What Are Photoshop Actions?

If you are somebody that takes a lot of images, you are going to be very aware of Photoshop. This is one of the most popular editing software programs you can get and it can transform the style and power of your images. Of course, it can take a while to learn how to operate Photoshop. Sometimes, it can feel like it takes ages just to edit a few shots.

But, the good news is that it does not have to be this way. There is one thing, in particular, that is going to make your life a lot easier. Introducing Photoshop Actions. Simply, this is a series of editing instructions. When this operates, it is going to make changes for you. This saves you a lot of time and hassle. You can program Photoshop actions to perform whatever you want. This means that you can run the same editing task on each of your images. Think about it as a process you can create in Photoshop and it does the work for you.

What Are Their Benefits?

Why should you use Photoshop Actions? Well, this automation of tasks is going to make editing quick and fun again. You can forget the days that you spent manually editing images and it takes away hours of your life. With Photoshop Actions, you can choose the editing processes you want to take place and the program will run itself. This allows you to edit a lot of images quickly and efficiently.

There can be a lot of time and effort going into editing so any process that is going to make this easier is appreciated. For instance, you may want to do visual effects and really work on the images you have taken. So, Photoshop Actions is really going to help if you have a deadline or you are pushed for time. Alternatively, templates can help you with your projects. There are some available if you use DaVinci Resolve.

What’s more, another great thing about Photoshop Actions is that you are going to lower the risk of error. When you are editing manually and after hours of work, you can make mistakes. But, this does not happen with Photoshop Actions. Since this process is dealt with for you and in the same format, this creates consistent results. You can enjoy peace of mind when you use this and this is particularly true if you are editing a lot of important shots.

Where Do I Find Photoshop Actions?

If you want to use Photoshop Actions, you probably want to know how to get started. Well, there are a few ways you can do this. Let’s start with the menu. From here, you are going to click on ‘window’ and then ‘actions.’  There are also some other things you can try. For example, if you would prefer to use a keyboard shortcut, you can simply use Alt + F9. This is going to allow you to access Photoshop Actions. Another way is to look for the Play Button. This should be located in the toolbar on your computer.

Then, the next step is going to be choosing the action you want the program to run. All you have to do is click the right one and this is going to tick the box. For instance, you could select cast shadow, wood frame or water reflection. The next thing you have to do is select the ‘play selections’ button. This is represented by a triangle. Now, your image should be edited the way you want it to be and you do not have to do any of the hard work.

What we love about Photoshop Actions is how easy it is to get started. It only takes you a few minutes to access and you can select the editing you want. Once you have done it once, you will feel comfortable using it and creating different settings. If you have not tried Photoshop Actions yet, we recommend giving it a try. If you have a lot of photos you want to edit but do not have the time, this could be the answer you have been looking for. You do not have to manually go through all of the images and make the changes. Instead, this is going to edit the photo the way you want to.

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Turn Photo into Sketch in Photoshop Using Actions

Using Photoshop actions, you can easily turn any photo into a professional pencil sketch in just a few seconds. Some actions create a black and white drawing while others allow you to colorize the finished work. At the same time, they can be applied to different types of photographs, not only to portraits.

The tools will automatically apply all the necessary adjustments. All you need to do is download the Sketch Photoshop Actions Bundle and install them in the program. After that, you will get a set of settings, brushes, and patterns. 

Furthermore, the tools work with JPG and RAW files, can be installed in all versions of Ps, starting with CS3. 

Step 1. Add Actions in Photoshop

First, launch the download and note down which folder the ATN file was saved to. In the software, find the Actions panel. If it is not immediately visible in your workplace, go to the top Window tab and you will find it in the drop-down list. Alternatively, press the Alt+F9 key combination. 

In the upper right corner of the separate Actions window that just appeared, find the tiny button marked with an inverted triangle next to three horizontal lines. The drop-down menu is where you can load new actions. Recollect where that ATN file is stored and open it to start the upload. 

Step 2. Add Patterns in Photoshop

Add patterns to Photoshop if needed. To do this, select Edit – Presets – Preset Manager. In the last section, select Preset Type – Patterns and click the Load button.

Step 3. Import Brushes

To add new brushes, first select this tool as a working tool. After that click on the triangle near to the active brush image. After that, you need to select the import brushes item and specify the path to the files.

Step 4. Apply Actions to the Photo

Proceed with opening an image you were planning to alter and applying the newly added action to it. The latter action will be performed after you click on the special button at the bottom of the same window that’s shaped like a triangle on aside. 

Step 5. Adjust the Received Effect

The intensity of the effect is standardized but you can make alterations. Those can either be applied to the entire group of layers compiling that action or to the specific ones within it. If you want to work with the group, activate it by clicking the folder button it’s marked with. After that action, you can work on the proper levels of effect intensity and overall layer opacity.

Turn Photo into Sketch in Photoshop – Next Method

The next method will take more time. However, you will have absolute control over each step with the ability to adjust the necessary parameters as you’re setting them. This method allows you to have the fine pencil strokes defining the shapes as well as some smoother shading that is characteristic of a pencil drawing. In case you do not have Photoshop on your PC, we advise you to use the free online sketching photo editor which supports all the following steps of the tutorial. 

Step 1. Open a Photo and Create a Duplicate

Launch the program and open the necessary image in the workplace. You will find the “Open…”  command in the “File” tab. Start with creating a duplicate layer using the Ctrl/Cmd+J key combination.

Step 2. Create a Black & White Layer

That new layer should now be turned monochrome. To do this, use the Ctl/Cmd+Shift+U command. After that repeat the duplicating step from above for this new layer.

Step 3. Apply Inverting

For the top B&W layer, you should apply inversion by calling this action in the Adjustments section of the Image tab. It can be activated faster with the Ctrl/Cmd+I keyboard shortcut.

Step 4. Change the Blending Mode

We advise Color Dodge which is hidden under the default Normal mode, still in the window for layers. The list can be expanded by simply clicking on that name. This will turn everything white but that is the correct part of the process.

Step 5. Use Blur

Going back to the top tabs, select the Blur line of the Filter tab and click on the Gaussian mode there. Wiggle the slider around to find where you start getting those nice thin outlines. That is the main part done.

Step 6. Add Pencil Strokes

After providing you with an outline, many tutorials explaining the ways to convert photo to sketch in Photoshop stop. However, if you want to have that shading which is particular of pencil drawing techniques, group those monochrome layers by pressing Ctrl/Cmd+G while they are all selected. After that, duplicate the resulting group using the command you already know.

Step 7. Apply Blurring

Apply the Gaussian Blur to the primary layer in our freshly made group similar to the way you did it earlier. The shading can be softened or made more intense.

Step 8. Blend Layers in the Group

Working with the whole group, pick the Darken mode to blend the layers. After that, move the opacity slider to get a good effect and make one more duplicate of the group.  Now, activate the top layer in our copy, and cast Gaussian Blur over it again. Keep pulling the slider until the final shading becomes satisfactory.

Step 9. Masking the Effect

Add a black mask by holding the Alt/Option key while you’re clicking on the dedicated mask layer button. 

Now get a brush by pressing the B key, make its edges soft and make sure to paint with pure white but only at 30% of the opacity. Now you can indulge in a fun process of personally adding the shading where the program didn’t. 

Step 10. Sharpen the Pencil Strokes

This step requires a composite layer that can be generated by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E (Windows) Cmd+Option+Shift+E (Mac) while the top layer selected. 

You should blend it with the rest using the Overlay mode. 

Go to the Filter tab and within the Other sub-item find High Pass. Don’t hesitate to tweak it to obtain the most appealing effect. 

The post How To Turn Photo into Sketch in Photoshop appeared first on DesignWebKit.

Good authentic-looking art stock photos, which don’t make you laugh at them and which can, with your effort, become an authentic art piece, are out there. Here are some strategies for finding images that can become real art in the future.

Unconventional Approach to Art Stock Photos

They say that to make your wish come true, you need to formulate it right. The same goes for choosing pics at stock platforms! Start with the most accurate search requests and use filters. For example, Depositphotos can give you an opportunity to browse through the Best Choice, Newest Files, and files never downloaded before. Filtering, according to the narrowest topic possible, will show you only images that suit your request completely. Besides, applying the non-stocky filters, which enable excluding too trivial images, can also be very helpful for art creators. This way, you will get access to so-called less stocky art stock photos in no time.

One more thing before starting your art project is to make up your mind on the palette and colors. In most of the stock galleries, filters allow you to pick not only photo orientation but also prevailing colors, including monochrome and black-and-white images. By choosing colors that coincide with your color palette, the pictures picked will seamlessly blend into your layout.

If you decided to create an art composition, you should start by selecting several art stock photos or images as a basis for the future thing. Always choose a few ‘spare’ pictures for the project as creating something is a very unexpected process, and if any of the previously selected images don’t fit, you can always use the fall-backs.

Find the Inspiration

If you haven’t defined your topic clearly or if your muse has left you along the way, the shortest way out is to search for the ideas online. Google the most powerful stock photography trends and art tendencies. Look through the portfolios of other authors, browse art stock photos, watch movies about art and artists, visit social network profiles of some creative freaks, and more. It does not mean that you need to copy other artists’ works. The thing you should do is to draw inspiration and then develop your style.

Don’t limit yourself with the traditional rules – change the prospective, create strange objects and things, move elements, put them in the unique positions, and mix them individually. You can even combine art objects or images from different styles and epochs to emphasize their contrast or similarity. Space is not the final frontier!

Then try to imagine your audience. What people is this artwork aimed at? Who are its viewers? Moreover, consider the purpose of your project and the message you would like to convey using it. The more different target audience you can attract with your artwork, the more customers will be interested in buying it or using it. Afterward, select that tools which will facilitate achieving this goal.

Pick The Right Tools for Art Stock Photos

We all know those fantastic stories about the guys who create their genial artworks with some simple painting or even non-painting apps. However, if you chose the most appropriate and convenient tool for your work and suitable art stock photos, you are already halfway through.

One of the most well-known tools for both professionals and amateurs is Photoshop. Using it, you can easily create an image from scratch or mix as many pictures as you wish. Work with layers, apply filters, and special effects to different elements of your image, use various Photoshop brushes and overlay modes.

One more popular tool, which suits the art purpose perfectly, is GIMP. This one is free. It also has a set of instruments for color-correct, filters, masks, and layers. Although the number of tools is limited, you can still make collages, images, and even videos with the help of it.

The next contestant is the right choice for those who prefer online photo editing without downloading special apps to your PC or tablet. Crello is an online editor that enables creating beautiful images with the help of pre-defined and pre-designed layouts and templates. They are also adaptable and open to modifications. So, this tool will work for you even if you are a newbie in the world of digital art.

Other famous Photoshop analogs are Photo Pos Pro, Photoshop Online, Krira, Paint.NET, ChocoFlop, Cinepaint, Pixia, Pixen, Splashup, Picnic, and many more. Most of them are a bit less functional and powerful, then leading Photoshop and GIMP, though each of them has its unique features and tricks. So each of them is worth trying!

Unity and Harmony

The first step is to choose the main or the core image out of your bunch of art stock photos. The artwork combination starts from it. Select the picture which attracts your attention and begin to build new layers around it. If the first variant doesn’t look harmonious enough, change the location, size, and rotation of different elements. Try out adding new exclusive details, though still be moderate. Don’t overload the final art item with too many details. In the end, your artworks should form a cohesive whole.

The next stage is working out the composition. Here you will need the rules from traditional art. Probably, the most well-known of them is the rule of thirds that claims that the point of interest must lie in the intersection of the lines, which can hypothetically divide the image into three equal parts horizontally and vertically.

The golden ratio is another traditional composition rule, known due to the ancient Greeks and Leonardo da Vinci. They say that the golden ratio was applied during the building of the Parthenon and other famous Greek architectural constructions, paintings, and sculptures. The guides help align objects and develop a connection between them. One can also apply them to create a complex graphic composition.

Choosing Art Stock Photos for a Masterpiece

Picking art stock photos doesn’t have to be a complicated process. However, it requires more effort, attention, and significant consideration than just a random download. Formulate your artwork’s aim and the message you want to convey. Then choose high-quality images from a reputable stock gallery and make sure they all suit the core image. Use various filters and ways of formulating your request to select the less stocky ones.

If you implement these tips while choosing your art stock photos or images and making artworks out of them, then you’re sure to achieve your goal.

The post How to Choose Art Stock Photos One Can Turn into Artworks appeared first on DesignWebKit.

Good news! We’ve made this job for you! Photoshop CS5 Tutorials featured below are well organized and easy to use. During the learning process you’ll quickly find answers to all your questions, understand how to apply and utilize productively the main Photoshop CS5 concepts and appreciate the main enhancements of Adobe product. So, take the advantage of this powerful tool, go ahead and good luck!

New Techniques for Cutting Out Hair in Photoshop CS5

In this tutorial you’ll discover a very helpful Photoshop CS5 Refine Edge tool, which helps easily and quickly to cut out an objects from a background and achieve a realistic and striking look.

Lighting and Coloring Effect on Images

Check out the online lesson below and you’ll know how to turn a simple stock image into a fantastic futuristic composition with beautiful color effects.

Retro-style Photoshop Illustration

Red Giant Star

Here you can learn how to create a red giant star in Photoshop CS5. All you need to use are: Textures 1, Sky texture, Satellite images and brush file. Let’s get started.

Abstract Starfield Background

Follow the tutorial below and you’ll learn how to use and mix different types of brushes, shapes and blending modes.

Beautiful Surreal Night Photo Manipulation

A detailed tutorial creating a surreal night photo manipulation. You need only two spare hours and Photoshop CS5.

Scenic Castle Hallway

Surreal Sci-Fi Movie Poster

In this tutorial the author shows you how to combine layer masks with custom brushes and adjustment layers to create a stylish Sci-Fi poster.

Valentine’s Day illustration with hearts

Learn tips on how to create a romantic and eye catching St. Valentines illustration in Photoshop SC5.

Surreal Turtle Image

A well-described demonstration of how to make a surrealistic turtle by using Photoshop CS5 new tools.

Colorful Valentine’s Day card with shining heart

You’ll certainly need this tutorial before St. Valentines day! Using simple shapes and gradients you’ll easily create an awesome card for your beloved.

Striking Nature Scene

This Photoshop CS5 lesson is just for you if you would like to create a striking nature scene which will draw viewers’ attention at a glance.

Dawn of War Style Concrete Text Effect

The tutorial covers some useful tips and techniques on how to design a dawn of war style concrete text effect. It’s very detailed so even the Photoshop beginners can simply understand it!

Wild Western “Wanted” Poster

This tutorial describes some good design tactics using which you can achieve an effect of Wild West style and create a “Wanted” poster.

Winter Scene in Photoshop

Look through this online lesson and you’ll learn how to draw a romantic and tender winter scene with a charming snowy effect. This attractive picture is perfect choice for the postcards.

Elegant Valentine’s Day card

You’ll learn how to utilize Custom shapes, Layer styles, and Gradients in Photoshop CS5. Let’s get started and create your own striking St. Valentines card.

Abstract kaleidoscope poster

Start working and you’ll know how to combine basic colours, shapes and brushes to create a remarkable kaleidoscope poster in Photoshop CS5.

The post 17 Extremely Cool Photoshop CS5 Tutorials [Updated] appeared first on DesignWebKit.

But before you decide to take that trip down memory lane, take a quick look at these common photography trends and techniques “Then and Now” to decide if you are really ready to give up that DSLR.

Color Correction and Effects

Concept photo of Adobe Photoshop workspace

Photoshop, or other post-processing software, make a color correction or adding color effects to images as easy as moving sliders in dedicated windows. Adjusting color in film processing is a complex set of steps that include using filters over-developed images to determine the exact color and strength of the cast to adjust (or add), and then adding the correct amount of chemicals in the color filtration enlarger to achieve the desired results. Usually through lots of trial and error.

In both cases, filters can be added to the front of the lens BEFORE the shot is taken to achieve the desired cast. Which means, of course, that you must own and carry the said filters at all times just in case you need them.

Dodge and Burn

Historical photographic enlarger and vintage camera, darkroom equipment, sepia tone

The process of dodging (lightening areas of a photo) or burning (darkening areas of the photo) is again easily achieved using tools from the toolbar in your favorite post-processing software.

In the film, this is done in the darkroom by covering (dodging) or exposing (burning) the area of the image to be affected for longer periods during the print paper exposure. This also means processing the image, identifying the area to adjust, and then creating the exact template to place over the print while exposing the new image.

Exposure in Photography

Speaking of exposure, this is an area today that we often find ourselves using those handy sliders in post-processing (seeing a trend here?). That is, of course, if you didn’t use the histogram display on your DSLR to correct the exposure settings in real-time.

Film cameras don’t come with a histogram. Film shooting means taking readings with a light meter and using the results to manually set shutter speed and aperture. And if you don’t get it correct in-camera, there is always the old doge and burn method described above.

Composites in Photography

Compositing elements in post-processing can be an outlet of creative thinking for so many. And while this takes more advanced post-processing skills, there really is nothing you can’t isolate, copy, overlay, duplicate, remove, or double expose in the finished image if you so choose.

In the film, you have two choices. You can double expose a frame in-camera – with little control over the resulting image, or you can learn to work in the darkroom with tiny cutouts. Basically, it is a matter of cutting out the area of an image you want in the final result, overlaying that template on the print area exposed to the area of the image to expose, and repeating with each element you want in the image – making sure that you correctly control the layering, exposure, and opacity of each object. And if you make a mistake, you start all over again.

Removing Elements

Who hasn’t learned to love Content-Aware Fill in Photoshop? Simply lasso the area to be removed, and then tweak the tool to control how to magically remove it from the image. In the film, the process of composting is done in reverse. A template of the area to remove must be produced and used to hide the element in the final print and then the inverse used to include what you want to be in its place.

White Balance in Photography

Detailed close-up of an old film strip

The correct way to control white balance today is to choose the right setting in the camera, but we don’t always remember to do that. That’s when those white balance adjustment sliders, or even that handy eyedropper control, makes adjusting white balance snap-in post-processing.

In the film, white balance is controlled by the film you use. Film rolls come in daylight balanced or tungsten balance. Using the wrong one will result in the color cast issue mentioned above. You can “trick” daylight film into looking correct by using a daylight-balanced flash for the image, or you can get really familiar with the chemical compounds used in darkroom developing.

Number of Images

Today memory cards are larger and cheaper than ever before. I carry 64GB, 128GB and even 256GB cards on every shoot. Being able to quickly switch cards when traveling, even backing up to portable hard drives and reusing cards, means never running out of capacity for capturing images.

The film comes in 24-36 shots. That’s what a roll of the film gives you. Need more than that, then carry lots, and lots, and lots of rolls of film at all times. Especially if you are taking pictures on an extended trip.

Traveling Photography

Speaking of traveling, a digital camera owner will never think about an x-ray machine. They just do not affect memory cards. Film camera owners must think about x-ray machines. X-ray machines can damage sensitive film by causing all your beautiful images to develop a fog. The airport authority will tell you that anything up to ISO 800 film should be safe going through the machine. But do you want to take the chance? The best bet is to pack (all) your rolls of film in lead-lined film bags just to be safe.

That’s not to say that going old fashioned is always a bad thing, and photography trends are out of the question. Making ourselves slow down, think about all the aspects that go into a shot, and knowing we only have a limited number of attempts to get it right can help to challenge our creativity. And quite possibly make us better photographers – no matter what type of camera we use.

Images copyright Dreamtime Stock Photos.

The post Now vs. Then – A Look at Photography Before the Digital Age appeared first on DesignWebKit.

The emphasis of Photoshop is that it allows users to work on their design, improve image quality, create eye-catching artwork and make more creative designs. The visual graphic world has never been the same in each step of its growth, with the tool uplifting its content by adding more features, more flexibility contributing designers to exploit their creative minds. The freedom of editing an image to bring to its perfection to the eyes could not be achieved without the help of this photo editing assistant.

In recent times, the popularity of this photo editing tool had been surprisingly incremental in all-around perspective as we speak of and alongside the bad Photoshop and epic Photoshop fails had increased too. It had created a skill set, that has given opportunities to many individuals, institutions, importantly adding a huge demand of photo editors or clipping path service providers in the market. The popularity of this tool is unprecedented, but are we really being able to put the best of it? Yes, we do encounter many bad Photoshop, funny pictures every now and then, but sometimes the picture could be a total distortion or a mishap of what we actually perceive – the ultimate Photoshop fails. The Photoshop experience is much as the old saying goes, ‘practice makes perfect but we do end up occurring some worst Photoshop. Well, no more to the epic Photoshop fails, no tantrums to bag if we are careful, we can avoid some of these common fails that many people do.

The following are the 5 common Photoshop fails you as a Photoshopper should always try to avoid

Photoshop Fails for Not Using Shortcuts

One can expect mistakes. Photoshop is a fully dedicated computer-based photo editing tool, with thousands of functions at its count, it becomes very important to designers to know some of its functionality by knowing the common shortcuts. Many fails are due to the lack of knowledge of those existing shortcuts.

Many designers are able to produce good work by spending a good amount of time on their job. A good designer is not only about how creative their gradients are or how well they have shaped the lines; it’s also about knowing how well they know the use of keyboard shortcuts.

It might be tedious work whilst using Photoshop for the first time but as you start fiddling with the keys, you will learn those key shortcuts that will start to grow in your muscle memory.  In a long time, as you progress, you are more likely to secure these shortcuts resulting in a productive outcome. You will also notice that your work speed has gained more momentum than it was in the beginning. A great advantage of Photoshop is that you are entitled to create your own keyboard shortcuts according to your preference. Once you have mastered those shortcuts, you are less like to face those ‘Photoshop fails’ comments coming at you.

Common Shortcuts to Remember

• Ctrl + Shift + N: This allows you to create a new layer
• Ctrl + J: For creating a duplicate layer
• Alt+ Mouse Wheel: This lets you zoom in and out
• Ctrl + Alt + Z: This allows you to go one step back in history
• Combination “Ctrl + Shift + Z”: Lets you go one step forward
• Ctrl + O: For opening a new document
• B: “Brush Tool”
• Ctrl + Shift + E: This allows you to merge the selected layers
• Ctrl + Shift + I: Lets you invert selection

Photoshop Fails for Not Using Appropriate Layers or Folders

Photoshop fails with a very common mistake that is noticed among the new designers when they fail to create the desired number of layers in their work. For instance, creating a web is a tentative design job, in the beginning, the tool may save your time, but as the job progresses it becomes more complex, it then becomes very challenging to finish the job just for not having enough layers in the work.

Layers are very useful to photo editors. As a matter of fact, layers allow editing files with various modifications. We can also duplicate the image to extend part of the background or even remove certain parts of the image as needed. It saves heaps of time on editing projects without making any actual changes to the original document. The ‘multiply’ function on the other hand makes it easier to work several effects on the same layer and makes it possible to check how different colors affect the design.

Bad Photoshop for Not Using Grids/Guides

Another worth mentioning mistake is when users constantly align text to their respective images regularly. This ruins the image, as the final output results in a bad Photoshop remark about your webpage. The use of grids and guides makes a huge difference to the document space. It helps the designers in lining up their projects accordingly without making any mess. The advantage of the grids is that they can easily turn the file into a responsive website. An HTML developer can easily identify every part of the design inclusive of the body, headers size, footers of a good layout. Furthermore, grids and guides allow flexible image settings from pixels, inches, and centimeters as the design job suggests. That’s why it goes without saying Photoshop is a Web Designer’s Best Friend.

Fails in Mixing Multiple Fonts

Another pitfall to add in is the usage of random and multiple fonts by Photoshop users. Every font has its own feature in relation to the work or job. This is very common when working on a flyer or on an ad or a banner. Usage of multiple typefaces can cause distractions that may deviate viewers against the product or a brand. However, it is better to use two typefaces separately one for the header and one for the body.

Filter Abuse

Photoshop users end up getting worse Photoshop reviews when they use the available coolest Photo filters haphazardly immediately after starting on. This is a grave mistake by many new Photoshop users. A great number of them often confuse their work to be more professional which not more than mere usage of multiple filters is. Ultimately it damages the image, and the final product looks ugly. It is true that sometimes the right image filtering may not exist but sometimes manually changing colors mark, saturation, the contrast could result in a better final product.

Summing up Photoshop Fails

Always remember to keep the design short, precise as the saying goes on “less is more”. If you happen to discover one of the mistakes mentioned above at your work, it’s time to change. Happy Photoshopping!

The post Five Common Photoshop Fails That Can Ruin Your Website Design appeared first on DesignWebKit.

Out of the number of features, few of them are unique and have remained the choice of Professionals since long. On the contrary to this, you can go and try out some of the alternatives serving similar features as the Photoshop.

Graphic designers are the one who makes use photo editor’s application tools and adds creativity to your website. In this article, I have covered a detailed description of the 5 best Photoshop alternatives which take the graphic designer a step ahead to his visibility in designing.

5 Best Photoshop Alternatives that Every Designer Must Try

Have you been unhappy with your graphic design? Follow me with a short list of Photoshop alternatives other than Photoshop that gives fabulous design results for your future website. The work of Graphic designer will now become easy!

Acorn

This is a raster graphics editor tool that fits into your pocket budget. Acorn can import Photoshop brush files (.abr). Automator can be used with Acorn to batch process images watermarking, trimming, cropping and much more.

According to Acorn’s mask, blend mode allows you to use your layer to easily lock a layer transparency. You can snap to grids, guides, shapes, selections, and canvas.It is an app that supports high-resolution images viz. 32,64 and even 128-bit images.

The latest update Acorn 6 comes with non-destructive layers, Crop palette with ‘Last Crop’ preset feature. For example, if you wish a professional photo editing for your business and web designing it serves as a great Photoshop alternative.

• Key Features: Layer styles, number of filters, curves and levels, blending modes, brush designer
• Supported File Formats: Native file format .acorn, JPG, PNG, GIF, PSD, SVG, RAW, PSD
• Supported Platforms: Mac OS X
• Price: Paid

Paint.NET

It is open source software developed since many years. Similar to the features filled in GIMP, it comes with a user-friendly interface. The main aim of this tool is to make simplified editing. Earlier, it was started as a Microsoft sponsored project and later approached by its alumni.

However, this tool is a less powerful tool than the Photoshop. But if you prefer a simple, humanely and not a clustered photo editing tactics then Paint.NET is your best choice. For example, simpler in use, yet it efficiently works for the beginners to make it simple and best.

• Key Features: supportive tools, layers, curves and brightness, simple photo editing
• Supported File Formats: RAW, BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG
• Supported Platforms: Windows
• Price: Free

Sumo Paint

This tool works as an online page editor without any installation process.  Sumopaint offers a highly reliable editing that supports web version in respect to Pixlr. All the standard features you expect from a desktop are present and correct. The basic version is free but you need to pay for the pro version.

You can open and save images from the hard drive and even save them on the cloud. Above all, it has 37 filters and effects that include 3D, blur, light and noise, edge detection and so on. It works differently than the Photoshop offered features. For example, if you feel to edit the image from the browser itself and do not want any special installation of software you can add it as an extension in Chrome.

• Key Features: Layer Effects, Professional painting tools, Filters, Gradient tools, Selection and Shape tools, Image Enhancement, Clone Stamp tool
• Supported File Formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF
• Supported Platforms: Browser or iPad (Web Based)
• Price: Free for basic, Paid for pro version

Seashore

If you are using Mac OS, you don’t need to worry about photo editing. Seashore is an open-source Photoshop alternative based on Cocoa Framework. Unlike GIMP, it offers basic image editing needs of the computer and the latest Cocoa UI.

It is not as efficient as Photoshop but can be useful for simple image editing and easy to use for the ones who do not go for professional image editing. The lasso tool has the functionality to provide the arbitrary selection of a particular region. There are plugin filter effects. For example, if you a regular image to upload on social media from iPad you can download it for easy photo edits.

• Key Features: Layers, 6 Gradients, Brushes, Image Editing tools, Anti-aliased Brush
• Supported File Formats: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, XCF, PDF
• Supported Platforms: Mac OS X
• Price: Free

Adobe Photoshop Express

It is a free standard photo editor that provides quick image tweaks before you share it anywhere. You can incredibly edit images in smartphones or tablets. It packages the Photoshop’s most useful features such as picture enhancing sleek which is particularly most useful for touch screens.

One of the key features includes Automatic color optimization. There are sliders which enable you to adjust contrast, exposure and white balance of your photodynamically. Moreover, there are automatic options with one-click adjustments. For example, while clicking an image in sunset if you feel that it was darker, then you can add color gradients or brightness to make it look more natural.

• Key Features: Simplicity, Optimized for touch, compact to be handled with fingertips
• Supported File Formats: JPG, Raw, TIFF
• Supported Platforms: Windows, iOS, Android
• Price: Free

Fotor

This is a powerful yet easy-to-use online photo editing and graphic design tool. It not only helps you edit photos, make collages but also create unique designs in just a few clicks.

It is no exaggeration to say that Fotor covers everything you need for online photo editing and graphic design. With its online editing suite, you can adjust the background, light, size, color and more in minutes. It also owns a range of photo filters, which provide you more and better choices to edit your photos in the way you like. Fotor’s wonderful beauty retouching tools can give your photo a makeover, add stickers, increase radiance, etc. Besides, there are various well-designed templates to meet all of your design needs. You can get a free trial here and start your design soon.

• Key Features: photo editor, design tool, free templates, multifunction
• Supported File Formats: JPG, PNG
• Supported Platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS
• Price: Free for basic, Paid for pro version

Photoshop Alternatives Closing Note

Photoshop has proven to be the most remarkable tool past 25 years. But looking forward to other free and paid tools you can enjoy new features and mini tools that make your design beautiful, which exactly matches your dream website. I have demonstrated the best 5 alternatives from my collection. Kindly share your experience with these tools and do review them in the comment section below.I would love to come with up with more tools the very next time. Till then, stay tuned!

Happy designing

The post 5 Photoshop Alternatives for Designers: Free and Paid Tools Comparison appeared first on DesignWebKit.