What to look for in photo-editing software

Everyone’s editing needs are different; here are some things to think about before buying…

Organizing tools

It’s one thing being able to edit your photos, but you also need to organize them – and the more pictures you take, the more there is to organize. People have different needs, and some can manage using a folder-based filing system and image browsing tool like Adobe Bridge (included with the Photography Plan), but for many photographers this is not enough, and a more advanced cataloguing tool is needed. Adobe Lightroom is the most popular solution, but there are some very good rivals, notably Capture One. ON1 Photo RAW, Exposure X7 and others have cataloguing tools too, though perhaps not quite in the same league.

Layers and masks

Do you need or want to combine images? If so, you need a program that supports multiple image layers. The obvious example is Photoshop, but Affinity Photo can do it equally well, and without a subscription. ON1 Photo RAW can do this too, but perhaps without the same fluency, and while Luminar Neo supports layers, it’s less sophisticated. While many different programs do support image layers, it’s really Adobe Photoshop and Affinity Photo that feel designed for the job. If you just want to add skies to landscapes, though, many programs can do this using AI, including Luminar Neo Photoshop and ON1 Photo RAW.

Raw processing

Photographers shoot Raw files in order to achieve the best possible quality, but it’s wrong to assume that a Raw file is always better than a JPEG, because it depends very much on your software. Capture One, DXO Photolab and Adobe Lightroom can all be relied upon to get more from your Raw files than you could get from an in-camera JPEG, but other programs vary in their ability to extract extended shadow and highlight detail from Raw files, or to successfully balance noise control and detail rendition. Even Adobe can drop the ball sometimes, so that Raw files in Lightroom can look noisier than JPEGS straight from the camera.

Presets & effects

Creative inspiration can be hard to come by! Programs like Photoshop are all well and good if you know exactly what kind of effect you want to achieve but sometimes you need a little help with what your images COULD look like, and that’s where non-adobe programs really score. Two programs really stand out here – ON1 Photo RAW and Exposure X. Both offer a very wide range of creative presets, both contemporary and retro ‘analogue’ looks – and both offer the tools to create near-infinite permutations. Lightroom presets are fine as far as they go (and Capture One Styles) but these programs go way further.

Non-destructive editing

It’s a dilemma. If you want editing changes that you can quickly reverse or change, you need a ‘non-destructive’ photo editor like Lightroom, Capture One or others, but that does lock you in to that particular program. What’s more, if you want more advanced retouching tools, or if you want to apply more advanced image effects, you still need old-school photo editors like Photoshop and Affinity Photo. The balance, however, is shifting. The range of things you can do in ‘non-destructive’ editors like Lightroom, Capture One or DXO Photolab is increasing, and the need for programs like Photoshop and Affinity Photo is diminishing.

Design tools

It’s important to remember that photo editors can have other purposes too. They’re used by designers, artists and illustrators to combine photos with other images, text and shape layers. This does mean that Photoshop and Affinity Photo can look complicated – it’s because they are serving a wider audience than photographers alone. They are the best programs for the job, though, if your work crosses into other disciplines, or if you collaborate with designers. Corel Paintshop Pro and Photoshop Elements also offer comparable tools, but they are more limited and aimed at a more amateur audience.