Post-processing astrophotography images is mandatory: you cannot avoid it. It can be a fairly long and technical process, but it is necessary to squeeze out the most you can from your images.
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- Best Free Photo Editor For Mac Reddit 2019
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- Gimp Photo Editor
Sumopaint - the most versatile photo editor and painting application that works in a browser (free) 7. Irfanview - An image-viewer with added batch editing and conversion. Rename a huge number of files in seconds, as well as resize them. Freeware (for non-commercial use). In my opinion, the best simple lightweight image editor for Mac should be like Macphun’s Snapheal - you can easily remove the unwanted objects from the photos. Or Luminar - all skill levels can use Luminar, it’s simple and fast to edit images and photos.
Everything begins with pre-processing your images, a step including image calibration and image stacking, which we have already covered in this article.
After that, it is time to post-process your stacked image with your software of choice. In this article, we will discuss the different options that are available to post-process your astrophotography images.
Note: Don’t miss the detailed video at the end of this article, It was created to help show you how to process your images with some of the software mentioned in this article.
Click here to skip to our Image Processing Demo Video.
What Does Post-Processing Mean In Astrophotography?
In astrophotography, the post-processing includes steps that are crucial to the quality of the final image. Those steps can be summarized as:
- Histogram stretching
- Gradients and light pollution removal
- Stars color calibration
- Stars reduction and Stars removal
- Sharpening and noise reduction
- Final tweaks
Of the steps mentioned above, it is worth to spend a few words on the Histogram Stretching, as it is of utmost importance in deep-sky astrophotography.
What Histogram Stretching Is And Why You Need It
With image stacking, you have combined all your light frames (the actual images of the sky) into a single image with an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio.
With deep sky astrophotography, this stacked image can be surprisingly dark, with only a few bright stars visible.
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There is nothing wrong with it, as all the details and information are there, but hidden in the dark background. And this is why this process also goes under the name of background extraction.
Histogram stretching can be done manually using Adobe Photoshop or in automatic/semi-automatic way using astrophotography software such as Astro Pixel Processor, Star Tools, or His Majesty PixInsight.
A rigorous explanation on how digital data are recorded and how the histogram works can become fairly technical and is beyond the scope of this article.
To keep it simple, let’s say that when you perform the stretching of the histogram, you are broadening the histogram. Thus pushing details that were crammed in the blacks towards the middle tones.
And you do that slowly, in small steps, to ensure retaining the best possible image quality.
The process allows us to take full advantage of the image stacking process, and it results in a cleaner, brighter image with a lot of details that were not visible (or barely visible) in the single exposures.
Stars Reduction / Stars Removal
Star reduction is another process that is standard when editing deep-sky astrophotography.
While it seems odd that you want to shrink or remove stars from a photo about stars, this process aims to make the multitude of visible stars in the image less imposing and distracting.
By reducing enlarged stars due to the histogram stretching and by removing the smallest stars, you make the deep sky objects in the image more visible, as shown in the image below.
The procedure is particularly useful when shooting deep-sky objects, such as nebulae, that are in the Milky Way Band.
Software For Astrophotography Post-Processing
We can group the software for astrophotography post-processing in two categories:
- generic photo editors, such as Photoshop, Gimp, Affinity Photo, etc.
- Astrophotography editors, such as StarTools, Nebulosity, Astro Pixel Processor, Pixinsight, etc.
The main advantage of generic photo editors over specific astrophotography editors is versatility.
With a generic photo editor, it is easy to post-process all kinds of astrophotography, from deep-sky imaging to lunar and planetary shots, passing for star trails and starry landscapes.
In this article, for example, we discussed how to stack starry landscape images in Photoshop.
Not many astrophotography editors are this flexible.
Here is a list of software that are most commonly used to post-process astrophotography images.
Adobe Lightroom CC
Generic Photo Editor | Commercial From $9.99 Subscription Plan | Windows, Mac OS X, IOS
Pros
- Easy to use
- Powerful image development and image organizer
- Easy integration with Photoshop
- Can use photographic plugins
Cons
- Can’t do the complex editing needed for astrophotography (histogram stretching, Stars Reduction, etc)
- Limited to cosmetic tweaks
Adobe Lightroom is a popular, easy to use and fairly powerful RAW developer and image organizer.
Its usefulness in astrophotography is somewhat limited, as you cannot perform complex tasks such as histogram stretching, advanced light pollution, and gradient removal, star reduction, etc.
On the other hand, it is a terrific editor for the final cosmetic tweaks to your image and to organize them in collections, per tag, and location. Lightroom is also great for color proofing your images before printing them.
If you are subscribing to the Adobe Photography Plan, you also have Photoshop CC included for free. And here is where things get interesting.
To get the best from the two worlds, load your stacked images in Lightroom, organize them in collections, and call Photoshop from within Lightroom for the astro-specific editing (histogram stretching, etc.).
Then make the final tweaks in Lightroom.
Adobe Photoshop CC
Generic Photo Editor | Commercial From $9.99 Subscription Plan | Windows, Mac OS X, IOS
Pros
- Versatile and Powerful Photo Editor / Image Manipulation Software
- Suitable for deep sky and planetary astrophotography as well as star trails and starry landscapes
- Astrophotography Action Sets and Plugins Available
- Subscription Plan with Photography Bundle
Cons
- Lacks Some Advanced Features for Astrophotography
Photoshop is one of the most commonly used software in the field of photography editing and image manipulation, and it can be used to post-process astrophotography work.
If you are a beginner astrophotographer, you are on a tight budget or you already own Photoshop, you should give it a try as all the basic post-processing steps can be performed in this software.
If you need more advanced features, you can also expand Photoshop capabilities thanks to many astrophotography related Action Sets, Plugins, and Panels.
Finally, with Camera Raw filter and other photographic plugins (like for smart sharpening and advance noise reduction), you can perform with ease all the final tweaks an image may need.
As a Photoshop user, I tried many plugins and action sets for astrophotography, and here is my must-have extensions list.
Astronomy Tools by ProDigital
Actions Pack For Deep Sky Astrophotography| Commercial $21.95 | Windows, Mac OS X
A rich set of actions suitable for post-processing astrophotography images. The set includes actions such as star reduction, enhanced DSO, light pollution and color gradient removal, sharpening, and noise reduction.
Photokemi’s Star Tools by Ken Mitchel
Actions Pack For Deep Sky Astrophotography | Commercial $14.95 | Windows, Mac OSX
Similarly to Astronomy Tools, this action set is most useful for deep space astrophotography.
It offers advanced star removal and star reducing actions, semi-automatic histogram stretching, different sharpening and noise reduction actions, as well as actions such as nebula filters and star color enhancement.
There is also a set of extra actions, available for $6.95.
GradientXterminator by Russell Croman
Plugin For Deep Sky Astrophotography | Commercial $49.95 | Windows, Mac OS X
This plugin is a gradient removal tool that is easy to use and extremely effective. Despite a rather steep price (a trial is available for you to test the plugin), this is a terrific add-on for Photoshop, if you are serious about deep-sky astrophotography.
Hasta La Vista Green! (HLVG) by Regelio Bernard Andreo
Plugin For Deep Sky Astrophotography | Donationware | Windows
Despite its old age, this plugin is still useful, and it does an excellent job of removing green noise and the green casts such noise may cause in some images.
Astro Panel By Angelo Perrone
Panel For Starry Landscape And Deep Sky Astrophotography | Commercial | Windows, Mac OS X
Astro Panel consists of a rich set of functions and methods that produce high quality starry landscapes and Milky Way images.
It is also easy to process Deep Sky Photos thanks to advanced functions for reducing digital noise and hot-pixels, eliminating the gradient, managing artificial flat, and much more …
Furthermore, astronomical images aside, you can use the Astro Panel to edit classic landscape images too.
Affinity Photo
Generic Photo Editor | Commercial $49.99 | Windows, Mac OS X, IOS ($19.99)
Pros
- Affordable
- Powerful
- The interface and commands are similar to Photoshop for an easy switch
- Suitable for deep sky and planetary astrophotography as well as star trails and starry landscapes
Cons
- Lacks third-party actions sets, plugins and panels
Affinity Photo from Serif Lab is a great, affordable alternative to Photoshop, and you do not need to pay for a subscription plan.
With Affinity Photo, you can carry out with ease all of the basic astrophotography post-processing.
But since there are no plugins, action sets, and panels to help you out, you have to learn to do things manually, even the more advanced tasks such as star reduction.
Gimp
Photo Editor | Freeware | Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Pros
- Freeware
- Great community and lot of info available
- Powerful
- Suitable for deep sky and planetary astrophotography as well as star trails and starry landscapes
Cons
- Interface a bit confused
- Lacks third-party actions sets, plugins and panels
Gimp is the historical freeware alternative to Photoshop. Since it is freeware and on the market for many years, there is a big community of users, so it is easy to find relevant tutorials and guides to help you out.
The software has a slightly confusing interface, particularly if you are trying to switch from Photoshop, but it is powerful enough to let you edit your astrophotography images with ease.
Unfortunately, there are no third-party action sets, plugins, or panels to help you automate some tasks. As with Affinity Photo, you have to learn how to do everything manually.
Star Tools
Astrophotography Post-Processing Tools | Commercial $45 | Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Pros
- Affordable
- Multiplatform
- Offers many advanced tools
- Trial without time limit
Cons
- Interface bit confusing
- Convoluted workflow
- Slower than other software
StarTools is a deep-sky post-process editor that does everything you need except the initial light frame calibration and stacking.
Once you have the stacked image from, say, Deep Sky Stacker, you can post-process it in StarTools, taking advantage of the many tools the software has to offer.
The interface is a bit confusing, and it may take a while to get used to the convoluted editing workflow.
Fortunately, the trial version never expires, so you can take all the time you need to experiment with StarTools before deciding if it is for you or not. The only limitation of the trial is that you cannot save your results.
SiriL
Multipurpose Astrophotography Editor | Freeware | Windows, Mac OS X, Linux Office 2016 for mac kms activation.
Pros
- Freeware
- Multiplatform
- Active Development
- Suitable for different kinds of astrophotography
- Fairly easy to use
- Powerful full-grown astrophotography software
Cons
- Develop the image is a lengthy process
- Interface a bit confused
I’m no expert with SiriL, but it is probably the only full-grown astrophotography editor that is freeware and multiplatform.
Siril will allow you to perform all the essential steps in your astrophotography editing workflow, from image calibration and stacking to (manual or auto) histogram stretching and post-processing.
Since it is free, if you are looking for an astrophotography package, SirilL is worth downloading and having a go with it.
Nebulosity
Deep Sky Astrophotography Editor | Commercial $95 | Windows, Mac OS X
Pros
- Capable full astrophotography editor
- Can calibrate and stack your images
- It offers many advanced tools
Cons
- Not abandonware, but development is somehow slow
- The interface feels old and not very user friendly
Nebulosity 4 was my first software specific to astrophotography. It is intended for deep sky astrophotography and is fairly easy to use.
It offers a good way to calibrate and stack your images, and you can use it for stretching the histogram, tighten the stars, calibrate the background colors, and perform sharpening and noise reduction.
But the interface is not as intuitive, it looks “old,” and while development is there, it is not as quick compared with other software.
Astro Pixel Processor
Deep Sky Astrophotography Editor | Commercial €60/Yr (Renter’s License) Or €150 (Owner’s Renter) | Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Pro
- Great deep sky astrophotography package
- Powerful
- Easy to use
- Batch processing
- 30-days free trial available
- Suitable for creating stunning mosaic with ease
- Active development
- Rental license available
Cons
- Vignetting removal tool could be better
- No Stars Reduction methods available
Astro Pixel Processor is my goto software for my deep sky astrophotography and I decided to go with the renter’s license to always work with the latest version of the software.
The interface is easy to navigate, options are explained by text messages that appear when you hover on the options with the mouse, and the different tabs are numbered.
This means that there is no guessing in establishing the best workflow: just follow the numbers from 1 to 6 and jump at the tab number 9 for post-processing the stacked image.
You can run all the steps once at a time or set them up and run all with a batch processing: this way, you can do other stuff while the software calibrates and stacks your images.
If you are looking for a way to edit your deep-sky images and create mosaics, I vouch for Astro Pixel Processor. Free download adobe photoshop cs3 for mac os x.
PixInsight
Multipurpose Astrophotography Editor | Commercial €230+VAT | Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Pros
- The best and most complete astrophotography editor on the market
- Multiplatform
- Suitable for Planetary and Deep-Sky astrophotography
- 45-days free trial available
Cons
- Expensive
- Extremely steep learning curve
- Requires a powerful computer to run smoothly and conveniently fast
I will be honest with you: I requested a trial (and it was granted twice), but both times I ran away from PixInsight screaming in despair.
Not that PixInsight is bad or lacks crucial functions, but because it is very complicated to use for beginners and the learning curve is very steep.
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Granted, PixInsight, being the software of refinement for the category, there are tons of tutorials and guides online (Light Vortex Astronomy has some of the best ones and are free). But you need to spend a lot of time in front of your computer, particularly if you have an old one.
But if you can master it, you will be rewarded with Pro-grade deep sky astrophotography images.
A Comprehensive Video About Post-Processing
In this video, I show you how to post-process a deep sky image using some of the software discussed in this article.
While it is not a complete tutorial in post-processing deep sky images, it gives you a feeling of how easy (or not) is to use those software and where they differ.
Conclusions
Stacking astrophotography images is only the first step in the lengthy astrophotography editing process. In this article, we have discussed the different software that is available to post-process the stacked image to obtain a compelling image of the night sky.
Some are free, some are commercial, some are specific to deep sky astrophotography while others are generic photography editors, and they all have their pros and cons.
This guide will help you to decide which software is best for you.
Personally, I am a fan of Astro Pixel Processor for deep sky astrophotography, as it is powerful and easy to use, and of Photoshop for its flexibility.
Capturing and sharing photos has never been easier thanks to the digital age of photography, but taking quality snaps is easier said than done. Is the light right? Are the colors too dull or too saturated? We often find ourselves asking these questions when it comes to sharing a photo online. In order to fulfill our photo enhancing needs, we see the internet filled with different sorts of automatic photo enhancing software that promise to transform your ordinary photos to pieces of digital art that will mesmerize the viewers.
Automatic photo enhancing software works by adjusting your photo to give it better color, light and so much more. It is most suited for photographers that do not want to spend too much money on expensive gear and too much time tinkering around with advanced photo editing software. There are many options to consider when looking for the best automatic photo enhancing software, but according to us, these are the top names to come forward:
1. Luminar
Format – Software download
Available Platforms – Windows & MAC
AI editing. As with other examples of best photo software, Luminar makes use of AI technology. Features such as SKY Enhancer, Accent AI and Sun Rays can automatically edit your photos through detailed analysis and learning.
Photo Presets. Luminar has an awesome range of presets that you can easily apply to your images. These are not just run of the mill presets either – they are high quality. Examples include color film stock, Metro Tokyo and Expired Looks.
Autodesk dwg trueview per mac. Textures. Aside from photo presets, you can also apply preset textures to your photos. The Found textures pack, for example, provides a host of natural and man-made textures such as metals.
These are just three of the main features of this image enhancement software. Luminar also has a host of default images styles that have been developed in conjunction with professional photographers. This automatic photo editor is a pleasure to use and creates some mind-blowing end results.
2. Adobe Lightroom
Format – Softwaredownload, browser editor, app
Available Platforms – Windows, MAC, Android, iOS
Adobe Lightroom runs as a desktop app, a mobile app, and an online editor. It’s versatile, easy to learn and use, and well-organized. Lightroom provides complete image organizing and sharing functionality, cloud storage, and professional photo edits. The latest versions include automatic features powered by artificial intelligence (AI) as well.
It’s designed to be fast and efficient and thus itallows you to edit pictures from the Library module, without even opening them.Quick Develop panel includes color and tone adjustments you can apply to one ormultiple images, presets you can use as they are or change according to yourartistic vision, and automatic adjustments. For example, Auto Tone performsautomatic adjustments for contrast, exposure, and brightness. You can also copysets of adjustments from one photo to another.
Adobe Lightroom includes automatic tools for straightening pictures,applying lens corrections, fixing chromatic aberrations, correcting whitebalance, recovering highlights, and adjusting tone. You can use the Auto modeas a fast editing technique or as a starting point of your edits.
3. Aurora HDR
Format – Software download
Available Platforms – Windows & MAC
Improved Quantum HDR Engine that merges your brackets into a perfectly balanced realistic image with just a few clicks in a matter of seconds. Whilst some HDR photos look contrived and unrealistic, Aurora HDR has advanced AI technology that allows you to create natural shots.
HDR Presets – If you want to try out different HDR effects and do photo enhancing automatically, try Aurora‘s myriad of HDR presets. These have pre-defined settings to create some interesting and quality results.
Creative HDR. Whilst it is fun to improve photos to make them look natural, it is also fun to make them look exceptional and “out-there”. The creative HDR mode allows you to do this and produces a bold and bright end product.
Aurora is all about HDR photo editing. With this photo editing software you can create some truly stunning HDR compositions – from natural-looking photos to creative, out-of-this world images.
4. Photolemur
Format – Software download
Available Platforms – Windows & MACFace Finish. If you regularly take portrait shots or selfies, Photolemur has a superb tool in the form of face finish. This tool smooths skin, enhances eyes and also removes any imperfections.
Automatic RAW Enhancement. This tool allows you to turn your RAW photos into usable edits with little to no effort. You can bring your photo back to what it looked like when you snapped it.
Smart Photo Styles. Photolemur also provides the ability to get creative with your automatic photo editing. You can use the smart photo styles to turn your images into works of art.
With a cool name like Photolemur, you know this program must be good! The latest version of this automatic photo editor software is fantastic. It offers many useful tools such as Automatic Face Retouching, Automatic Raw Enhancement, and Smart Photo Styles. Furthermore, Photolemur uses AI technology to create realistic and detailed photo edits.
5. PhotoScape X
Format – Software download
Available Platforms – Windows & MAC
PhotoScape is a free photo editor for both Windows and MAC devices and is a great piece of software for making simple photo edits.
The interface is undoubtedly basic – it has a very “Windows XP” feel in terms of windows and folder navigation. It is unbelievably easy and quick to use, however. You can complete simple editing tasks in a matter of seconds.
PhotoScape offers basic photo editing functionality – you can change parameters such as contrast, saturation, and auto-levels easily. Aside from this, PhotoScape has a range of presets and filters that allow you to transform your photo instantly – some are really useful whilst others are more for fun.
We also love the batch processing feature which is quite extensive. You can essentially make simple photo edits for groups of images instantly. For example, you can use the batch processing tool to apply filters and adjustments to all images within a certain folder – this really does speed up the editing process.
6. Nik Collection
Format – Software download
Available Platforms – Windows & MAC
DXO have created a fantastic plugin suite in the form of Nik Collection (you may remember it as free photo editing software from Google).
The suite is available for purchase on both Windows and MAC devices – you can also try a free 30 day trial of each plugin.
The collection includes Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, Viveza, Analog Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro, DFine and Sharpener Pro. Each plugin provides a different array of filters and presets that can easily be applied to your photos.
Color Efex Pro: Color correction, creative color filters, and retouching controls
Silver Efex Pro: Converting photos to black and white composites
Viveza: Local adjustment brushes
Analog Efex Pro: To create photos that look like camera film or certain lens types
HDR Efex Pro: Automatically create HDR composites
DFine: Reduce unwanted background noise from photos
Sharpener Pro: Tool to sharpen images in local areas on to whole photos
The interface is user-friendly and you can apply the different effects in no time at all.
7. Zoner Photo Studio X
Format – Software download
Available Platforms – Windows & MAC
This photo editing software has a plethora of useful features.
Zoner Photo Studio X has incorporated a host of presets. For example, it has an auto-enhancement feature for portraits – this corrects elements such as red-eye and also adjusts contrast, color, and white balance.
Furthermore, there is a host of other presets such as color adjustments and black and white composites. You can hover over these presets and a thumbnail will display what the changes will look like. The auto-enhancements really are a superb addition – you can quickly process whole batches of photos if you are stuck for time.
The other thing you might notice is the interface and layout – Studio X has had a big improvement in usability. Zoner has clearly made it their aim to improve usability and thus you can easily access menus, editing tools and presets.
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Zoner is available as a one-off purchase or a monthly subscription – the costs are minimal. It also has a free 30-day trial available.
8. Corel Paint Shop Pro
Format – Software download
Available Platforms – Windows & MAC
Corel has been creating photo editing software since the dawn of time.
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Paint Shop Pro is their flagship product and really is a powerful piece of software. It can be used for both simple, quick photo edits, but also for in-depth professional editing.
For automatic edits, PaintShop Pro has some epic tools. Firstly, it has a series of filters/effects – these are categorized into photo effects, art media, artistic and texture. Using these tools you can quickly apply a range of stylish overlays to your photos.
Secondly, PaintShop Pro also has some brilliant basic editing tools that you can quickly edit your photos with. For example, the smart photo fix tool allows you to quickly correct flaws such as lens distortion, red-eye, and chromatic aberration.
Alternatively, the tone mapping feature allows you to quickly edit the overall color/tone balance of a photo. It is this combination of powerful editing tools and basic functionality that make PaintShop Pro such a useful enhancing program.
9. Pho.To Lab
Format – Smartphone App
Available Devices – Android, Apple, Windows photo editor
Pho. To Lab has a series of fun apps that allow you to apply awesome filters and effects to your smartphone pics. This is a great set of tools if you maintain social media accounts – you can quickly create interesting and eye-catching pics to upload to your social media streams.
The app suite contains three different programs – Photo Lab, Visage Lab, and Emolfi.
Photo Lab has over 800 different effects that you can instantly apply to your photos. You can apply stylish and fun backgrounds to portraits. You can also apply a huge range of textures, brushes, and filters to your photos to create unique effects. It is even possible to add animation.
Visage Lab, on the other hand, allows you to automatically re-touch your selfies. You can apply different filters to the photos and you can also clean up your appearance. It is easy to erase blemishes and other imperfections. Finally, we have Emolfi which is a similar app to the Snapchat filter feature. You can apply object layers over your selfies to make them match your mood.
10. Acorn
Format – Software Download
Available Platforms – MAC
Acorn is brought to us by Flying Meat and serves as a fantastic low-cost alternative to Photoshop and Lightroom. This Lightroom alternative is only available on Mac devices – you can download it directly from their website or through the App Store.
As a Lightroom alternative, Acorn can improve photos with ease.
Firstly, it has a host of non-destructive filters that can create some truly unique end products. It is possible to customize these filters with your own settings and even save the presets to use again.
Aside from filters, this automatic photo editing software gives a set of adjustment tools such as tilt-shift, vignette, drop shadow, sharpening and color correction – it is easy to make auto photo edit processes. Acorn is a fantastic mac photo editor and it costs next to nothing too which is always a benefit.
11. Pixelmator
Format – Software Download
Available Platforms – MAC
Gimp Photo Editor
Pixelmator is a MAC photo editor that allows for professional photo edits. For creating automatic photo edits, Pixelmator has the ML Enhance function. Using ML Enhance you can automatically improve the basic quality and finish off your photos. It uses AI technology and has learned from millions of photos to provide reliable and quality end results.
Aside from ML Enhance, Pixelmator also has a host of batch processing tools. You can automatically alter white balance, color adjustments and effects. Furthermore, you can automatically change the image file type. The color adjustments, for example, provides you with a range of preset color options such as Smoky, Vibrant, Vivid and Calm. You can apply these presets with a single click.
This MAC program also has some neat features such as text overlays, quick selection tools, and layer tools. The interface is sometimes clunky as different windows pop-up, but the auto enhancements are superb.
12. PIXLR.com
Format – Browser Editor
Available Platforms – Any web browser
This editor has a simple interface and a host of basic tools to quickly edit your photos. The standard toolbar has all the features you would expect such as crop tool, clone tool, erase, fill tool, brushes, selection tool and more.
In addition, PIXLR also has a selection of preset filters similar to those offered in Photoshop for automatic photo editing. These allow you to apply some cool effects to your photos such as halftone, noise, vignette, HDR, and blur. PIXLR also has a selection of automatic adjustments you can apply to a photo. Examples of adjustment presets include invert, sepia, solarize, old photo, posterize and desaturate.
Finally, you can make adjustments to the basic photo parameters using the adjustment tools. These include brightness & contrast, color balance, levels, curves, exposure and hue/saturation.
Although this is just a web-based editor, it is still quite powerful and really quick to use.
13. Affinity Photo
Format – Software download & app
Available Platforms – Windows & MAC
Affinity Photo is a superb photo enhancer software, available as both an app for Apple IPads and as a desktop program too.
We should first notice that the program is easy to use – the tools are placed in a logical layout and are easily accessible. It also runs smoothly and does not require a huge amount of processing power.
This program has a whole dedicated section relating to RAW editing. It provides a host of useful development tools that allows you to quickly improve the basic quality of your photos. These tools include painted overlays, white balance tool, blemish removal tool, crop and straighten tool and tone clipping. Using these tools you can quickly turn a RAW photo into a high-quality edit.
Moreover, Affinity Photo also offers a selection of adjustment tools. These give you greater control over your images. They are typical tools that you would have a RAW editor to contain such as clarity, contrast, saturation, and noise reduction. The workflow is logical and the program operates perfectly on both computers and iPads.
14. Light Zone
Format – Software download & app
Available Platforms – Windows & MAC
Light Zone has actually been around for years and it is now an open source auto photo enhancer that anyone can use.
One of the main features of this program is its pre-built styles. These styles are effectively a combination of edited settings that create a certain effect. You can apply these styles with a simple click. Example of “styles” include “Soft Skin Tones, “Sharpening”, “Fill Flash”, and “Skin Glow”.
The styles are organized into different categories and you can edit the photo after you have applied it too. We love this free photo editor because of the styles, but it also has a host of basic editing functions too. You can apply photo effects such as white balance, hue/saturation, and noise reduction. As far as image enhancement software goes, Light Zone is definitely a top contender.
To download the program you must first register an account on the Light Zone website (it only takes a few minutes).
15. ON1 Photo Raw
Format – Software download
Available Platforms – Windows & MAC
ON1 Photo RAW is another heavy hitter in the world of photo enhancements.
This program really shines when it comes to automatic enhancements. ON1 has a multitude of editing presets. These presets can be applied with a single click. Moreover, you can edit the parameters of each preset if you wish to tweak the end result. Examples of preset categories include cinematic, color grading, hipster, sports, urban and color film. The variety is superb and they can really transform your photos into professional end products.
ON1 has a similar layout to Lightroom and is extremely user-friendly. Edits can be applied to photos quickly. Moreover, it has an extensive import and export feature.
Finally, ON1 also has fantastic storage and management capabilities – you can use this program to organize and categorize your photos to improve your workflow.
It should be noted that to use this program to its fullest extent, you will need a powerful PC – it is quite processor and memory heavy. If you have a modern high-power computer, ON1 is certainly a great choice – other products in this list could be advised if you only have a basic device, however.
16. CyberLink Photodirector
Format – Software download
Available Platforms – Windows & MAC
PhotoDirector 10 by Cyber Link is the latest version of this photography software. This latest release includes many improvements and a host of AI-based technologies. If you want to improve photos automatically then this is a great choice. You can try the photo enhancement software for free first in a trial version – the full version is available as a download and has a reasonable cost in comparison to the other top photo enhancers.
So why is this program suitable to improve photo automatically? The new AI transfer tool plays a large factor in this. This tool allows users to apply a myriad of preset photo filters. That’s not it, however – you can actually take another photo PhotoDirector will learn its style and then apply it to your own image!
Aside from this, this photo editing software has a host of one-click presets too. You can apply filters such as black and white, sepia, split tone and HDR in seconds.
Finally, this easy photo editor also has several presets for portrait and landscape photos. The only downside we found to this photo enhancer was the speed – using the AI transfer tool is not a quick process.
17. Apple Photos
Format – Software available with MAC devices
Available Platforms – MAC
This is a standard auto photo editing program that has always been released with Mac devices. This basic photo enhancing program is great for beginners and those getting to grips with photo editing. If you don’t have much experience photo editing then get used to concepts such as contrast, saturation, a color picker and brightness using Photos for Mac.
Photos for Mac has a range of automatic photo enhancer tools such as enhance auto-correct – this corrects imperfections and brightness levels in your photos in a single click. The brilliance adjustment tool on the other hand tweaks image highlights to provide a balanced end product.
This photo enhancer also has different preset filters to choose from which can be used to quickly change the style of your apple photos. Examples of these filters include vivid, vivid warm, dramatic, mono, silvertone and noir. Because this program comes free with Mac devices we rate it as one of the best photo editing software for Mac devices.
18. Adobe Photoshop Elements
Format – Software download
Available Platforms – MAC & Windows
As you would expect from Adobe, Photoshop Elements is a powerful and useful photo enhancement software. If you do not have extensive editing and design knowledge, Elements is the auto photo editor for you. Whilst Photoshop itself can be quite complicated, Elements could be classed as an easy photo editor in comparison.
You can use many of Photoshop’s automatic editing tools but in fewer steps and with less stress. For example, you can apply a myriad of different filters such as palette knife, sponge and cutout in a few clicks.
Aside from this, Elements allows you to perform simple tasks such as resize the image, color picker from the image and change the color saturation. You can essentially make the program as simple or complex as you wish.
To sum up this simple photo editing software up we would call it a simplified Photoshop. If you want to learn Photoshop in a hassle-free manner, Elements is the perfect way to do so.