add multiple photo effects, get access to frames, and create distinctive backgrounds through Canva. Thankfully, the tool lets you work with your squad. Just access Canva through any device and transform pictures like never before.
Canva is free, and it doesn't even leave any watermark after the editing. However, if you want advanced features like background removal, a pro version is present. You just need to pay $9.99/month for using it.
3- Pixlr
Getting access to Pixlr from any computer is possible. Yes, it is a browser-based tool, and an app version is also available for smartphone users.
Pixlr offers a vast range of fantastic templates, collage tools, effects, and much more. Most importantly, it lets you remove the background in mere seconds. The AI technology enables Pixlr to do this job. So, be it a portrait or a selfie, changing backgrounds is no more difficult.
People also consider Pixlr an ideal tool for creating flyers, presentations, business cards, and banners.
The basic version is free, but the premium and creative plans require you to pay. The first one costs $4.90 while the latter costs $14.90 per month. The creative plan offers unlimited stock content access with numerous other advanced features.
4- Fotor
If Pixlr fails to fulfill your needs and you still need a browser-based editing solution, try Fotor.
The tool caters explicitly to the needs of beginners. It has a user-friendly interface that guides you at every step. Thus, even if you are editing pictures for the first time, you can do it with perfection. Just visit Fotor's site, and you will find endless guides related to picture editing.
Fotor is known as a one-click editing tool. Under one roof, it lets you resize, crop, edit, and even add text to your images. Moreover, it offers many advanced features like background, wrinkle, and blemish remover.
It has an app too, and once you make an account on Fotor, editing pictures on the go will not be a problem. Like others, it also has a premium paid plan which offers access to 1000,000 stock images.
5- Photopea
If you are not new in the photographic niche, try Photopea. The tool may not be the right place for beginners, but experienced persons can reap its maximum benefits.
Like full-fledged professional editing software, it lets you edit RAW photos, open pdf files, and work on PSD files. Besides this, the tool works with masks, layers, smart objects, and vector shapes.
Some people consider it a replacement for Photoshop. Though you might not find every Photoshop feature in it, it is a good choice in terms of cost and advanced functions.
6- PicMonkey
People often compare PicMonkey with Photoshop. And there may be similarities in both platforms. But if you are a graphic designer and all you need is to edit photos online, investing in Photoshop can be expensive.
On the other hand, you can efficiently edit photos on PicMonkey without breaking your budget. Like many other photo editing tools, it comes with a free basic version. It also offers thousands of templates, photo effects, and filters. You can edit other pictures or take stock photos from the platform. Background removal, color change, resizing, and much more are present.
The tool offers a huge library of fonts, graphics, and textures. Besides this, there is an option for cloud storage. So, you can store and manage your photos with ease. For smartphone users, there is an app too. Thus, editing photos is not limited only to the desktop.
Once you are done with editing, you can share photos directly on social media platforms or download them in your preferred file type.
7- Lunapic
Last on the list is Lunapic. This browser-based editor is the right choice for someone looking for both a video and image editor. It provides a vast inventory of tools, fantastic photo effects, animations, and much more.
People also prefer this tool as it enables you to open images through a web URL. The interface is intuitive, making it easier for beginners to edit like a pro. Crop, adjust, resize, filter, animate, and do much more with this tool.
After editing, a direct sharing option on social media is also available here. Yes, you need to see the advertisement on its website while using the tool. If it's not distracting you, it is a better and more convenient option for beginners. The interface is simple, and there is a detailed FAQ section as well. Many tutorials are also present, so newbies won't face any difficulty even if they are editing for the first time.
Wrapping It Up
Each of the above tools offers commendable features and caters to a different market. Gone are the days when Photoshop used to be the only option for us. While it is a fantastic tool, some users find it complicated and heavy on the pocket. However, experienced professionals and large-scale businesses can use it with ease.
Other tools are also satisfying the editing needs of a wide range of consumers. While Fotor is ideal only for beginners, Photopea is fantastic for experienced professionals.
Likewise, Canva is a great solution for collaborative edits. Pixlr, LunaPic, and PicMonkey are other excellent options for quick edits.
So, analyze your requirements and opt for the one that best suits you. Good Luck!
Going forward, VSCO Web is accessible as a web-based photo and video editing tool. I encourage you to suggest this online software for your photo editing needs.