15 Free online Photoshop Lightroom Editing Photos Software

Free online photo editors and free images retouch in the web browser
Free online image and photo editor, meme generator, photo effects and even paint and drawing free online website are listed here

You are searching for free editing online software web based which look like Photoshop or Lightroom ? Welcome you just arrive on the good page.

 

There is plenty of website which propose those online editing software, most of them look like Photoshop or Lightroom with the big advantage to work on your photograph online, meaning in your browser, for free.

Free Online alternative to photoshop
PixlR is a Free Online alternative to photoshop © Patrice Laborda

Why do you want to edit online instead to download a software and edit your pictures on your desktop computer ?

First if you are a bit paranoiac and do not want to install an App on your computer, here you have nothing to install it's all web based.

Another good factor to work with online Photoshop Lightroom alternative, is when your computer is far from you or you do not have immediately access to it, and you need to quickly edit some photographs to send it (for example to Facebook), those web based photography editing software are very useful!

Anyway, for whatever reasons, you might need to have access at these free web based photographic Apps one day or another day, in all cases it's good to have it in your bookmark.


So here is a list of Free alternative web based (online) Photoshop Lightroom like.

First the most complete online free Photoshop alternative with a lot of useful tools.

  • Pixlr : May be the most well-known online editing website, they have 3 kinds of free online editing software.

    1. Pixlr Editor : Work with layer, mask, etc... look like and feel like Photoshop, it's aimed for advanced editing photographs and not so for beginners. The max size is 4000pixels x 4000pixels, if your picture is bigger it will be automatically resized at those limits (respecting the proportions).
    2. Pixlr Express : More oriented for a fast editing, with all options we need like white balance, sharpness, exposure, and a lot more. It have also some filters to play with, frames, collage and overlays. It is also limited to 4000 pixels as above. It's more aimed for beginners and for quick and fast editing.
    3. Pixlr O-Matic : Is a simple way to add filters, retro effects, frames and borders, it's all what it does, but it does it well and fast with hundreds and hundreds choices. Same limitation in size of 4000 pixels max, but if your picture is bigger it will be automatically resized.

  • Polarr : Polarr photos editor and RAW converter (yes it does it!) is a clone of Lightroom, it's layout is so similar that even a double click on the slider will reset it at it's original place. Like Lightroom it have the radial filter, the graduated filter, the same basics, the tone curves, HSL, split toning, details, effects and even some presets! Plus, you can save your work at the original size. An incredible good free online Lightroom alternative. But the best of the best is that Polarr recognize you when you go back few weeks later (with the same computer), and automatically reload your last session with your pictures and theirs historic, Bravo!

  • Lunapic : This editor will resize your photograph at what you see on the screen (mine was resized at 2355 pixels vertically for a portrait orientation picture) but adding some filters can even resize your picture smaller, this editing website have plenty tools, filters, borders, effects, it does animated GIF and surprisingly video too.

  • Sumopaint : With Sumopaint when you export or save your work it's limited to 4000 pixels maximum like Pxlr, and like Pixlr it look like Photoshop and have a taste of Photoshop with layers, adjustments, filters, brushes and a full load of editing tools.

  • ToolPic Photo Editor : It might be my second preferred online editor, or equal to Pixlr in terms of preferences of Photoshop look like, like others, the files are limited to 4000 pixels at the widest side (if bigger it resize automatically) and like Photoshop, it have layers, mask, and all editing tools you will need to edit properly a photograph. As a bonus it does animated GIF too ! i recommend strongly to click on "full screen" in the editing top right menu to truly appreciate the ergonomic.

  • iPiccy : Wowww ! That's an excellent Editing online software! May be the best of the best out there. Do not make a mistake by looking at it's user interface design, it look very simple but it's extremely well organized. It have all Lightroom's tools with brushes to work only on some parts of the photograph with inverted mask if you need, it have plenty of photos effects, retouch tools, editing tools (scroll down on the left side to see the next tools and on the image to zoom in or out) and it can work with layer too, you can blend photos, and more.  Same as most online editing software when you save your work it's at 4000 pixels max at the widest side.

  • BeFunky : Very interesting online editor, it have specialized tools for the skin, lips, teeth, wrinkles and more, it have also filters like oil-painting, gouache, overlays, texts and textures. Like other online editors, it save your work at 4000 pixels max.

  • Photoshop Express : From Adobe, those one who do the real Photoshop. First at all i should say i am quite disappointed by what Adobe offer here. Secondly from all those free online editing software, they are the only ones which save your work at a quite low size (only at 2048 pixels maximum at the widest side) and edit only JPG files. Thirdly i found their tools less powerful than some others, and the image quality after saving it on my hard drive seemed to be not the best (the JPG file) which i was expecting to be from them. So over all i should say it's an okey editor, but not that much.

  • FotoFlexer : It took me "forever" to upload a picture of 2Mb 4950x3300 pixels, it took me also a lot of time to save the picture on my computer, and the picture was automatically shrink by the website to 1.4MB @ 2238x1491 pixels, yes the quality of the JPG was very good, i have nothing to criticize about that, but if you have a slow internet connection and many pictures to edit, you might get angry specially when you see the 100% upload bar and need to wait more minutes before it start.
    Having said that, Fotoflexer have some specific editing tools you might fall in love, like isolating the subject from the background, blending many pictures together, decorate, a bunch of filters and borders, frames, animations, effects, distort and so on.

  • PhotoRaster : You need to register before to use it, but after it's OK , This online editing Apps seems to not reduce your picture when you export it. I successfully exported a JPG at 6000x4000 pixels wide without any problems, and the quality of the JPG is good. Having said that you will need a powerful computer because this online tools take a lot of resources, so if your computer is a bit slow, i will not recommend it. Over all it look like Photoshop, you have the channel, adjustment tools, mask, layers, and so on, it's a Photoshop like, meaning also it is not aimed at beginners.  My registration was toto@toto.com password : tototo

  • Fotor : Full of tools, filters, borders and frames, photos edit, photos collage, HDR, this photos editor do covers and card with your images too. A good website for beginners to advanced photographers. The only down side it's that there is some tools or filters that put a Fotor watermark, but you can easily spot those tools they have a red diamond near their names, if you want to become a premium members to not have anymore those watermarks , you just need to sign in (it's free).

Now some more simplistic editing online software, often more oriented for beginners and advanced photographers who do not want to spend a lot of time to edit or learn how it work, but just want to apply some filters, put a frame and border or add some "funny" things on their pictures with some quick photo edit.

  • PicMonkey : PicMonkey can save your work at the original size which is great if you want to print a big picture. It's user interface is modern and well organized. It have everything you need from the make up for the skin to plenty of borders, special filters and effects, texts, overlays, textures and more. In fact, this online editor is very well made. The "Royal" (premium) features can be spotted with the crown on the tab of the tool.

  • Citrify : Save your work at the original size, which in my opinion is the best way to print a very large photograph, but it save it in PNG, no worries about the format it's compatible with ALL software but it can increase the weight of the file significantly. Citrify have all the basic tools you need with a modern user interface and it's fast, very fast. You can adjust your photographs, touch up, have some effects and stickers too. I like a lot the way it explain every single editing tool, in a very simple words, just by "On Mouse Over" on the tool.

  • PhixR : First PhixR will shrink or crop your picture to 1440 pixels wide, which is plenty enough for social media and email, but for large computer screen or to print an 8x10, it's too small in my opinion. Having said that, it have all the camera and lens effect, remove noise and grains, tons of filters and effects, borders, decorate layouts, photos collage, photos mixed and many more.

  • PicMagick : An image editor without froufrou, it goes straight forward for a fast editing picture, and it is fast too, very fast. Extremely simple it have just the minimum you need, crop, rotate, fix red-eye, smooth skin, adjust and enhance colors, sharpen, soften, sepia, gray scale and glow. You can save your work at 2048 pixels maximum.

  • Pixenate : Simple and straight forward, this free online editor will straighten your photograph, brighten, and all basic needs for your pictures. You can also connect it with your Facebook account and directly edit your pictures on your Facebook page or send them to Flickr. Because of it's social media abilities, you will be limited at 1280 pixels when you want to save it, but for Facebook it's more than enough.

  • Online Image Editor : First this free online image editor do not constrain you to a max size (i tried 9000 pixels wide which is the max) but you should know that you will work at ... 100%. that said, it might be my preferred online quick and fast fun editing software. It have all basic tools for an image editing plus some very interesting stuff, but everything is easy to do as snapping 2 fingers. It does animated GIF, animation filters, effects, borders and frames, texts and even image in texts! Yes you read well : image in the text, a must to try.

  • Ribbet : Resize your picture to 2800px which is ok even for nice printing. Ribbet editor have all the basic editing tools, a huge load of stickers, effects, frames and borders, a "Pro" side for more editing tools, texts effects, and more. You will see that there is some filters and tools for premium members, actually you just need to sign in for free to become a premium member. Over all it's a nice and modern user interface and it's fast. It can connect to your google+, facebook and some other social media to edit your photos directly from them.

  • Rollip : This editor is centered around Filters, overlays effects and borders only. I am mitigated because it propose me to choose a filter before to upload a picture. I need to see the picture and the filter side by side to see if i have chosen the right filter, and here you will never see both side by side. On the over side this online photo editor propose you to keep the original size of your photograph which is very nice for big prints.

  • PhotoMania : This editor is all about filters and effects, it's very simple, you just need to choose a category, apply the effect you want, and download it to your desktop or share it online. The only problem in my opinion is the size of the resulting image which is quite little, but some effects, like if your picture is in a front page of the Forbes magazine is nice.

The one i don't like.

  • Google+ : First at all you need to install Chrome, personally when some website want that i install something to change my habit, i am getting angry! i don't like Chrome, it's my taste, i tried it and i don't like it. Plus i know also for a fact (i was a developer) they did it on purpose, because Chrome and FireFox are still quite similar and they can develop this kind of software to be "compatible" for every browsers, even the proprietary Infernal Explorer.

Free online drawing, painting and design Software : Yes i want to add 2 or 3 painting and drawing software for some designer and graphic artists which stop by here.

  • PsykoPaint : Transform your photos in different kind of paint, very interesting and the results can be stunning! You need to register (it's free) to have access to the tools like the brush, etc .., if not you will have only access to the impressionist painters brushes (the names like Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, etc...), more you use this online photo painting, more you will win some points opening an access to new tools, brushes, etc... or you can buy them online in the app purchase.

  • FatPaint : A very different software than a Photoshop look style, but it make pages, vector illustrations, logos, edit your photos and design products online for free. You will need to scroll down to find the famous "upload" link to upload your images (not very smart). Over all it's more oriented for logo product and design than for photos.

  • Muro : Drawing and painting online free software. you will need to open an account (it's free) with deviant art to save your work.

  • Canva : You will need to create an account (i did it via Facebook, it's quick and fast). This online editing software is not for photography, it's more for designers. There is tons and tons of template. You can create posters, headers for your FB or YouTube channel,  create presentation, diaporama and slide show, business card, flyers, food and drinks menu, invitation, photos collage, and so on ... i recommend to follow the 20 seconds video at your first connection and to do the 1 minute exercise to get the how it work, it's worth it.

There is a down side of those free online image editing Apps, most of them, if not all of them, are unable to convert your RAW files to JPG, some can convert TIFF or may be a DNG to JPG, but not your CR2 or NEF.

What does it mean ? That you need to shoot JPEG, so you need to change it in your camera's setting.

 

Having said that you should also know that it seems the life of those free editing online website are quite short for some of them ! So i cannot decently recommend to save your images on these website, better to save it on a flash memory card USB type or somewhere you'll be sure to retrieve them, even if most of them have a link to save directly on  your Flickr, Facebook or Google+.

Just to give you some examples, following 5 well-known web based photographic editing software which do not exist any more like DrPic, Pixer, Aviary, Slashup, Picfull and the list can be a lot longer, which also have hosted some pictures from their members, some of the latter might not have been able to retrieve in time their pictures before the servers of these photos online editing software has been closed.


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Comments: 5
  • #5

    Shofiqotun (Wednesday, 03 February 2021 01:39)

    Apa boleh aku minta tolong editin fotoku

  • #4

    Patrice Laborda (Monday, 15 June 2020 03:16)

    I will NOT promote any website which are promoting a Browser (something like "our website is best with Chromebs") nor promote any website which forces to register an email to use their editor!!

  • #3

    dan17 (Saturday, 14 May 2016 19:18)

    Thanks for this crazy editor listing, some of them are truly excellent!! my preferred one is befunky

  • #2

    kAlInInKo (Tuesday, 12 April 2016 21:26)

    Polarr is the best ! it does all the things of lightroom for free

  • #1

    cheskeyk (Saturday, 12 March 2016 11:58)

    i love polarr like it works exactly the same as lightroom :D