Advanced image-editing features don't have to cost you a bundle.

I was recently thinking of all the things I could do if someone handed me $650, no strings attached. Here's what I could do.
  • Buy food for three or four months
  • Pay the gas and electric bill for a year
  • Purchase a really nice digital camera
  • Buy Adobe Photoshop


As much as I'd love to own Photoshop (or get a new camera), pesky things like food, electricity, and hot water just seem more important. So I rely on freebie image editors distributed by some generous programmers, and some of them are darn good. On today's "Call for Help" Cat will show you where to find some of my favorite gems.

  • GIMP
    Bringing in the GIMP may sound like something straight out of "Pulp Fiction," but this open-source image editor only poses a threat to powerhouse Photoshop. The free software lets you work with layers and filters, and you can even download plug-ins for it.
    Read our free file review >

  • Pixia
    It's not the easiest program to learn right off the bat, so I recommend you download the Pixia help file as soon as you install the program. Play around with the different features, follow the steps in our review, and you'll be able to manipulate images to your liking in no time.
    Read our free file review >

  • PhotoPlus
    I use PhotoPlus almost every day. It comes with great image-manipulation tools, it supports layers, and I can open .psd (Photoshop) files in it without anything wonky happening to the image or to my computer. If I had to choose just one program from this list, PhotoPlus would win.
    Read our free file review >


If you don't need support for layers and just want a great free image editor, try IrfanView or do your photo manipulation online at myImager.com.