Capturing a great photo is like capturing lightning in a bottle. You don't get a second chance at it so you better get it right the first time.
At least that's the way it used to be. Thanks to digital photo editors, you can fix little mistakes and turn ho-hum pictures into fantastic photos.
Paint.net was originally created as a free replacement for Microsoft's Paint. Like Paint, Paint.net is really easy to use, and it's extremely useful.
It lets you add text, paint, patterns, shapes and gradients to any photograph. It also includes tons of features that let you sharpen, blur or remove grain and noise. But the best part about Paint.net is that if you mess up, you can revert back to your original photo.
Note: Google is phasing out its photo-editing program Picasa. Now, you can edit all your photos on the website Google Photos.
GIMP was designed as a free alternative to Photoshop. In case you don't know, Photoshop is a powerful and expensive photo-editing tool that's widely used by professional photographers.
GIMP can do almost anything Photoshop can do, including adding layers, filters, and more. It can save files in Photoshop's PSD format. Plus, it's open-source software, which means it's being updated and improved all the time.
RawTherapee is a free, full-featured RAW editor that lets you do the same things as pricey programs such as Adobe Lightroom. You should double check to make sure that your camera's file formats are supported by RawTherapee and that you download the correct version of the software.
If you have a DSLR camera, you may be taking photos in a RAW file format. These are sometimes called "digital negatives" because they contain the unprocessed data from the image sensor of a camera.
These files have more detail and a wider dynamic range. You can also edit white balance and exposure after you've taken a photo. But you'll need special software to view them and to edit them.
Luminance HDR was designed to create high dynamic range photos from multiple photos of one image taken at different exposures. You'll be able to tone map (adjust colors), rotate, resize and much more.
Film captures a wider range of luminance than most digital devices. You can achieve that same look for digital photos using HDR imaging found on some cameras, or photo-editing software like Luminance HDR.
Fotor is a free download for PCs, Macs and smartphones that can turn basic snapshots into colorful masterpieces. It just takes a few clicks and there's hardly any learning curve. You can add effects to any photo, create brilliant collages or customize photo cards for the holidays.
