If you are using a Linux operation system and looking for an efficient Linux photo editor that is not better than Lightroom or Photoshop, you may face some problems.
This operation system is less popular than Windows or macOS but still it is possible to find good software and I’ll help you with that.
Top 13 Best Linux Photo Editors
- GIMP – Alternative to Photoshop
- Darktable - RAW developer
- Pinta - For creation from scratch
- UFRaw - For basic digital editing
- Fotoxx - The best management options
- LightZone - For quick editing
- ShowFOTO - For standard photo enhancement
- Inkscape - Vector graphic editor
- DigiKam - Maximally automated
- AfterShot Pro – Over 100 creative filters and tools
- RawTherapee - For detailed color correction
- Photivo - Good for bitmap images
- Pixeluvo - For complex work
Here are 13 most popular photo editors for Linux OS. With this software, you can perform basic and professional adjustments, retouch and organize your images, make color and lighting correction, manipulate size, converse or share the files.
1. GIMP- Our Choice
- Interface may be personalized
- Lots of features
- Different formats
- Great layer option
- Not found
Verdict: GIMP is easy-to-use, open-source software. Using GIMP you will get high-quality images as a result of your work.
You may use the GIMP plug-ins that are pre-installed, or download additional ones if it is necessary. It is possible to adjust brushes, set layers, masks, and filters.
If you are an advanced user, there is an animation pack for you. This program is wonderful for retouching images, reducing noise, cropping, etc. GIMP is a really serious competitor in GIMP vs Photoshop stand-off.
2. Darktable
- User-friendly undo option
- Batch editing
- Local corrections
- Edited files are saved separately from originals
- May be confusing
Verdict: Darktable is another great open-source Linux RAW photo editor and RAW developer. The special Lighttable and Darkroom modules are supposed to help you to open your RAW images on the monitor and work with them.
If you need to import, collect images, work with basic instruments, use the Lighttable panel. Besides, it offers you zoom features, metadata editor, tags and geotags, various styles, and export tools.
If you want to set photo quality or use image editing tools, use the Darkroom panel. You are sure to enjoy a non-destructive image editing workflow. As a result, original photos and all the changes will be saved as separate files.
3. Pinta
- You may draw directly on imported files
- Automatically or manually adjustments
- Various formats
- Wide graphical toolset
- Doesn’t support third-party effects
Verdict: Pinta is an Ubuntu photo enhancer that will allow you to create images from scratch as well as to edit them (similarly to Microsoft Paint).
There is a great variety of tools to use for enhancing imported pictures. You start with making the basic image edits, and continue applying effects and filters. If you need to reduce noise, stabilize an image, or correct some other mistakes, you can easily do it in this program.
This Linux picture editor has a special tool, which you may use to capture your desktop. The captured picture may be edited then.
4. UFRaw
- Possibility to use it as a GIMP plug-in
- Offers various formats to save your pictures
- Batch processing
- Compatible with most types of cameras
- Not convenient preferences dialogue
Verdict: UFRaw is a Linux simple image editor and digital decoder that is compatible with more than 600 types of cameras. It provides you with the possibility to adjust sharpness, saturation, contrast, and white balance.
You may use the software as a GIMP plug-in if needed. Also, you can improve a group of pictures at the same time. You only prepare photos and apply the adjustments to all of them.
UFRaw has a user-friendly graphical interface that allows you to change the parameters and see how they affect the image straight away.
5. Fotoxx
- Great variety of features
- HDR capabilities
- Perfect quality of photos
- Lots of correction tools
- Not for beginner retouchers
Verdict: If you are not an absolute beginner in photo editing, the Fotoxx may turn out the best Linux photo editor for you. But you need to have at least minimal skills to use it to the fullest. Fotoxx is free and it is possible to work with this free HDR software using thumbnail browser.
Fottox noise reduction software offers a great range of tools, which you can use to retouch your photos in various ways. It will help you to adjust brightness, color intensity, remove red-eye effect and whiteness, reduce noise, and a lot more.
Using this great software, you will get perfect-quality images and also will be able to crop, resize, or rotate them. When it is time to save the result of your work, just choose any of the popular formats.
6. LightZone
- Possibility to edit RAW profiles
- Adjustable tools
- Photo organizing features
- Non-destructive image editing
- Impossible to assign keywords to photos
Verdict: With LightZone you can edit your pictures quickly and easily. It is an Ubuntu picture editor and RAW converter, supporting non-destructive workflow.
The edited photos are automatically saved apart from originals. Before you start improving images, select a general style of the photo.
Combine different styles to create a new one that will be absolutely unique. Create and save your own styles with LightZone.
7. ShowFOTO
- Lightweight
- Possibility of editing metadata
- User-friendly
- Independent from DigiKam
- Poor functionality
Verdict: If you are a beginner, probably this software will be the best Linux photo editor for you. Working with ShowFOTO, you can add filters, apply a bunch of effects, and enjoy simple photo editing for beginners.
Initially the ShowFOTO was developed by DigiKam company. But it is absolutely separate software for image retouching, containing most of DigiKam’s features, but not using its database.
Tools for color correction, adjustment of sharpness and white balance, size settings, and metadata – this is not a complete list of features that ShowFOTO is ready to offer to you.
8. Inkscape
- Supports SVG format
- Text editor
- Tools for vector graphic
- Simple to use
- Not cloud-based
- For advanced users
Verdict: Inkscape supports various vector formats: SVG, PDF and AI. The software is free and has a user-friendly interface.
This Linux picture editor allows you to create graphic drawings, diagrams, web graphics, etc. You are going to enjoy a great variety of filters and effects. You may adjust them and apply different combinations to create absolutely unique pictures.
The Inkscape toolbar is rather intuitive and may be personalized. It contains layers, paths, gradients, text features, etc.
You will definitely like working with Inkscape if you need a program to enhance vector format files.
9. DigiKam
- Color profiles
- Corrects color automatically
- Recognizes faces
- Various import and export formats
- KDE programs are automatically installed
- Overloaded by default parameters
Verdict: DigiKam (by KDE) is great software even for beginners, as by default, you will get a bunch of useful parameters. The developer offers some tutorials for users to learn more about the program and its functions.
DigiKam is an Ubuntu picture editor that is feature-packed and user-friendly. With this software, you can edit RAW files, metadata, use a Light table, retouch several photos at the same time, share the results easily and enjoy many other useful features.
10. AfterShot Pro
- Editing tools for users of all levels
- Image organizing features
- Blemish correction
- Quick importing
- No PNG support
- Poor highlight correction
Verdict: No matter if you are a beginner or a professional, Corel AfterShot has something to offer to you. A wide range of image retouching tools, from the most basic to professional. You can easily organize your pictures, as with this software you may view, tag, rate pictures before you start editing them.
It is not possible to add text and there are no drawing tools, but you may do the basic editing: resize, crop, remove the red-eye effect.
AfterShot is a good Linux picture editor, which contains a bunch of filters to apply. You may also create perfect quality panoramas with this program. To save photos choose between JPEG and TIFF output formats.
11. RawTherapee
- RAW photo editing
- Professional tools for color correction
- Various formats
- Frequent updates
- Lack of professional editing tutorials
- Occasional lagging
Verdict: RawTherapee is aimed at RAW pictures. This program is used mostly by professionals and has a set of advanced tools. It supports various picture formats, such as RAW, JPEG, TIFF, and PNG. It is the best Linux photo editor to improve the quality of your pictures in a quick way.
You will find lots of useful features, such as, blemish correction tools or masking features. The interface is really user-friendly and doesn’t require long getting used to phase, which makes it a truly appealing option in Lightroom vs RawTherapee stand-off.
12. Photivo
- Supports bitmap files
- Tool for film grain simulation
- Batch editing
- GIMP integration
- Not easy to use
Verdict: Looks like Photivo is more for professionals than for beginners. This Linux picture editor works with three main picture formats: RAW, JPEG, and BMP.
Photivo has a list of great features to offer. Among them, you will find special filters and effects for photo editing. It is compatible with GIMP software, so you will enjoy many more tools for pro-level image retouching.
You can a group of pictures in a bunch. The program will automatically save the edited pictures separately from the original ones. Photivo may be considered the best Linux photo editor thanks to vast photo retouching capabilities.
13. Pixeluvo
- Complex manipulations with layers and masks
- Allows adding text
- Clone tool
- Filter brushes
- In layers, the text is hard to work with
Verdict: Pixeluvo is software designed for professional image retouching. It is layer-based, so you may create lots of layers, blend them, use the correction tools, etc. This Linux picture editor offers a great variety of features, with the help of which, the photo retouching comes to a new level.
Adjust colors, add text, apply filters, and do a lot more with this software. Use chalk filter to create an art object based on your photo. This pixel art software has way more to offer you.
