Quick LinksRetouch4Me Pixlr Luminar Neo Fotor Picsart Adobe Express
Photoshop is a great tool for editing photos, but it can be expensive and hard to learn. There are plenty of AI photo editors that make Photoshop a second option, and AI features are helpful tools for editing your photos without the complex learning curve of Photoshop.
1 Retouch4Me
Retouch4Me's AI photo editor lets you retouch all your photos -- and videos, too -- using AI. While you can get Retouch4U as a Photoshop plugin, it also works with other software like Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, and even as a standalone editor.
This AI tool saves you so much time compared to making separate edits directly to different areas of your photos. With Retouch4Me's editing panel, you can toggle different aspects such as tooth whitening, skin smoothing, dodge and burn, fabric smoothing, and more. Once applied, the tool takes seconds to apply the effects -- and they're all subtle and not over-done like some AI editors.
These tools are commonly used editing features that professional photographers or photo editors apply anyway; Retouch4Me just makes it an auto-function, saving you time with subtle but great results.
Retouch4Me is a paid tool, although there are some free tools. Prices start from $10 per month for a cloud retouching package, but you can buy each individual tool for unlimited use from around $125 each.
2 Pixlr
Pixlr's browser-based graphic design tool has loads of free options, which already puts it above Photoshop's expensive subscription access fees.
If you wish to get Pixlr's paid plan for more tools, it's only $7.99 per month, but Pixlr also offers a small add-on package for only $1.99 which provides basic extras like unlimited saves and 80 monthly AI credits. You can also make Pixlr available offline by switching the toggle -- a great option commonly unavailable for AI editors.
Pixlr has many of the same AI tools found in Photoshop, such as generative fill and expand. It also provides many traditional graphic design tools alongside AI, bringing its toolbox to a competitive size next to Photoshop's. With Pixlr's tools you can create face swap images, expand with intelligent borders, use AI transform to move the subject of your image without it looking awkward, and other tools like noise removal and super scale.
While the AI results don't offer more than one variation, unlike Adobe Firefly's 3 or 4 variants, the quality of the result is high. Free users get 50 credits for using the AI tools, and they can be paired with any of the traditional tools, too.
3 Luminar Neo
Luminar Neo is more of an alternative to Adobe Lightroom. However, given that many photographers favor Photoshop, this is a great AI alternative all the same.
Skylum's Luminar Neo software is an AI-based photo editing tool, with features such as sky replacement, generative AI tools like GenSwap for switching out elements, GenErase for entirely removing elements, and Luminar's many other AI tools. Luminar Neo has had an AI focus long before the AI boom in 2023, and this software is filled with AI expertise.
The pricing of Luminar Neo is similar to Adobe Photoshop. However, unlike Adobe, you can get a perpetual license as well as choose to subscribe annually, all for cheaper than Adobe.
4 Fotor
Fotor is another browser-based photo editor with countless AI image editing tools and generators -- it even has video editing built-in, including AI video tools.
While it's slightly more gimmicky compared to Photoshop, if you can look past that, you'll be able to create many images on the same level as Photoshop.
Some of the great features in Fotor are the AI image upscaler, AI expand, face unblur, one-tap image enhancer, old photo restorer, AI object replacer and eraser, AI face swap and face mimic, and many other tools. With a mix of great AI features and more traditional tools like templates and quick design tools, you can create many image types in Fotor.
For quicker image manipulation compared to doing it in Photoshop, using Fotor's AI filters can transform your photos. With claymation and anime filters, you'll save time and energy compared to spending hours in Photoshop.
Most of Fotor's AI tools are not available under its free plan. However, Fotor Pro is only $3.33 per month or $7.49 for Pro+ each month, which is affordable compared to Photoshop.
5 Picsart
Picsart is a browser-based image editing tool which is also available as a smartphone app. Its pricing model offers some free tools, a 7-day free trial of the Pro membership, and two pricing tiers: Plus from $5 per month and Pro from $7 per month.
This AI tool lets you create and edit images and GIFs easily -- quicker than the long process of making GIFs in Photoshop. You can enhance your images to preserve the quality, remove the background or even generate an entirely new background, remove objects, conjure up new objects with generative AI, and batch edit your images. Picsart's tools make photo editing a breeze compared to Photoshop.
If you use the image generator in Picsart, you can continue using any of Picsart's editing tools, like editing a photo. Whether you apply traditional tools like color overlays, shadow or saturation, or choose to edit using more AI tools is your choice. The results will be similar to what you can achieve in Photoshop, either way.
6 Adobe Express
Putting Adobe Express on a list of Photoshop alternatives isn't lost on me, but you can access and use Adobe Express for free, with only a small surcharge to access its Premium features -- much cheaper than Adobe Photoshop or other Creative Cloud subscriptions. Like Canva, Adobe Express is available as a mobile app, and lets you access other Creative Cloud files, but you can use it without a subscription.
Adobe Express is a browser-based image editing tool that harnesses many similar AI features found in Adobe Photoshop, including Generative Fill and text-to-image generators. You'll also benefit from Adobe Firefly's text effects AI generator, which is a really fun way to customize your photos.
Adobe Firefly and its AI technology boasts many great tools in Adobe Express, allowing you to edit your photos and images in ways similar to Photoshop, without needing the experience Photoshop requires.
This is just a short list of Photoshop AI alternative editors. You could also explore Canva, Lensa, and Befunky which all offer more photo editing tools. Finding alternatives to Photoshop, especially programs with AI tools built in, allows you to achieve the same greatness for your images with less time, money, and experience. AI tools can often create similar -- or, sometimes, better -- results than Photoshop's pricey tools.
