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7 Good Photo Editing Websites that are Free

Updated on May 14, 2012

Editing Photos Online

Have you ever wanted to tweak a photo or improve upon your photography skills? Photo editing software like Photoshop is usually needed to improve your photos or to make minor fixes. However, did you know that you can do many of the things Photoshop can do for free and online? There are numerous photo editing sites out there that allow you to edit your photos without having to sign up or buy anything. Of course these sites don't have the power and the numerous features professional software like Photoshop has, but they do provide quite a few features to get you started.

The sites mentioned below are all 100% free and will allow you to create interesting "Instagram" type effects as well as simple and minor fixes to your photos. If you don't want to buy expensive photo editing software then these sites are a perfect fit for your needs.

Editing your photos will allow you to create more professional photos that can be shared with your friends and family or even used on your personal blog or website. You will be surprised by just how many features these free sites provide and how they are incredibly easy to use.

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7. BeFunky

BeFunky is a fun and feature packed photo editing website. With this site you can create "Instagram" type effects in a matter of moments. It is actually even better than Instagram since you'll get a tremendous amount of control of how the effect looks on your image. You can also add text, frames and graphics to your images. If you are feeling artistic you can play around with the several artistic effects that BeFunky offers. The free edition is fully functional, but limits the file resolution and restricts some of the features. If you really like BeFunky you can buy a subscription and gain access to additional features for $24.95 a year.

 
BeFunky
 
PROS
 
CONS
Very Easy to Use
 
Many features require a paid for membership
Has a Phone App
 
No professional tools like a histogram.
Vast Number of Effects
 
Only can save in low-res unless you pay
Easy Method to Share Photos
 
Shows Ads
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6. FotoFlexer

FotoFlexer is another feature packed photo editing site. FotoFlexer is very simple to use and provides several unique tools like "smart resizing", "smart scissors" and "recolor hair". For a site that is completely free I was amazed to see how well these advanced features work. FotoFlexer also provides many essentials like a curves adjustment feature and the ability to work in layers. This site also provides a ton of ways of importing and sharing photos including through Facebook, Flickr and Picasa. If you are new to editing photos this a good photo editing site to start with.

 
FotoFlexer
 
PROS
 
CONS
Easy to Use
 
Advanced features were difficult to use.
Interesting Advanced features
 
Layout of site is strange
Lots of ways to import photos.
 
Many of the provided effects are not useful.
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5. Aviary Image Editor

The Aviary Image Editor is another good Photo editing website. This site is setup similar to how Photoshop is set up so if you are familiar with Photoshop you should quickly find your way around on this site. The Aviary Image Editor has many of the common tools a photographer uses like levels and filters. I did find that the filters did not provide very many settings which made many of them useless. A great feature that comes with Aviary is that they do a series of online tools that are all integrated.

 
Aviary Image Editor
 
PROS
 
CONS
Several Programs that are Integrated
 
Filters have few settings
Setup is similar to Photoshop
 
Heavy editing created signs of noise
Has Advanced features and uses layers
 
Not as user friendly for beginners
Many ways to import photos
 
 
No ads
 
 
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4. SplashUp

SplashUp is a great photo editing website that provides a lot of features. It is setup similar to how Photoshop is so it is fairly easy to navigate around if you are already familiar with Photoshop. SplashUp provides a lot of control over your image and allows you to edit using layers which is a huge benefit. SplashUp also provides easy methods of importing photos and sharing them. They also provide a lite version which has limited features, but has more automatic and fun features to play with. The lite version does require you to download the software.

 
SplashUp
 
PROS
 
CONS
Easy importing and sharing
 
Not easy for beginners
Uses Layers
 
Limited Filters
Setup like Photoshop
 
Blending Modes on Layers don't seem to work like Photoshop
Has a full and lite version.
 
You have to download lite version.
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3. Photoshop Express Editor

Photoshop Express Editor is a tool that can be used for basic photo editing. It doesn't include any of the advance tools that Photoshop provides, but does provide some basic features that are presented in a very user friendly way. The photo editing website does provide some unique features such as online storage and previews of your image when making an adjustment. This is a great website if you want to edit photos, but have little understanding of photo editing software and websites.

 
Photoshop Express
 
PROS
 
CONS
Very Visual and Easy to Use
 
Limited features
Auto Correct works well.
 
No professional type tools like a histogram or curves.
Has a Phone App
 
Limited Control on Adjustments
Numerous fun filters
 
Some Effects are Pointless and are more like toys.
Provides Online Library for Photo Storage
 
No Sharing Feature
Shows Previews of Adjustments while making adjustment.
 
 
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2. Sumo Paint

Sumo Paint is a fun and very well made photo editing website. They provide a massive number of features that all work similar to how they would work in Photoshop. Sumo Paint provides all the tools that any photographer would want for basic photo editing. The site even provides tools like the clone stamp and the ability to make a curves adjustment. Sumo Paint is completely free, but if you want you can upgrade to a pro account and gain access to few additional filters and the ability to work offline.

 
Sumo Paint
 
PROS
 
CONS
Tons of Features
 
Doesn't open in separate Window
Professional Tools
 
Need to buy Pro Account to gain access to all features.
Online Photo Storage
 
No phone app.
Similar layout as Photoshop
 
 
Click thumbnail to view full-size

1. Pixlr

Pixlr is a great site that offers professional quality photo editing tools. If you want to have the ability to edit your photos without expensive software then this is probably the best alternative . All the features you could ever want are all provided with no cost and no ads. If you find Pixlr to be too complicated they also provide two other tools that are aimed at beginners. The Pixlr Express tool is user friendly and make photo editing easy and the Pixlr-o-Matic tool allows you to create Instagram type effects quickly and easily.

 
Pixlr
 
PROS
 
CONS
Tons of features
 
I can't find fault in Pixlr. It is a great tool that is free.
Different tools for different skill levels
 
 
Curves and Levels Adjustments
 
 
Can edit with layers
 
 
Has a phone app
 
 
Online Photo Storage
 
 
Can save as a TIFF file.
 
 
Easy sharing and uploading
 
 
No ads
 
 
working

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