100 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019HERE’S HOW ADOBE ALTERNATIVES
fewer than Photoshop. The filters and special
effects are what distinguish them from one
another and from Photoshop.- GIMP
PRICE: FREE FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/G1MP
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
offers 130-plus amazing filters and special
effects. See Alvin Alexander’s blog (go.
pcworld.com/alvn) for all the cool stuff GIMP
can do. I especially like the Borders Sparkles,
Reflections, and Gradient Flare effects; and
the Whirl and Pinch features. I also
appreciate that GIMP works on multiple
platforms, uses minimal system resources,
and is super-easy to use. - PaintShop Pro
PRICE: $79.99, OR $9.99 FOR THE PRO VERSION
FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/PSPR
I love PaintShop Pro. I’ve used it since
version 5 and have
continued to
upgrade through
the current versions.
It provides hundreds
of excellent features
(go.pcworld.com/
nwft) such as
Capture, which is
much better than
Photoshop’s
Snipping Tool. The
Film effects are
spectacular, the new SmartClone feature is
amazing, and the Refine Brush, which finely
details selections around difficult outlines
such as hair and animal fur is superb. But my
all-time favorite feature is the Picture Tubes,
similar to Photoshop’s custom brushes, but
in full 16-bit color.- Affinity Photo
PRICE: $49.99 FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/AFIN
Affinity Photo stands somewhere between
PaintShop Pro and Photoshop in features and
special effects. Its highlight features (go.
pcworld.com/hift) include custom brush nibs
called Nozzle tips, which modify the shape and
size of your lines as you draw them. Symmetry
mode creates amazing kaleidoscopes, and the
best Dispersion effect I have ever seen. You can
even record and save actions as macros. Even if
you own both PaintShop and Photoshop, this
little gem is more than worth the ticket.
Affinity Photos offers a wide range of features.