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WHILE THERE ARE plenty of simple options,
higher-end editing software such as Photoshop
is expensive to buy, or increasingly moving to
an ongoing ‘rental’ business model. Of course,
there are loads of free alternatives, but it’s hard
to find the gems amongst the feature-limited,
adware-riddled editors. To help out, we’ve
put together a guide to some of our favourite
free editors, and noted the advantages and
disadvantages of each.Image Editing
For those just wanting to spruce up some
holidays snaps, a simple yet easy-to-use image
editor is best. Of course, there are also much
more in-depth options available — albeit with
much steeper learning curves. If in doubt,
all the programs below have a huge range
of guides available. For those wanting a very
basic but simple and free image editor, check
out Irfanview (irfanv iew.com).PAINT.NET
http://www.getpaint.net
Totally free (though support donations are
welcomed), Paint.net is a simple, yet still fairly
powerful image editor. It’s a great choice for
beginners, with a very intuitive layout and
extensive support via the online community.
The program is well featured, including layers
and special effects. Paint.net is Windows only,
but automatically receives ongoing updates.
Handily, it’s a small 7MB download, and is
well optmised for older hardware.GIMP
http://www.gimp.org
Gimp (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
is totally free and open source. It’s not the
easiest option for newbies due to a somewhat
complex (if Photoshop-like) interface, but it
offers a huge range of features. It’s also cross
platform, running on Windows, OS X and
Linux. Gimp includes a range of excellent
tutorials, and a strong community, though
it does tend towards more technical users.[ BARGAIN HUNTER ]Free image and video editing
JUST ABOUT ANYONE WITH A SMARTPHONE CAN CAPTURE HIGH-QUALITY IMAGES AND EVEN 4K
VIDEO, SO BEING ABLE TO EDIT THEM IS VERY IMPORTANT. HERE ARE A FEW WAYS TO DO JUST THAT.
[ LINDSAY HANDMER ]BARGAIN HUNTER
HELPING YOU TRACK DOWN THE BEST TECH FOR LESS[ TECHLIFE #63 ]Amazon and the Kindle is the most well-known
ebook and e-reader seller, with loads of free titles.PIXLR EDITOR
http://www.pixlr.com
For those who want to dive right in without
any downloads, Pixlr is an online, browser-
based editing suite. It does require flash,
but also has an Android and iOS version
available. Pixlr is quite well featured, with
layers, familiar editing tools, filters, effects
and more. The Pixlr community and tutorials
are a little limited, but it’s still a good choice
for basic editing.Lightworks is used to edit
professional movies, yet also has
a comprehensive free version.Pixlr is a
unique,
in-browser
image editor
perfect for
use when
installs are
not possible.