Finding a free version of Photoshop is harder than it used to be, but there are still a few tricks to try if you need it without paying. If you’re open to alternatives, there are several excellent free apps available that can handle photo editing tasks and might work perfectly for your needs. These alternatives can offer great features for editing photos, creating designs, or making adjustments, often without any cost.
Getting Photoshop for Free – Download Your Free Trial
One of the best ways to get Photoshop for free is through Adobe’s free trial. While you’ll need to enter your credit card details, you can cancel before the trial ends to avoid any charges.
- Step 1: Go to the Adobe website and click on “Start a free trial” or “Buy now.“
Adobe will present you with several free trial options. Each trial provides access to Photoshop for seven days. The options differ in price and additional features, so choose the one that best meets your needs. Just remember to cancel before the trial period ends to avoid being charged.
- Step 2: You have two choices:
- Photoshop Only: This gives you a seven-day free trial, with a monthly fee of $23 afterward.
- Creative Cloud Suite: This includes Photoshop plus 20+ other Adobe apps for $60 per month, also with a seven-day free trial.
Choose the option that best fits your needs and select either the monthly or annual payment plan on the right side. Then, click “Continue.”
- Step 3: Decide if you want to add an Adobe Stock subscription, which comes with its seven-day free trial. Click “Add” if you want it or “No thanks” if you don’t.
- Step 4: Enter your email address and follow the prompts to provide your payment details. Once done, click “Start a free trial” to begin using Photoshop.
- Step 5: Download the application and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.
- Step 6: You can now start using Photoshop just like any other app. Remember to cancel your subscription before the seven-day trial ends if you don’t want to keep paying.
Getting a second free trial from Adobe is difficult because they track your downloads. You might try removing Photoshop from your computer or using a different computer with a new Adobe account, but these methods don’t always work and may not guarantee another free trial.
Good Alternatives to Photoshop
While Photoshop is often favored for its popularity, multiple apps offer a very similar experience. Some of these apps are even available for free. While Photoshop provides free time for testers, it’s inevitable that at some point, you will need to pay for it. So, if you’re out of the budget, then it may be a good idea to consider alternatives.
GNU Image Manipulation Program
GIMP, short for GNU Image Manipulation Program, is a free and powerful alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It offers a wide range of tools for photo editing, digital art, and graphic design, making it a great option for both beginners and experienced users. As an open-source program, GIMP is regularly updated and supported by a helpful community, giving you a lot of features without the need for a subscription.
The open-source program GNU Image Manipulation Program, often called GIMP, is the closest free alternative to Photoshop’s advanced tools. GIMP is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, and can be downloaded at no cost.
GIMP offers many of the same features as Photoshop, including layer editing, which goes beyond basic cropping and color adjustments. You can handle advanced tasks like local adjustments, blemish removal, and object deletion with ease. While other free programs may only provide basic editing, GIMP stands out with its more advanced tools, making it a strong competitor to Photoshop.
However, being a free program means GIMP has some limitations compared to Photoshop. For instance, the healing brush in GIMP offers fewer options, and it lacks non-destructive adjustment layers, which allow changes to be reverted or modified later without affecting the original image. Additionally, GIMP often trails behind Photoshop in adopting new tools and features, and it lacks support for certain graphic design elements like CMYK color profiles.
The GIMP user interface can be seen as either great or lacking, depending on your viewpoint. As an open-source program, it lacks the polished and professional look of Photoshop. However, with fewer tools, it can feel less overwhelming and offer more customization options.
While GIMP cannot replicate every feature of Photoshop, it is the closest open-source alternative to Adobe’s software and comes with a zero-dollar price tag. For a detailed comparison, check out our Photoshop vs. GIMP guide.
Corel PaintShop Pro
Corel PaintShop Pro is a strong Photoshop alternative, bundled with AfterShot Pro as a Lightroom alternative. Priced at $100 for both or $80 for upgrades, it offers a one-time payment model, unlike Photoshop’s subscription. Available only for Windows, PaintShop Pro features an Essentials panel for beginners and more advanced tools for experienced users.
The 2020 update includes a dedicated photography workspace, a refined brush for better selections, and a content-aware clone tool. While it matches Photoshop in many areas, Photoshop remains superior in content-aware adjustments and RAW editing. However, PaintShop Pro includes unique tools like PhotoMirage for animating photos and auto paint for transforming images into artwork.
Conclusion
For photo editing, GIMP is a strong free alternative to Photoshop, though it lacks some advanced features. Corel PaintShop Pro offers a one-time purchase option with features bridging ease of use and advanced editing, but it’s Windows-only and falls short in some areas compared to Photoshop. Each option caters to different needs and budgets, providing excellent choices across various categories.
