Easy to Use Photo Editing Software

Photo editing software that’s easy to use for both professionals and beginners is not so easy to find. 

We’ve reviewed 14 photo editing programs to make your search go a little smoother. But before you jump into the list, start by thinking about the key features you want your editor to have. 

If you’re a beginner, don’t worry. Some of the photo editing software below has tutorials and help pages you can turn to. If you’re a professional, you may want to narrow your search based on additional features that are unique to specific editors. 

Be sure to pay attention to the pros and cons so you don’t regret your choice later. Take notes while reading this article and you should know exactly what you’re leaning towards by the end!

Easy to use photo editing software: free and paid 

• Luminar
• Adobe Photoshop Elements
• Photolemur
• Aurora HDR
• Photos for Mac OS
• Paint.NET
• Pixlr X
• AirMagic
• Acorn
• InPixio
• Microsoft Photos
• Polarr
• Photo Pos Pro
• ON1 Photo Raw

1. Luminar 4

Skylum recently revamped Luminar with new AI-powered features. Whether you’re picking up a camera for the first time or you’re trying to perfect the photos you take regularly, Luminar 4 can help.

The developers of Luminar claim that photographers will be able to enjoy Luminar 4 almost instantly, without any learning curve. Luminar 4 includes AI Portrait Enhancer, AI Structure, and AI Sky Replacement tools.

AI Portrait Enhancer: Human-aware technology implements realistic edits to portraits taken indoors and outdoors.

AI Structure: Reveals hidden areas of photos without taking depth away from the original shot. AI technology recognizes areas that should be amplified and enhances them to make the entire image look better.

AI Sky Replacement: Automated algorithms detect the sky and replace it with a new sky of your choosing. The entire image will automatically change to reflect the new sky.

Pros:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Time-saving AI editing tools
• Library supports file organization

Cons:

• Exporting and metadata needs improvement
• A bit slow
• Paid upgrade from Luminar 3

2. Adobe Photoshop Elements

Photographers looking to up their game in the world of prints will greatly appreciate the newest version of Adobe Photoshop Elements. This easy to use photo editing software gives skilled professionals the capabilities they need to intelligently edit photographs, print photos directly onto gifts such as canvases, mugs, and accessories, and develop video slideshows and collages for all to enjoy. 

If you fancy organization, you’ll appreciate the ability of Elements to identify the best photos. Smart Tags in Adobe Photoshop Elements allow you to find great photos in seconds using basic facial recognition powered by Adobe Sensei. 

Pros:

• Colorize black and white photos
• AI improvements to properly auto-curate photos
• Create memes, photos, and videos to share on social media

Cons:

• Content-aware features require extra time and effort
• Apple Photos extension not available
• Internal organizer cannot integrate with iCloud Photos

3. Photolemur

There are many photography applications today that have automatic image enhancement tools built in. However, Photolemur takes things up a notch with its artificial intelligence.

Photolemur 3 gives casual photographers and professionals alike the chance to focus on taking photos instead of spending most of their time editing. This AI photo editing application only requires you to drag and drop photos to it. Face Finish technology improves faces by removing imperfections, enhancing eyes, and whitening teeth.

Pros:

• No subscription necessary – free version and fully-loaded version ($35) available
• Supports Windows and macOS
• No manual editing required

Cons:

• Undesired edits and glitches may occur
• No zoom tools
• Images may lack sharpness

4. Aurora HDR

Easy photo editing software that doesn’t produce halos, artifacts, or chromatic aberration does exist in the form of Aurora HDR. The incredible level of color enhancement offered by Aurora really does make for eye-catching photographs. And, if you’re working with high dynamic range images, Aurora has your back.

Aurora HDR contains 20+ essential editing tools and 80 unique Looks organized into collections including Essential, Landscape, Architecture, Dramatic, and Artistic. It also allows for creative mapping, color toning, and detail enhancement.

Pros:

• Can run as a standalone application, a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, or an Apple Photos extension
• Friendly interface makes Aurora easy to use
• Non-destructive editing allows you to revert to your original images

Cons:

• Advanced selection tools are limited
• Images can take a long time to load
• No healing brush offered in standalone application

5. Photos for macOS

Not many photography programs highlight important life moments, but Photos for macOS does. Take a photo and turn it Live with this easy to use photo editing software. Photos will highlight birthdays, anniversaries, and vacations and put editing tools right in front of you.

Luckily, Photos doesn’t just organize your pictures for you, it also weaves them into flashback-type movies. You can personalize these movies and share them with your friends and family on whatever platform you wish.

Pros:

• Powerful search options to find the photos you’re looking for
• Smart albums and collections to organize pictures
• Hides duplicates, receipts, and screenshots to emphasize the best shots

Cons:

• No list view option to view photos
• Users can’t geotag photos, but they can view, sort, and search according to where photos were taken
• Editing and color correction tools are not available for videos

6. Paint.NET

This easy to use photo editing software was initially created as an undergraduate senior design project, and it was primarily intended to be a free replacement for Microsoft Paint. Today, its array of options and effects can be compared to that of Adobe Photoshop.

Pros:

• Online support and complete tutorials
• Plugins available
• Unlimited undo and multiple special effects

Cons:

• Limited brush work
• No dodge and burn
• Text correction cannot be applied after adding effects

7. Pixlr X

Quick image adjustments have never been easier with Pixlr X. You can crop, cut out, resize, and remove whatever you’d like in a photo — and adding text is easy too.

Pixlr comes with an easy-to-use, versatile drawing tool.

Pros:

• Mobile online photo editing platform
• Switch from light to dark mode to avoid eye strain
• Omit unwanted people and objects from photos

Cons:

• Requires flash to implement high-quality editing features
• May be replaced by a newer version soon
• Shows distracting ads while you’re working 

8. AirMagic

AirMagic is a photo editing platform with advanced AI algorithms for drone photographers. Just take photos with your drone and drag and drop them into the app. AirMagic will take care of the rest.

AirMagic automatically detects the sky and automatically applies edits to emphasize areas of the photo. This simple photo editing software also discovers hidden details and either eliminates them or reveals them. Midtone, highlight, and shadow levels can all be adjusted.

Pros:

• No human involvement necessary
• Improves aerial photos with AI
• Automatically removes haze

Cons:

• No descriptions of presets
• May have to process photos individually to avoid overblown color
• Blue tints may be found in photos with many white objects

9. Acorn

Acorn is the perfect software for all projects that don’t need heavy duty editing. With Acorn, you can move, zoom, crop, draw, and retouch photographs.

It even imports and exports PSD files. 

Pros:

• Add/delete/duplicate layers at your convenience
• Affordable for the average photographer
• Filters do not take away from the original photo

Cons:

• Newest version Mac- only runs on OS X or higher
• Adobe Photoshop PSD files are supported, but additional styles and text are not

10. InPixio

The creators of InPixio have specialized in photo software for some time, earning trust in their product. Photo enthusiasts can use InPixio to edit pictures and create photo montages.

InPixio is easy to use, enables fast editing, and allows for a range of creativity. 

Pros:

• Enlarge photos up to 1000% without losing quality
• Supports JPG, PNG, BMP, and other formats
• Digital scissors feature allows for the removal of people and/or objects

Cons:

• Trial version is not available for Mac
• May lag without an internet connection
• Photo Clip feature does not work

11. Microsoft Photos

Microsoft Photos may be a basic photo editing tool, but it still gives you the opportunity to remove blemishes and fix red eye. 

New features include video remix, which lets you create a video from your collection of videos and photos. You can even add 3D effects to your shots, including butterflies, explosions, and lasers.

Pros:

• Easy navigation and design
• Easy search for people, places, and things
• Can make images smaller to see more photos or larger to view details

Cons:

• Only for Windows
• Does not contain advanced editing options
• Limited options for text and graphics on photos

12. Polarr

For the photographer looking to edit large JPEG files (up to 30 MP), you’ve come to the right place. 

The free version of Polarr offers an array of tools and great functionality, and the monthly subscription version offers even more. A web version supported by almost all browsers will get you where you need to go, but Polarr also offers a fully functional Windows application as well as an app for iOS and Android devices.

Pros:

• Available on nearly all devices
• Before and after comparison
• Works offline

Cons:

• Subscription is expensive
• Doesn’t support RAW files
• Users claim that frequent freezing happens after some period of time

13. Photo Pos Pro

Designed by the Power of Software company, Photos Pos Pro is offered as a free version and a subscription version with varying features. 

With Photo Pos Pro, you can create collages, web pages, business cards, and much more. The simple and comprehensive menu may prove a bit challenging at first, but many users have cracked the code after working with this software for some time.

Pros:

• Interface can be customized to suit beginners and experts
• Tutorials available
• Supports many file formats

Cons:

• Monthly subscription
• Full features only offered in the subscription version
• Difficult to learn

14. ON1 Photo Raw

Merging photos is a necessary skill to have as a photographer, and ON1 helps make the merging process easy.

ON1 comes with a specific portrait filter feature that allows you to adjust areas of the mouth, skin, and eyes. The software has text editing, too.

Pros:

• Everything you need in one platform
• Healthy metadata system
• Several editing options

Cons:

• Difficulty converting RAW photos
• Selection tools take a long time to learn
• Backup system not available

Choosing photo editing software is not an easy task, especially when you’re a professional. However, it’s not that much less stressful when you’re a beginner. 

As long as you do your research and jot down what you want in a photo editor, you should be able to find the right match for you. Start your research with the information provided above. 

Good luck in your search!