Image Editing Software

Image editing software is to pictures what word processors are to text: They let you experiment onscreen before committing your ideas to paper. If your picture doesn't look quite right, adjust it until it does. Need to touch up a flaw or remove an unwanted object? Grab the digital lasso and airbrush, and have at it. Need to combine elements from several photographs? No problem. Layering and feathering tools are at your fingertips. Sophisticated digital artists can even take advantage of expert tools and filters to produce unique, gallery-worthy works of art. Digital editing lets you explore numerous possibilities.

But which of the many image-editing applications should you choose? They all offer the basic tools--such as text overlays and controls for brightness and contrast--and a selection of filters to blur, sharpen, and enhance your images. And they can all import and export your favorite bitmap file formats. But they differ in price and in the precision and complexity of their features. We examined six leading image-editing products to find the best for you, whether you're a professional artist or just starting out.

Full-Featured

Adobe's Photoshop has long been the favorite of graphics experts. A 16-bit cross-platform powerhouse, it provides everything an artist needs (a 32-bit version is in the works). Photoshop's numerous tools and filters give you precise control over every aspect of the image-editing process. When money is no object, this is the clear choice for any work environment.

If you can't afford Photoshop's hefty price tag or if your needs are less demanding, consider Corel's Photo-Paint 6. It offers most of the features found in Photoshop, though many of them lack Photoshop's finesse. Still, Photo-Paint offers the greatest range of features for the lowest price. You can buy it bundled with CorelDraw or separately.

Micrografx's Picture Publisher 6 is also an excellent image editor. No longer available as a stand-alone product, it is now sold only as a part of Micrografx's ABC Graphics Suite, which sells for $ 299. That unbeatable price also includes Micrografx Designer, ABC FlowCharter, and ABC Media Manager. All four products offer easy integration with Microsoft's Office, making good use of “binder” compatibility. Unfortunately, there is almost no printed documentation included, so learning Picture Publisher can be a trying experience, especially for graphics novices.

Specialty Products

Ron Scott's QFX has been around as a DOS program for some time, but it's relatively new to the Windows environment. QFX 5.2 is one of the few image-editing programs that also offer vector drawing tools. Founded on the philosophy that speed is of the essence, this product is for the professional with a tight deadline. But because it departs so dramatically from the paradigm established by market-leader Photoshop, it can be difficult to learn. However, many of those who have made the effort to learn QFX swear by it.

Fractal Design's Painter 4.0 is the best at what it does, but it doesn't compete head-to-head with other products in this category. It's meant to complement, not replace, your primary image editor. Unlike most image editors, it supports only the RGB color model. But because it offers an incredible array of artistic brushes and special effects, Painter 4.0 is just plain fun to work with. You probably won't use it as your only image-editing application, but if you're willing to spend an extra $ 375, you'll definitely want it in your bag of tricks.