What is image editor software?

Image editor software (also known as photo editing software) is the software program that helps you to store your photos, crop images, edit your images, fix red eye, etc. You probably know image editor software programs by names like Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro but there are a hundred other image editors out there.

All image editor software programs, even the free ones, have the same basic functions, a place to store your photos and basic editing of your photos. So what makes the other programs worth so much more money? Special effects and features offered by the different photo editing programs are aimed at different types of users. Listed below are popular image editing software programs and some of their special effects and features.

Free Image Editor Software

Most free image editor software is usually a regular version with the really good effects and extras grayed out with pop-up messages urging you to buy the $29+ upgrade to the full version. Other photo editor free downloads are trial versions and expire in a certain number of days which are pointless to download unless you are thinking about buying the full version. I recommend Picasa which is a free photo editor download from Google because it is completely free and it has so many features it is hard to imagine what you are missing. Picasa has the most bells and whistles that I have ever seen on a totally free photo editing software.

• Picasa organizes your entire collection while you watch, scanning the images on your computer and automatically sorting them by date.

• New visual effects can improve your photos – add richer colors or change the photo to black and white.
• Zoom. Pan. Tilt. Get the angle you intended. Go in closer and move the focus slightly to the left or adjust perspective and straighten crooked photos.
• Put the same picture into multiple albums without taking up more space.
• Automatically resizes and attaches pictures to email messages.
• Picasa's “Blog This!” button automatically transfers selected pictures up to your blog.
• Send out dozens of pictures instantly using the "Hello" button in Picasa while you chat with friends and family who are also online.
• With Picasa, you can turn a group of photos into a presentation with one click, and then share your slide show on a CD.
• Picasa automatically fits your pictures perfectly onto the expensive paper used by your home printer.
• You can pick photos straight out of Picasa and upload them directly to your favorite photo finishers to order prints and other products.
• Use Picasa’s free Web Albums for posting, sharing and viewing photos      
• Picasa’s automatic photo organizer exports your pictures to any TiVo® Series2™ DVR connected to a home network.
• And more!
  
  

To download Picasa from Google for free or to see the full list of features click the button below.

Paint Shop Pro

Paint Shop Pro is filled with easy one-step fixes and advanced ultra-precise controls so you don't have to be a photo-editing whiz to get fabulous photos!

• Quickly rotate, resize, and crop photos to get the exact composition and size you need.
• Smart Photo Fix is the best way to correct color, exposure, and lighting problems. With a click Paint Shop Pro analyzes your photo and makes suggested corrections.
• One Step Noise Removal and One Step Purple Fringe Removal.
• When the photo you have doesn't look like the photo you thought you took, you can easily adjust perspective and straighten crooked photos to get the look you were after.
• None of us are perfect, but with Paint Shop Pro X's Makeover Tools everyone can look like they are! With this handy set of tools you can remove blemishes, whiten teeth, brush on a suntan, and remove wrinkles.
• With Paint Shop Pro X you get a One-click Red-Eye Remover that even works on pets, or you can use Advanced Red-Eye Removal for the most accurate corrections.
• With the Clone Tool and the Object Remover you can get rid of distractions in your photos by just clicking and dragging!
• You can repair and restore any old or damaged photo with Paint Shop Pro's photo restoration tools like, Scratch Remover, Fade Correction, Hand-tinting brushes, and High-pass Sharpen.

Photoshop

Adobe® Photoshop® CS2 software, with it’s groundbreaking creative tools, unprecedented adaptability and more efficient editing, processing, and file handling, is the standard professional image-editing software. Here are just some of the features of Adobe® Photoshop® CS2 software.

• Simplify file handling with Adobe Bridge, the next-generation File Browser, where you can process multiple camera raw images at once; resize, rate, and label thumbnails; quickly review images in Slideshow mode; search metadata; and more. 
• Achieve amazing results in a fraction of the time with the groundbreaking Vanishing Point, which lets you clone, paint, and paste elements that automatically match the perspective of the surrounding image area.
• Select and move, group, transform, and warp objects more intuitively by clicking and dragging directly on the canvas. Easily align objects with Smart Guides.
• Perform nondestructive scaling, rotating, and warping of raster and vector graphics with Smart Objects.
• Process multiple images simultaneouly while you continue working. Import images into your choice of formats, including Digital Negative (DNG); enjoy automatic adjustments to exposure, shadows, and brightness and contrast; and much more.
• Easily create packaging mock-ups or other dimensional effects by wrapping an image around any shape or stretching, curling, and bending an image using Image Warp.
• Polish digital photos with advanced noise correction in high-ISO shooting plus JPEG artifact reduction.
• Create and edit 32-bit images, and combine multiple exposures into a single, 32-bit image with expanded range — from the deepest shadows to the brightest highlights.
• Get easier access to the tools you need with task-based presets, highlight new or commonly used menu items, and set up and save custom menus and workspaces.
• Effortlessly retouch photos — including 16-bit images — in a single click with the advanced power of the new Photoshop CS2 Spot Healing Brush.
• Instantly neutralize red eyes with the one-click red-eye correction tool, which supports 16-bit images and lets you set pupil size and darkening level.
• Quickly improve the contrast of over- or underexposed areas of an image, including CMYK images, while preserving the overall balance of the photo.
• Achieve amazing results with more than 95 special effects filters. Easily preview and apply more than one filter at a time from the Filter Gallery.
• Quickly create dynamic GIF animations—using one or more images—directly within Photoshop CS2 by taking advantage of the new Animations palette and layer palette animation options.