What has changed
A few years ago, choosing an image editor meant choosing between Photoshop and everything else. AI features have narrowed that gap. Tasks that once took a skilled retoucher twenty minutes, like removing a passer-by from a holiday photo or extending a cropped background, now take seconds in several tools. The question is no longer whether an editor can do something, but how cleanly, how affordably and with how much control.
We edited the same set of twelve images in each program: product shots on plain backgrounds, portraits with uneven lighting, a cluttered street scene and a scanned family photograph with dust and creases. We timed each task and compared results at full resolution.
Professional editors
Adobe Photoshop — the most capable, at a price
Photoshop remains the reference. Generative Fill, powered by Adobe Firefly, produced the most convincing object removals and background extensions in our test, and Adobe states that Firefly is trained on licensed and public-domain content, which matters for commercial work. Its layer, mask and selection tools are unmatched. The downside is the subscription model and a learning curve that can overwhelm casual users.
Affinity Photo — professional power, one-time purchase
Affinity Photo, from Serif and now part of Canva, offers layers, masks, RAW development, frequency separation and focus stacking for a one-time price. Its AI features are more limited than Photoshop's, but for photographers who want a non-subscription professional tool, it is the strongest alternative.
Pixelmator Pro — the best choice on a Mac
Pixelmator Pro is designed for macOS and uses Apple's machine learning features for super resolution, automatic colour correction and subject selection. It is fast, attractive and affordable. Windows users, unfortunately, cannot use it.
Free and browser-based editors
Photopea — the best free Photoshop alternative
Photopea runs entirely in your browser and opens PSD files with layers intact. Its interface deliberately mirrors Photoshop, so tutorials transfer almost directly. The free version shows ads; a small fee removes them. For anyone who edits occasionally, it is remarkable value.
GIMP — open source and endlessly extensible
GIMP is free, open source and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Recent versions brought non-destructive filters and a cleaner interface. It lacks built-in generative AI, but plugins add features such as background removal. Expect a steeper learning curve than Photopea.
Canva — best for quick social graphics
Canva is a design tool more than a photo editor, yet its Magic Edit, background remover and Magic Eraser handle everyday fixes well. For social media posts, presentations and simple product images, it is the fastest route from idea to finished graphic.
| Editor | AI features | Pricing model | Platforms | Learning curve |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photoshop | Extensive | Subscription | Windows, macOS, web | Steep |
| Affinity Photo | Moderate | One-time | Windows, macOS, iPad | Moderate |
| Pixelmator Pro | Good | One-time | macOS | Gentle |
| Photopea | Basic | Free with ads | Browser | Moderate |
| GIMP | Via plugins | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | Steep |
| Canva | Good | Freemium | Browser, mobile | Gentle |
A note on ethics and licensing
Generative edits raise real questions. If you publish edited images commercially, check how the tool's model was trained and what rights you receive. Several editors now support Content Credentials, an open standard from the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), which records when AI was used. Turning this on is good practice for journalists and brands.