Super Test: Photo editors

Photoshop has a reputation as the king of photo editors, but does it deserve it? Rod Lawton checks out some convincing and compelling rivals

We test eight of the latest and greatest image-editing software packages, but you may be surprised which comes out on top!

Photoshop is often used as a yardstick for judging all other photo editing programs, but is that really the right way to look at them? It’s unlikely any other program will be better at being Photoshop than Photoshop is (naturally), but there are many programs that do things Photoshop doesn’t.

For example, a lot of people don’t like subscription plans. It’s the only way to get Photoshop now, but many photographers would prefer to pay a single licence fee in the old-fashioned way. And while Photoshop is very slick and efficient, it does demand a certain technical knowledge that beginners might find intimidating. And it’s true that you can create almost any effect you can imagine in Photoshop, but often only with a great deal of work and expertise, where many rivals bring one-click presets that do all these things in a fraction of the time.

Photoshop doesn’t organize your photos, either. You can do that in Lightroom, the other half of the Adobe Photography plan, but it means switching applications for different jobs, and for many photographers an all-in-one cataloguing, enhancement, editing and effects tool would be better.

Over the next few pages we’re going to steer a path through all these products and choices to find the ones that stand out. Our overall ratings are based on all-round capabilities, but your needs and interests may be specific.