Thanks to the implementation and development of new technologies on the web, today we could find graphic editors with professional functions that, in some way, could carry out jobs very similar to those carried out in some traditional ones.
As "traditional" we are referring primarily to Adobe Photoshop (and a few others). In this article we will mention, to a certain number of graphic editors that you can use in different ways, which despite having specialized functions, you can use them for free.
How to use these graphic editors in their free version
Despite the consideration that we have mentioned above, the graphic editors that we will mention in this article could only be used with the web browser or with a tool to download to the computer. In the latter case there could be compatibility with the different operating systems (the most popular) if the compatibility of each proposal is presented. However, we will also suggest certain online tools, which will run on any platform as long as it has a good Internet browser.
- 1. Polarr
This will be the first proposal that we are going to mention for the moment, which is executed without major problems with the Internet browser. This means that without any inconvenience we could carry out any type of graphic editing on a computer with Windows, Linux or Mac, but from its default Internet browser.
Despite the great and immense benefits that this type of online graphic editors offer us, perhaps the only drawback is found when entering its work interface. For this you will need open a free account, which means that you will have to subscribe your data in the respective form or also use your social network Facebook or Google Plus.
- 2. hexes
Unlike the alternatives that we mentioned above, with this tool you can work primarily on a computer with Windows or Mac due to the presence of an installer that we will have to download depending on our work platform.
It is completely free, although we must first consider whether each of its functions will be useful to us. Primarily, this is one of the graphic editors that It will show us a palette of 256 colors (8 bits), being an interesting proposal because with it we could create graphics in the style of Pixel Art.
- 3. Chalk
Like the previous one, with this tool we could also work in a free version within Windows, Linux or Mac but, running a tool after downloading and installing it from its official site.
The work interface of this alternative is much more complex than the ones we mentioned above. Here you can use pCMYK type colored fins, different number of filters, HDR painting, managing files compatible with Adobe Photoshop (PSD) among a few other functions. There is a paid version that you can purchase for touch mobile devices (tablets) and another, slightly more expensive one, which offers an introductory course on how to use it.
- 4. Darktable
Due to the interface and different number of functions that this tool has, it is considered the free version of Adobe Lightroom; Despite having specialized functions for a professional photographer (sRGB, Linear RGB, Adobe RGB), it also has basic functions that can be handled by an amateur of graphic editors.
This means that you can easily reach process an image to correct its exposure level, to rotate a photograph, adjust its white balance among other alternatives. You can download this tool to install only on Windows or Max Os X.
- 5. Pixlr Desktop
Perhaps the name of this tool is recognized by many people, since it is considered the "desktop" version of that online application called Pixlr.
The difference is that in the desktop version there are Improved and increased some specialized functions to work with photos and images. There is a price to pay of $14,99 that the user can pay if they want to unlock a certain number of features that are present in the free version.