What program can I use to view, edit, or create images?
You can use many programs to display, view, edit, modify, and create images, logos, or art on your computer. The following list is a selection of recommended titles for you to try.
There are many image file formats and file extensions used today. Unfortunately, no program can open all of them. Make sure the program supports the image format you want to open or create. Common image file extensions like .GIF, .JPG, and .PNG are supported by all programs. However, less common extensions, like .PSD, may only be supported by a few programs.
IrfanView
Platform: Microsoft Windows.
Capabilities: View and edit images.
Additional information: An excellent freeware program for viewing a wide variety of different image formats. Some include ANI, CUR, BMP, SVG, ECW, PS, PDF, GIF, ICO, IMG, JPG, JPEG, NGG, PBM, PCX, PIC, PNG, RAW, SWF, TIFF, WBMP, WMF, and other image, video, and audio files. IrfanView also lets you create slide shows, change the format and other settings of multiple files at once, and perform other minor image manipulations. See the IrfanView website for additional information and a free download of this program.
Photobie
Platform: Microsoft Windows.
Capabilities: View, edit, and create images.
Additional information: A free image editor with many features in non-free programs, including an animated GIF creator, Adobe filters, 3D photo cube, and globe generator. Photobie can be downloaded from Softonic.
GIMP
Platform: Linux, Unix, Microsoft Windows, macOS, and others.
Capabilities: View, edit, and create images.
Additional information: A great free and open-source image editor and viewer with almost as many features as Adobe Photoshop. See the GIMP page for additional information about this program.
PhotoPlus
Platform: Microsoft Windows.
Capabilities: View, edit, and create images.
Additional information: Another great free program capable of viewing, editing, and creating photos and images. The company also has free serif software, desktop publishing software (PagePlus SE), vector drawing software (DrawPlus), and free 3D animation software (3DPlus). Additional information about each product and a free download is on the Affinity website.
ACDSee
Platform: Microsoft Windows.
Capabilities: View and edit images.
Additional information: One of the better programs for working with photography and images. ACDSee has a powerful RAW engine with full 64-bit support. See the ACDSee website for a free trial download and links to other powerful image processing programs.
Krita
Platform: Linux, macOS, and Microsoft Windows.
Capabilities: View and edit images.
Additional information: Free and open source painting program available for all major platforms. See the Krita page for a link to the free download and further information about the program.
Microsoft Paint
Platform: Microsoft Windows.
Capabilities: View, edit, and create images.
Additional information Image viewer and editor software included with all versions of Microsoft Windows. However, it is limited to viewing only a handful of image formats, including BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, and TIFF with basic image creation tools. Paint is still a good program for users who want to view images or create basic ones. See the Microsoft Paint page for additional information.
Adobe Photoshop
Platform: Microsoft Windows, macOS, and others.
Capabilities: View, edit, and create images.
Additional information By far, one of the most advanced image editing and creation programs available. This program is for users that are serious about editing and creating images. The latest version of Photoshop is available for a subscription fee of $20.99 per month or as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps bundle for $52.99 per month. See our Adobe Photoshop page for additional information about this product, or visit the Adobe Photoshop official website.
Affinity Photo
Platform: Microsoft Windows, macOS
Capabilities: View, edit, and create images.
Additional information: A cheaper alternative to Photoshop developed by Serif. It shares a similar user interface and feature set to Photoshop and stays competitive with each update. For more information about this program, visit our Affinity Photo page.
Alien Skin Software
Platform: Microsoft Windows, macOS.
Capabilities: View, edit, and create images.
Additional information Alien Skin Software complete photo editing program. It also organizes your photos. The software can also be used as an editing plug-in.
CorelDRAW
Platform: Microsoft Windows, macOS.
Capabilities: View, edit, and create images.
Additional information Graphic design software for professional vector illustration, layout, photo editing. As of 2021, Corel lists the software at $249. For additional information, visit our CorelDRAW page.
Corel Painter
Platform: Microsoft Windows, macOS.
Capabilities: View, edit, and create images.
Additional information Painting software for professional artists with brushstrokes that dynamically respond to stylus movements. As of 2021, Corel lists this software at $359. For additional information and a free trial of this product, visit the Corel Painter website.
PhotoScape
Platform: Microsoft Windows, macOS
Capabilities: View, edit, and create images.
Additional information: Photo editing software that can edit multiple photos simultaneously and merge them into a larger one. Photoscape X can also create animated GIFs and has a Face Finder tool that allows users to find similar faces on the Internet. As of 2021, PhotoScape comes in two versions: a free version and a professional version costing $39.99. For additional information, visit our PhotoScape page.
Other image editors
There are hundreds of free and commercial image and photo editors. To find more, use our tool to perform a search for other free image editors.