You’ll definitely download these free Adobe alternatives if you don’t like its month subscription. The price is probably the only thing that pushes creatives away from using Adobe Creative Cloud apps because it is the most popular developer of professional softwares for editing any kind of images, videos, and designs.
The lowest price of $20/month for all apps except Photoshop and Lightroom ($9.99/month) makes users look for cheaper or even free Adobe alternatives.
Adobe Photoshop is known to users all over the world even if they are not professionally engaged in editing. It is a professional software that you can use for basic color correction and for creative manipulations as well. Nowadays, the market is flooded with reliable free Photoshop alternatives that can stay on par with this renowned software.
Pixlr is a stunning cloud-based image editor that you can access through your browser without downloading. If you're already familiar with Photoshop, you'll see how similar Pixlr tools and features are.
In general, its capabilities are suitable even for professional portrait editing, so Pixlr can be rightfully called a simplified online version of Photoshop. I believe this is the most suitable Photoshop alternative for users looking for cloud-based editing instrument. Though it isn’t as sophisticated and feature-packed as the trend-setting software, it comes with a more reasonable price tag and allows improving photos regardless of your location.
The GIMP graphical editor allows you to perform a wide range of image editing operations. Among all the Photoshop analogs, Gimp has the most similar functionality. It supports many formats, has a lot of preset filters, brushes and templates.
If you are not satisfied with the original functionality, it can be expanded using additional modules. Several years ago, GIMP was one of multiple options competing with Adobe Photoshop. However, the program has undergone numerous updates, and now it is positioned as a decent alternative to Adobe Ps.
Users like its straightforward interface and a generous set of features. Another bragging point is its open-source nature, so experienced users can easily adapt the program to their needs instead of looking for another photo editing software.
PhotoScape X Pro offers tools for easy viewing of pictures collections, creating collages and composite images, generating animated gifs and printing processed images, screenshots, batch renaming of files and color picker.
There is also a drawing function in the arsenal of PhotoScape X Pro. Besides, users appreciate the ability to apply customized changes to multiple images in batch mode and also to fragments of one picture.
Adobe Lightroom is the most popular program for deep color correction, raw editing, and image management. The following alternatives are pretty good but they are still not of the same level of functionality and flexibility. But if you need a program for simple operations, then you may use the free Lightroom alternatives described below.
RawTherapee provides a set of tools for color correction, white balance, brightness and contrast adjustment, as well as automatic enhancement and noise reduction.
There are several algorithms for balancing image quality, lighting adjustment, noise reduction, detalization, correction of shadows, edges and perspective, automatic removal of dead pixels, changing of exposure, sharpening, elimination of scratches and dust marks.
RawTherapee is initially aimed at users with some experience in the field, while total newbies may find the program insanely difficult to master. Fortunately, there are multiple tutorials on the web that dwell on different aspects of how to use the program. Once you understand how it works, you can take full advantage of multiple tools.
Darktable is an editing software and open-source cross-platform RAW Converter. Being one of the best Adobe alternatives for handling RAW files, this program can also open many other file formats. Since it has open source, you can make alterations to functionality based on your current requirements. Besides, the software is designed for multi-platform use.
The program can maintain a database of original photos, carry out visual navigation through the images, correct distortion, change the quality without modifying the original image. Also, it maintains a complete history of all operations.
LightZone helps you enhance photos and fix their flaws, make color correction, fix the white balance, selectively blur or sharpen the image, remove dust and noise. All operations that are performed in the program are reversible and do not affect the original picture. Developers position the app as a professional.
However, unlike many other ‘serious packages’, this program is very simple and pleasant to work with, so dealing with its functions will not be difficult even for a beginner. Lightzone is unmatched when it comes to editing RAW files. Here you can find a whole variety of handy tools for streamlined photo editing.
One of the greatest advantages of vector graphics is that they don’t involve pixels. This gives you a chance to export the image you have drawn once to any size without losing any pixels or unnecessary pixelization.
Illustrator is the best program to work with graphic editing, but if you don’t want to pay a month subscription, choose one of the following Illustrator alternatives.
Inkscape is an open source vector graphics editor. The Inkscape project adheres to the open source ideology and uses the SVG format as the main standard for its work. It is ready to offer a growing user community along with the program. There is also the ability to work with layers and gradients, and many other tools that are common in most graphics editors.
Inkscape also belongs to the category of editors with open source, so if you need a program that can be modified for various purposes, make sure to try this option. Inkscape can fully satisfy beginner and amateur users, while pros will find it too primitive.
Affinity Designer will allow you to work on promotional materials, websites, concept arts, icons and other user interface elements. The application provides the opportunity to make sketches anywhere and anytime on your iPad, Mac or Windows laptop, give a vector shape to your imagination and export the finished project in any popular graphics format.
Affinity Designer is a serious replacement. It is highly popular among illustrators and graphic designers, who need a feature-rich program for simultaneous work with graphics and raster images. Thanks to instant switching between vector and pixel modes, this program is also a go-to choice for digital painters.
If you have clients, who want to get finished projects as Adobe Illustrator source files, then Affinity Designer will be of no help. In case, you frequently incorporate PDFs into your designs, you can fully rely on Affinity Designer. However, this program is no longer available as a free tool. Now you need to pay $9.99 once to use this software.
Vectr is a free program for creating and modifying vector drawings, which can be used directly in the browser or as a desktop application. With its help, you may produce both simple images (logos, emblems, icons) and complex vector illustrations.
An important advantage of Vectr is the ability to work together. You just need to send your colleagues a link to your project so that they can join to its discussion and editing. This is a decent Adobe alternative that is optimized for desktop use as well as functioning in web browsers. Every element of the UI is well-though-out, so mastering the program won’t take much time.
Premiere Pro is the most popular program for non-linear video editing and color grading. It works perfectly with other Adobe programs and is designed for professional use. Despite this, there are some problems that force users to look for a free alternative.
If you need a professional non-linear editor and it should be free, then DaVinci Resolve may be the best choice in your case. It took me no more than 15 minutes to understand how to perform basic tasks (5-7 of which I tried to understand why DaVinci Resolve does not see my AVI).
This program has proven to be more efficient when it comes to advanced editing than a plethora of much-hyped video editing software. Users favor DaVinci Resolve because of its 2 video editing modes, cutting-edge color grading and audio editing tools. The program can also come in handy if you regularly work with motion graphics and VFX.
Besides, in the folder with the installed program, in the subfolder ‘Documents’, you will find the file ‘DaVinci Resolve.pdf’, which is a 1000 pages tutorial on the use of all functions of the video editor.
FXhome by Artlist is a popular Adobe alternative designed for users, who need a truly powerful set of video editing tools. Together with an abundance of useful functions, it offers a lot of built-in templates that will help you do the necessary work without any extra effort.
Moreover, it provided better possibilities to study the program's features in practice. After creating a video, you can quickly export it in a high quality. There are two versions of the program - free FXhome by Artlist and paid FXhome by Artlist Pro. The first version has slightly limited video editing capabilities but they are enough for basic tasks.
FXhome by Artlist is a great alternative, allowing you to trim, combine video parts, add music, create transitions and titles, add masks, transformations, and effects (you can create your own), and perform color grading on an unlimited number of tracks. The most popular features among professionals are object tracking, creation of particle systems, 3D object importing, and chroma key.
VideoPad Video Editor is a compact alternative to Adobe. The application is suitable for multifunctional editing of video clips and audio. It allows you to easily process video clips, including your own ones, recorded on a digital, cassette or web camera.
Additionally, you can use video transitions and effects, create and edit musical compositions. You can fine-tune all transitions: changing the duration, angle, color, and speed. VideoPad Video Editor works with all popular formats, including 3D.
Though a full version of the program is paid, you can test its capabilities using a free edition. It has all the needed tools but with slightly limited capabilities. Anyway, you can check how intuitive navigation is, how different features work, etc. Thanks to a straightforward interface and a nice collection of instruments, many free customers become loyal users.
Are you interested in doing anything related to desktop publishing? Then InDesign is the best choice. If you can’t afford to work in this program, try its free InDesign alternatives. The best analog is one of the following apps.
Scribus is the desktop publishing software (DTP), or in other words, a program for visual layout of printed documents (newspapers, magazines, brochures, literature, etc.).
Unlike many open-source applications created by enthusiastic students, Scribus InDesign alternative was originally developed by typography and printing professionals. Therefore, it has quite a wide range of professional text layout and prepress.
Scribus comes with a powerful API and allows writing custom scripts in Python. You are sure to like its automatic document validator, which makes the entire workflow stress-free and resultative.
Thus, Scribus is a very powerful tool for prepress text preparation. This alternative can cater to the needs of amateur and semi-professional users engaged in the typesetting of printed materials.
Lucidpress is an online desktop publishing software for creating books, brochures, magazines, advertisements, flyers and more.
Simple functioning saves much time, which is usually required in case you work with serious professional programs. Although the application is launched within your browser, it doesn’t require Flash player; Lucidpress is built on HTML 5.
When you start Lucidpress, the application gives you a document containing several pages to which you can add your content. You can drag text fields and images around, redraw pictures, choose from hundreds of available fonts or upload your own once and much more.
But Lucidpress goes even further allowing you to create documents that are meant for viewing on the Internet or from a tablet.
Adobe After Effects is a professional software for creating visual effects and motion graphics. If you don’t need all these professional functions, download one of the following After Effects alternatives that are a good choice for beginners.
Blender is free software for creating and editing 3D graphics. Thanks to its cross-platform and open-source nature, as well as rich functionality, the package has gained well-deserved fame not only among beginners but also among advanced 3D designers.
The program is constantly upgrading, so no wonder experts choose it as their main tool for handling advanced projects. In fact, this program is no inferior to more advanced 3D graphics packages in terms of features and functions. But here everything is available for free.
This alternative to Adobe After Effects has a fluid simulator, which enables users to create the effects of flowing bodies, such as smoke or liquids. In real-time, it is possible to calculate physical tasks, for example, simulate the behavior of soft solids.
Natron is open-source, node-based software for creating visual effects for films and TV programs. A huge community of software developers is constantly working to improve this product for non-linear editing of video and audio tracks.
With a relatively little experience, users will be able to edit video files at a fairly professional level. Among other advantages of this Adobe alternative is work with high-definition, 2K, and 4K video. User can also combine several graphic and audio objects into one.
You can create excellent interactive animations using Adobe Animate. They will work on all devices starting from mobile gadgets and ending with ultra-high resolution monitors. But if you don’t want to pay, choose one of the following alternatives.
Synfig Studio is an open-source application used to create professional 2D animations. The program allows you to use vector and raster images to create animations instead of the "frame by frame" method.
This Adobe Animate free alternative uses various types of layers, gradients, distortions, filters, and transformations to create your animation. Synfig Studio also provides full support for gradient paths, making it easy for you to add a soft hue to animation without having to draw it in each frame.
Synfig Studio allows you to save animations as SIF (default project), SIFZ (gzip-compressed project), and SFG (zip compressed). You can import multiple images into your project, including PNG, JPEG, BMP, and SVG files.
Most elements in Synfig Studio are vector-based, and all its layers are parametrically generated. This means that the only pixelation that occurs when you change the project resolution changes happens in bitmap images.
Animatron helps create fantastic videos and animations. The program has a user-friendly interface and fascinating characters. The program is based on the latest and safest HTML5 technology, which provides smooth playback on both desktop and mobile devices.
Animatron also offers impressive import options: you can import fonts, images, video, and audio in a variety of formats. Everyone can use the software thanks to “Drag-and-drop" function. You just need to choose the figure from the integrated library and place it in the blank area.
You can find more than 90 million images, templates, videos, graphics as well as 3D, editorial, and Premium assets in Adobe Stock. It is possible to choose either a monthly or annual plan and get access to images, 3D assets, and templates. Unfortunately, the price is too high, so check out one of the following Adobe alternatives.
Shutterstock can boast of the largest collection of images, music, video, and editorial assets. The custom content is just impressive. In general, this Adobe alternative has over 200 million units.
s the most extensive alternative to Adobe Stock, with many categories of royalty-free photos. Thus, whatever image you are looking for, there is something to fit your project. The best thing is that most pictures are available free of charge. Finding a proper photo won’t take much time, thanks to intuitive search and filter functions. If you clearly define your requirements, you will instantly locate a proper image.
You can purchase pictures using a subscription or individually. Shutterstock’s Editor tool will also let you customize the photo quickly and perform operations like cropping pics and adding filters.
In addition to numerous images, Shutterstock also contains collections of video and audio files. So, if you are preparing a project and plan to share it on YouTube, this is the best place to search for components. The thing is that YouTube and similar platforms scan videos for copyright, and when you use content from Shutterstock, all license nuances are completely covered.
Dreamstime stands out from other Adobe alternatives. Originally, it was created as a royalty-free stock photography site. Now this resource is a popular place for getting pictures for magazines, advertising agencies, and media companies. Having compared Dreamstime to similar platforms, I can confidently say that it contains the most affordable visual materials, ensuring their quality is on point.
Users can buy images either via credit (pay per download) or on subscription (time-based). The collection contains over 81 million pictures, music, video, vectors, sound effects, and illustration. You can choose from different subscription plans and credit packs based on your financial capabilities. Either you need some cheap stock images or want to earn money by selling yours, Dreamstime is a wonderful place to visit.
Adobe XD is a vector-based tool created by Adobe. The main aim is designing and prototyping user experience for mobile and web apps.
It seems that Sketch developers have taken a powerful vector graphics editor and removed everything superfluous. Then they thought and added all necessary features to create graphics. Exactly this set of convenient options differs the program from other alternatives to Adobe.
This alternative perfectly copes with creating desktop and mobile UI design, prototypes and mockups. Many users consider this program as the leader in the industry. Besides, it can come in handy if you want to edit and manipulate images.
It is worth noting that Sketch doesn’t offer only graphics for software. It can be used, for example, for web-design (functions like “copy style as CSS” help with this). Even if you’ve never used similar software, you can easily figure out how everything is arranged in Sketch.
The program is highly valued by teams, as it has all the needed features for co-op work. However, people using Windows computers can make no use of this Mac Adobe alternative.
InVision is a cloud-based design platform aimed at product development experts who need to create and manage prototypes. Originally, it was created as an addition to Photoshop for cooperative work. However, the company went further and raised the issues of interactive prototyping and animation.
There are multiple features for joint work, conducting experiments with templates, realizing different ideas, etc. An integrated digital dashboard allows visualizing concepts to understand how successful there are.
This Adobe alternative resembles Sketch very much but is developed by another company. It has the same interface and Symbols, which are called Component. Of course, it has many small, but pleasant improvements, like working with a Pen and naming artboards during duplication.
The most popular features of this software are prototype creation, presentations, wireframing, digital whiteboards, planning, and feedback management. Thanks to the Inspect module, you can speed up your overall workflow and prototype development in particular.
