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Comparison of raster graphics editors 

This is a comparison of raster graphics editors sorted by availability.

Contents

List

Commercial software Freeware Free and open source software
Historical (discontinued titles)

General information

Basic general information about the editors: creator/company, license/price etc.

Description Creator First public release date Latest stable version Cost (USD) Software license
Ability Photopaint Graphics editor with some advanced features Ability Software March 2001 4 $29.99 Proprietary
Adobe Fireworks Since ver. CS3 part of Adobe Creative Suite Web Macromedia 1998 9.01.x $299.00 Proprietary
Adobe Photoshop Professional image editor and graphics creation tool John Knoll and Thomas Knoll February 1990 CS3 / 10.0 $649.00, $999.00 (CS3 Extended) Proprietary
Alias SketchBook Pro Image editor designed to be used with tablet PCs Autodesk 2004 3 $179.00 Proprietary
ArtRage Graphic creator and editor designed for tablet PCs Andy Bearsley and Matt Fox-Wilson 2004 2.5 $25.00 (full version) Proprietary
Artweaver Image editor designed for a natural painting experience on the computer Boris Eyrich 2002 0.5.5 Free Proprietary
Brush Strokes Image Editor Image editor like Windows Paint Paul Bird 2004 1.0 Free Proprietary
CinePaint Moving picture, photo and graphics editor Robin Rowe July 4, 2002 0.22 Free GPL
CodedColor PhotoStudio Pro 1STEIN Corp. 2001 5.1 $39.00 Proprietary
Corel Paint Shop Pro Advanced image editor and graphics creator Jasc Software 1992 X2 (12.00) $99.99 Proprietary
Corel Painter Graphics editor designed to create natural-looking artistic images Mark Zimmer, Tom Hedges, John Derry August, 1991 10 $429.00 (full version)
 Proprietary
Corel PHOTO-PAINT Image editor and web-graphics creator with some advanced features Corel Corporation ? X4/14 $289.00
$299.00		 Proprietary
Cosmigo Pro Motion Pixel and animation editor (8-bit-graphics) designed after Deluxe Paint Cosmigo / J.Zimmermann, L.Gischler,N.Mavrikakis 1997 6.0.0.104 $78 to $92 Proprietary
Deluxe Paint Discontinued basic graphics editor Dan Silva 1985 5 $149.99 Proprietary
Deneba Canvas Graphics editor and creator supporting both raster graphics and vector graphics Jorge Miranda, Joaquin de Soto, and Manny Menendez September 1987 X $349.99 Proprietary
ERDAS IMAGINE Advanced remote sensing and GIS capability.
Can handle multispectral images.		 ERDAS, Inc. 1980 9.2 $2,200 (Essentials), $7,700 (Professional) Proprietary
GIMP Free image editor and graphics creator Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis January 1996 2.6.0 Free GPL
GIMPshop GIMP designed to have a GUI similar to Adobe Photoshop Scott Moschella ? 2.2.11 Free GPL
GraphicConverter Image viewer capable of importing and exporting many image file types Thorsten Lemke 1992 5.7.3 $30.00 Proprietary
ReaSoft Image Converter Image converter that enables to convert images between 400+ formats and edit them in batch mode ReaSoft Development  ? 5.5 $39.95 Proprietary
Helicon Filter Advanced image editor with a simplified tabbed interface Helicon Soft Ltd. August 2004 4.83 Free to $75 Proprietary
iPhoto Image organizational tool and basic editor for Mac OS X Apple Computer 2002 6.0.2 Included with Mac OS X[1] Proprietary
IrfanView Image and video viewer with basic editing functions Irfan Skiljan 1996 4.00 Free Proprietary
JDraw Graphics editor designed to edit individual pixels J-Domain 2003 1.1.5 Free GPL
Kolourpaint KDE 2004 1.2.2 Free GPL
Krita KDE 2005 1.6.3 Free GPL
MacPaint Obsolete basic graphic creator/editor Bill Atkinson 1984 2.0 $19.00 Proprietary
Microsoft Office Picture Manager Basic image editing tool Microsoft ? ? Included with Microsoft Office Proprietary
Microsoft Paint Basic graphic creator and editor packaged with Microsoft Windows operating systems Microsoft 1985 6.0 Included with Microsoft Windows Proprietary
Microsoft Photo Editor Obsolete basic image editor for Windows Microsoft ? 3.01 Included with Microsoft Office Proprietary
Mootif Online Java image editor with a few functions mootif.com May, 2006 1.0 Free Proprietary
MST Viewer Image and Document Viewer and Editor w/ several functions and AFP & MODCA support MS Technology 2002 14.1 ? Proprietary
mtPaint Mark Tyler September, 2004 3.21 Free GPL
OpenCanvas Portalgraphics ? 4 $54.55
$72.73		 Proprietary
Paint.NET Free image editor and graphics creator based on the .Net framework Rick Brewster, et. al. May 6, 2004 3.35 Free Slightly edited MIT License
PC Paintbrush Obsolete basic graphic creator/editor ZSoft Corporation 1984 5 ? Proprietary
Photo! Editor powerful multifunctional software offering a complete set of image editing tools VicMan Software April 11, 2008 1.0 Free Proprietary
Photofinish ZSoft Corporation 1993 2 89.99 Proprietary
Photogenics Image editor designed to create super HDRs at 32 bits Idruna Software Inc. 1995 HDR 7.0 $699.00[2] Proprietary
PhotoLine Image and animation creator/editor Computerinsel GmbH 1995 14.02 $76.74 (59 Euro) Proprietary
PhotoPerfect Image editor with some advanced features Arcadia Software AG & Joachim Koopmann Software 2002 2.9 $59.99 Proprietary
Photo Toolkit Very simple in use and mostly automatic image editor VicMan Software 2007 1.8 beta Free Proprietary
Picasa Efficient image organization tool with basic editing tools and other image effects Google ? 2.7 Free Proprietary
PicMaster Alexander Sabov December 1999 3.96 $29.90 Proprietary
PixBuilder Photo Editor WnSoft Graphic Software June 2005 1.31 $34.00 Proprietary
Pixel image editor Image editor based on Adobe Photoshop Pavel Kanzelsberger 1999 1.0 (Beta 7) $32.00 Proprietary
Pixia Isao Maruoka 1998 3.3 Free Proprietary
Project Dogwaffle Author retired from computer programming [3] Dan Ritchie 1997 (?) 4.0 (1.2 available as freeware) $97.00 (full version) Proprietary
QFX Obsolete Early image editor to support 1024x768 truecolor graphics Ron Scott ~1990 8 $399.00 Proprietary
Seashore Basic counterpart to GIMP, using its XCF format; full support for a few graphics formats  ? June 2007 0.1.9 Free GPL
Serif Photo Plus (Studio Pack) Complete graphics editor and photo organization suite. Serif 11 $79.99 Proprietary
Tux Paint Bill Kendrick June 16, 2002 0.9.16 Free GPL
TVPaint 2D animation software Herve ADAM June 16, 1991 8.5.10 $550 Proprietary
TwistedBrush Pro Studio Advanced digital paint with realistic artist tools and graphics editing Pixarra July 23, 2003 15.10 $129 Proprietary
Ulead PhotoImpact Ulead Systems ? 12 $89.99 Proprietary
Ultimate Paint Basic graphics editor based on Deluxe Paint Joseph Ladanyi and Daniel Szabo 1998 2.88 $34.95 Proprietary
WinImages Graphics editor with a focus on animation Black Belt Systems ? 7.5 $99.95 Proprietary
Zoner Photo Studio All-in-one editor package. Zoner Inc. ? 9.0 build 7 $84.95 (full version) Proprietary
Description Creator First public release date Latest stable version Cost (USD) Software license

Operating system support

The operating systems on which the editors can run natively (without emulation or compatibility layers), meaning which operating systems have which editors specifically coded for them (not, for example, Adobe Photoshop for Windows running on Linux with Wine).

Windows Mac OS X Linux BSD Unix AmigaOS
Ability Photopaint Yes No No No No No
ACD Canvas Yes Yes No No No No
Adobe Photoshop Yes Yes No No No No
Alias SketchBook Pro Yes Yes No No No No
ArtRage Yes Yes No No No No
Artweaver Yes No No No No No
Brush Strokes Image Editor Yes No No No No No
CinePaint Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
CodedColor PhotoStudio Pro Yes No No No No No
Corel Paint Shop Pro Yes No No No No No
Corel Painter Yes Yes No No No No
Corel Photo-Paint Yes No No No No No
Cosmigo Pro Motion Yes ? ? ? ? No
Deluxe Paint [4] No No No No No Yes
Effectbank Yes No No No No No
ERDAS IMAGINE Yes No No No Yes No
GIMP [5] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes [6]
GIMPshop Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
GraphicConverter No Yes No No No No
ReaSoft Image Converter Yes No No No No No
Helicon Filter Yes No No No No No
iPhoto No Yes No No No No
IrfanView Yes No No No No No
JDraw Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Kolourpaint No No Yes Yes Yes No
Krita No No Yes Yes Yes No
MacPaint No No No No No No
Adobe Fireworks Yes Yes No No No No
Microsoft Office Picture Manager Yes Yes No No No No
Microsoft Paint Yes No No No No No
Microsoft Photo Editor Yes No No No No No
Mootif Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
MST Viewer Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
mtPaint Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
OpenCanvas Yes No No No No No
Paint.NET Yes No No No No No
PC Paintbrush [7] No No No No No No
Photo Explosion Yes Yes No No No No
Photofinish Yes No No No No No
Photogenics [8] Yes No Yes No No Yes[9]
Photo! Editor Yes No No No No No
PhotoLine Yes Yes No No No No
PhotoPerfect Yes No No No No No
Photo Toolkit Yes No No No No No
Picasa Yes No Yes No No No
PicMaster Yes No No No No No
PixBuilder Photo Editor Yes No No No No No
Pixel image editor [10] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes(MorphOS)
Pixia Yes No No No No No
Project Dogwaffle Yes No No No No No
QFX Yes No No No No No
Seashore No Yes No No No No
Tux Paint Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
TVPaint Yes Yes No No No Yes [11]
TwistedBrush Pro Studio Yes No No No No No
Ulead PhotoImpact Yes No No No No No
Ultimate Paint Yes No No No No No
WinImages Yes No No No No No
Zoner Photo Studio Yes No No No No No
Windows Mac OS X Linux BSD Unix AmigaOS

Features

Selection editing Layers Histogram Scripting HDR Retouching Resizing Noise removal Lens correction Sized Printing Sharpening Color correction Image library Plugin support [12]
Ability Photopaint Yes Yes Yes Yes No ? Yes ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
ACD Canvas Yes Yes Yes Yes No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Adobe Photoshop Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Partial (Bridge) Yes
Alias SketchBook Pro Yes Yes No No No ? ? ? ? ? Yes ? ? ?
ArtRage No Yes No No No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Artweaver Yes Yes No Yes [13] No Yes Yes Yes ? ? Yes Yes No Yes
Brush Strokes Image Editor Yes No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
CinePaint Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes
CodedColor PhotoStudio Pro Yes Yes Yes No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Corel Paint Shop Pro Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Corel Painter Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes ? ? Yes Yes ? Yes
Corel Photo-Paint Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Cosmigo Pro Motion Yes No No No No Partial Yes No No ? ? ? ? ?
Deluxe Paint No Partial [14] Partial Yes No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
ERDAS IMAGINE Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes
GIMP Yes Yes Yes Yes Partial [15] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
GIMPshop Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
GraphicConverter Yes ? Yes Yes No Yes ? ? ? ? ? Yes Yes ?
Helicon Filter Home/Pro Partial No [16] Yes No [17] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
iPhoto No No Yes No No Yes Partial No Partial Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
IrfanView No No ? No No No Yes No No ? No ? ? Yes
JDraw Yes No No No No ? ? ? ? ? ? No ? ?
Kolourpaint Yes No No No No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Krita Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes
MacPaint Yes No No No No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Adobe Fireworks Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Microsoft Office Picture Manager Partial No No No No No Yes No No Yes No ? No No
Microsoft Paint No No No No No Partial Yes No No No No No No No
Microsoft Photo Editor Yes No No No No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Mootif Partial Yes No No No Yes No No Partial No No ? No No
MST Viewer Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No Yes Yes
mtPaint Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes No No No Yes Yes No No
OpenCanvas Yes Yes Yes No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Paint.NET Yes Yes Yes Partial No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes
PC Paintbrush Yes No No No No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Photofinish Yes No No No No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Photo! Editor Partial No No No No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Photogenics Yes Yes Yes ? Yes ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
PhotoLine Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
PhotoPerfect Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes ? Yes
Photo Toolkit No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Picasa No No Yes No Partial [18] No Partial No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
PicMaster Yes No Yes Yes No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
PixBuilder Photo Editor Yes Yes Yes No No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Pixel image editor Yes Yes Yes No Yes ? ? ? ? ? ? Yes ? ?
Pixia Yes Yes Yes No No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Project Dogwaffle ? Only in commercial version Yes Partial No Yes Yes ? ? ? Yes Yes ? Yes
QFX Yes Yes Yes Yes ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Tux Paint No No No No No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
TVPaint Yes Yes Yes Yes No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
TwistedBrush Pro Studio Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Ulead PhotoImpact Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Ultimate Paint Yes No Yes No No ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
WinImages Yes Yes ? Yes ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Zoner Photo Studio