“Now that Adobe has made Photoshop CC the linchpin of its Creative Cloud subscription strategy, photo enthusiasts are more than ever seeking alternatives to the engine that has driven the modern image-editing industry for more than 20 years,” Jackie Dove writes for Macworld.
“Subscriptions to Photoshop via Creative Cloud cost $50 per month and are popular with a certain segment of Adobe users, mostly the cadre of commercial artists, graphic designers, Web developers, and photographers who use multiple apps for high-end professional work,” Dove writes. “But a subscription is still a subscription. And even some Creative Cloud cheerleaders may now be pausing to reconsider this path, especially in light of recent issues with Adobe security. That, added to general consumer opposition to subscription software, may play a role in an accelerated quest for a Photoshop alternative.”
Dove writes, “We poked around and found nine good prospects that would be suitable for most amateurs and photo enthusiasts. Some of those alternatives, not surprisingly, come from Adobe itself, while others emerge from familiar vendors like Apple and Corel, as well as more recent players in the software marketplace.”
Covered int he full article:
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 12
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5
• Apple Aperture 3.5
• Apple iPhoto 9.5
• Flying Meat Acorn 4.1
• Pixelmator 3
• Corel AfterShot Pro
• CyberLink PhotoDirector 5
• GIMP 2.8
Read about each in the full article here.
